Rocky Landing

Have you considered writing for NFL.com?

That's really not a given. Geno has been getting some high praise lately.

Sure. But, once a local paper is gone, it's GONE.

That's probably why they teach! (I assume. the study was published by Emory University) (At least they don't teach gym.) (Then again, if they did teach gym, they might have a better understanding of what a "fan" is.) (No offense to teachers...)

It was written by a business wonk. They understand nothing else.

As brutal as this article was, it should be noted that this, and the study it references, is entirely about marketing strategy, brand equity, and what it refers to as "fan equity." And, while it claims to adjust for market size, and income disparity among fans, as well as other economic factors, it only does so in a way that is relevant to marketing. There is no real metric for quality, or the "hard-core" nature of fandom beyond a fan's reliability as a profit center. And so, Buffalo fans are not the most reliable profit centers in the sports entertainment business. Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse ME!!!

A lot of hay has been made about how "mediocre at best" our QB situation is in the media. But, I think we should all maybe take a step back and understand that the media has an habitual storyline for the Bills, just as they have an habitual storyline for the Pats*. And, those story lines are carrying over into our QB situation. Case in point: By all accounts, our QBs had moments during OTAs in which they struggled. However, by all accounts, they also had strong performances-- especially EJ, and Tyrod. But, you won't see that discussed in any of the current opinions regarding the Bills in the national media. You'll be hard pressed to find any description of any one of our quarterbacks rising above the level of, "mediocre at best." Cut to: Jimmy Garoppolo, and the Pats*. By all accounts, Garoppolo had a rougher time in OTAs than any of our QBs, and against a clearly inferior defense. Google, "Garoppolo OTA," and your page will fill with news stories from May and June of his struggles, including accuracy issues, interceptions, speed, etc. Numerous stories. And then today: ATL on NFL.com posts the following story: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000500759/article/brandon-lafell-lauds-jimmy-garoppolos-growthBrandon LaFell Lauds Garoppolo's Growth. Some quotes: "After a slew of voluntary workouts and a minicamp this offseason, early returns have been positive. Garoppolo flashed during some spot duty a year ago and rolled that into a nice spring and summer." and: "He's been having a nice OTAs, a nice offseason with us..." and: "Garoppolo, too, may even be a better quarterback than the above-average NFL backup." The Bills will get this sort of lopsided coverage until the narrative changes. But, we should't buy into the negative hype ourselves, any more than we would buy into the incessant positive hype following around Garoppolo, and the Pats*.

Support your local newspaper in any way you can, or it will go away forever. And, then there will be nothing but the floating trash island of the internet.

What exactly are you talking about?

This isn't really outsourcing. It's exporting. Regarding the season ticket sales: Correct me if I'm wrong, but are the London games not scheduled before season tickets go on sale? Regarding income loss: I wonder what the disparity between what vendors, parking attendants, etc lose, and the income, and wages gained by companies, and employees involved in moving an NFL team to Europe is? Certainly, in terms of the local Orchard Park economy, there would be a net loss. But, between shipping, travel, coordination, logistics, and Mario Williams' dog sitter, it can't be cheap to host a game in London.

Occasionally, I will go onto other fan websites to gain an outside, or opposing perspective. To date, I have browsed the sites for the Pats*, Fins, Jets, Chargers, Raiders, 49ers, Rams, Colts, Bears, Browns, Eagles, Giants, and probably some others tat I don't remember. Without exception, not a single one of them is as well run, well designed, intelligent, authoritative, or informative as this one. Without exception. Cheers!

I believe that is one of his deficiencies that he is working on improving.

I'm sorry. Am I only supposed to be negative this time of year? I get confused. (In my defense, it was late, like 11:00, and I was on my second scotch.)

I've become a Marquise Gray fan. I was very impressed with what he did last season, having arrived late, and into a difficult situation. The more I read, and find out about him, the more I believe he will do very well for us. I love that he's played so many positions, including QB. He's touted as having very high "football intelligence," being able to read the field, etc. He has prototypical size for a TE, and has a lot of speed, and quickness for someone his weight. He certainly made the few plays he had last season look easy. From that interview, you can tell that he is aware of his shortcomings, and what he has to work on. I do think he will be our #2 TE. And, to top it all off, he seems to be a really decent, and intelligent guy, involved in the community, and a generally good person with a really compelling story. There was a great article about him showing up to a handicapped girl's birthday party in a park a few months back in Minnesota. Not grandstanding, or trying to grab press-- just to be a decent guy. I love being a fan of great athletes who are also admirable human beings. I really hope Gray does well.

According to Vegas Insider, a website that tracks numerous Las Vegas casinos, the Bills are currently 17/1 for the AFC. Pats* are 9/2, and the fish are 18/1. http://www.vegasinsider.com/nfl/odds/futures/ They currently have us as 2.5 point underdogs (according to consensus) in the opener, btw, anywhere from +1.5 to +3. http://www.vegasinsider.com/nfl/odds/las-vegas/ No doubt!

How awesome would it be if they had a huge medieval scale sitting in the conference room?

Absolutely agree with this.

It would. I'll admit it. I'm a Hogan fan.

The concept is not lost on me. I just don't see Glenn getting that huge a contract. Would somebody offer him a $60+mil contract? I guess it could happen, but we sure won't. That's what it would take to crack the top five. And, there's more than a few LTs whose contracts go up in 2016, and a bunch going up this year.

Well, the best I could find for him, in terms of ranking, was 12th. Why would he get more money than the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, or 11th ranked tackles? Because he played on the 30th ranked line last year?

Interesting how the debate at WR seems to have turned into Goodwin vs. Lewis. This went on for a while in another 53-roster thread, as well. Personally, I think Lewis offers the team attributes that none of our other WRs have, whereas Goodwin is all speed, and not enough production. And, I'm glad Hogan is getting the respect he deserves. For a while, the debate seemed to be Goodwin vs. Hogan.

Why would Glenn demand top 5 money when he's not in the top ten? Unless he thinks there's a team willing to pay him top-5 money, but he would have to refuse us first.

And cue BF4E in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Now this is funny!!!

The comments from the Pats* fans at the end of that article are precious.

These speculations are just speculations. It really is way too early to tell. For example: If Darby turns out to be a stud, Gilmore could be the one. If Mario and Jerry both drop back to OLB, Powell has stepped up, and we end up with depth at LB, it could be Bradham. I would take either of these options. Glenn came back from the offseason in remarkable shape, according to all of the trainers, and our O-line is probably our thinnest position.