BillnutinHouston

Bills home opener - where else would you rather be?

Nice! Got flight, car and room booked for Billnut Jr and I.

Say what you will about these minor day-to-day distractions. I think that for thoughtful fans, the fact that the Bills, of all three of the key entities on the stadium committee, appointed Sen. Schumer, is by far the biggest statement that can possibly be made about their organizational integrity, understated though it is.

No need to apologize, John. Nearly all of us appreciate your insights, and most respect the fact that you can't make a living posting here, yet choose to engage here anyway. I suggest just ignoring the posters who try to treat you like an "information errand boy".

This may very well explain why, as was reported last week, Mrs. Wilson is in the process of interviewing multiple investment banking firms whose task it will be to identify the overall value of the estate. If "high bid" alone was going to dictate the sale, why bother with retaining a firm to estimate value? Just let supply and demand rule and dictate the sale price.

I agree with you Dork, but on the other hand, talk is cheap but $ support is not. Time will tell how much "real" support there is.

I wonder if investors such as JK are required to sign confidentiality agreements as part of signing on to be an investor in given group. Most likely, but if not, I'd advise him to be selective, but to put his stamp of approval on MULTIPLE groups that he's comfortable with. Why box yourself in to just one group if you don't have to settle on just one?

Isn't he a mess off the field?

interesting point. I think Bills fans are passionate enough that they would be able to find creative ways to get the point cross that a Toronto team will NOT be supported by Bills fans. I'd think it would be easy to get plenty of signatures on a petition or resolution of some type that demonstrates this in no uncertain terms.

I obviously disagree. Any city building a new stadium for the relocated Bills would have to do so without even a tentative deal from the team, as the lease forbids the team from even planning a relocation during the lease term. Or do you think an out of town owner will easily win a court battle with Erie County, then pay the $400 M in damages and then get a stadium built? Seems like a bridge too far to me. Schumer's relationship with Goodell and his position on the Senate Finance Committee puts him in a position to threaten the NFL's tax exempt status. Don't you think that that tax exempt status is worth more to the NFL than any revenue deficiency caused by a Buffalo-based team? The NFL knows where it's bread is buttered. And we've not even discussed any provisions of the Wilson estate which could favor a local owner. But I guess I'm not as imaginative as you are, Code.

All my ties and expenditures would immediately end, and I'm sure most would do the same. It's hard to envision a scenario where the current lease, a quick sale, Schumer's involvement AND an owner wanting to relocate the team all come together successfully.

^^ All of this. It's been reported that the estate is currently interviewing investment firms that specialize in estimating the value of large estates. Since the valuation process is likely in its infancy stages, the OP's report is likely inaccurate. Either that, or it shows that Bon Jovi's group is neither tactically astute nor discreet. Or, maybe they have a different strategy in mind. Once JBJ put out the word that he's "passionate" about owning a team, his group has no other choice, for credibility reasons, but to bid on every team that comes up for sale, even if they don't think they'll win. They may be bidding on the Bills all the while knowing they're unlikely to succeed, if for no other reason than to establish and build up the necessary credibility to win the bidding on the NEXT team that comes up for sale.

What self-respecting Bills fan would file such a claim, essentially against Ralph's estate?

Re: the thread title - when did it become fashionable to start sentences with the word so? That one really snuck up on me.

Actually, no. San Antonio has the population but most of its residents are low wage. Austin is growing fast but is more of an amateur & college sports town. And both are solid, solid Cowboys markets that Jerry Jones would fight tooth and nail over. Perhaps you're thinking of Lubbock?

The fact is, Jacobs' statement was more about him keeping the Bruins than anything about the Bills. He did not categorically rule out an interest in the Bills, which he could have easily done. I found it particularly interesting that the statement concluded with (paraphrasing) "I'm a fan of the Bills AND THEIR LEADERSHIP". What's that about? Currying favor with Mary Wilson and Brandon is not a bad thing to do if you want to buy the Bills and keep them in Buffalo. Kronke represents an interesting precedent for Jacobs. Jacobs' is very influential in the NHL and that gravitas may be very appealing to the NFL owners when compares to other options (Bon Jovi or Trump to name a few). I still think Pegula is a guy to keep in mind, even if he is laying low and keeping his powder dry right now.

Yea I had to smile at that one too.

The Swiftian reference ("Modest proposal") tells me this was a tongue in cheek proposal.

I'd vote for Cordy Glenn also. But a close second is the Manuel-Woods-Alonso group simply based on how well Buddy played his hand - essentially wringing three solid prospects out of the two picks that he held going into the draft.

Thanks for the report Jay. Re: the removal of the first two rows of seating behind the benches, do you know if that's going to cause a domino effect relocation of lots of season ticket holders?

Stated or not, I'm thinking this will be all-out war between Bon Jovi and the interests from Buffalo. The NFL can't have 2 viable franchises 90 miles apart, the economics just don't work. Either Bon Jovi-Tannenbaum are left standing, or a Buffalo franchise is. It can't be both.

I think that's in the eye of the beholder. Manuel never lost a bowl game and was the MVP of the Senior Bowl. That's not chicken feed. I think he just needs more experience at the NFL level and he'll be fine.

It's easy to see the Bills new owner supporting a NF stadium location, and it would not surprise me at all if a pre-vetted front runner is already quietly steering the committee to a NF stadium site recommendation. The site choice is incredibly important to the financial success of the new owner's investment, and there's no way that this committee won't be steered by the owner's wishes. A NF stadium site is the most effective way to put a stake in the heart of Toronto's NFL ambitions. To ensure their long term survival, the Bills MUST do everything possible to obliterate Toronto as a threat to their market over the long haul. A NF stadium is the best possible way to do that, short of moving over the border. WNY needs a new owner more than he needs WNY, so the Committee will make whatever recommendations that the new owner wants them to make. If the NFL signs off on a local owner-NF stadium site package, it signals to me that the NFL recognizes they can't have 2 viable franchises existing 90 miles apart, and have chosen WNY over Toronto once and for all. That would be a monumental statement. Game, set and match. The idea of a shared Bills-Bulls training site in Amherst helps unlock lots of NYS funding. While leveraging NYS' help, this reported stadium-training site arrangement also skirts the NCAA's "no alcohol sales on campus" rules that rule out an on-campus stadium.

Your friend's take makes a lot of sense to me. I'm sure the NFL wants no part of having their books opened up, and I agree that they'd likely be skeptical of any group that has to rely on BFA financing to survive, given the many options they will have to choose from.

No disrespect intended. All kidding aside there are lots of solid Bills fans down there, and if I ever have the good fortune to move back to WNY, that's where I plan to live myself. But the southern tier market clearly pales in comparison to the potential market in Southern Ontario.