BillnutinHouston

Wow, that was not the response I expected. Sorry if the proper respect was not conveyed.

- The Buffalo Bills represent the roots of the NFL. - Ralph Wilson championed policies such as gate & television revenue sharing that helped ensure the success of the entire league. He loaned the Oakland Raiders $400K to keep that franchise afloat, and was also willing to loan Billy Sullivan of the Patriots money as well, likely saving the entire AFL from folding. He never left Buffalo during his lifetime, and never voted in favor of any franchise relocation. The best and most appropriate way to honor this Hall of Famer's memory is to give local interests the chance to keep the team in Buffalo.

It's possible that this rumor could be floated by the Texans to try to drum up more interest in the #1 pick.

True, and what many don't realize is that the club seats in RWS currently have a PSL attached to them. Ever notice how many empty red seats there are on Sundays?

Halftime - do you have a link or more specifics to support your first statement above?

To those who want a new stadium, are you prepared to pay more in taxes to cover the public funding, and/or pay MUCH higher ticket prices to cover the owner's private funding? If the idea is that a new stadium is needed because it generates more revenue for the owner, understand that the revenue comes from YOU one way or the other. Txbillsfan - your argument that Bills fans should keep doing what they're doing, i.e., that the status quo is adequate to keep the team, is a curious and in my opinion dangerous strategy for Bills fans to subscribe to. When you say "Buffalo supports this team as well as any other NFL city", what measure are you basing this on? I don't think you'd disagree that the primary measure that counts with NFL owners and investors is revenue generation, and you can't seriously argue that Buffalo generates as much as "any other NFL city". Just look at the number of empty red (club) seats at any given home game as exhibit A against your argument in favor of people doing what they've been doing. This is not a shot at Bills fans, rather a statement of the WNY economy that's largely out of Bills fans' control. But what is in the fans' control is their purchasing decisions. Given what we know about this unique and uncertain time in the franchise's history, to rally the troops to basically do "nothing special" is an odd position to take, to say the least. The Poloncarz interview posted on WGR's website is highly informative and recommended for all. Especially noteworthy was Poloncarz's statement that he's been contacted by multiple parties expressing interest in buying the Bills, including parties who specifically told him that they wanted to buy the team and keep it in Buffalo. Good news, but certainly no guarantee that the winning bidder will want to keep the team in Buffalo.

I meant, will Bills fans decide to buy season tickets or individual game tickets in higher quantities than before as we enter new territory without Mr. Wilson at the helm? I find that to be an interesting question. Personally, I've held season tickets for years now even though I can't get to many games, because I feel a loyalty to Buffalo and believe that my support helps preserve the team, in some small way. I'm curious to know if others who may have been hesitant or resistant supporters in the past, change their minds as a result of the present uncertainty. I had no "argument".

Redundant thread. Shut it down.

My argument is poor? I was stating (not arguing) that the NFL does in fact consider fan support when looking at franchise relocation. Are you disputing that fact? And where in my post did I ever mention sellouts? I know it's been a tough week for all of us but at least try to comprehend a post before jumping in to argue with aspects of it that don't exist.

This may be the unstated reason why Schumer was selected by Russ to the Stadium Work Group. As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, if Schumer's feathers were ruffled he would be in a good position to threaten the league's antitrust (tax exempt) status.

OK, so whether we like it or not, think it's fair or not, it is now crystal clear that fan support is one of the stated criteria for considering franchise location. Now the question is, how will Bills fans respond to this?

Very revealing in my opinion that the Bills reps include Schumer. If that doesn't demonstrate Russ' interest in keeping the team in WNY (for whatever his reasons are), I don't know what does. I suppose it could be labelled a cynical move orchestrated by the NFL to help keep the NFL's tax exempt status intact, but regardless of the motives, I think that move works to WNY's extreme benefit.

Wondering if any fans in Houston will be gathering at Christians on Sunday?

I posted this same quote four pages ago because I thought it was significant. I can't believe that you and I are the only ones who see that. Having said that, however, I think it is important for the fans to step up and not give anyone more reason to question the viability of the Buffalo market. As PTR has already posted, John Clayton (on GR this afternoon) stated his view that the fans can play a role. Also on GR, Peter King questioned the future of the Bills. With this being said, how fans are debating or denying that they can play a role in the future of the franchise is beyond me. That entitlement mentality is a very dangerous luxury we can't afford these days.

Maybe try reading my post again slowly, or out loud.

Your analogy is flawed. To most folks, the Buffalo Bills are not simply one product from many among which to choose, like the 5 brands of peanut butter you find on your supermarket shelf. The fact that the team has the Buffalo "brand" makes all the difference in the world - to most of us. Since you are arguing that fans shouldn't be happy just to have the product available for purchase, by extension you are also saying that another team that doesn't have the Buffalo brand (but that wins) will be acceptable. That sounds to me like a bandwagon fan and I doubt most here fall into that category.

Interesting statement from Roger Goodell on the future of the Bills: “We all know they have a lease. We know the terms of [that] lease, and we also know we have to find a long-term solution to keep the Bills there [in Buffalo], and that’s what we’ll continue to work to do, but that’s not our priority right now in the next few days.” Link

Sir, with all due respect, your postings lately are simply brutal. Every one is entitled to an opinion, but you consistently try to steer the conversation in a negative direction. On every topic you weigh in on. I'm glad your tactics aren't effective. I truly hope you can find some joy in your life. Back onto the main topic - I would like to know if there's a way for out-of-towners to express their condolences.

...

RIP and thank you for your loyalty to Buffalo. It will be interesting to see how this now unfolds.

All kidding aside, I think it's going to be "The future is now". The stadium renovation guide shows some simulations of the new scoreboard, and that statement is shown to the right of the main video board. That's probably not coincidence.

How many PSLs can we put you down for?

The club seats at RWS involve PSLs that run about $1,500 per seat per year. I'm curious to know how everyone would feel about paying that, or more, per seat in a new stadium, just for the right to buy season tickets? Would season ticket numbers decline by half, or more? I just wonder how this thing will be funded.

Estro, what's the source of your info on the workout bonuses? That's info I haven't seen previously.

Excellent, thought-provoking thread. Like BigBuff, my first reaction was to question the WRs. Maybe Hilliard's departure was triggered by perceived lapses in getting across concepts related to shedding coverage or route running that cause the offense to sputter too many times and to cause Stevie's productivity to plummet. Of course, it could be the QBs too.