jahnyc

Something is not right with this team. Maybe there is significant frustration with the offense and EJ?

Completely agree. Shocking that the Bills did not find a veteran QB to be the #2, not just because EJ needed some competition and can get hurt again or potentially play poorly, but because our current back-up QBs probably should not be on an NFL roster.

I am starting to think that Whaley and Marrone may not survive if EJ plays poorly this year and the offense struggles. The Bills supposedly spent a tremendous amount of time assessing the QB prospects the year that EJ was drafted, and decided that EJ deserved to be drafted before and other QB and in the first round. I do not recall any draft analyst suggesting that EJ was mid first round pick. This year, our second round pick has played poorly and is now a project, which is unusual for a high second round pick. For Marrone (and Hackett), the offense is predictable and EJ does not seem to be progressing. The o-line is a mess, which could be on the players, the coaches or Whaley (or some combination). Signing WIlliams will not be the answer at guard. If the Bills finish with a very poor record this year and Cleveland has a top five pick from the Bills in next year's draft, Whaley will face many questions about his decision to trade up to draft Watkins and the coaching staff and front office will be under scrutiny.

It is really hard to evaluate the performance of Whaley as GM since we do not how much of a role he had in decisions before officially becoming the GM. Was EJ his pick? Was he responsible for the trade for Hughes? Overall, I am not as positive about Whaley as some because I think our QB situation, and in particular our back-up QB situation, is a complete disaster. We may have the worst back-ups in the NFL and EJ does not look like a quality starter. I understand and agree that in normal circumstances, EJ would be given time to develop, but the front office has tried to convince us that EJ would be ready immediately and no back-up plan was needed. I also have concerns about the trade for Watkins and the signing of C. Williams at guard. I really like Watkins but we gave up a lot and it is unclear if we will compete for the playoffs this year. It was clear that our o-line needed to be upgraded, and I do not think that Williams was a quality signing at guard and CK has been a huge disappointment so far. The o-line does not look like it will be better this year, which was a major offseason priority.

Interesting point, but if there is a new regime after this season, they should have significant flexibility in terms of the cap and signing current players or free agents, which will be important since we will not have a first round pick next year as things currently stand.

I think Marrone's job security is at least somewhat tied to Brandon, and the role, if any, Brandon has with new ownership. Brandon was a big reason that Marrone was hired, and I really cannot see Brandon being particularly interested in firing Marrone after two years (assuming the Bills do not make the playoffs or have a winning record). If Brandon does not stay with the Bills and the Bills are worse than 8-8, then I think Marrone will be fired after next season.

It is unusual for a second round pick in a deep draft to be this raw. We really needed CK to compete for the right tackle position and he has been unable to do so. Our online was weak last year and needed to be upgraded. CK was a part of the plan to improve the online and I think the hope was that he would be able to start in his rookie year. I think there is a problem, but I hope I am wrong. I remember that Maybin seemed like a bust in his first training camp, and he was a bust. I am getting the same feeling with CK.

A lot of egos involved with this process, but nothing changes the reality that Pegula seems to have the financial resources to do this alone and the NFL would prefer a single owner over a group. I appreciate everything JK has done for the Bills over the years, but I think Pegula will provide the most stability for the franchise in Buffalo in the near and long term.

I have no understanding of who has been responsible for what over the last number of years in terms of player evaluation and drafting as among Nix, Whaley and Brandon. Having said that, I am not particularly impressed with Marrone. I can see Whaley staying after the team is purchased, but Marrone could have issues if the team has another losing season.

I hope that the Trust is only keeping the JBJ/Toronto group around to increase the bids. Still makes me nervous. Pegula needs to win this, and until then and because I am a paranoid Bills fan, I will have a bad feeling that somehow the JBJ/Toronto group will end up with the winning bid.

I would think the Trust would want this done in October. Waiting until December could be problematic and not leave enough time to deal with issues if they arise. People want as much deal certainty as possible, and no seller wants to take the risk that some kind of macro or buyer specific adverse change could occur.

The guy from the Forbes articles sounds like he is talking to some of the NFL owners who want to make sure that the purchase price for the Bills exceeds the price paid for the Dolphins and Browns. Seems a bit unfair to blame MS. If the Trust is requiring that the purchaser of the Bills keep the team in Buffalo and the NFL is already making it known that the Bills will need a new stadium, the purchase price and number of bidders will be negatively impacted.

Who knows what is going on with the sale, but it sure seems like the NFL is issuing something of an ultimatum that the Bills need a new stadium. Curious timing, unless the NFL believes that the current situation gives them maximum leverage to force the issue regarding a new stadium. This can only further complicate the sale process. Did not think this before, but I am now suspicious of the intentions of Goodell and the NFL. Maybe they really do not want a team in Buffalo long-term.

Even with the disclosure of the names of additional parties that may be interested in bidding for the Bills, it does not seem that most can match the perceived overall strengths of Pegula in terms of being a sole bidder (not part of a group), being liquid with enough funds, local and proven commitment to the community, and engaged and serious about winning the auction (including the retention of Allen & Company as his financial advisor for the bid).

I really do not get, if true, why the Trust would meet with Gundlach and Kelly if they were not there because they will make a leading bid, but rather in hopes of being paired with another lead bidder. Should we be as concerned about John Bitove as a potential bidder as we have been with the Toronto Group with JBJ?

Interesting that Cuomo seems to be a bit more open to a new stadium. Is there any significance to this? Pegula makes the most sense to me, but I am still wondering about the poster who claimed that he had heard that the Trust (or certain members of the Trust) favored Golisano.

I would think Gundlach would team with Golisano because at some point, assuming that Golisano is the lead investor, Golisano will need to pass the team to someone else. That person would be Gundlach by purchasing Golisano's interest.

Morgan Stanley will get a fee on the total transaction value, including incurrence of debt to finance the purchase price.

I thought JBJ's letter in the Buffalo News showed incompetence. Instead of talking about spending as much time on the ground as needed, he should have said that he is looking forward to becoming a part of the community.

With his involvement, JBJ has served a useful purpose, although not one that he anticipated or wanted. He has helped galvanize support for keeping the Bills in Buffalo, and is the bad guy to rally the opposition around. This has been helpful, and I am shocked at how incompetent his group has been in pursuing the potential purchase of the Bills.

CK looked really bad. I know it is the first preseason game, but I am already concerned.

Yes, it was. Seems to suggest that he may be more serious than he has let on about buying the Bills. I also am confused about why the Morgan Stanley is continuing to solicit more bidders. Does the Trust not want Pegula or is it merely an effort to increase the amount of the bids? Could be opening a can of worms if the latter.

Is there any information yet as to whether Pegula, Golisano and Trump have been vetted and pre-approved by the NFL? There seems to be some conflicting information on this point, and whether the vetting process has occurred or whether it happens at this stage or later. I doubt the Trust would select a winning bidder and then learn that the winner bidder is not acceptable to the NFL.

Between Golisano potentially putting in a bid and JBJ writing an open letter, seems to me we really have no idea what is going on here or who will win the bidding process. Beyond frustrating, but the representation from Bills fans at the HOF induction ceremony was amazing.

Rubes, can you give us some sense of the substance of the Buffalo News information for tomorrow regarding JBJ?