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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?

So Pegula would clean house and Golisano would keep current management in place, and that may be impacting the decision of the Trust? Interesting. I am sure that Mary Wilson has loyalties to many of the employees, some of whom have been with the Bills' organization for many years. If Golisano also has a strong stadium plan, I could see the Trust using this as a rationale for going with Golisano, even though the real reasons may be as stated above. It also would explain why the bidding process was extended, not because the Trust wanted any new bidder, but because the Trust wanted Golisano to bid.

Extending the deadline for bids is bad news. It really suggests that the price offered is by far the most important consideration for the bidders. If the trust wanted Pegula to win the bidding, I doubt they keep the process open for new entrants and have Trump move to the next round.

Given that the only other serious bidder at this point is the Toronto group, I think we should all be thankful that we seem to have a potential local purchaser who is willing to overspend to buy the Bills, a small market team needing a new stadium in an area that has experienced significant population loss over the years. If Pegula wins the bidding process, I have great confidence that he will be an excellent owner, even if the Bills do not have immediate success. Compared to the alternative of the team not staying in Buffalo over the long-term, having Pegula as the new owner of the Bills would be a fantastic result for all Bills fans and Buffalo.

I don't think so. What it probably means is that the NDA would bar two separate bidders that could work together if the bidding gets too high (i.e., Pegula and Golisano) from sharing information and formulating a joint bid after each makes an initial bid (but not information sharing among group members that are making an initial bid together).

It is way too early, but it is concerning that CK has looked so bad so far. Some rookie offensive linemen do step up in and contribute immediately (i.e., Glenn, Wood and Levitre). I have noted over the years that some of the drafted players who look terrible in their first training camp really are bad, and never develop (i.e., Maybin). It would be much more reassuring if CK was doing well.

Interesting. Only four potentially interested parties (Pegula, Golisano, JBJ's group, and Trump) have been in the public domain to this point. Twelve other interested parties that we know nothing about or their future intentions if they purchase the Bills. I wonder if Stanley Drunkenmiller is one of the potential purchasers.

About time. This is the attitude that must be shown.

Sure, all serious bidders will have financial advisors, but if I was making a bid for a professional sports team, I would want one of the top investment banks in this area, which would include Goldman.