RJ (not THAT RJ)

The more I think about this, the less likely it appears to me that the stadium will be anywhere outside Erie county. All talk of regionalization aside, this is a basic economic reality. The county has put in too much money for too long to allow stadium revenues (such as they are) to slip away, and neither Niagara nor Orleans county has anywhere near the population/political juice to force Erie out. Something in northern Erie County (near UB) would solve many of the transportation issues, and have plenty of highway access, but I also think it likely that something in the Lancaster area, near the Thruway, will get attention. Ironically, probably close to where that mythical early dome was intended to be.

Come on, people, with the over-drama. One way or another, the Bills were going to use a first-round pick in the first round of this draft. That's what happens in the first round of a draft. That means the move cost a net of two picks: next year's first and fourth. The fourth (or better) has been replaced with the draft pick from SF for Stevie, who was worth more now than he would be later. So the Bills are a net of one draft pick down, next year's first. Everything costs something. They got a good player, with terrific potential. That is also what one hopes will happen in the first round of the draft.

I think the stadium argument involves more than the luxury boxes. I think it is being used as a sign of renewed long-term commitment to the region, for example. It also is a matter of technology. The Ralph is not wired as well as newer stadiums for HD and replays and camera angles, and there are questions about the general infrastructure (remember the SD game in 2008?). A new stadium can be state of the art in a way that Rich was in 1973.

Cave of the Winds rocks. In defense of an earlier poster, though, the Canadian side does have Table Rock, which you access through a cave, so he may have been thinking of that.

All theoretical arguments aside, I keep coming back to the fact that Erie County does not want to lose the tax money and other income from a stadium, and that will be a very significant stumbling block. All talk of regionalism aside, there are substantial practical interests involved here, and Buffalo has always been more interested in claiming the Falls for itself than it has been in actually sharing services or amenities with any municipality north of Ellicott creek. The sad state of the City of Niagara Falls is another huge and unavoidable problem. Sure, there is land available, and there are ways to get there, but man oh man the old home town is sliding down down down. For someone to plunk hundreds of millions into a stadium there would require a degree of local patriotism bordering on senselessness. I just don't see it. Much more likely, to my mind, is the Amherst/Northtowns/UB possibility: close to the mainline thruway, the 290, and the 190, still within Erie County, and in a relatively less-blighted area.

As a proud Canisius grad, I can only say, "So glad he went to the Institute."

I would love to see my home town get the new stadium, but it seems quite unlikely to me that Erie County would let it go. As for a dome, I do wish that those calling for a retractable roof that would somehow be opened for bad weather would realize that there is no way that will happen. Never in the history of retractable domes has any stadium been opened for bad weather. I can't even think of any moments when a surprise storm hit an opened dome, though am happy to hear stories. A dome exists to keep bad weather out, period. If you're not ok with that (and I'm not sure I am), then you can't be in favor of a dome.

Jim Irsay was getting such great press over the past couple of years that it has apparently gone to his head. Before these scandalous revelations, remember how he tried to say that the Colts were somehow better without Peyton Manning? Back in the 1980s he was known as the owner's son who wanted to lift weights with the players, but was never thought of as such a great football mind. Peyton Manning made the Irsays look great, but the clay feet were always there.

It's obvious to me that Byrd wanted to see what the market will bring. Any offer the Bills could make before that time only further increased his curiosity to see whether the market would offer more. nothing wrong with that, and it also means that the Bills could still get him. That's business. He wasn't going to sign before now.

It seems clear that Byrd, as is his right, decided not to sign any deal until he saw his value on the open market. If that is true, then there is virtually no way the Bills could have offered him enough. Now that he can negotiate with everyone, he will get a sense of his actual market value, and so will the Bills. That's what free agency is supposed to be about.

I have tried to stay unemotional on this issue, but one question keeps nagging at me: Have Parker and Byrd ever made a counter-offer of any kind, or is Parker's strategy just to say "Hold out and wait for the broader market?" The Bills can't be expected to negotiate with air...

I almost feel guilty for the pleasure this news gives me. The only thing that keeps my glee in check is the realization that after it is all settled, and more millions are wasted, there will be even less money available for actual education in that district.

Lou Saban's biggest mistake was dumping Harris in 1972. He did it because he did not want to see a black man play QB (see his handling of Marlin Briscoe at Denver), and he therefore stunted the Bills' development. He was so blinded by his bias he thought the Bills would be better off with Mike Taliaferro or Leo Hart at QB. No, really. Racism has consequences, even in the toy department of life.

Not quite. The truth is, most of the teams that moved to LA were already successful--Dodgers, Rams, Lakers, even the Raiders. That's one of the big sources of bitterness about LA using its wealth and appeal to lure away good teams, without building their own from scratch.

Once every 20 years would be about right....

Gosh WEO, you're right! How silly of me to forget that the point of every conversation is to act as though the Bills are uniquely bad at everything forever! I will work on that.

Chicago hired Dave Wannstedt the week before Dallas played the Bills in the SB the first time. It's not impossible for a deal to be struck.

Russel Wilson went in the third round, which means every team in the NFL had two cracks at him; some had three, including teams whose QB situations are right now as dire as Buffalo's. Bangarang is right... just let it go. Look to the future.

It was Bill Simpson that Ron Smith beat for that TD... Bill got redemption the following year when he intercepted Richard Todd near the goal line to save the win against the Jets in the playoffs. Freeman tells a funny story of officiating a college game against Arkansas. Someone on the Razorback sideline kept shouting, "you stink, #22" or something like that. Freeman was not wearing #22 as an official, but when he looked over, he saw the shouting person was Arkansas coach Joe Ferguson, who was laughing, making reference to Freeman's number with the Bills. I love stories like that.

Sorry I missed the rest of this conversation, but thanks for indulging my pet peeve… and providing me with further evidence in support. I love this place!

May I share a pet peeve? Special teams are not actually "a third of the game." Crucial at times, yes, but if you consider that a game usually includes 15 or so special teams plays (punts, kickoffs, extra points) and about 100 or so offensive/defensive snaps, the math is way off. I had to get that off my chest.

Reid did a heckuva job with the Chiefs this year, highlighting all his strengths at organizing a team and designing an offense. He also did a mediocre job coaching with a lead last night, highlighting all his well-documented failings as a game day manager. Both those statements are true, they are an accurate reflection of what you get with Andy Reid. As a Philly-area resident, I know from whence I speak. I will be curious to see how the team does next year with a less favorable schedule, but am sure they will be competitive again.

Terrible play by the LB and Safety who cheated up to get at Smith.

Nice throw, Andrew!

I feel such negative emotions toward the Colts and their gutless tanking of the season in 2011, not to mention their fans who seem to think that the drafting of a couple of great QBs makes them into football geniuses, that their flopping on national television at home in the playoffs warms my cold, dark, bitter Buffalo Bills fan heart. I'm not saying that makes me a good person. Indeed, it probably means the opposite. But it's the truth. Go Chiefs!