sullim4

If this happens, count on the Bills/Raiders game at 4:25 during week 4 to be moved to Saturday. That game is currently going head-to-head with KC/NE on CBS and is unlikely to see wide distribution at its current time. The NFL loves to show off new stadiums and the matchup isn't bad either.

Athletes and other celebrities like the attention Twitter provides. I agree with you - if he didn't care what others thought, he shouldn't be on there. That said, it's very Billsy for fans to jump to the "fans didn't appreciate me" conclusion. This guy isn't Nate Clements, Gilmore, etc. He's still stuck with us if he sits out due to COVID, and loses a prime earning year, so I don't know what he gains financially by doing it.

The only idea I have would be to them like mathematically eliminated PPD games in a normal pennant race and eliminate the Marlins from playoff contention. You can't really forfeit them because that unfairly gives the Marlins opponent an advantage in the standings.

This is what I think has to be done. You have to keep all 32 teams in their own controlled, training camp type situation with next to zero contact with the outside world. As I said in another thread, soldiers are asked to perform tours of duty that last a year. This would last 5 months for folks making serious dough. Daily testing is of limited value when positive tests take days to show up. Buyouts of hotels and meals are cheap relative to losing this season's NFL TV money.

That's exactly what a lot of my coworkers have gone through since March. Many twentysomethings working in high tech that live in an apartment and have to wfh, oftentimes sharing it with a few roommates. This is the same age group of most NFL players. These guys are making a lot more money as well. We ask the military to deploy overseas for months at a time, away from family for a lot less money... I don't see why this ask of players is unrealistic.

That's definitely one way they could approach it. The NFLPA doesn't like that option and that's why you saw the Twitter protest this weekend. I get it -- the players don't want their freedom of movement limited but also want protection against the virus. I just don't see how they are going to get to play without picking one or the other. In the grand scheme of things, buying out 32 hotels across the country and providing a training camp like environment for 20 weeks, is barely a dent in the NFL's pocketbook. The other way they could go, as you pointed out, is "next man up". Even in that scenario though, they are going to have to enforce procedures to limit contact amongst the players on the team... otherwise the practice squad is at risk too. I assume most people on here are like me - we are desperate for football and some amount of normalcy. I want them to do everything they can to pull off the season on the normal schedule and the fact that they had to cancel the preseason -- the one chance they had to practice their operating procedures, makes me really worried that their plan is on the brink of failing.

The problem with positive tests is that it takes a while after exposure to actually test positive. It is entirely conceivable that a player will catch it from a family member on Monday, and not test positive until Thursday. You could have entire position rooms testing positive if they are exerting themselves on the field together... and you cannot just IR your entire linebacking corps. That's why I think isolation is the only answer here. Football isn't like baseball or golf where physical separation isn't too difficult to achieve. It's more like the NHL and NBA, where both leagues are using bubbles and other isolation techniques to isolate players.

The only way I see this season happening is putting the players, coaching staffs, and on-field personnel in isolation. No physical contact with the outside world until a team's season is over.

Rich Stadium would be my preference... git ‘er done!

Last place is ridiculous. I could definitely see us not winning the division, or potentially missing the playoffs if Allen either gets injured or regresses significantly. But last place seems like quite a stretch.

Chris Brown is OBD's public mouthpiece, and has been for years. He says exactly what he's told to say, and does exactly what he's told to do. He does not deviate from the script. He is the perfect company man. Now, that is not to say that he never says anything interesting. When coaches want to send a message to a player, or there is something the organization wants publicly known but they can't have McBeane go right out and say it, Brown will be the vehicle to deliver the news. All of that said, that makes him the perfect host of this show. One Bills Live is basically the team's 3 hour propaganda extravaganza.

That's exactly my point. Stuff like that always happens, and when it does, the client has little or no choice but to pay. Some less-than-ethical contractors will pitch a lower price, even though they are aware of existing conditions on the site. They then "discover" them and jack the price up. Clients can't bid out this work because the contractor is already part way through the job. This is a very common way that contractors bilk their clients for money and why so many people question the ethics of the industry.

This may not sit well with some on here... but contractors aren't exactly known for their ethics and wonderful customer service. This is particularly true in massive projects like a stadium - you likely have layers of subcontractors in there that all want to fatten their profit margin and so everybody gets their take. Flaws get exposed in designs, additional mitigation becomes required to get final approval on permits, etc. All that costs money and contractors can take advantage of the fact that you really have no choice but to pay them more. It's so hard to find good, ethical contractors. You have to find people that enjoy what they do and make profits because of the quality of their people and their work -- in today's times this is increasingly difficult to find.

That Raiders game is in the 4:25 CBS national window... so it's probably going to get broad exposure. Edit: Nope. It's going against KC/NE.

I am no fan of Tim Graham, but reading this is confirming some of the things I have suspected. Terry and Kim are good people that have no idea how to run an entertainment business. Terry made some smart decisions to invest in natural gas and it was sort of a foolproof situation that led to him getting really wealthy. I am happy for both of them and glad they kept the Bills and Sabres in Buffalo. I like both of them, but neither seem to have strong leadership or management skills. Their reaction to poor talent and hires at the top -- to bring in family under the guise of people they "trust" is cringe-worthy. I can't think of many instances where failing businesses were brought back to life by hiring family members. To be frank, I don't understand why they got into so many different businesses - restaurants, sports team ownership, marketing, etc. Hell, they own the Marriott Harborcenter, right? I don't generally think of oil and gas tycoons excelling at the hospitality business, but what do I know? I don't like Russ Brandon, he's a weasel, but that guy knew how to run a business. They need someone like that, but less weasel-y, operating the business. Terry and Kim need to get back to being the investors rather than the front-seat drivers. They should sell/cut loose the fringe businesses like the restaurants and hotel, and instead focus on the Sabres and Bills. More importantly, they need to get a President/COO in there that can cut the fat and focus the operation back on the teams.

ESPN is all about personalities rather than raw talent. They have no interest in hiring a "nobody" like Kevin Harlan or Spero Dedes that does a good job of play-by-play. Instead they want a personality that draws controversy and/or can fill programming hours outside of the actual football game. This is exactly why they hired Dennis Miller, Jason Witten, Booger McFarland, and the like. CBS, on the other hand, sees raw talent in Romo and picks him up right after retirement. Sean McManus actually cares about the quality of his broadcast so he sets him up to succeed - having him learn from and practice with Nantz before the season so that he doesn't look like a fool on opening weekend. A few years later, ESPN is so desperate to land Romo that they throw buckets of money at him, but Romo is smarter than that and stays at a network where he can call the Super Bowl, AFC championship game, and high-profile golf tournaments. This is a sign of desperation by ESPN. They already have these guys under contract and with the COVID outbreak, they cannot afford to hire a high-priced "personality" that can fill this role. The longer this goes on, the more people are learning that they can live without ESPN and that standalone streaming services are the way of the future. ESPN stands to lose $8 per person that cancels cable... that is a ton of money, even for Disney. I know people like to B word and moan about us getting the CBS D/E/F teams but I will take any of those combinations over what ESPN will likely offer. ESPN could learn a thing or two from CBS.

Growing up as a kid in the early 90s... there is nothing more I would like than to see a throwback combination like this:

From an HR perspective, it's all likely legal, but it's not how good employers deal with temporary layoffs like this. Withholding PTO is really bad (and illegal in some states) - this is usually counted as a liability on the balance sheet which now magically has disappeared, meaning the Pegulas essentially got a refund on that expense. They should just say, we're going to hire as many of our staff back at original pay as we can once this blows over, but we don't yet know how many people that will be. That clearly states their intention without telling them to to re-apply and re-interview for their positions.

The television networks are going to push to make this an event. They've lost all live sports for the foreseeable future - the draft is the only thing that could in theory be done in a smaller space with a bunch of webcams into team war rooms.

If I were him, I would sacrifice the overall dollar amount in exchange for a 100% guaranteed deal over many years. I have no doubt that KC will pay him whatever he wants, but why shackle your team's cap to such a degree that they can't sign guys that will put you in a position to win? This is the formula that Brady and the cheaters in Foxboro followed. He's going to have enough cash to dramatically change his life either way. He can shoot a few more State Farm commercials to make up the difference.

Should have been a delay of game. The DE was watching the play clock and went when it hit 00.

The coordinators always get too much of the blame when things go south. It's far more often the talent rather than the coaching. When was the last time this board was happy with a Bills offensive coordinator?

KC vs Green Bay... rematch of Super Bowl I/II for NFL100.

If only the Bills had won last week....

This is very true. I wish we could have a team that would friggin score points for once. Our defense has been solid several times since 2000, but we've never been able to put together an offense that could get into a shootout or at the very least score 20+ points consistently. They need to get Allen a decent TE and some WRs with size. Just look at Duke - he's no superstar but damn he makes Allen look better. I think doing this would have a major impact on the offense's ability to score points.