Offside Number 76

For those interested in the "big event" aspect of this discussion, an interview with Dottie Gallagher-Cohen in today's News provides some data and some perspective: http://www.buffalonews.com/business/article811878.ece

And now John Mara wants to eliminate kickoffs completely: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/14/john-mara-nfl-evolving-toward-eliminating-kickoffs/

Well, except no one was attempting to play football that day.

I guess Ryan Denney's 31 starts may not be enough for him to make the list here. This is hilarious.

If you want to trace it all the way back, a number one OVERALL pick (Turgeon) turned into Andrew Peters. But given LaFontaine's inability to do much post-concussion, and the fact that the Sabres did very, very well the seasons immediately following the trade, it wasn't as horrible as it sounds.

Indianapolis is the 12th largest city in the country and has the infrastructure (hotel beds being the main component, as JW said) to pull that off. Remember, in addition to one Super Bowl, Indy's suburb hosts one of the most famous auto races in the world. NCAA is headquartered in Indy, and that city hosts the Final Four every five years. It's set up for large events. Buffalo is not. Further to JW's point, I believe that when Detroit (which also is smaller than Indy) hosted the Super Bowl, and people had to stay in Windsor, the situation was viewed as far from ideal. Would I like Buffalo's economy to be more like Indy's? Sure. If that's what you meant by "Buffalo could learn a lot from Indy," then I'm right there with you. (And New York could learn a lot from Indiana, too.) But if your point is that Buffalo should start planning for a future Super Bowl, I've got to disagree. The stadium is relatively far down the list of reasons why Buffalo can't do that right now.

Emerson Etem was speaking the truth about teenagers, for whom there really is nothing downtown. (Here and in a lot of other downtowns, but I don't know about Tampa. How did downtown Saskatoon do with the teenaged set this year?) The grownups, on the other hand, had a blast, and the Convention & Visitors Bureau, which has been significantly overhauled in recent years, did a TERRIFIC job. Greeters at every hotel, all day and well into the evenings, with diretions, brochures, ideas, and everything. It was a massive effort and a successful one. I'm gathering that you weren't here for WJC, just as I wasn't for the Frozen Four.

I didn't live here when we had the Frozen Four, but I'm sure we have the infrastructure for that. We seem to do fine with early rounds of NCAA basketball, and the city did just fine with WJC, too. We can pull off quite a lot here, but a Super Bowl is way, way out of the question.

No it wouldn't. We don't have anywhere near the infrastructure needed to pull off an event of that magnitude. As for the "move pilot field" idea, I don't get that, either. Moving it five blocks isn't going to appreciably change anything. I understand the desire to have the Bills back in the city, but realistically, it will only provide a minimal economic benefit eight days per year, and that, at the expense of the benefit that it is providing in OP. And at the expense of part of the tailgating atmosphere that people seem to love. If it moves anywhere, it should be to the Falls.

I do hope that you Easley people (not pejorative, just trying to categorize) are not the same people who want a WR in the first round.

Chandler / Williams (oh--Aaron Williams. I forgot, there are at least three), assuming we're really talking about a "break out" year.

And a really cheesy poster: http://sportsposterwarehouse.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/top-10-buffalo-sports-posters/ (Scroll down to No. 1--no slideshow.)

As soon as I saw it was BR, I knew it would be a slideshow. Sorry, OP; I'm sure your article is interesting, but I'm not headed to that site.

It would be awesome if the Bills had three capable backs on the roster. They don't (unless you count McIntyre, which is possible). Jackson and Spiller are capable. A Tashard Choice is no choice at all.

There is nothing Christian about Pat Robertson or his view on the trade.

No, dammit. This New York thing is too good.

More detail on what may be a serious snag: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/21/jets-trade-for-tebow-hits-a-snag-could-be-voided-rams-may-get-him/

What happens to Kelsay? I had assumed he would switch back to end in the 4-3. Is he going to remain at OLB or is he no longer a starter?

That's what the fifth and sixth rounds are for. They'll draft someone.

SabreSpace and TBD getting press mentions in the same week? Good for you, Scott.

No to sweep the division, but I do think they'll sweep the games in Orchard Park.

$96M contract and he signs it with a 49 cent pen.

With Mario 1 in the fold, it's time to concentrate on Mario 2. Git r dun!

I, too, find the TuneIn app to be closer to "real time," and I also think it's a more reliable app (crashes less often) than the dedicated WGR app. Plus, it's just as free, and it gives you a world's worth of radio stations.

When, exactly, did a no. 2 WR become a huge priority? About 5 minutes after we learned some dude from NO was visiting? Relax. There are other, much more important, needs. Robert Meacham was not going to turn the team into anything other than what it will become on its own. (What THAT is, I can't tell you.)