JohnC

I don't want to hijack this topic but it relates to your comments. The attached WGR link is a discussion with Shopp and the Bulldog and Tyler Dunne. He talks about the qb situation and the status of the team and where it is heading. He thinks that the Bills are going to let TT go and start the rebuilding process. It's approximately 20 minutes long and it hits on a lot of topics that we regularly discuss. http://media.wgr550.com/a/118460468/2-17-bleacher-report-s-tyler-dunne-with-schopp-and-the-bulldog.htm

The most important role for these fringe pro players is to teach the young players in the minor league how to prepare on and off the ice. They are players but also act as coaches and mentors to the youngsters.

I'm a hard core Reinhart fan through and through. I remember a comment made about the GM shortly after he was drafted. He said that even though the Sabres selected second or third or whatever it was that if he had the first pick it still would have been SR. He went on to explain that the team he took over lacked hockey intelligence. For him that was the attribute that most appealed to him. If you look at him now you can see that he is much more bulked up than when he started with the team. A reflection of his hard work. Jack and Samson are dramatically different players. Jack is speed and power, especially with his shot. He is scintillating to watch. On the other hand Samson is poetry on the ice. His anticipation passes and instinct to go to the right spot can be compared to in a certain small version of Gretzky hockey genius. Jack is a great player and a stat player. To appreciate Samson you have to go beyond his stats and watch him play. There is a subtle nature to his game that many people don't appreciate. Not I. I think he is brilliant and a great thinker on ice. And he will continue to get better. With respect to the highlighted area if Kane who is physically stronger and tougher emulated Samson from a hockey sense standpoint and positioning around the net he would be so good that PlezMd1 would stop his determined campaign to trade him.

Gotham Bill, Odds are that Whaley is going to draft a DB, especially of Gilmore leaves. So brace yourself for the inevitable. Don't allow your nerves to be jangled more than necessary. Each year it's the same mind-set that has coursed through this organization resulting in the same results. So accept the inevitable and don't let it cloud your day. If the Bills don't come out of this draft with a credible qb prospect I will join the ranks that you with great distinction lead. The motto of our dispirited group is : Oh no, not again!

At the end of the season Baptiste might be a call up. I'm not in a hurry for Nylander to come up. It could take him another season or so to be ready. He comes from a hockey family so he understands what it takes to become a NHL player. For a prospect like him it makes little sense to call him up even if he was border-line ready. Down in the minors he is going to get a lot of playing time while if prematurely called up he will be getting only 10 minutes or so ice time. What is intriguing about Guhle is that even in last year's camp he did not look out of place. In this year's camp he clearly demonstrated he was ready. But allowing him another year down in the juniors was the right move because next year he is going to be a full time player.

I'm optimistic about the franchise's future. There are always bumps in the road but overall the future is bright. Patience is the operative word here.

When he was sent back to the juniors he was given a training regimen. He was diligent in keeping up with the workouts even with his rigorous playing schedule. When he was sent to Rochester he was more physically ready to play in the minor league and was then more prepared to physically hand the rigors of the NHL. In an interview he commented how doing the workouts after playing was exhausting. But he kept at it and now he is a burgeoning player. Good kid-high character-exceptional work ethic: A success.

I have heard high praise for him. Still believe and prefer that he spends the next year or two working on his game and physically and emotionally maturing. But your point on him is well taken. There are good players in the system. Let them grow so when called upon they will be ready. Bailey and to an extent McCabe is an example of waiting for the player to be ready. Another way of saying it is don't make decisions based on your team's needs---do it based on the player's development needs. Trust the process.

Guhle is definitely going to be on the roster next year and will immediately contribute. With Nylander there is a chance that he will be kept in Rochester a little longer, if not most of next season. The issue for him is not skill level. He has it in abundance. He's very young. He needs more physical development before he can handle the rigors of a full time NHL player. Baptise is fast and he can score at a good clip in the minors. Whether it translates to the NHL is another question. Very often a top line player in the minors can't make the transition to third and fourth line style of plays. I'm not sure what Fashing's status is right now. From what I have heard he is big, strong and a good skater. We have a number of that type of players in Bailey, Carrier, Foligno etc. in the system. Coins for a deal or two? Taking an overview look at this team the organization has good players in the system. they are developing andwill add depth to the big club. Brought up players such as Bailey and Rodriques (pleasant surprise for me)) don't look out of place and also add an injection of new energy. Without a doubt there are some disappointments how this season has unfolded but the trend line is definitely up. I would rather bet on a Sabre horse than a Bills horse if they were entered in the same race.

The odd thing about Colorado is that they have a number of top of the draft first round players on the roster. Success is not predicated on accumulating good young talent it is more about putting the pieces together that fit. Blending the talent is not only about coaching it is also about players willing to adjust their roles to complement the linemates. The same issue applies to defense pairings. A team that went from accumulating talent to getting a better mix of players is Edmonton. They traded players, high end talent such as Taylor Hall, and got a lesser talent in a defenseman but needed more. They gave an overvalued contract to Lucic but it was worth it because he added toughness and grit to a team that much needed it. Without a doubt Connonr McDavid is such a supremely talented player that he is going to elevate any team that he joins. But building a team is more than just adding good players to the roster.

You are a provocateur of the first degree. A couple of defensemen will be added to the mix in the offseason. Be more patient and less impulsive. Trust the process. Just to let you know Kane scored tonight in a low scoring game. His score came on a play that demonstrated speed, strength and a sniper shot. He was also rebounding from an illness in which he was weakened. If this was a legal case you would be receiving an order that simply stated: Cease and desist. Observations in this game: Lehner was the first star. He played a composed game with few frantic responses. Bailey is getting more confident and is expanding his game with more puck carrying. Rodriques is a surprise addition. He can skate. Although the Sabres for the most part controlled the play it was still a nerve wracking game to watch.

If the Sabres go on a run or at least start beating the teams they are vying with resulting in them getting into postseason games would you consider that progress? Most of us believe that although the odds are not with them it isn't improbable. A win tonight is necessary. If not, it is turn out the lights time because this year's chance to attend the party is over.

New York City living is a grind. It has made you irascible and a provocateur! If Whaley doesn't address the qb position soon I'm going to be riding the same train that you are riding on. Do you have an extra tokens or do I have to jump the turnstile?

Bill, I agree with you. However, my priority is to take the plunge this year and draft a qb with our first pick, regardless how the TT issue is handled. I wouldn't be adverse to trading down. But if there is any doubt that we could lose our preferred prospect then I wouldn't risk it by moving down the board. Just freaking do it. When is enough of this hesitating nonsense going to stop!

I'm not making any excuses for this team. Where you and I diverge is that last year although the second half of the season was a success it was a different environment. The Sabres were not playing pressure games with playoff implications because we were out of it. The second half was a good surge but it wasn't in an environment where each game was a meaningful game. Am I disappointed about how this season has materialized? Somewhat. But not to the extent that I was going to over-rate the status of this rebuilding team. I felt before the season started and especially after Jack got hurt that this was a fringe playoff team. And that's what it is turning out to be. You watch enough hockey to know that the Sabres are not near the elite teams. And it is abundantly clear to me that compared to the clump of teams that we are vying with for a playoff spot (Carolina, Islanders, Detroit, Boston etc) we are not much better. It's disappointing but it is where we are at.

My overview of him in NY from a big picture standpoint was that he was a failure. His teams steadily got worse. That is not to say that he didn't put in the effort compared to his lackadaisical approach he took with the Bills (as you pointed out). Rex lost his desire to coach when he was with Buffalo. What accelerated that loss of motivation was that the product on the field that was visible to everyone couldn't be hidden with his tiresome bravado. He was exposed to what he was: a mediocre coach. His claim to fame was his defense, yet the defense was being gashed to the point that it was being mocked. There need not be a penetrating analysis of the Rex era and what went wrong. He was a bad hire and it was demonstrated by his work product. Instead of leaving town with class and his pockets full of green backs he had to make excuses and classless comments. Rex is Rex. He certainly is not known for his thoughtful comments. Simply put I'm glad he is gone. And I'm excited with the new coaching staff. As I said in a prior post Rex set this franchise back and it is going to take time to repair the damage.

You act as if I am a fawning devotee of him. That is not the case. I have given him a C to C plus grade and considered him a solid but not close to being a top tier GM. If he doesn't come up with a franchise qb in this draft or the next I will be leading the pack to have him fired. I consider my judgment on him to be fair and reasonable. It you think otherwise then so be it.

No need to apologize. You have always been classy and smart with your posts. Many people were very upset when Marrone departed in his ignominious way. They allowed that departure to cloud their view of the incoming HC. The disarray that was seen in Buffalo was the exact disarray that was seen in NY. This was an owner mistake. On the flip side the owner acted quickly and decisively to correct his mistake before more damage could be done to his team. Rex is the son of Buddy Ryan. They come from the same tree. Brash talking that eventually gets tiresome when the losing and chaos mounts. Let me add that I am very happy with the new HC, McDermott, and the wisdom he has shown by putting together an experienced staff. Compare that to Buddy bringing in his sloppy looking brother to add another layer of confusion and stupidity? There is no quick fix to the setbacks caused by the Buddy storm. But with this incoming staff a culture of accountability and maturity will be established. That in itself is progress.

You are either distorting what I said or misinterpreting what I said. The point is simple and obvious. It doesn't matter what system you have if the coach is inept. That's the point! Whether the GM and the HC are in accord or not in what system should be run isn't as consequential as the HC being so grossly inept that the team is not going to play up to its talent level. That's a simple point that should be within everyone's grasp. Not trying to be surly but what's obvious is obvious. You are digging too deep when you only need to be close to the surface.

If he was brought in and the Bills didn't draft a qb with a high pick this year it would be a foolish, if not reckless move. I'm in the DC/MD market and there have been numerous stories that the Bills have decided to move on without TT. As you well know rumors are not facts but you know the cliche about smoke and fire. It's funny but most of the response to the rumor outside of the hometown is what is going on there? We respectfully disagree on the drafting a qb with a high round pick this year. If Whaley let's TT go and he doesn't select a serious qb prospect this year I'm going to join NYC Bills' raucous crowd of vilifying the GM that I have so supported in the past. Enough is enough!

What has hurt immensely this team is that their performances against equal or near equal caliber of teams bunched together has not been too good. Games against Boston, Carolina, Islanders etc were four point games that we left off the table. Putting things in perspective we entered the season being a fringe playoff team and that is exactly where we are. Those shootout losses gave away a number of single points that we surely could have used. A three or four point swing is the difference between being upbeat about our chances to make the playoffs instead of being discouraged about our chances. It's still not over. Just keep grinding and maybe there will be a pleasant surprise.

The truth of the matter is that it doesn't matter what Whaley or Rex's roster building philosophy or strategy is. Teams have succeeded with different philosophies and strategies. That's not the issue. Rex was a bad coach who couldn't get his players to play his complicated and outdated system. He was more determined to force his players to adjust to his system rather than adjust his system to the players limitations and strengths. Rex was an undisciplined person that was reflected in his chaotic coaching. The record in Buffalo and the downward spiral that happened in Buffalo was similar to what happened in NY. The longer he coached, wherever he was, the worse his team performed. Coaching matters. That was blatantly demonstrated in the two years that the corpulent coach was here. With his departure it is addition by subtraction. I'm very encouraged with the new more silent hire. There is no quick fix for the damage done to this team by the former obtuse HC.

The Rex hire was a Pegula hire. It was widely reported that Doug favored Hue Jackson. Saying that Whaley and Rex had the same idea about building a team is like saying that there was little difference between Trump and Hillary. It is a ludicrous idea. Rex's idea of building a roster is like Calvin Coolidge's view of running the government: very outdated and disastrous.

With respect to the highlighted area you make the right point that is the obvious clinching point in this discussion. The offense is trending up and he is one of the prime reasons for it. As far a bolstering our defense it isn't as dire as many are portraying. Next year Guhle is going to be added to the mix. In my mind he is a second pairing caliber defenseman. Risto is a top tier caliber defenseman in the league McCabe is an emerging player who is a top pairing caliber of player. Just because a top defenseman is not easily attainable that doesn't mean that if you add good and responsible players back there that the defense won't be strengthened. The Kulikov deal set the defense back. He has good physical skills but he is just too erratic of a player for me. He recklessly throws the puck away at the most inopportune time. Pysyk who is a steady/efficient player and a puck mover would certainly look good in a Sabre uniform. Bogo is a big disappointment. He needs to reinvent his game. Instead of crunching people and getting hurt he should become more of a puck mover and finesse player. He can skate and pass. There is something to be said for being a good third pairing player instead of an injured and off the shelf player. My recommendation is to be patient and don't be rash by giving up an asset that is difficult to replace. There is nothing wrong with maintaining the status quo until one is in a better position to make a good deal. The Sabres are going to shed some contracts this offseason so they will have the wherewithal to make some good purchases. Be patient-be smart-short term solutions are not necessarily long term solutions-don't panic-be steady-trust the process.