JohnC

I understand the reasoning why Terry Pegula bid so high for the team. He wanted to quickly win the bid and move on. But in hindsight instead of buying at $1.4B there is a good probability that he could have won the contest with a bid between $1B and $1.25. That approximately extra $250 M would have been useful for his contribution to the building of a new facility. Terry P was asked why he bid so high when there was a chance that he could have gotten the team for a lesser price. He responded by saying something to the effect hat he got what he wanted. End of the story. In other words when you got the resources why mess around!

Be creative. Discreetly pee in your empty beer cups. There is a risk though that the people sitting next to you might accidently bump you and cause some spillage.

Terrific post. I always appreciate your commentary on this subject matter. Some people are wedded to the past paradigm without realizing that there is a new paradigm that applies to the current time. The fiscal realities of the present are not going to be met by the practices of the past. Business and economic models change. No matter how sentimental one gets about the Ralph Stadium and the cheap seats the current spartan antiquated facility can't be sufficiently upgraded at a cost effective price.. Nothing can be done that will increase the life span of an outdated facility that has run its course. I understand why so many people are so enthused about tailgaiting. But the current scale of tailgating is not going to happen in a downtown/waterfront site where space is at a premium. The reality is that the tailgaters are going to be directed toward establishments that will increase the cash flow not only within the stadium but also to the surrounding establishments. What is very encouraging about this stadium issue is that this new owner and his group know how to wisely plan a project and execute it. As you have indicated in many of your posts related to financing a new stadium project it is a complicated endeavor with many moving pieces. Terry and Kim Pegula bring a level of creativity and sophistication that will get the stadium project not only done, but done well.

Rex is a buffoonish pigmy compared to BB. The only person he is outsmarting is himself. Being loud is not being smart!

From what I read when Terry Pegula had the idea that he wanted to add rinks near the arena it was his wife Kim who expanded on that idea and came up with a more comprehensive plan that included a hotel, shops and eating establishments at canalside. It just seems that they do things right and get things done. Most often having a plan is the easy part. Executing the plan is the challenge. They have demonstrated that they are up to major challenges. If and when they decide to get involved in a stadium project I'm sure that it will get done. Compare that to the Bass Pro tease and fiasco!

I guarantee you that you don't have the worst sense of direction because I do. I have figured out how to compensate for my lack of sensing direction. When I want to go north I head in what I believe to be the southern direction. When I want to go south I head in what I believe to be the northern direction. I follow the same procedure for heading east and west. I refuse to ask directions. Looking at a map confuses me even more. So with great humility I declare myself the person with the worst sense of direction. I will allow you to be runner up but the championship trophy for direction ineptitude is solely mine. Because of my irritating personality I'm often told to get lost. That's what I do well!

As you describe the site it would seem to fit in very well with the Pegulaville investments. There would be a an excellent mesh and coherency to what he has already done. With Pegula he seems to have a vision and a plan and systematically and professionally acts on his plans.

Is there enough space to build a stadium near the waterfront development or anywhere near downtown? Is there enough space to build a stadium near the train station that has been in disrepair for a long time but is a potential gem of a building?

I have been touting Connor Cook as an excellent prospect. After watching Goff play I consider him to be the most dynamic passer coming out this year. It's still early in the evaluation process but I was very impressed with Goff. His throwing motion is so natural and his throws are a beauty to behold. Connor Cook, in my estimation, is not as dynamic as Goff from a passing standpoint but he plays with a lot of maturity and seems to be very pro ready. The best player I have seen so far in this draft class is Mississippi's Nkemdiche. When he is on the field he is like the Michael Jordan of football in that your eyes go directly to him when watching the games. He is stunningly good!

When you watch a gem of a qb such as Brady play it is not always appreciated how what he does impacts the OL. Because he can make such quick reads and quickly release the ball he elevates its performance and masks their deficiencies. In their first game with the Steelers the Pats had three rookies on the OL. The inexperience didn't hurt him because the he was quickly making the right calls and releasing the ball. The more TT plays and gets acclimated to the speed of the game and reading the defense the better he will get at making quick decisions. TT is a smart qb with a good feel for the game. I'm confident that he will steadily get better.

Good job. Your analysis of the OL corresponded to what Whaley said on WGR. And your analysis on the qb corresponded to what Whaley said about the qb. You and Whaley are simpatico!

It wasn't until recently that I started to take a liking to Gary Braun. He is not a major voice and contributor to the segments. But if one is listening carefully he has a sly and wicked sense of humor that he slips in without much fanfare that has the sharpness of a stiletto . Sometimes Tony K has a tendency to go off on something that is trivial and Gary B would interject with a pithy comment that makes the neurotic Tony take pause and laugh at his own foolishness. Tony K's segments with Ann Horniday on movies and his segments with Bob Ryan from Boston are very enjoyable. His longterm friendship with Bob is evident by their obvious rapport with one another. Bob Ryan is a reservoir of knowledge when discussing the NBA as it is now and in the past. As you noted this show is not for everyone. For me it is a good change of pace from the foolish seriousness of the other many manic sports shows.

Yes. This sports radio show doesn't always highlight sports which makes it more interesting. Tony K doesn't like to have athletes on his show because he believes that they are boring and have nothing to offer. One former pro athlete that he had on and he later gushed over was Cal Ripken. Tony K periodically brings on Abby Lowell to answer legal questions of the day and explain what the core legal issues are. What makes Abby Lowell a terrific legal analyst is that he can with clarity describe what the salient legal issues are so a lay man can understand. What was rare in the Lowell interview involving the Brady decision was his non subtle display of contempt for Goodell in the manner in which he manufactured his own rules to suit his end game. Usually he objectively describes the positions held by the parties. In this case he was not able to mask his feelings toward the commissioner's attitude and approach in this foolish case. Lowell is a strong believer in the rule of law and process. In this case AL felt that RG was making a mockery of the process. That went against the core of what he (AL) stands for. Tony K is a professional curmudgeon who isn't too adept with techie stuff. He also gets lost a lot when his usual route is not available. We are kindered spirits.

Roger Goodell consistently gets his rulings overturned when his judgments are reviewed by neutral eyes. You are then surprised with the result in this case. If you really believe that the judge's ruling is going to be overturned in appeal (two years down the road) then you are not simply misjudging this case you are grossly misjudging this case. As I have said in prior posts Abby Lowell who is recognized as being one of the top civil/criminal attorneys in the country was asked what were the league's chances of winning their case on appeal. He said zero. What you and others fail to understand is that the substance underpinning this case had little to do with Brady and the Pats. It had everything to do with institutional corruption of the league office and the unethical behavior of an arrogant commissioner. Justice prevailed and you are unhappy. That's what happens when you are on the wrong side of common sense.

What you failed to note is that the judge ruled in favor of the Pats and Brady against the league and the unethical and incompetent commissioner. The distinguished judge not only forcefully repudiated the league's stance in this ridiculous case but during the proceedings from the bench he mocked the ludicrous responses the league offered for his pointed questions. When you are on the side of foolishness you shouldn't be surprised that you end up on the losing side against common sense and good judgement. I feel offended! How dare you put me in the same category with WEO. He is in a category of his own.

I agree with you. The HC sets the tone for the team. If he is a braggart and a showman then it isn't surprising that an atmosphere of maturity, seriouslness and control isn't always prevalent. As you smartly observed the conduct and demeanor of the HC had no impact on the opposition so much as it did with his own team.

If you can get away with something you get away with something. If you can't then you get caught and pay the consequences.

Mulligan was called for an alignment infraction relating to not being on the line of scrimmage. When they showed the replay I didn't see what he did wrong. The announcers thought that was a very tight call. What did you see with the all 22? That penalty was very damaging.

Our collective talent level on defense (in my opinion and yours) is better. However, there is no better defensive mind in the game than BB. I was listening to a radio sports show and the analyst brought up the issue that there is no better HC/DC who game plans better for individual games. Our OL is porous and ineffectual in both run blocking and pass blocking. For the most part he took advantage of our weakness with minimal defensive stunts. There were few stunts coming from the players behind the DL. There was an efficiency with less defensive player movement to their defense in their game plan than with our more varied defensive schemes. It's not unreasonable to say that our defensive backfield is staffed with more talented defenders. They had a major turnover in their backfield this offseason. They certainly don't have a CB as good as Gilmore. You can't be a dope and play for the Pats. Their players, mostly falling within the category of solid, play their roles and stay within their roles. They are foundamentally sound. Their coaching staff would not tolerate out of control behavior on the field as exhibited by Aaron Williams who went ballistic over a call. The Pats certainly have a talented team. But the hallmark for that team is intelligence. While our HC was huffing and puffing and putting on a demonstration that lacked maturity their HC was humorlessly preparing to beat the next team in line.

Please stop it. Stop it! Stop it right now! I don't mind him running when receivers are covered and the field is open in front of him. I don't want him running on designed plays. It is a tantalizing thought but the risks are too great for this slighltly built qb. Even if he is successful on four consecutive running plays, on the fifth he could get battered. We have found a qb who is mobile, smart and throws well. Why take needless risks? It's not worth it. As it stands TT is very judicious in deciding when to take off and when not to. I don't want to plant the notion that he needs to run more. He exhibits good judgment as it is. This organization needs to find out if TT is the long term answer at qb. If he gets hurt on a designed running play his injury will set this franchise back. So please stop with your reckless recommendation for this diminutive qb to run more. He is an absolutely critical player who can lead this ramshackle franchise into becoming a respectable team. I implore you to control your passions and be more cautious. Without a doubt the long term interest overrides the short term interest. Most often steady money outlasts quick money. Trust me, I will not lead you astray.

It was difficult for TT to step up in the pocket because he was receiving so much inside pressure. In general I thought he kept his composure and kept his passing option alive moving away from the pressure coming from the inside and out. After watching this game I was more encouraged over his play than troubled by it.

Bill NYC, Excellent post. I'll keep it short. Brady, Gronk and BB. Three future HOF inductees who will earn their status with their play on the field, not with their mouths. Brady is 23-3 against us. Over the last 30 games the Pats have won 27. Talent usually prevails over a lack of talent almost all the time, especially when led with the best HC in the game. The lack of discipline by the Bills was apparent. Aaron Williams lost his composure to the extent that he had to be restrained by a number of players and staff before he regained control of his emotions. The referees called a bad game and lacked judgment. There was a number of phantum calls (ex. offensive pass interference on Watkins and a TE who was on the line called for being off the line). The erratic calls and over-officiating chopped up the game so much that it was difficult to watch. Rex Ryan is a brash trash talking braggart flamboyant HC who has a colorful act on the sidelines while BB is a tight-lipped non-talking HC who is in control on the sidelines. Which HC do you think is more likely to set the example for mature behavior and instill discipline in the highly charged atmosphere of a game? Rex plays to the camera while BB plays to the game. As you noted Glenn has been a disaster. I don't know if he is out of shape but in the first two games he was very slow and sluggish. Henderson is also struggling. Our OL play has been horrible. The positives I took out of this game is that I am very encouraged with the play of Tyrod. He played well considering that he was constantly under seige. Could you have imagined if the immobile Cassel was the starting qb in this game? I was also encouraged by the play of McCoy. He seemed to play with a lot of energy and quickness despite the fact there wasn't much space for him to maneuver. I also liked the fact that Watkins was involved with the offense. Bill, you may be irritated by the feisty play of Edelmann but I am not. He is a gamer and a producer.

I respectfully disagree with respect to this season. As long is Brady is the starter and BB is the HC they will be sitting in the first class seats with us sitting in coach squeezed into our uncomfortable seats. This is a side note: When you watch Brady and Gratkowski constantly connecting regardless who they are playing you have to appreaciate their exceptionalism and the beauty of their play.

The Bills are a fringe wildcard playoff type team. Which is fine. We got beat by a SB contending team with one of the best qbs in the history of the game and with a HC who when all is said and done is going to be recognized as the best HC in the modern era of football. And they also have a HOF TE in Gratkowski! What I find encouraging is that for more than a generation we had inadequate qbing. Now we have a qb who although is inexperienced as a starter has demonstrated (to me) that he is capable of being a legitimate starting qb in this league. I may be too quick with my positive assessment but I consider it a reasonable evaluation from what I have seen so far. The major weakness on this team is its OL. Glenn is a major disapointment and Henderson is struggling. Incognito is the best performing player on the line. Our DL is very good. However, Brady is able to counter their usual effective pass rush with his stunningly quick and accurate throws to the right receiver. There are not many games in which one can say Mario Williams was invisible but in this game he certainly was. Give Brady most of the credit for the lack of pass rush because the ball was usually out of his hands before the linemen took their second step. In my view this team is on track to have meaningful games at the end of the season. Where some people see dispair I see some progression. Anyone who thought this was a championship team was being unrealistic. The team we played against today is an upper tier team that handily beat a team that is moving up the ranks.

Didn't Brady do some running tests at the combine? Don't qbs also do some lifting tests. If not those tapes I have seen must be a magical illusion? Let me refresh your memory: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25070049/look-tom-brady-was-really-really-bad-at-the-nfl-combine-in-2000