JohnC

The Bills have made a lot of bad hires. They hired John Rauch from Oakland and then he proceeded to use OJ as a decoy. He lasted one year.

I don't disagree that the Bills covet Oliver but why give up picks to move up to get him when there is a good chance that he will still be on the board when we pick. What increases the chances that he will still be on the board is that a qb or two or maybe three might be targeted before we pick thus increasing the odds that he or another highly rate player will still be available. If he isn't on the board when our turn comes up that will still good options on the line at other positions that will also fortify the roster. If the Bills were inclined to deal off picks I would rather they do it to move up after our first round selection to get a higher graded player for other positions, such as RB, OL or TE.

What are you talking about? I am not aware of any segment of the fan base being critical of him. Why would he be the target of criticism when he is one of the most productive players on the team and one of the consistently hardest playing player on the team. You are creating a bogeyman that is non-existent. There are plenty of justifiable reasons to razz the Sabres. He is not one of them.

You stated that you usually don't posts opinions about the draft. That is in contrast to your copious thoughts on exotic beers. Your haughty sneering of the favored beers of the blue collar population that leans toward Miller and Bud is a an example how you set yourself apart in the upper balcony of the opera house.

How do you know that he is leaving? What makes you say that? I'm not going to say for sure that he is going to stay but most reports indicate that he is more likely to stay. If he decides to leave then that is his prerogative. You then move on and use his cap money for other players. That's how the system works.

Skinner is the type of player that Buffalo fans embrace. He is currently in a goal scoring slump. Yet he continues to play a feisty hard game. There are players for the fans to understandably exhibit their frustrations toward. Skinner is not one of them. He always plays with heart and grit. Those fans who direct their frustrations toward him are not knowledgeably watching what is happening on the ice.

Let's be clear here I don't believe that we are at the beginning of a rebuilding stage. In my mind we are past the brutal tear down stage. We are at the point that we are developing our young players and are in a good position because of our favorable cap and draft situation to bring in more talent. That's why I am more optimistic than some others here.

If you don't believe that the Skinner deal was a good deal then you have become a member of the lunatic fringe. We gave up virtually nothing for him. If he walks then he walks. There are no guarantees that he stays because there are no guarantees that any player stays on any team when their contracts expire. I believe he will sign a contract with us but I can't guarantee it. That's life!

For some people reality sucks.

He was asked what his favorite food was. He said grits. That should give you a clue where he will be.

If Botterill is able to smartly utilize his cap and make some good deals like he did with the Skinner, Pilut and Montour deals and with the development of our young players I'm looking at a two to three year time frame. In general I'm more optimistic than most of the morose crowd that inhabit this site.

You didn't accurately interpret what I wrote. I stated what I believed is going to happen. I didn't state that I advocated for it. There is no change in my position that the heart of the problem for the Sabres' struggles relates to its talent level. I'm resolute on that point. Whether Housley stays or goes isn't the critical issue that decides success or failure. Talent needs to be added to the mix for the dynamic of this flagging franchise to change. What has become apparent to me is that the players have tuned out the coach this past month. There is no unity of play, especially on the defensive side of the game. When that happens, regardless of the sport, it's inevitable that there will be a coaching change. (That's my opinion on what is going to happen with Housley.) You give too much credence to what is said in public by the GM and owner. It means nothing! Do you think that the owner or GM would be stupid enough to publicly say that he is going to fire the coach? How do you think that this very often heartless team is going to respond on the ice if they knew in advance that the coach wasn't coming back next year? I have said all along that there is no quick fix. Even when the Sabres play well against some of the elite teams it is still very evident in the disparity of talent. That's the issue that needs to be addressed; and that is the priority. The issue of Housley is a sideshow issue while the issue of the team's talent level is the main event. My position has not changed on that.

I don't believe that Housley is going to be retained. (That's my opinion and prediction.) This season spiraled out of control for too long with him at the helm. Whether he was mostly responsible or not doesn't mean that he isn't going to be held accountable. That's the way the sports world works. I have no problem with that. My point is no matter who is at the helm unless there is additional talent added to the roster the outcome will be predictable.

Joel Quenneneville is not the answer for this team. He has openly acknowledged that he has little interest in coaching a rebuilding team. There are coaches that are more suitable to coach a young team and the challenges associated with that type of constructed team. And on the other side of the equation there are coaches more suitable to coach a team that is a more finished product. What is going to change the dynamic of this team is the combination of an infusion of talent and the internal development of its young players. We don't have a credible second line. Because of that players such as Mitts and Tage played in roles in which they were not prepared for. That is not to say that they won't eventually become good players but it is obvious that they weren't ready to play their advanced roles. I'm not saying that Housely is the answer as the long-term coach. But what I have consistently maintained is that the core of the problem for this sagging team is a lack of talent. Too many third and fourth line players were playing on lines that their talent didn't match. I'm not as pessimistic as most are. The Sabres have the cap space to bring in some talent from the free agent market. And they have an extra first round pick which they should be able to parlay to bring in another talented player via a trade. In addition, I wouldn't be surprised to see a player such as Risto being traded for a player who can play on the second line. I don't believe that there is a quick fix. That's the reality that some people are reluctant to accept.

Niagara is interested in Beilein. The young Beilein is a coach that who ever signs him next will, like his dad, be moving up the ranks. https://www.syracuse.com/sports/2019/03/lemoyne-coach-patrick-beilein-in-the-mix-for-multiple-d-i-mens-basketball-jobs-report.html

The below link shows a contest where the competitors don't use steroids but do imbibe a lot of vodka. This contest is a slap in the face sport. https://nypost.com/2019/03/21/two-vicious-blows-make-russian-slap-competition-go-viral/

Texas A&M is interested in hiring Buzz. He had a prior affiliation with that school. The Texas school could offer him a lot more money than Va Tech could ever give him. https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/texasamaggies/2019/03/14/virginia-techs-buzz-williams-responds-question-potential-texas-am-coaching-vacancy

I'm not aware of Exile's political inclinations. My point is when the subject of suicide arises there is nothing surprising that the method of the act is the next obvious question.

I don't understand your response to Exile's post? What was so disrespectful or troublesome about it? If a person learned that someone committed suicide why is inquiring how the person killed himself/herself beyond the pale? The method of the act certainly is an obvious line of inquiry after learning about the death. Are you suggesting that he is politicizing the death and has an agenda because it involved a gun? Your response and not his question is puzzling, at least to me.

Gunner, the limb you are going out on is hanging precariously. Should I call the ambulance before or after the anticipated fall when this year's roster is set. You need to climb up a different tree with sturdier limbs. He's a solid two way player and there is a roll for him. That is not to say that we couldn't use a more pure pass rusher. Murphy is a classic wrestling coach kind of guy. I'm confident that he will be on the roster on opening day.

Gergensons is one of our hardest playing players. He just can't score even when the opportunities are staring him in the face. He has the attributes of a physical presence but his scoring impotency limits his role. As you have noted Okposo is past his prime as a power forward and is untradeable because of his contract. If Larsson and Gergensons are kept (I doubt both will be kept) I see our checking and physical line being made up of Okposo-Larsson and Gergensons. If Botterill is going to be aggressive in the offseason he will have to focus on bringing in a player or two who can play on the second line. I believe Mitts is capable of being a second line center but he simply isn't ready yet. Sheary-Rodrigues-Nylander make up a good skating third or fourth line. I'm hoping that as Nylander matures he will develop into a second-line player for us.

Do you have a second or third round grade on Winovich? He is the embodiment of a McDermott type of guy.

The Sabres won. I'll take it. This is far from a complete team. There isn't enough talent throughout the roster. That's the reality. Without question this season has been a disappointment but players such as Mitts, Tage and Ullmark were rushed and weren't yet ready for this level of play. Will it benefit them in the long run? I believe so but we'll just have to see. You can blame how this season materialized on the coach, I don't. The core problem is the talent-level. And that issue wasn't going to be satisfactorily resolved this season. Sometimes you are what you are.

I'm not going to over-interpret this win. But what has been one of the primary reasons why this season has turned out to be a disappointment is the caliber of goaltiending. Today, Hutton played well and allowed his team to stay in the game. There have been too many soft goals that have deflated this weak-minded team. If we could have gotten just above average goaltending we could have easily had another ten points added to the ledger. I thought that the Sheary-Rodrigues-Nylander played well. All the members of that line can skate and create space. The pass out of the zone from Dahlin to Nylander to Sheary was exquisite. I believe that Nylander is going to be an entrenched player on the roster next year. He embodies what the GM espouses in developing your own players and not to rush them. I realize that my perspective about this hockey team isin the distinct minority here. After watching this game I am more entrenched in my view. I am convinced that it would be a horrible mistake to make a coaching change. The coach is working with players such as Mitts and Tage who were rushed into NHL action and are learning through their mistakes on the ice. The sequence of hitting in the third period got the crowd and team aroused. It would have been a shame to lose this game. The fans deserved an entertaining game, and they got it. I'm not part of the majority crowd that believes that this team and organization is in a state of chaos. With a few significant additions this offseason and the development of the young players on the roster and in the system this team is going to be a competitive team next year. The distance between success and failure is not very much. Trust the process and let it run its natural course. There is no other way that is better.

You are deteriorating. It's bad enough that you want to get rid of the coach but now you want to get rid of the GM. What's next? Start a partition to get rid of the owner? You are incorrigible. In no way am I going to give a highly prized free agent a bonanza contract with the purpose of squeezing an organization such as Toronto that is in a tight cap box. Poking the bear is a good way of in the future getting shiiit on by the same bear. When you kick a team in the nuts when they are vulnerable you are inviting future kick in the nuts for yourself. There are beneficial deals to be made with teams that can't afford or don't want to pay their free agent players the lofty price that is demanded. A good example of that is the Skinner deal with Carolina.