JohnC

26Corner has not posted here for quite awhile. Why continue the haranguing? I have also gotten into scraps with him. Big freaking deal! If you found him to be arrogant and intolerable then why continue interacting with him? It doesn't take long to recognize that this site has plenty of stupid, immature, unsavory, stubborn people posting here. It also doesn't take long to recognize that there are a number of fascinating people from a variety of locations (not exaggerating to say worldwide) who are illuminating. Those are the people I choose to respond to. What I find most objectionable is this continued ridiculing of someone who for obvious reasons decided to leave this site. He no longer is here to respond. In my view it is not right to continue to jab at someone who is no longer in the ring to punch back. There comes a point where criticizing and mocking someone who is absent from the room rises to the cowardly level of backstabbing someone. He doesn't want to engage with us any longer. So just leave him freaking alone!

Why are people bashing 26Corner in absentia? He provided a service that helped people keep up. What's the difference if he posted 100,000 links or a million links to football related topics that dealt mostly with the Bills? Was he at times stubborn and obstinate when dealing with people who disagreed with him? Yes, and so what? There are plenty of irritating personalities (including me) on this board. So why is it fair to single him out? For those hyper critical people who found him intolerable there is a simple solution: Don't respond to him! We have a few really top shelf posters here who know the game and are knowledgeable about players and prospects. Especially around the draft I really enjoy their opinions and commentary. However, we have our share of dullards (including me) who have little to offer the community. As a proud member of the dullard community I have a right to express my views. If they are not appreciated they can be ignored or challenged. Having a topic about 26Corner where people spew their venom and ridicule him is not right and not classy. If he made a decision to withdraw from the site then that is not only his right but also very understandable. Representing the dullard community it's time to stop this childish back stabbing criticism of him. Moderators, where are you?

Gronk in my view is a first ballot HOF player. The injuries have taken a toll on him but he is a gamer. He had two big catches that influenced the game. One was a pass where he feigned that he was blocking but leaked out for pass where he added yardage for a critical first down. Without a doubt the catch that he made that brought the team to the goal line for a soon to be running score was one of the biggest plays in the game. Gronk is an ultimate team guy. He'll do anything to help his team win. You will never here him complain how he is not so important any longer to the game plan. What he demonstrated this year is that although his receiving stats are down he arguably is one of the best blocking TEs in the game.

I would be ecstatic with this draft. The most exciting pick for me on this list is the third pick of the Bama runner. The beauty of a selection of Jonah Williams is that regardless what position he is put in he is a plug and play caliber of player. Many people believe that the Bills can address their OL woes mostly through free agency. I don't believe that will materialize because offensive linemen are becoming a premium and they will not be as easy to acquire in free agency as many people expect.

Do you watch the games? Eichel is now one of the best players in the league who is still honing his game. Dahlin is an 18 yr old player who already is already a solid to good player. There is no doubt that he is inconsistent. What do you expect from an 18 yr. old rookie who is playing in North America for the first time? There isn't a sober NHL commentator who doesn't say that in the not too distant future he is going to be one of the best players in the league, and maybe a generational player.

What this demonstrated or I should say reinforces the point that BB is the best HC in the history of the modern game. His game plans on both sides of the ball change every game depending on who he is playing. In addition, BB is also one of the best in-game coaches. His decisions and time management are usually impeccable. His game preparations are masterful. In this game his defense stymied the opposing offense and his own offense was for much of the game stymied. He didn't panic and gamble. He just continued on with his conservative approach. Ultimately, it succeeded-----his team won. This was a game where the inexperienced Rams qb was overmatched. And this was a game where Brady didn't force the issue. It just seemed that he was confident in the game plan and bided his time. And living up to his lore when it counted at the end of the game came up with his standard late game clutch efforts. The Pats may not all around be the most talented team but every year under BB they demonstrate that they are the smartest team and organization. They should be saluted.

From an officiating standpoint I thought this was an evenly called game where an observer couldn't come away saying that the calls benefited one side more than another. In general this was a consistently called game especially on the interference or defensive holding calls. The refs were judicious in not over or under officiating. I thought this crew did an excellent job.

Hogan was even more useless. Whenever the ball was thrown to him he was usually blanketed. Edelman was the only receiver who was able to get open while Gronk made a few very critical catches. Gronk made some key blocks in the running game.

Stop acting like a baby cry. The better team won. The former Buffalo Bill was outstanding in this game. If a ball were to be awarded for the defensive player of the game I would have given it to him. Eddelman was definitely the game's MVP. I agree with you. They used terrific judgment in officiating this game. When penalties were called the replays usually indicated that they were spot on. They should be saluted for how they officiated this game.

After reading your post I find myself more in accord than discord with you. I agree with you that there is a base to work with. We have a core, and in addition there is some good young material in the pipeline that should arrive by next year. I'm hoping that in this next offseason the GM can pull off another Skinner like deal. The Sabres are not an unsalvageable vessel but a vessel that is not completed. That's been my point all along! When I watch the Sabres against very good teams they can keep up if they play smartly. But it's still evident that their roster is shortchanged compared to the fuller rostered teams. The primary reason I'm willing to stay the course against the chorus of strident voices is that I don't believe we are that far away. As our roster is currently constructed there is not much margin for error. In addition, there are a lot of young players on this roster who are getting a lot of playing time. That's not a formula for immediate success. But the struggles that player such as Piluts, Mitts, Ullmark and Tage are going through will hopefully in the not too distant future will result in their accelerated development. There certainly are struggles and inconsistencies with this team. But if this regime stays the course and follows its own blueprint it will pay dividends. What I don't want to see is a premature changing of the coaching staff that will set this franchise back rather than move it forward. This lurching back and forth with regime changes is more damaging than helpful. My advice to the frantic and despairing Plezmd and others is to have the fortitude to stay the course and let the season play out. I believe in our GM and the direction he has set. Let's give him the time to execute his plan and a fair chance to succeed. While so many people wallow in their frustration I am actually very optimistic. It just takes time! Great post. You are astute, adroit and perspicacious. ?

The title of your post is deceiving. The horse didn't walk into the bar rather than it galloped into the bar.

Refer to your points #1 and 2 with the emphasis on point #2. You have to give Botterill the time to bring in more talent. There's nothing mystical about what is happening with the Sabres. There is simply a dearth of talent right now to consider this team a serious team. Merging the Botterill era with the prior losing eras is the wrong way to assess how well our GM is doing his job. He has a blueprint and is following it. His model is the Pittsburgh model. That model is essentially the same model that successful teams have drawn from i.e. be bad enough to draft an elite player or two and then emphasize player development. I challenge you to go back and look at Chicago, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Tampa. Washington and the old Potvin Islanders during their heydays. The formula for success is for the most part the same. Get a couple of elite players and then surround them with players you developed and augmented with deals. There is no secret to this formula for success. It takes time to follow through. The worst thing you can do is lurch back and forth because it creates additional setbacks. You, Plezmd and others want to take the easy way out and make Housley out as your scapegoat. I'm not buying such a facile answer. Your bogeyman is not my bogeyman!

The difference between being good (not elite) and being mediocre is miniscule. This roster is not at a level where it has much margin of error. You keep bringing up the argument that if we didn't have this streak then we would instead be in the gutter with this coach. Let's discuss the reality of the situation and not where we could have been "if only this or that happened". No matter how you want to reinterpret it the streak is part of the record. Our record is our record! You are reconstructing something that actually happened. So your reconstruction is not a fact, it is a manufactured fiction. If you want to argue about the meaning of the streak then let's do so. It demonstrates the difference between winning and losing is very small. That's the real meaning of the streak. The Sabres are where they are because of their talent level. That's the unappealing truth that you are not willing to accept. You are looking for your designated bogeyman to be the reason why this team is flailing. I have a gut punching real-world reason why this team is struggling: They don't have enough talent! Where you see regression----I see progress even while in the midst of its struggles. No matter how much you desire it there is no in-season magical deal/s that is going to catapult this team to a higher level. No matter how much you become frantic that is not going to change the sobering reality that it is going to take time to move up the ranks. You do that by internally improving and adding talent from the outside. I truly understand why fans of this team are so frustrated and exasperated. The ignominious history of failing has brutalized this fanbase. The solution is to pursue a course that will over time prove successful. Succumbing to one's frustrations for quick-fix solutions is a recipe for continued failure. Because you are an enthusiastic drinker you more than most should be in a position to handle the vicissitudes of following this exasperating franchise.

Let's stop with this foolishness of attaching the failures of the past regimes to this regime. It's the same nonsensical thinking that the failures of the Rex regime should be associated with the McDermott regime when discussing the Bills. Botterill took over last year. For the most part he stood pat and used the year to assess the organization from top to bottom. In one offseason he did a major remake of the roster. Did you expect miracles? The Sabres went from being the worst team in the league and the most unentertaining and unwatchable team in the NHL to a team vying for a wild-card spot. That's progress. You may not be willing to acknowledge it but the Sabres are playing a lot of young players such as Mitts, Tage, Dahlin, Ullmark and Pilut. (I'm aware that Dahlin is in a separate category.) That's a lot of young and developing players on a NHL roster at the same time. Let's get real here. You don't go from the dregs of the gutter to the penthouse in one year. Maybe you and Plezmd believe in magic but the realities of rebuilding a team have little to do with one's fantasies. You may be broken because of the inherent frustrations of a following a rebuilding team, but I'm not. Quite the contrary: I'm optimistic that in the not too distant future this team will be a serious team. Obviously, we are not there yet. If you really believed that this team was going to be an instantaneous success when entering the GM's second year of his tenure then you are being very unrealistic.

The Sabres are a fringe playoff team. If they fall by the wayside it is because they don't have enough talent. Maybe one of your magical and fantasy trade proposals can upgrade the roster? There was never going to be a quick fix. That's the reality that you are not willing to accept. I accepted it a long time ago. It's about time you caught up with that gut wrenching reality.

Being smarter than I am with respect to hockey is not something to brag about. The bar is very low. Let's look at our talent level. Most of us will agree that we have a genuine NHL first line with the Jack line. The addition of Skinner finalized that achievement. As it stands we don't have a legitimate second line. I'm a strong advocate for Mittelstadt (as is K-9) but because he is still maturing both physically and in his game he is not there yet. I believe that he will eventually achieve that second center ranking but he still has a way to go. Sheary and Rodriques have good speed and compete level. But they are not second line players. In my mind they are more third line players. What's missing from this earnest team is a legitimate second line that can augment the scoring from the first line. From what I have seen this year is that Larsson, Gergs with the addition of Okposo make up a very good checking and PK line. Larsson and Gergs, as much as any other players, have not only adhered to their roles but have thrived in their roles. Now let's look at our defensive unit. We finally have credible top two pairings.. Risto and McCabe and Dahlin and Bogo are authentic top two pairing defensemen. The remaining defensemen are at best third type of players with Pilut having the most potential. In the not too distant future I see him having a much more prominent role on the PP. I like him a lot. Our two goaltenders make up a solid unit with Ullmark having the most potential. We can reasonably argue who should get more playing time but as a tandem they usually give us solid play that keeps us in the game. My reason for going through the units is that if one is fair-minded and reasonable (not always you ?) a reasonable takeaway is that this team is steadily being pieced together. We are not there yet. I'm hoping that Botterill can make another deal similar to the Skinner deal this offseason that will add more potency to the second line. And I expect that Guhle and Nylander will be brought up next year and will not only remain on the roster but will continue to grow their games. I'm confident that if you control your impulsivity and your reactionary tendencies when confronted with setbacks your patience will be rewarded. Trust me on this issue: We are on the right path and we are not as far away from success as you think. You need to be brave and not get wobbly when facing the inevitable frustrations that come with following this exasperating team. My recommendation is just stay the course!

I'm not pissed off. I just have a very different perspective on the situation. Quite the opposite of what you think I enjoy the discussion. What I said to the increasingly angry Plezmd is let's allow the season to play out. It's understandable that the vicissitudes of the season can frustrate and exhaust this historically abused fanbase. What I'm trying to suggest here with my responses to this topic is to have more of a perspective on what is happening in this season. I'm recommending patience because I believe that in the not too distant future this team will be a serious team. It's not there now. You have been objective enough to point out that this team still lacks enough talent throughout its roster to be where we all want it to be. What I don't want to see is resorting to short-term solutions at the expense of the longer term and more meaningful goals. We still have a way to go but we are not as far away as many are suggesting. Again, I apologize if my tone suggests anger. That's not my intention. I enjoy these discussions even when Plezmd is nipping at my ankles.

The team as it was constituted was not working. So it was deconstructed in order to be reconstructed. The system that Housley brought in emphasized speed. We lacked that. The mix of players was not right on the ice and in the locker room. So a remake happened in the offseason. We can go in circles about where this team is at and where it is going. I'm simply not as pessimistic as you and some of your cohorts are. What I strongly believe is that the chorus for a coaching change is misguided and destructive. I'm not in the long-term wedded to this HC. But divorcing him from the organization at this early juncture would be an act of foolishness. Before you drown yourself in your self-induced misery let this season play itself out and see where the chips fall. The reality is that self-flagellation hurts not the people you are angry with so much as it hurts the people who are punching themselves in the face. My kindly advice to you is be more patient!

I'm not disagreeing with you that each of our recent HCs had their systems. Every HC has their own system with their own emphasis. Bylsma was primarily let go because he didn't connect with the players. When your star player doesn't like you or have a positive relationship with you then you are in trouble. That scenario applies to all sports. There is nothing radical about Housley's "system". He basically wants his defensemen to quickly move the puck out of the zone and have then join the rush toward the offensive zone with the forwards. There is nothing radical about his system because it is very much part of the current conventional norm in the NHL. The NHL play of today has little to do with the muscular and brutish style of play of the past. It's about speed and skill. He emphasizes the same things that most of the other coaches emphasize. Also, what he is trying to do is have more presence/bodies in front of the net on offense. Or another way of saying it is do the dirty work. That again is a standard emphasis for all coaches. Will this organization make a change at the HCing position when the talent is upgraded? Possibly. But that wouldn't be surprising because organizations make changes at certain stages of where there teams are at. On the other hand if this franchise made a change now it would not improve our situation. It will set us back! Acting out of frustration is usually an act of futility. It makes no sense to me.

Some of the assumptions that you are attributing to me are not only wrong but off the wall. Who said that he had the makings and the attributes of a great coach? You are trying to support your negative position of him by falsely making fictitious claims that I have said. You constantly propound the notion that I defend him because he doesn't have a roster full of stars. Where did you come up with such nonsense. All I have said about the roster is that it is not a full or well balanced roster. How can anyone disagree with the obvious? Don't waste your time trying to judge him as a coach in his first year with the Sabres. He took over a team that was stripped and was deliberately tanking. From a talent standpoint we were the worst team in the league. How are you going to fairly judge him or any other coach under such a planned decimation of a roster? In the end the strategy of blowing up the roster or more accurately deliberately not adding to the roster worked. We ended up with Dahlin. Count that as a resounding success for the organization. I have said from the start of this season that this is a fringe playoff team. That's exactly what they are and where they are. I have also pointed out that for the most part this team consistently plays hard for him. If you disagree with that judgment then so be it. Yesterday's game was an example of that. They lost but without question it was a full effort on a back to back game. You criticize Housley for not juggling the lines. That's inaccurate. He certainly has juggled the secondary lines and has kept the primary line in tact. I agree with that strategy. I think it is wiser to retain one of the most productive lines in the league together. I understand the reasoning for spreading out the talent wealth from the first line. But I disagree that it would be the smart thing to do. Having a different judgment on that issue is okay. Where I strenuously disagree with you is your advocacy that changing the HC will improve the play of this team. That makes no sense to me at all. What this rebuilding franchise doesn't need is starting over with another system when the team is for the most part responding to the coach. (I'm well aware that you disagree with that judgment.) This team as currently constituted is where it should be slotted in the standings. You have some disagreements as to who should be playing and who shouldn't. But the players in question for the most part are on the back end of the roster. So why be so bothered by the personnel decisions that the coach is making? I'm not saying your judgments are right or wrong but they are judgments that all coaches have to make. Let's put things in perspective. The Sabres earned 62 points last year. This year in my estimation they should earn somewhere in the vicinity of 85 points, or maybe a little more. You may not consider improving by 25 points or so progress but I do. Botterill has an abundance of draft assets heading into the offseason. If he can come up with a deal similar to the Skinner deal and continue with the talent development in Rochester then this team should be in position to continue moving up the ranks. You may not see that as progress but I do.

Don't be surprised if Hutton gets the assignment. In my view Ulmark has earned the right to be rotated in every other game. As you have also observed Sheary has recently seemed to be energized with the better play of Mitts and the recent scoring touch of Rodriques. This speed line is effective when it aggressively drives to the net instead of dickering around the perimeter. When this team gets scoring from the secondary line it can compete with anyone. That's not to say that we are on par with the elite teams but they are capable of coming out any game with a win against even the better teams. There are some very strong critics of Housley here. I'm not one of them. What I look for from a rebuilding team is the level of compete/intensity. For the most part they exhibit that effort on a regular basis. What has hurt them is the intermittent glaring lapses on the defensive end that result in goals. Our offense isn't good enough to overcome those crushing mistakes. My assessment of this team when the season started is that I thought they would be a fringe (wild-card contending) team. That's exactly where they are as the season winds down to the last third of the season. Some people are discouraged from what has already transpired while I am encouraged about what I have observed.

Maybe you didn't start it but you influenced it. You are a irredeemable zealot.

The first two stars in this game should go to each of the goalies with Bishop being the difference in this game. Both teams played a tight up and down game. This was more of a playoff style of game than a regular season game. The effort was evident from both sides. I thought Scandella scored and Beaulois was pushed into the goaltender. We didn't get the call. I'm not going to criticize a player for being around the net. We need more of it. In this game the referees swallowed their whistles. That's fine with me. The only thing I ask for is consistency. They were consistent. Although we didn't score in this game what I noticed is that the secondary lines have been more active. Sheary seems more energetic and is driving to the net more. And although Mittelstadt hasn't scored much he seems to be playing more aggressively. Although disappointed about the outcome I liked the way the Sabres played. If the Sabres duplicated their efforts in this game on the homestand it should be a productive homestand.

We are for the most part not disagreeing on Scandella's talent level. On the other hand I don't see him as being as much of a liability as you do. The Sabres have a number of players who are not helping us but are also not hurting us. Players such as Sobotka, Pominville and to a lesser extent Okposo, among others, fall in that category. They are what I call filler players who get some limited time. That's the category that I put Scandella in. Don't worry about Pilut. He is not a forgotten play. He will get more playing time. Where we do have a major chasm is that my view of Housley is much less negative than yours. To be fair he does not have a full/complete roster. And, for the most part his team consistently plays hard. Maybe not always smart on the defensive end which is exhibited by the goals resulting from the lapses. But in most of our games, even against the better teams, we are competing toe to toe. It seems you are more receptive than I am to a coaching change. My position is that it would be a disastrous mistake. The time for constant changing and churning of the coaching staff has to stop. You appear to be carrying over your angst about Scandella and allowing it to contaminate your view of Housley. My recommendation is to be more patient and allow things to play out a little longer.

Needless to say he is not a top two pairing. Even the blind can see what is obvious. He is a functional third pairing caliber defenseman. No one is extolling his virtue as an impacting player. His minutes should be as limited as is his role. But as you rightly noted he is a veteran player playing on a team attempting to scratch out a playoff spot. Does Pilut have more talent and more upside? Absolutely, no one is saying otherwise. There is a delicate balance going on here between playing a functional and experienced defenseman versus playing a more talented rookie player who has a tendency to make a glaring mistakes that result in scores against. Pilut is not being forgotten. He is getting playing time that will serve him well in the near future. So he is not a forgotten player lost on the shelf. I doubt very much that he will be sent back to Rochester. As it stands Housely has an excess of lower caliber defensemen. So he has to do some juggling. What he can't do is sit too many of the end of the line players for too long because they will lose an ability to contribute when called upon. Scandella and Hunwick played as a pair in the Columbus game. They were our third pairing defensemen. And considering their roles and talent level they played adequately enough. If the pickings are slim at the time you are picking then you go with what you got. What other choice is there to take? The player/s you want to play are playing but not to the extent you want. As I previously stated he is parceling out playing time balancing the need for experienced play for a playoff run versus the need to develop players who will in the not too distant future be regular players on the roster.