dib Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 If I wasn't from Buffalo and was 22 years old, Buffalo would be on the bottomo of my list too. Let's be honest here. Most athletes are looking for architecture and a good fanbase. They just want the best weather, hottest groupies, and best cities to party in. There is no surprise with this poll. and all this time I thought it was just about the money.
emtmp1 Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 So, what is the temp outside today in Buff? It is 74' here. I was born at Mercy hospital, and I grew up being told that you had better be good or your going to Father Bakers,,,,,,,,,, I wouldn't move back there for any $$$$$, SOOO alot does have to do with the weather. Goes Sabres
San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 3, 2010 Posted February 3, 2010 How would those players even know? All 300 havn't played for us. Purely speculation not based on anything factual. Ignore it. Again, you are missing the point. It doesn't matter if their reasons are valid or not...or if they've played here or not. The point is that (whether they actually have good reasons or not) NFL players do not want to play for the Buffalo Bills right now. The reasons are irrelevant. Again, you are what your record says you are and in this case, Buffalo has the second worst record (in the survey). With few exceptions, players do not want to come here to play for the Bills.
Gibran Chandan Posted February 3, 2010 Posted February 3, 2010 Here's what I find odd - in interviews, it seems like players are always talking about how ridiculous Bills fans are (in a good way), and how they're kind of surprised the first time they play in Orchard Park. Aside from the obvious (being a perennially losing team), why would you not want to play for a team with a fanbase like this?
rstencel Posted February 3, 2010 Posted February 3, 2010 and city city city i bet franchises in big cities with great nightlives are at the top too im guessing Miami would be much higher on the list than any of us would like to think Tax rate doesnt hurt for Florida teams either. They get more of each million in their own pocket.
sharper802 Posted February 3, 2010 Posted February 3, 2010 worse than Detroit, KC or St Louis? I find that both depressing and somewhat hard to believe. Is the only thing worse than playing in Buffalo having Tom cable try to murder you? Truth hurts....
sharper802 Posted February 3, 2010 Posted February 3, 2010 Here's what I find odd - in interviews, it seems like players are always talking about how ridiculous Bills fans are (in a good way), and how they're kind of surprised the first time they play in Orchard Park. Aside from the obvious (being a perennially losing team), why would you not want to play for a team with a fanbase like this? Do you really think the players give a rip about the fans?
iinii Posted February 3, 2010 Posted February 3, 2010 Do you really think the players give a rip about the fans? I think some do, and for a variety of reasons. I can't even make up a percentage for you though. Maybe some of our learned posters can create some numbers to support something but really, these guys need their ego stroked in one way or another. So yeah some may know where the butter for their bread comes from. Then again, maybe not.
SF Bills Fan Posted February 3, 2010 Posted February 3, 2010 The team ha not been successful for over a decade, Buffalo has a bad national image and the weather isn't great and there are limited nightlife opportunities for these millionaires. I'm not surprised. For every Steve Tasker, there are 5 McGahees that dislike Buffalo. Who cares? I remember a few years back when the same type of poll for the NHL had Buffalo as the worst place to play. Now that pissed me off.
please stop the pain Posted February 3, 2010 Posted February 3, 2010 because when it comes right down to it, when the player is being honest, they dont care about the fans at all. or maybe not that they dont care at all, but rather there are sooo many other more important factors from a players perspective. having great fans is a nice bonus, i guess. What exactly was the question asked of the players and what was the context?? Could significantly effect answer.
JOHNNYFAIRPLAY Posted February 3, 2010 Posted February 3, 2010 I would like to see a poll of players that played in Buffalo for at least 2 seasons and rate what their experience here was. I think our and Greenbay's ratings are more so based off of rep then actual experience with that city or organization. I bet it would be awful....this is a terrible place to play for many reasons, to include career development, weather, money, etc. And I also bet GreenBay is based on the fact that its weather sucks, and it is located in the middle of nowhere. I wouldnt want to go there.
manateefan Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 The question was asked before you asked it and it was answered...see directly below. The point is that perception is reality. It is totally irrelevant what our opinions and/or rationalizations are. The poll is what it is. Buffalo is one of the least desirable places for an NFL player to play. Again, all the positives you mention are virtually meaningless. This sample size of 300 players is probably pretty accurate as there are about 1800 NFL players at any one time. NFL players don't want to play in Buffalo. Period. One other factor that hasn't been mentioned is the New York State Income Tax, which many of us know is helping to kill the state. People who make as much money as NFL football players are taxed at nearly 7% of their income, on top of what they pay in federal taxes. The median player salary is about $900,000 per year which means that a person making this much pays New York State taxes of approximately $62,000/year. This is not a huge number but it is another contributing factor in the grand scheme, especially considering states with no income tax such as Florida (Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay), Texas (Dallas, Houston), and Washington (Seattle). We don't have to like the poll or agree with it. But it is what it is. Or to put it in current sports lingo, "you are what your record says you are." No, these are still lthe least teams. Who are the best teams to play for?
dave mcbride Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 If I wasn't from Buffalo and was 22 years old, Buffalo would be on the bottomo of my list too. Let's be honest here. Most athletes are looking for architecture and a good fanbase. They just want the best weather, hottest groupies, and best cities to party in. There is no surprise with this poll. Architecture? Players wouldn't know good architecture if it slapped them in the face. And if they did, they'd be flocking to Buffalo instead of architectural hellholes like Atlanta and Charlotte.
Kipers Hair Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 just the least: Oakland Raiders- 20% Buffalo Bills- 14% Green Bay Packers- 13% Detroit Lions- 12% Cleveland Browns- 7% It didn't say the most, but that would be interesting to see. All are pretty crappy cities...no surprise...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 No, these are still lthe least teams. Who are the best teams to play for? BBills20 said they didn't list the most desirable teams to play for, just the least. You gotta read a bit more carefully...I included his statement in my earlier post.
SF Bills Fan Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 My buddy who played for a number of teams including the Jets, Redskins and Browns said Buffalo and Cleveland were his least favorite NFL cities. In fairness to Buffalo, he said when he was there, they stayed at a hotel in the middle of nowhere and they never left except when they went to the stadium. He never went out because he didnt know where to go and had noone to show him around town. I would imagine that is the same experience most NFL players have in Buffalo. When they go to places like chicago or Atlanta and the stadium is downtown, it is probably far more exciting to be on the road.
billsfreak Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 Yeah, and that's why the Packers are below the Bills. Below as in less players voted for them as the worst city, think you are reading it upside down.
Buftex Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 i'd say its a combo of small market, bad weather, and ancient owner. We've also kind of been pathetic this decade and burned more than a few bridges during the Donahoe era. Agreed on the pathetic part, but, what bridges were burned during the Donahoe era? Say what you will about Donahoe, but, if you recall, the Bills were always "players" during his time in Buffalo, in regards to attracting top free agents, and they even managed to land many of them, without overpaying them... I think the franchises reputation took its' biggest hits, after Donahoe was let go...
LewPort71 Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 In a Sports Illustrated poll published in the November 23, 2009 issue , 296 NFL players were surveyed. They were asked the following question ... "Which team would you most like to play for ?" Cowboys 11 % Chargers 8.5 % Steelers 7 % Dolphins 6.6 % Patriots 6 % The Raiders ranked 26th. Bills were not mentioned. I happened to find this in a pile of un-read magazines that Mrs. Lew has threatened to toss if I don't read them.
papazoid Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 2nd worst ??.....sounds terrible.... i prefer 31st best.......
Recommended Posts