Formerly Allan in MD Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 Buffalo's reputation precedes the Bills, i.e. cold, old, industrial, windy, snowy etc. It's only when you get to Buffalo and see what it has to offer do perceptions change. The old adage "Seeing is believing." I remember when, many years ago, someone on 60 Minutes really ragged on the city. So the administration invited them to Buffalo and gave them, with a camera crew, tours, briefings, and meals. 60 Minutes subsequently did a mea culpa segment on the city, apologizing and highly praising what Buffalo had to offer. Football players can be enlightened as well. Plus, we now have cap space and an owner who spends money. 1
BillyWhiteShows Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 3 hours ago, clayboy54 said: Just this morning, my wife was working out with Greg Eiffert (Tyler's dad). Of course, we always try to encourage opportunities to land quality free agents. Greg argued that the Bills facilities are the worst in the league. Why would Tyler want to go there, he asked. This is a good example of how poor the Bills reputation is among those players who have not spent time there. They just see the old stadium and assume everything else is outdated as well. We all know that is not at all the case. Going back to the Wilson regime, yes, it was the case. However, the Pegulas have spent a ton of money outfitting the facilities with state of the art technology. The is evidenced by the building of the new health and sports medicine facility that we learned about this past summer. I haven't been inside the facilities (except the fan-accessible portion) in many years, as I no longer reside in WNY. But, I do keep my eye on what's going on inside from my old friends that still work there. Sure the stadium is old and spartan. It supports the economy of the region. But the players' facilities are first-class. Here, we worry about attracting free agents with comments like "who will come to Buffalo if we cut so-and-so", etc. Realistically, it is far more important to express to the rest of the country that we are committed to providing the best training and rehab facilities rather than whether or not they should like cold weather. I found this very interesting. I'd enjoy hearing your comments. Interesting story, but this isn’t an example of a player’s thoughts on Buffalo. It’s thoughts from a parent of an NFL player. Hardly a correlation, in my opinion. I think actual players and there agents are a little better educated on Buffalo. With that being said, I think small markets do have their disadvantages. And unfortunately, with the Bills some the bad reputation is well-deserved. Thanks to Ralph Wilson and the futility in the 1990’s. It’s funny how Buffalo never had a problem landing free agents when they had Kelly, Thurman, Bruce, Andre and several Super Bowl appearances. No one ever complained about small markets, or facilities, or stadiums.
RochesterRob Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 3 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: They might not be able to do anything about "small", but certainly dilapidated ugly worn and dingy could be addressed. I guess I am one of the few that does not want opposing players to be comfortable. I want them to think that they are being readied to be shipped off to a Siberian gulag circa 1955 in the Soviet Union. Now it would be nice to give the agents of many NFL players the tour of the facilities that Bills players actually use so when contract time comes they can say "You know Buffalo actually has some nice digs for its own players." 1 1
Nelius Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, YoloinOhio said: Not really. If it’s an important factor, It’s on the player if they don’t know or do their due diligence to know that it’s only the visitor’s locker room that sucks. Which they wouldn’t be using if they were playing for the Bills. I’ve heard players from other teams say on radio that the visiting locker room sucks in buffalo but they know the rest is great. Or...you could just update the locker room so that players don't have to go through these mental gymnastics. I get that this seems insanely lazy but we're dealing with millionaires here who have 31 other options. Buffalo already has some clear and obvious strikes against it when compared to other cities - why make players dig for information when they're likely visiting other locker rooms that are state of the art? Easy decision, really. This team has a terrible habit of making simple things complex. "We swear we're a gem, you're just going to have to really get to know us." Pffft, ***** update and broadcast it! It's simple marketing. Edited January 5, 2019 by Nelius
DC Tom Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 That's recent, and not too bad. Visitor locker rooms are always worse than home locker rooms, of course. Any player who judges a team as a free agent destination based on the visitor's locker room is probably too stupid to be a good free-agent signing anyway. 1
YoloinOhio Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 1 minute ago, Nelius said: Or...you could just update the locker room so that players don't have to go through these mental gymnastics. I get that this seems insanely lazy but we're dealing with millionaires here who have 31 other options. Buffalo already has some clear and obvious strikes against it when compared to other cities - why make players dig for information when they're likely visiting other locker rooms that are state of the art? Easy decision, really. This team has a terrible habit of making simple things complex. "We swear we're a gem, you're just going to have to really get to know us." Pffft, ***** update and broadcast it! It's simple marketing. Mental gymnastics? I don’t see that. We will just have to agree to disagree. 1 minute ago, DC Tom said: That's recent, and not too bad. Visitor locker rooms are always worse than home locker rooms, of course. Any player who judges a team as a free agent destination based on the visitor's locker room is probably too stupid to be a good free-agent signing anyway. Omg that looks like a Turkish prison! ? 2
Nelius Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 Just now, DC Tom said: That's recent, and not too bad. Visitor locker rooms are always worse than home locker rooms, of course. Any player who judges a team as a free agent destination based on the visitor's locker room is probably too stupid to be a good free-agent signing anyway. But stupid players can be very good players. This is a terrible argument. Option A - state of the art facility in a sunny metropolis Option B - dingy old facility in a hard luck steel town...that may be really great over the course of several months/years if it suits your taste and you spend a lot of time there and get to know the people, etc. etc. etc. C'mon now.
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, hemma said: It can’t be that bad. Most types of invasive Staph infections are down. Players should just be careful where they sit, that’s all. ”Honest, Coach! I caught it from a dirty bench in the locker room!” Next time a hated rival plays the Bills, make sure there’s a few of those rogue shower mats in the visitors’ locker room. 3 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said: Mental gymnastics? I don’t see that. We will just have to agree to disagree. Omg that looks like a Turkish prison! ? ‘No Coke. Pepsi.’ Edited January 5, 2019 by Ridgewaycynic2013 Hated. Not ‘gated’. ? 2
Nelius Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 Whenever these arguments come up people always view through their personal lens and casually ignore the fact that they're not multimillionaire mega-athletes. "That place has running water and air conditioning! I worked 20 years for air conditioning! What more do they expect?!" It's not an accurate frame of reference in the slightest.
clayboy54 Posted January 5, 2019 Author Posted January 5, 2019 2 hours ago, JaCrispy said: Your wife was “working out” with Greg Eiffert? I don’t know about you, but I would keep on top of that situation. ? Yeah, they’re pretty good friends actually. ? 1
Just Joshin' Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 2 hours ago, thebandit27 said: Yep, many of them are lousy. Ours just happens to be the worst. Maybe they are but why make the visitors comfortable?
DC Tom Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 8 minutes ago, Nelius said: But stupid players can be very good players. This is a terrible argument. Option A - state of the art facility in a sunny metropolis Option B - dingy old facility in a hard luck steel town...that may be really great over the course of several months/years if it suits your taste and you spend a lot of time there and get to know the people, etc. etc. etc. C'mon now. So stupid that they can't know the difference between "home" and "visitor?" You're not exactly maxxing out the Glasgow Coma Scale if you can't understand that. 1
Nelius Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 (edited) 13 minutes ago, DC Tom said: So stupid that they can't know the difference between "home" and "visitor?" You're not exactly maxxing out the Glasgow Coma Scale if you can't understand that. But there are many (if not all) stadiums that have better visitor facilities. If you're a free agent with multiple options how does that not leave a more positive impression? You're acting as if free agents have some motivation to really dig and get to know Buffalo, which just isn't realistic, especially if you have multiple options on the table...in warmer climates, in larger cities, with better visitor facilities that left a better impression on you. My argument is that Buffalo already has some knocks against it - so why not overcompensate and provide the best facilities all-around? Control your controllables, ya know? I don't buy the argument that the visitor locker rooms needs to be a dump like it's some 1970's rural high school showdown. You're not playing mind games with professionals, you're just cultivating the impression that Buffalo is a dump. Just update, I don't see any valid argument against it. Edited January 5, 2019 by Nelius 1
Augie Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Just Joshin' said: Maybe they are but why make the visitors comfortable? Maybe we can make it so plush they won’t want to come back after halftime? Edited January 5, 2019 by Augie 3
DC Tom Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 13 minutes ago, Nelius said: But there are many (if not all) stadiums that have better visitor facilities. If you're a free agent with multiple options how does that not leave a more positive impression? I would come away from that thinking the team's not interested enough in winning home games.
Nelius Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 Just now, DC Tom said: I would come away from that thinking the team's not interested enough in winning home games. Hee-hee, haw haw. Meanwhile Buffalo still remains unattractive to high-end free agents.
WideNine Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 4 hours ago, thebandit27 said: The big issue at play is the visitor locker room--it's heinous. Worst in the league. The de facto facilities are actually quite nice. Once this summer's athletic facility remodeling is complete, it'll be among the most extensive in the NFL. The Pegulas have done a nice job of making things attractive to FA visitors, but the ***** hole stigma left by the visiting locker room remains a hurdle to overcome in attracting outside talent Great point as potential FA do not get a tour of the facilities that are setup for the Bills players. There is certainly a marketing angle that teams need to consider when attracting talent - look how tilted the talent pool is when Bama is recruiting. Talented players want to play there and that leads to success, which leads to talented players wanting to play there.... and the cycle continues. I think the Pegulas are aware of this and the importance of the concept of "brand". The investment certainly shows for the Sabres facilities and not only does it say something about the stability of the franchise, it also provided an attractive location to feature college and world jr hockey events where potential players can be scouted and given a good impression about the Sabres team and facilities. There is a method to the madness, and I am confident they will get it done for the Bills.
DC Tom Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 Just now, Nelius said: Hee-hee, haw haw. Meanwhile Buffalo still remains unattractive to high-end free agents. It's not because of the visitors' locker room. "I'm not signing with the Bills, because they make the Dolphins and Patriots suffer in less-than-palatial circumstances once a year!" I don't think that's anyone's rationale. 1
Nelius Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 Just now, DC Tom said: It's not because of the visitors' locker room. "I'm not signing with the Bills, because they make the Dolphins and Patriots suffer in less-than-palatial circumstances once a year!" I don't think that's anyone's rationale. No, it's not solely because of the visitor's locker room. It's the city and region itself, the culture of losing, the talent on the team, etc....and the visitor's locker room. So why not at a minimum update the visitor's locker room? Are we revelling in our near-obscurity at this point?
/dev/null Posted January 5, 2019 Posted January 5, 2019 3 hours ago, Bobby Hooks said: Bologna!! Many players make Buffalo their home after playing. Key word: after Buffalo is a nice place to raise a familiy. But when you're young, dumb, full of come, and have tons of disposable income, there are cities with more entertaining venues than Applebees
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