Buffalo Bills

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

Shown below are the list of people who cover the Bills on a regular basis.

 

This week, the 3-0 Bills travel to St. Louis, and should most likely be 4-0 after Sunday. And let’s face it, the Bills are generating a “buzz”.

 

In this era of skimpy newspaper coverage, which of the following reporters do you think will be there?

 

BUFFALO NEWS:

Mark Gaughan

Allen Wilson

Mike Harrington

Jerry Sullivan

Bob DiCesare

 

ROCHESTER D&C:

Sal Maiorana

Leo Roth

Scott Pitoniak

 

NIAGARA GAZETTE:

Tim Schmitt

Jay Skurski

 

OLEAN TIMES HERALD:

Chuck Pollock

 

TORONTO SUN:

Rob Longley

 

TORONTO STAR:

Garth Wooolsey

 

TORONTO GLOBE AND MAIL:

David Naylor

 

NATIONAL POST:

Sean Fitz-Gerald

 

WELLSVILLE DAILY REPORTER:

Paul Jannace

 

AP

John Wawrow

[scribo]

Outstanding question.

 

I hope the answer is, at least, two (Allen Wilson and Sal Maiorana), but I wouldn't be too surprised if the answer is none.

[Lori]

BN: Gaughan, Wilson, and Sullivan are the normal road crew.

 

D&C: Sal told me he's doing the road games solo this season. I doubt a 3-0 start is enough to change Gannett corporate's mind about that, but it would be nice.

 

OTH: Chuck's going to this game, although he had to opt out of next week's trip to Arizona. (By the way, you can add J.P. Butler to that list for home games.)

 

Gazette and WDR: Not sure either has ever consistently traveled with the team. The Gazette ran AP for the Jaguars game, and Schmitt wrote his postgame column off the TV broadcast.

 

The national media should be even more interesting. Think Tim Graham was planning to go to this game, but ESPN may choose to send a couple of their big names instead. (If that happens, our loss.)

 

Oh, one more thing: AP writers don't normally travel. Thus, if your paper picks up the AP gamer from St. Louis, you'll be reading the work of R.B. Fallstrom, not John Wawrow.

[Ned Flanders]

D&C: Sal told me he's doing the road games solo this season.

Lori, or others: Any indications from Sal if he's planning a Relentless III any time soon?

[The Dean]

Why does Sully goes on the road with the Bills? He's a columnist, and football is FAR from his specialty. His role over the years, is seemingly to be a counterpoint, a thorn in the side of the organization. I understand the role, but it would be better served by someone that actually understands the game.

 

HEY, that's it, he is traveling with the team to become more knowledgeable about football. The other writers can tutor him on the trip!

 

Seriously, though, this year Sully's columns have been very positive about the Bills (at least judging by the select ones I have read). Is Sully a bandwagon basher?

[scribo]

Thanks, Lori. I think everyone here knew you'd have the answers for this one.

[Lori]

Lori, or others: Any indications from Sal if he's planning a Relentless III any time soon?

Last I knew, he had no interest in doing another Relentless book.

 

Plus, it's a lot harder to find a publisher for something like that than it used to be. Quality Sports Publications, the company that printed Relentless I/II, went out of business a long time ago. And SportsPublishingLLC, which did a couple of books for Sal -- along with Levy's, Joe D's, and Tasker's books -- is one step away from bankruptcy (and hosing a bunch of the writers who still have inventory with them).

[Ned Flanders]

Last I knew, he had no interest in doing another Relentless book.

 

Plus, it's a lot harder to find a publisher for something like that than it used to be. Quality Sports Publications, the company that printed Relentless I/II, went out of business a long time ago. And SportsPublishingLLC, which did a couple of books for Sal -- along with Levy's, Joe D's, and Tasker's books -- is one step away from bankruptcy (and hosing a bunch of the writers who still have inventory with them).

Thanks, knew you would be on top of this.

 

Perhaps a Super Bowl win this season may change Sal's mind?

[Gordio]

BN: Gaughan, Wilson, and Sullivan are the normal road crew.

 

D&C: Sal told me he's doing the road games solo this season. I doubt a 3-0 start is enough to change Gannett corporate's mind about that, but it would be nice.

 

OTH: Chuck's going to this game, although he had to opt out of next week's trip to Arizona. (By the way, you can add J.P. Butler to that list for home games.)

 

Gazette and WDR: Not sure either has ever consistently traveled with the team. The Gazette ran AP for the Jaguars game, and Schmitt wrote his postgame column off the TV broadcast.

 

The national media should be even more interesting. Think Tim Graham was planning to go to this game, but ESPN may choose to send a couple of their big names instead. (If that happens, our loss.)

 

 

I have to question Sal's football knowledge. They had him on GR before the season started & he had nothing nice to say about Edwards. Calling him Dr Checkdown & saying that I just can not see this guy being a difference maker. He was also very negative about the bills in general. I do not get it. This guy covers the team for a living & he can not even get excited about an up & coming young team, especially given the fact of all the bad football we have had to endure over the last 10yrs. Some guys are just miserable I guess.

[Lori]

Thanks, knew you would be on top of this.

Well, when you pester someone often enough ...

 

I can understand his feelings -- a hell of a lot of work went into those two books. Plus, I'm not sure what he could add this time around. Let's face it, 1999-2007 wasn't such a great time in Bills history, so there wouldn't be many changes to his Top 40 lists.

 

Perhaps a Super Bowl win this season may change Sal's mind?

It would be nice to have something for the 50th season next year, wouldn't it? And yeah, a successful business trip to Tampa would make it all the nicer ...

[Lori]

I have to question Sal's football knowledge. They had him on GR before the season started & he had nothing nice to say about Edwards. Calling him Dr Checkdown & saying that I just can not see this guy being a difference maker. He was also very negative about the bills in general. I do not get it. This guy covers the team for a living & he can not even get excited about an up & coming young team, especially given the fact of all the bad football we have had to endure over the last 10yrs. Some guys are just miserable I guess.

You might be interested to know that "Sour Sal" is capable of changing his mind:

There are so many reasons why the Bills are where they are. Here’s a few:

 

* Edwards has been terrific. He has 12 NFL starts, he’s 8-4, and he already has three fourth-quarter comeback victories to his credit. A couple of players have said that he is growing up right before our eyes, and he is. You all know I wasn’t sure about Edwards and I’ve written that more than a few times. OK, OK, you were right and I was wrong. He can play. This kid is going to go through more growing pains, it’s inevitable, but there’s no denying that he has that something special and he has a chance to be the Bills quarterback for a very long time to come if he keeps this up.

 

The rest of that blog post can be found here: Three-Point Stance

[Gordio]

Why does Sully goes on the road with the Bills? He's a columnist, and football is FAR from his specialty. His role over the years, is seemingly to be a counterpoint, a thorn in the side of the organization. I understand the role, but it would be better served by someone that actually understands the game.

 

HEY, that's it, he is traveling with the team to become more knowledgeable about football. The other writers can tutor him on the trip!

 

Seriously, though, this year Sully's columns have been very positive about the Bills (at least judging by the select ones I have read). Is Sully a bandwagon basher?

 

 

I will say this about Sully. He does come off as rude & thinks he could use his position with the news to go oin some power trip, & he has been critical about the bills, but if you look at alot what he writes most of the time he is right. I remember he ripped management for going with Johnson over Flutie in the tenn playoff game, even saying this is going to set the franchise back years. The guy has been negative but can you honestly blame him. Wouldn't you be negative to covering the bills for the last 10yrs?

[The Dean]

You might be interested to know that "Sour Sal" is capable of changing his mind:

 

 

The rest of that blog post can be found here: Three-Point Stance

 

 

That's one big difference between Sal and Sully. Sully should write a column entitled "I honestly have no idea what I'm talking about, most of the time", or something to that effect. If he would simply admit to his mistakes, even occasionally, he would come off as less of a buffoon, IMO.

[Gordio]

You might be interested to know that "Sour Sal" is capable of changing his mind:

 

 

The rest of that blog post can be found here: Three-Point Stance

 

 

He changed his mind, but I have to question a guy's football intellect when before the season he calls him Dr Checkdown & can not give him props. I know the stats were not great last year, but anybody with a half a brain last year that watched Edwards play realized he was light years ahead of where he was supposed to be given that he was rookie QB. I mean for christ sakes, all you had to do was watch a game with Beck qbing or watch brady Quinn getting splinters in ass every week to realize Edwards was way ahead of the curve. H*ll, all he had to do was watch the game this week & see a Raiders coaching staff so scared of putting the ball in the #1 overall pick's hands with the game on the line that they allowed him to throw all of two balls in the 2nd half. I am just surprised that a guy that is supposed to be an expert in football was too ignorant or full of himself to give Edwards the proper respect going into the season.

[In-A-Gadda-Levitre]

D&C: Sal told me he's doing the road games solo this season. I doubt a 3-0 start is enough to change Gannett corporate's mind about that, but it would be nice.

I noticed that Leo Roth's byline rarely appears on any of the online D&C articles about the Bills. Is that more about Gannett's financial problems or something else?

[Lori]

I noticed that Leo Roth's byline rarely appears on any of the online D&C articles about the Bills. Is that more about Gannett's financial problems or something else?

Leo's primary job is as their main "outdoors" writer. He'll still cover home games, write occasionally, and do the Tuesday-morning debate with Sal ... but for day-to-day beat coverage and features, Sal's pretty much it. (Of course, Scott Pitoniak's also in the mix -- if the Bills keep winning, we could see him on the road. Probably not for an early-season game against the dreadful Rams, though.)

[In-A-Gadda-Levitre]

Leo's primary job is as their main "outdoors" writer. He'll still cover home games, write occasionally, and do the Tuesday-morning debate with Sal ... but for day-to-day beat coverage and features, Sal's pretty much it. (Of course, Scott Pitoniak's also in the mix -- if the Bills keep winning, we could see him on the road. Probably not for an early-season game against the dreadful Rams, though.)

then there's always the Alzheimer's battle between Larry Felser and Bob Matthews...

 

thanks for the info Lori