Buffalo listed as a franchise on the brink

[JohnC]

Yes, we've all heard him say that. You believe everything you hear from him publically? I don't and he might change his mind given the change in the political climate and looming tax changes.

 

I give more credibility to the person involved (Ralph Wilson) making a statement and demonstrating it in his will than over someone who wishfully believes otherwise. Sometimes contending with reality is painful.

[keepthefaith]

I give more credibility to the person involved (Ralph Wilson) making a statement and demonstrating it in his will than over someone who wishfully believes otherwise. Sometimes contending with reality is painful.

 

Not wishful thinking on my part. More than happy with Ralph keeping the team in Buffalo. Ralph might want to have the final say in what happens to the team beyond him rather than leaving it up to the league and his estate. He'd have a hard time saying in public "yeah, I'm getting old and should sell the team now before I go". That would create a ridiculous uproar. Personally I think there is a plan and I completely respect him wanting to keep it private.

[JohnC]

Not wishful thinking on my part. More than happy with Ralph keeping the team in Buffalo. Ralph might want to have the final say in what happens to the team beyond him rather than leaving it up to the league and his estate. He'd have a hard time saying in public "yeah, I'm getting old and should sell the team now before I go". That would create a ridiculous uproar. Personally I think there is a plan and I completely respect him wanting to keep it private.

 

What uproar are you referring to. I and a lot of people have hoped that he would sell the team before he passes. But it doesn't matter what I prefer or what you prefer. He has stated in public and has it spelled out in his will that the team will be auctioned off to the highest bidder when he passes. Those are his wishes; and that is his prerogative. Whether the team stays in western NY is not a concern to him. He will be deceased at that point.

 

Your point about Ralph might want to have a final say in what happens to the team is perplexing. Certainly, he has the final say. In fact, he has the ONLY say on how he wants his estate to be handled. He has made it very clear on what he wants to happen with the team upon his death. There is no confusion here. He wants the team auctioned off to the highest bidder. The proceeds will go to his estate. It is as simple as that.

[Delete This Account]

this is a town of chicken littles where the sky is always falling, and maybe, maybe one day it will. and maybe, maybe it won't.

to answer some of the question raised here:

 

Mr. Wilson told Jerry Sullivan that he wouldn't use the windfall money from the toronto deal to sign Lee Evans, though Evans was re-upped under the bills cash to the cap system that was once derided as being cheap but is now considered the norm around the nfl.

 

as for naming rights, Mr. Wilson has maintained that selling the rights to the stadium would provide the franchise a negligible return in part because most of that money would eventually go toward increasing the salary cap and also toward revenue sharing. (i don't understand the intricacies of the cap and cba to know whether this is true or not, but i also do think Mr. Wilson does like the stadium to be named after him, and that's his prerogative, of course.)

 

as for the article, i didn't read it only because it seems to be one of these self-perpetuated pieces that come around once every few months that hit all the predictable bases. i do know that with the toronto deal the bills are in a stronger position than they were prior to the toronto deal and are pulling in more real money than many other franchises, including the cowboys which are going into debt to build their new palace.

who knows what the economic structure of the nfl and its teams will look like in 2-3 years, but the bills at this point aren't on the brink of financial demise, and won't be so long as Mr. Wilson is alive.

 

jw

[Dan]

What uproar are you referring to. I and a lot of people have hoped that he would sell the team before he passes. But it doesn't matter what I prefer or what you prefer. He has stated in public and has it spelled out in his will that the team will be auctioned off to the highest bidder when he passes. Those are his wishes; and that is his prerogative. Whether the team stays in western NY is not a concern to him. He will be deceased at that point.

 

Your point about Ralph might want to have a final say in what happens to the team is perplexing. Certainly, he has the final say. In fact, he has the ONLY say on how he wants his estate to be handled. He has made it very clear on what he wants to happen with the team upon his death. There is no confusion here. He wants the team auctioned off to the highest bidder. The proceeds will go to his estate. It is as simple as that.

I'm sorry, but you keep stating this. I try not to read all the stuff about the potential sale of the Bills, so its very likely I missed it; but is your statement based on personal knowledge of Ralph's will or was it published in the Buffalo News or something? Just really curious.

[8-8 Forever?]

on the brink of another 7 win season. oh boy. can't wait. has anyone looked at our schedule? If not, you should. 7 wins would be a stretch.

[nucci]

on the brink of another 7 win season. oh boy. can't wait. has anyone looked at our schedule? If not, you should. 7 wins would be a stretch.

So I guess you won't be watching this year? How do you know how well the teams we play are going to be? Too many things happen during a season that no one here can predict.

[LGB]

So I guess you won't be watching this year? How do you know how well the teams we play are going to be? Too many things happen during a season that no one here can predict.

I agree 8&8 - how do you know that Trent Edwards will not finally put it all together become the QB that this franchise needs?

 

I also billieve that Dick Jauron will be gone if the Bills finish under .500. So this should be an interesting year if DJ can win more than lose - or it will likely be a new GM and coaching staff. My only hope is that the Bills get their act together for a playoff run before they go up for sale.

[VOR]

on the brink of another 7 win season. oh boy. can't wait. has anyone looked at our schedule? If not, you should. 7 wins would be a stretch.

Wow, all these people with crystal balls. Or is that no balls?

[ricojes]

this is a town of chicken littles where the sky is always falling, and maybe, maybe one day it will. and maybe, maybe it won't.

to answer some of the question raised here:

Very nice post. I agree with just about everything, except the "chicken little" comment. As you can tell from this thread, there are a few "chicken little's" or "the sky is falling" posters, but the majority are more positive, or at least require facts or a legitimate source before making assumptions. So I really have a hard time when people let the negative posters or negative attitudes of some determine the mind set of Buffalo as a whole. I am usually one of the more positive posters, or maybe it's just blind optimism, but at any rate the majority of Buffalonians are not chicken little's. The chicken little's may be a bit louder and stand out a bit more, but there are people like that everywhere. And actually most of the chicken little's and sky is falling people have left they area, yet they still continue to bash Buffalo on a regular basis. Ok, I am done with my rant. Again, nice post minus one sentence...GO BILLS!!!! GO BUFFALO!!!!

[The Senator]

Very nice post. I agree with just about everything, except the "chicken little" comment. As you can tell from this thread, there are a few "chicken little's" or "the sky is falling" posters, but the majority are more positive, or at least require facts or a legitimate sourse before making assumptions. So I really have a hard time when people let the negative posters or negative attitudes of some determine the mind set of Buffalo as a whole. I am usually one of the more positive posters, or maybe it's just blind optimism, but at any rate the majority of Buffalonians are not chicken little's. The chicken little's may be a bit louder and stand out a bit more, but there are people like that everywhere. And actually most of the chicken little's and sky is falling people have left they area, yet they still continue to bash Buffalo on a regular basis. Ok, I am done with my rant. Again, nice post minus one sentence...GO BILLS!!!! GO BUFFALO!!!!

Kudos, but I really think JW was aiming his rebuttal mainly at the other John - that nattering nabob of negativism - and his twisting and misquoting of facts and printed articles simply to support his hopeless hysterical hypochondria.

 

I don't know how he (JohnC) or those of his ilk even manage to get out of bed in the morning, and sometimes I wish they wouldn't...

 

19 and 0 baby!!!

 

GO BILLSSS!!!!

 

REVERSE THE CURSE!!!!!

[KD in CA]

Anybody can be a 'writer' in the Internet age...and this guy is further proff of that.

 

Hey, come on now, this moron probably did a full hour of research before writing that article.

[BuffaloBill]

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Inves...slide-number=10

 

MSN is running a slideshow today of teams/franchises on the brink. Our Bills are one of them.

 

 

Oddly enough the Bills are one of the few franchises that actually make money - according to Forbes. Mind you , not much, but they have cleared a small profit the last few years. The Bills remain somewhat viable simply because it has been cheap to operate them in the Ralph. The league does not like them in Buffalo because of the small TV market. Perhaps the Toronto situation will change this if the population of Southern Ontario is, in fact, added to the Bills "market" and can drive additional revenue to the team and league.

 

At the end of the day the situation simply adds up to this - If Buffalo's population continues to dwindle and the economy remains relatively weak they will lose the team at some point. Perhaps the loss is blunted through some sort of exapanded "shared" arrangement with Toronto but a loss to Buffalo none the less.

[mrags]

Very nice post. I agree with just about everything, except the "chicken little" comment. As you can tell from this thread, there are a few "chicken little's" or "the sky is falling" posters, but the majority are more positive, or at least require facts or a legitimate sourse before making assumptions. So I really have a hard time when people let the negative posters or negative attitudes of some determine the mind set of Buffalo as a whole. I am usually one of the more positive posters, or maybe it's just blind optimism, but at any rate the majority of Buffalonians are not chicken little's. The chicken little's may be a bit louder and stand out a bit more, but there are people like that everywhere. And actually most of the chicken little's and sky is falling people have left they area, yet they still continue to bash Buffalo on a regular basis. Ok, I am done with my rant. Again, nice post minus one sentence...GO BILLS!!!! GO BUFFALO!!!!

 

I agree with JW's post as well as yours Rico,

I think that the "chicken littles" on here have nothing better to do than bash the team and the city. I say why bother even following the Bills if you are that negative about them? Why not just jump on the Pats or Steelers band wagon where you know you have a winning franchise? And the same "chicken littles" that arent in the area anymore are the same ones that cant hack the winter weather here.

[The Senator]

Hey, come on now, this moron probably did a full hour of research before writing that article.

As JW stated, that article seems to be on something of a 'continuous loop' on msn.com, and floats back to the top every few weeks. I believe it first appeared at least 4 months ago. Call me an optimist, but the Bills will be here forever...

 

GO BILLSSS!!!!

 

19 and 0 baby!!!!!

[Delete This Account]

ok, i made a sweeping generalization. maybe as mrags pointed out, to paraphrase, that many of the chicken littles flew the coop, so to say (heh).

guess my initial response was a result of the endless string of stories -- and the reaction they generate -- about the bills on the move/in desperate states etc. etc. etc. i'm not suggesting anything one way or the other, but i'd rather see a little bit more proof beyond speculation.

 

jw

[JohnC]

I'm sorry, but you keep stating this. I try not to read all the stuff about the potential sale of the Bills, so its very likely I missed it; but is your statement based on personal knowledge of Ralph's will or was it published in the Buffalo News or something? Just really curious.

 

The owner has clearly stated that it is his desire to have the team auctioned off when he passes. There have been numerous published accounts that it is clearly stated in his will. Larry Felser, a retired columnist for the Buffalo News, who still periodically writes guest columns, even wrote a story that stated it doesn't matter what others desire because the owner has instructed in his will that upon his death it is required that the team goes to the highest bidder. Larry Felser has known Wilson for nearly a half century. In fact, he successfully argued Ralph's case for the HOF.

 

The following quote was taken from a column written by Felser on December 14, 2008.

"Bills' fans have been in mortal fear of losing their team of the last half century to, in the words of owner Ralph Wilson's last will and testament, "the highest bidder."

 

Will the Bills stay in western NY after the owner's death? No one can answer that question at this time obviously because no one at this time knows who will offer the most. The group in Toronto has payed $78 million for their series of games. It is a good investment in the sense that if the Toronto group has the highest bid at the estate auction they won't have to pay an exhorbitant relocation fee because they can claim that Toronto is part of the established Bills market.

[LGB]

Will the Bills stay in western NY after the owner's death? No one can answer that question at this time obviously because no one at this time knows who will offer the most.

 

The Bills lease runs until 2012.

 

RW will be 91 yrs old in October.

 

If DJ posts another 7-9, the Bills will likely have another coaching staff for 2010.

 

That is why we need Jauron and company to turn this thing around now and why I agree with TO:

“I think to get us to the playoffs we just have to take it one game at a time. We’re going to start that in New England on September the 14th and we’re going to work our butts off to go up there and get a win.”

 

They need to play every game like it is a playoff game because if they don't - they will never see the playoffs.

[Dan]

The owner has clearly stated that it is his desire to have the team auctioned off when he passes. There have been numerous published accounts that it is clearly stated in his will. Larry Felser, a retired columnist for the Buffalo News, who still periodically writes guest columns, even wrote a story that stated it doesn't matter what others desire because the owner has instructed in his will that upon his death it is required that the team goes to the highest bidder. Larry Felser has known Wilson for nearly a half century. In fact, he successfully argued Ralph's case for the HOF.

 

The following quote was taken from a column written by Felser on December 14, 2008.

"Bills' fans have been in mortal fear of losing their team of the last half century to, in the words of owner Ralph Wilson's last will and testament, "the highest bidder."

 

Will the Bills stay in western NY after the owner's death? No one can answer that question at this time obviously because no one at this time knows who will offer the most. The group in Toronto has payed $78 million for their series of games. It is a good investment in the sense that if the Toronto group has the highest bid at the estate auction they won't have to pay an exhorbitant relocation fee because they can claim that Toronto is part of the established Bills market.

Thanks.