NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

[hurls]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3075663

I'm for the idea of shortening the time between picks, but don't like the time switch from Noon to 3 pm. I guess it coincides with also having the 1st day only 2 rounds, but a bunch of us always liked grilling out for lunch at Noon while watching the 3 rounds of the draft.

As for the Bills, I totally hate this idea: Owners considered a proposal that would have the Bills playing one home game per season there for the next five years to help the team expand its diminishing market in western New York into Canada's largest metropolitan area.

"Diminishing WNY market"?????? Wait a minute. The Bills have really had no great expectations for the year, and virtually every game is or will be a sell-out. This happens every year, and their market is diminishing? Not many teams(if any), that aren't Playoff teams can say that. And a few Playoff teams probably can't say that. If and when this happens, fans from this area should be offered an optional 7 game season ticket price. I would bet there's as many, if not more, fans from the Southern Tier and Erie, PA area than there is from near Toronto. How many of these people want to make a 2-3 hour drive(4-6 round trip) now to see the Bills? Not to mention crossing the damn border, having to eventually get a passport, not being able to bring certain necessities,...D As for Canadian fans, you have a team, go see them.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

"Diminishing WNY market"?????? Wait a minute. The Bills have really had no great expectations for the year, and virtually every game is or will be a sell-out. This happens every year, and their market is diminishing? Not many teams(if any), that aren't Playoff teams can say that.

Check again.

Nobody gets blacked out anymore-- everyone is getting sellouts nowadays. Remember last year when the NFL announced all games sold out for week after week? Who broke that streak? Buffalo did. The Bills did get blacked out in 2006-- twice, if not thrice, if I recall correctly. And the pathetic turnout with the Christmas Eve game? With the Bills in the playoff hunt for once? Sad.

[hurls]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

Check again.

Nobody gets blacked out anymore-- everyone is getting sellouts nowadays. Remember last year when the NFL announced all games sold out for week after week? Who broke that streak? Buffalo did. The Bills did get blacked out in 2006-- twice, if not thrice, if I recall correctly. And the pathetic turnout with the Christmas Eve game? With the Bills in the playoff hunt for once? Sad.

So Miami sells out every game? Also, my point was that Bills fans are some of the most die-hard around, and to say they're diminished IMO is a lie.

[Don't Panic]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

I think the term "diminishing market" is a bit unfair too, but the one game in Toronto thing might be the only fix to this situation, hurls. If it was that or give it up altogether, which would you choose? If they asked for 2 games, I'd give it to them as well... no more though. Then it doesn't feel like the "Buffalo" Bills anymore.

[hurls]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

Agreed there, I'd rather give up 1 game than the whole sha-bang. Nice point.

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

Diminishing market I would assume refers to lack of big businesses and that makes it hard to sell out private boxes and suites.

St. Louis did not sell out a game this year.

[Don't Panic]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

St. Louis did not sell out a game this year.

Now THAT is pretty weak. Going into the season they were expected to be pretty good; they have a much bigger market, more recent success than us and I believe a smaller stadium.

[henrybacker]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

Remember last year when the NFL announced all games sold out for week after week? Who broke that streak? Buffalo did.

And yet the attendance for that game was in the top 5 in the NFL that day. Maybe Buffalo's stadium is larger than most ??

[hurls]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

Remember last year when the NFL announced all games sold out for week after week? Who broke that streak? Buffalo did.

And yet the attendance for that game was in the top 5 in the NFL that day. Maybe Buffalo's stadium is larger than most ??

yessirreee. What are most of the newer places now, 50K at most? 20K on top of that for a mediocre team speaks volumes of the so called "diminishing" fan base. Then again, those of you there game after game can attest to that.

[Wys Guy]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

Check again.

Nobody gets blacked out anymore-- everyone is getting sellouts nowadays. Remember last year when the NFL announced all games sold out for week after week? Who broke that streak? Buffalo did. The Bills did get blacked out in 2006-- twice, if not thrice, if I recall correctly. And the pathetic turnout with the Christmas Eve game? With the Bills in the playoff hunt for once? Sad.

Last year the league had 7 total non-sellouts. 4 of them belonged to Buffalo. Presumably then there were 4 blackouts.

This year, there have been five games reported as sold out. The Giants and Fins games weren't close a while back. Not sure if it was the Cincy or NE game that was the fifth, likely the latter.

Have both of those sold out yet?

I doubt that the last two will. Who the hell wants to see us play the Fins. Call me nuts, but unless your vision is entirely limited to such a narrow slice of the pie, to me that's the last game on our schedule this year that if I were actually interested in going to any games this year, I'd want to see.

But you're absolutely right Johnny, sellouts are the rule now by far and away. The notion that we didn't sell all of our luxury/premium seats and have 2-3 sellouts on a schedule that has been about as favorable for selling out as it ever will get, doesn't say much for us in that regard.

[Wys Guy]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

Remember last year when the NFL announced all games sold out for week after week? Who broke that streak? Buffalo did.

And yet the attendance for that game was in the top 5 in the NFL that day. Maybe Buffalo's stadium is larger than most ??

It is still larger than most.

1	Giants Stadium	80,200
2	FedEx Field	80,000
3	Arrowhead Stadium	79,400
4	INVESCO Field	76,100
5	Pro Player Stadium	75,000
6	Ralph Wilson Stadium	74,000
7	Bank of America Stadium	73,400
8	Cleveland Browns Stadium	73,200
9	Sun Devil Stadium	73,200
10	ALLTEL Stadium	73,000
11	Lambeau Field	72,600
12	Qualcomm Stadium	71,500
13	Georgia Dome	71,200
14	3Com Park	69,800
15	Reliant Stadium	69,500
16	Louisiana Superdome	69,100
17	M&T Bank Stadium	69,000
18	The Coliseum	68,800
19	Lincoln Financial Field	68,500
20	Gillette Stadium	68,000
21	Qwest Field	67,000
22	Edward Jones Dome	66,000
23	Raymond James Stadium	65,700
24	Texas Stadium	65,600
25	Paul Brown Stadium	65,500
26	Ford Field	65,000
27	Heinz Field	64,500
28	Metrodome	64,100
29	Network Associates Coliseum	63,100
30	Soldier Field	61,500
31	RCA Dome	57,900

[Michael82]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

Diminishing market I would assume refers to lack of big businesses and that makes it hard to sell out private boxes and suites.

St. Louis did not sell out a game this year.

Jacksonville has had several blackouts already too. And that is even with them covering a big chunk of seats up.

[hurls]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

wow, thanks. I was confusing myself with new baseball parks. I guess the new NFL ones are bigger than I thought.

[Michael82]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

It is still larger than most.

1	Giants Stadium	80,200
2	FedEx Field	80,000
3	Arrowhead Stadium	79,400
4	INVESCO Field	76,100
5	Pro Player Stadium	75,000
6	Ralph Wilson Stadium	74,000
7	Bank of America Stadium	73,400
8	Cleveland Browns Stadium	73,200
9	Sun Devil Stadium	73,200
10	ALLTEL Stadium	73,000
11	Lambeau Field	72,600
12	Qualcomm Stadium	71,500
13	Georgia Dome	71,200
14	3Com Park	69,800
15	Reliant Stadium	69,500
16	Louisiana Superdome	69,100
17	M&T Bank Stadium	69,000
18	The Coliseum	68,800
19	Lincoln Financial Field	68,500
20	Gillette Stadium	68,000
21	Qwest Field	67,000
22	Edward Jones Dome	66,000
23	Raymond James Stadium	65,700
24	Texas Stadium	65,600
25	Paul Brown Stadium	65,500
26	Ford Field	65,000
27	Heinz Field	64,500
28	Metrodome	64,100
29	Network Associates Coliseum	63,100
30	Soldier Field	61,500
31	RCA Dome	57,900

and that is the biggest problem. Why the hell did they build such a huge stadium back then with this market? It should have been 65,000 or less.

[hurls]

Re: NFL shortens time to Draft: discusses Bills and Toronto

Ford and Bethlehem