Time to stop pretending, Buffalo's still a hard sell

[BLeonard]

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/bucky-gleason/article703145.ece



The small market and the snow make things tougher when trying to convince good players to come here, but that's valid only to a point. Look at Green Bay, where it's not exactly sunny and 80 every day. The Packers last year won the Super Bowl and this year had the NFL's best record in the regular season.




The Bills didn't have recruiting issues while marching to four straight Super Bowls. Back then, players embraced the small-town feel and the weather advantage over other teams. Their glory years are long gone. Most players you see today were too young to remember Wide Right. The parents of some were barely past their first kiss.

Buffalo has missed the playoffs 12 straight years. The Bills are known as a shoddy operation that doesn't spend to contend.

Instead, they pretend.




The Bills' problems are too many to address in the draft, leaving them with limited choices. The only real options are overpaying good players to stay here and grossly overpaying free agents to come here. Keep in mind, this is with the idea the Bills are more interested in improving the product rather than the profit margin.




The sad truth is the Bills really don't have much leverage watching so many players walk out the door over money. Say what you will about Lee Evans or Nate Clements or Jason Peters or a long list of others who preceded Nix's return. So long as Ralph Wilson owns the team, the Bills will have a reputation for refusing to pay for top players.


-Bill

[BertSquirtgum]

Money talks. That's all that matters.

[Night Train]

Where you expecting to be " WOW'd " by Nix yesterday ?

He and any football person comes here and is immediately is told to tie one arm behind their back by the 3 headed monster of Ralph/Littman/Overdorf.

We've all known this for years and Bucky is Capt. Obvious.

Here's my hope.

1.We continue to build a good core.
2.Ralph is soon no longer the owner by death or sale.
3. We start winning to spite everyone.

[Wally The Barber]

Winning football could really help Buffalo image. A domed stadium would be great too!

[Raptor]

Dead on

and this is why I laugh when people talk about hometown discounts and offering FA's incentive based contracts. Those are options the Bills don't have. We are going to overpay for any FA if we ever do decide to be active in FA'cy

[EricStratton]

Teams that lose are tough sells until a big name kid gets drafted and excels or a team gets lucky with a trade or FA.

For what seemed like 1000 years no one wanted to play in New Orleans, then they got lucky with Brees. Green Bay before Farve was terrible, New England before Parcells and Brady were a joke, SF after Steve Young was a mess etc etc etc.

Hitting a bunch of singles and one home run changes everything and changes the perception of a franchise.

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

Who was pretending?

[Don't Panic]

Here's my hope.

1.We continue to build a good core.
2.Ralph is soon no longer the owner by death or sale.
3. We start winning to spite everyone.

Amen.

[justasportsfan]

Merriman should be making phone calls soon.

[HAMMER]

Who was pretending?

A lot of this board get their panties in a wad whenever this issue arises, they think Buffalo is paradise.

[imbondz]

The only difference between the Buffalo market and the Green Bay market is that Green Bay fields a consistently excellent product. If the Bills sustained the 90's success, this would never be a topic.

[Mski]

i think guys like merriman and barnet go a long way to help resolve this issue. both said it was a tough sell to get them here, but once they were here, they loved it, the problem is getting them to get here

[Ickybaluky]

The only difference between the Buffalo market and the Green Bay market is that Green Bay fields a consistently excellent product. If the Bills sustained the 90's success, this would never be a topic.

I can think of two big differences in the last 20 years:

1) Favre

2) Rodgers

[Night Train]

I can think of two big differences in the last 20 years:

1) Favre

2) Rodgers

And a publicly owned team where one owner and his accountant don't dominate everything.

[imbondz]

I can think of two big differences in the last 20 years:

1) Favre

2) Rodgers

that's what i'm saying. Green Bay's teams good. Buffalo's teams bad. Has nothing to do with the size of market.

[better days]

A lot of this board get their panties in a wad whenever this issue arises, they think Buffalo is paradise.

Buffalo is PARADISE, it is the Buffalo Bills TEAM that has no appeal.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

Of course it's a problem. Not only is it the weather, the losing, and the economic decline, it's the injuries, too! Who is going to risk life and limb (and ask Kevin Everett, it is that bad) to play for a team like Buffalo when he can play for most any other NFL team and not be anywhere near the risk of injury? You could end up in Buffalo and wind up out of football because of an injury, or end up with a nice long career on a team with safer conditions.

When this team starts playing healthy for a full season, then players will start coming to the Bills. Until then, they're doomed to sit at the bottom of the barrel.

[BertSquirtgum]

Is it ok to pretend the Bills are Super Bowl champions?

[BillsFever21]

i think guys like merriman and barnet go a long way to help resolve this issue. both said it was a tough sell to get them here, but once they were here, they loved it, the problem is getting them to get here

Barnett is older but still a decent LB. Merriman has nothing left to offer. He signed here because he knew nobody else would give him that much money with his recent history of injuries and production. He's laughing all the way to the bank. Nobody is going to say I have to come to Buffalo because they have Shawne Merriman and it's somebody we can build a team around.

[Mski]

Barnett is older but still a decent LB. Merriman has nothing left to offer. He signed here because he knew nobody else would give him that much money with his recent history of injuries and production. He's laughing all the way to the bank. Nobody is going to say I have to come to Buffalo because they have Shawne Merriman and it's somebody we can build a team around.im not saying they're guys FA's will think the team can build around, i think they can help recruit FA's with their experience in Buffalo, and sell to them what there is to like about Buffalo

[DynaPaul]

No one cares about location because they all have houses in their home towns/preferred living area anyway. They're only at the stadium location for about half the year. What players care about most are money and contention. You could put a winning team in Siberia with an owner who pays the players well and they'll get people there, believe me.

[better days]

No one cares about location because they all have houses in their home towns/preferred living area anyway. They're only at the stadium location for about half the year. What players care about most are money and contention. You could put a winning team in Siberia with an owner who pays the players well and they'll get people there, believe me.

Agreed, except for a place like Tampa. Many players both Football & Hockey decide to make Tampa home because it is a great City with great weather most of the year & Fla is a great State to live if you have MONEY with no State income tax.

[stuckincincy]

Any FA player with an ounce of brains who has an agent with an ounce of brains knows that NYS governments extract high taxation to pay off and employ their buddies.


It's not the club - there are but 1,696 53 man roster spots up for grabs.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

No one cares about location because they all have houses in their home towns/preferred living area anyway. They're only at the stadium location for about half the year. What players care about most are money and contention. You could put a winning team in Siberia with an owner who pays the players well and they'll get people there, believe me.
Much of that half-year, however, is some of the worst weather anyway. Besides, if you live in LA or Florida, are you really going to want to constantly fly back and forth between there and Buffalo, arrange for temporary housing (of course, the level you'd expect from a six- or seven-figure salary), and have to deal with the threat of heavy snow for pretty much the entire second half of the season? All other things equal, or even slightly in Buffalo's favor, players (much like 10.7% of the population of Erie County the past decade) will choose the Sun Belt over the Rust Belt every time.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

Much of that half-year, however, is some of the worst weather anyway. Besides, if you live in LA or Florida, are you really going to want to constantly fly back and forth between there and Buffalo, arrange for temporary housing (of course, the level you'd expect from a six- or seven-figure salary), and have to deal with the threat of heavy snow for pretty much the entire second half of the season? All other things equal, or even slightly in Buffalo's favor, players (much like 10.7% of the population of Erie County the past decade) will choose the Sun Belt over the Rust Belt every time.

dude we have plenty of cap space.... either pay the money or continue to suck...

money talks and bull **** walks.. give that fa enough money and he will live in iraq for christs sake...

[BillsFever21]

When the Bills were winning in the 90's they didn't have any problem attracting FA's or re-signing their own good players.

For some guys it's all about where the most money is at, where they have the best chance to win, the weather of the place or a little mixture of the three. If location and weather was everything then the Jags and Raiders would be able to lure tons of good FA's to their team.

I think that location and the weather has the least to do with it as. As long as the money is similar most players are going where they have a chance to contend for the playoffs and a championship.

The season only lasts 4 months and the weather doesn't start getting bad until the last month or so of the season. At the worse they might have to play in cold or snowy weather for two or three games.

The reason why the Bills have a hard time keeping and bringing guys in is because our team has sucked for 12 years and Wilson isn't willing to spend the money it takes to get them or keep them here and it doesn't look like anything is changing anytime soon.

Even when Donahoe was here we were able to bring in a good amount of established players because they thought the Bills were a team on the rise and we actually had some well-known star players at the time. It didn't work out but it's all about perception and expectations.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

When the Bills were winning in the 90's they didn't have any problem attracting FA's or re-signing their own good players.
That's because there was no free agency to speak of until the mid-1990s. It's far easier to draw when you're a Super Bowl contender. When you're on the outside looking in, you have to have other draws, of which Buffalo has none.

[BillsFever21]

That's because there was no free agency to speak of until the mid-1990s. It's far easier to draw when you're a Super Bowl contender. When you're on the outside looking in, you have to have other draws, of which Buffalo has none.

Exactly my point. If you're a good team you can get the players to come and the location and weather doesn't mean very much.

Just like with Green Bay. Their city is even smaller and they have crappy weather but they don't have a problem getting FA's they want or re-signing their own players because they have had a contending team for decades and a dominant team now.

As long as the money is comparable then the player will choose a mixture of how well of a chance he has to win there and the location. If the teams are equal as far as competitiveness goes then they may choose the location they would rather be playing in. It all starts with building a good team.

There are a handful of players that will just take the most money offered and doesn't care about how good or bad the team is but the majority of them want to play somewhere they have a chance of winning.

Buffalo doesn't offer the most to the best players, their location is one of the worse in the NFL and they are the worse team in the league over the past 12 years. That's a combination that isn't going to get you any of the best players in FA and make it difficult to keep your own players. Maybe 2nd tier players but that's it.

[better days]

Exactly my point. If you're a good team you can get the players to come and the location and weather doesn't mean very much.

Just like with Green Bay. Their city is even smaller and they have crappy weather but they don't have a problem getting FA's they want or re-signing their own players because they have had a contending team for decades and a dominant team now.

As long as the money is comparable then the player will choose a mixture of how well of a chance he has to win there and the location. If the teams are equal as far as competitiveness goes then they may choose the location they would rather be playing in. It all starts with building a good team.

There are a handful of players that will just take the most money offered and doesn't care about how good or bad the team is but the majority of them want to play somewhere they have a chance of winning.

Buffalo doesn't offer the most to the best players, their location is one of the worse in the NFL and they are the worse team in the league over the past 12 years. That's a combination that isn't going to get you any of the best players in FA and make it difficult to keep your own players. Maybe 2nd tier players but that's it.

Players would rather play close to home if given a choice. I think that is why it is stupid to draft west coast players unless they are head & shoulders better than someone from the East. It is much faster to fly to the south east from Buffalo than to fly to the west coast.

[HAMMER]

Buffalo doesn't offer the most to the best players, their location is one of the worse in the NFL and they are the worse team in the league over the past 12 years. That's a combination that isn't going to get you any of the best players in FA and make it difficult to keep your own players. Maybe 2nd tier players but that's it

worst

[SABURZFAN]

when The Old Fart is no longer with this team, the Bills will turn it around. too many "Yes" men and not enough football knowledge. it's been proven numerous times that this internet football board would have had better drafts than the assclowns who are getting paid for it.