Teams Buffalo Bills - The Stampede

[Exe Gesis]

Bills dust off NFL’s dirty little secret

In the post-bounty NFL, coaches and players aren’t supposed to talk about the incentive that exists even in the absence of envelopes full of cash.

Strategically, it’s useful to attempt to inflict injury on opposing players.

Bills defensive lineman Mario Williams violated that fairly new etiquette point in explaining the philosophy of defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, via Tim Graham of the Buffalo News: “He usually says ‘Kill ‘em or hurt ‘em.’ That’s what I always hear.”

It proves our point that, even without bounties, players and coaches have every reason to want to knock other players out of games. But the NFL doesn’t want players or coaches talking about it, as we saw last year when the league clamped down on Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray for talking about giving opponents a ride on the Gator Truck.

So while the NFL likely won’t be handing out suspensions (that later would be overturned by Paul Tagliabue), look for the league office to make it known to the Bills that talk like that is currently frowned upon in this establishment.

And while we’re in the neighborhood, allow me to reiterate that this is the primary concern Redskins fans should have about quarterback Robert Griffin III. Regardless of when he’s healthy, defenders will be inclined to hit him low in order to give him a third torn ACL.

They’d just be wise not to say so publicly.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Mario Williams does a 180

Apparently, Mario Williams needs to get his ears checked.

On Thursday, Williams summed up new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s philosophy like this: “He usually says ‘Kill ‘em or hurt ‘em.’ That’s what I always hear.”

On Friday, Williams took to Twitter to say that’s not what he heard. Usually, always, or ever.

Here’s the full stream of tweets from Williams.

“Just to clarify a choice of words I used: The phrase ‘kill them’ has never been said by Coach Pet or any of my coaches/teammates. I said it as a figure of speech from my ‘perspective’ not literally or any actual intention. Coach [Pettine] has led us in an aggressive D since Day One. We’ve operated in a ‘beat them’ mode this offseason w/ a goal of mentally hurting the offense (future opponents) by being physical and disruptive at the line of scrimmage & through any pass protection. Pressure, TFL, turnovers & sacks.”

In other words, someone from the league office got to the Bills, and someone from the Bills got to Williams.

And now Williams is trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube. Which actually may turn over to be much easier than putting a $785,000 engagement ring back in his pocket.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Bills deny Pettine’s use of “kill ‘em”

Chris Berman is right. Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.

Especially when it comes to keeping the NFL out of their business.

The team, which somehow escaped bounty scrutiny last year despite its previous employment of Gregg Williams as head coach, is scrambling to clean up a mess made by Mario Williams, who said on Thursday of defensive coordinator Mike Pettine: “He usually says ‘Kill ‘em or hurt ‘em.’ That’s what I always hear.”

Williams now says he has heard the term not “usually” or “always” or, in fact, ever. The Bills also have addressed the situation, via a statement from coach Doug Marrone.

“Mike has assured me that he has never used the word ‘kill’ in his terminology regarding our defensive strategy,” Marrone said, via the Associated Press.

“He has used the word ‘hurt’ as a term that essentially means beating the running back to a spot in a pass-rushing drill and not in a physical sense,” Marrone said. “Mike is aware that the term ‘hurt’ could be taken out of context, and he is changing his terminology.”

Frankly, that explanation hurts my brain. And by “hurt” I definitely don’t mean the explanation beat my brain to a spot in a pass-rushing drill.

Marrone also said that the Bills have made player safety a priority, which ignores the reality that the game is inherently unsafe, and that there’s a natural incentive to apply clean, legal hits in a way that knocks a key player out of the game.

No matter what the league, its teams, and/or their coaches and players say or don’t say, that incentive remains a very real part of the game.

 

[Woodson]

Meh... it's not like it's a secret.. what other sport would dare promote itself as 'THE MOST VIOLENT?'

The AFL is perhaps the most boorish league in the world because of 'cliche after cliches / same old same old speak' (read: NO F****** PERSONALITIES!! aside Mick Malthouse where from players really can't say 'boo' risking being the talk of the town.. /front page news. If the NFL want to muzzle players from speaking trash... are they fricken real?

Mario Williams shouldda done a Big Ben with those comments... just apologise for saying it and move on. Big Ben didn't take back/ do a 180 degree turn on his 'bagging / blaming Haley for bad plays'.

 

[arkie]

Pretty good performance I thought.

I thought EJ Manuel's game was fantastic! I think we have finally found a long term solution at QB. I think we have a good receiver in Woods to go alongside SJ. I'm really liking our combination of CJ Spiller (even though he understandably seemed down on form) and Fred Jackson at RB. The hurry up offense seemed to cause NE a lot of trouble.

Our defence seemed shaky in the secondary. Justin Rogers seemed to struggle against Amendola so getting Gilmore back in the side should help. Our defence will be even better if Byrd decides to stop being an idiot as well. Alonso looks like a quality LB, made some great plays. Our DL put Brady under immense pressure. He even fumbled a snap and was sacked a few times.

Overall pretty disappointed to lose in the last few seconds but we were our own worst enemy. The amount of penalties and yards lost as a result really killed our chances.

 

[neddy36]

Agree arkie. Spiller's fumble early really set the tone for his game. As you pointed out he has a lot going on off-field at the moment. I was particularly encouraged by Da'Norris Searcy's game. This may have been made a lot easier with no Gronk and Hernandez but a sack and FR is a good return for a still relatively inexperienced player. Love Alonso.

We need to trade Byrd ASAP. I have no time for gangster ballers who have no interest to buying into the new regime. Let him "I gotsa to get paid yo" by someone else. I have always loved Stevie but I am growing tired with his s**t talking an attention seeking antics. A token Pro Bowl appearance and a few 70 catch seasons are nice but he needs to make more big plays when the team needs him as well as doing it while playing for a winner.

EJ looked comfortable at this level and not intimidated by what is still a fairly reasonable defence in NE. I am a little gun-shy in getting carried away as the memory of Trent Edwards' early 2008 still burns.

Early penalties also killed any momentum (the Cordy Glenn illegal hands to the face in particular).

 

[hoddo22]

Congratulations to Andre Reed HOF class of 2014.

 

[Exe Gesis]

ESPN's Louis Riddick calls the Bills' quarterback situation "one I could see going off the rails in a bad way very quickly."

Riddick is an avid game-tape watcher and has quickly become one of our favorite football analysts. He believes there are "not many excuses left for Buffalo to not start seriously contending in their division." It's true that the Bills have pieces in place to be an AFC East contender, particularly on defense and in the run game. E.J. Manuel played nearly as poorly as a rookie as Geno Smith, but hasn't received half as much criticism because E.J. plays in a far smaller market. Manuel will have to improve in a major way as a sophomore to prevent GM Doug Whaley from going back to the drawing board at quarterback in 2015.

Source: Louis Riddick on Twitter

Feb 16 - 4:35 PM

 

[Exe Gesis]

Window opens for Bills to move after 2019 season

The passing of Ralph Wilson Jr. plunges the Bills franchise into uncertainty. But the uncertainty can’t become a certain move for at least six seasons.

Regardless of whether a buyout clause exists in the current lease before then, the price for moving the team plunges to $28.4 million after the 2019 season. That’s the sweet spot for a potentially bitter pill the team’s current stadium lease.

Before then, it either would be impossible or impractical to move the team. After then, only three seasons will pass before the lease expires, assume the $28.4 million fee isn’t paid.

The end result is that the Bills will spend the next six or nine seasons in Buffalo. Beyond that, no guarantees exist.

Beyond that, the Wilson family will determine the fate of the franchise when selecting a buyer and structuring a purchase agreement. They can, for example, take less money to ensure that Buffalo interests will buy the team and hold the team, with contractual clauses preventing a sale or relocation, or making either ridiculously expensive. Or the Wilson family can simply sell the team to the highest bidder, even if the highest bidder fully intends to take the team to a new market in 2020 or 2023.

Until the Wilson family or a new buyer provides Buffalo fans with certainty, there will be none. Beyond, that is, the team remaining in Buffalo for the next six or nine seasons.

 

[Woodson]

Just another pissy article GG.. ^^ c'mon man.. you either grab the Bills fans by the scruff of the neck and tell them 'em something really diabolical or tickle them with glee esp with the stories making the rounds of the Bills looking to move up to pick #1.

http://buffalowdown.com/2014/03/28/buffalo-bills-1-pick-2014-draft/

Put it out there bro..

 

[Exe Gesis]

Pessimism grows in Buffalo about the Bills staying in town

No one in Buffalo wants to think about the possibility that their beloved team will one day be known as the Los Angeles Bills or the London Bills. But some in Buffalo see that as a real possibility.

In a column for the Buffalo News, Donn Esmonde writes that once the estate of the late owner Ralph Wilson sells the team, “the Bills’ future in Buffalo will likely not extend past the 2022 expiration of the 10-year lease.”

The reason, of course, is money — which other cities have more of than Buffalo. The column notes that Buffalo has zero Fortune 500 companies and nowhere near the buying power of Los Angeles, and quotes analysts who say Buffalo’s long-term chances of supporting an NFL franchise are not great.

“It’s not just corporations buying luxury boxes, you have private citizens who can afford them [in Los Angeles],” said Ted Fay, a sports management professor at SUNY Cortland in Upstate New York. “They don’t even sell seat licenses at The Ralph.”

We won’t know much of anything about the Bills’ future until we know the identity of the next Bills’ owner. Fans who want to see the team stay in Buffalo will hope the next owner is someone with ties to the community, or at least a football fan who has sentimental feelings about keeping the Bills in Buffalo.

But if the next owner is simply a businessman who wants to maximize the team’s earning potential, there’s a strong case to be made that the franchise can earn a lot more elsewhere.

 

[dart]

I read a few articles about this over the weekend, it's a long way off but it doesn't sit right with me the team being the "something-else" bills.

I can't even begin to understand what that would be like for the people of Buffalo.

But that's how sport works in America I guess, god bless America.

 

[Blacky]

I find it weird that they appear to covet Clowney so much.

DL is not the problem

 

[Exe Gesis]

Probably Mack the local alumni

 

[Woodson]

The reason, of course, is money — which other cities have more of than Buffalo. The column notes that Buffalo has zero Fortune 500 companies and nowhere near the buying power of Los Angeles, and quotes analysts who say Buffalo’s long-term chances of supporting an NFL franchise are not great.

“It’s not just corporations buying luxury boxes, you have private citizens who can afford them [in Los Angeles],” said Ted Fay, a sports management professor at SUNY Cortland in Upstate New York. “They don’t even sell seat licenses at The Ralph.”

We won’t know much of anything about the Bills’ future until we know the identity of the next Bills’ owner. Fans who want to see the team stay in Buffalo will hope the next owner is someone with ties to the community, or at least a football fan who has sentimental feelings about keeping the Bills in Buffalo.

But if the next owner is simply a businessman who wants to maximize the team’s earning potential, there’s a strong case to be made that the franchise can earn a lot more elsewhere.

The only way to re-generate the synergy of Buffalo football is to have them winning on the field… they really can't afford to bottom out in the closing seasons leading to the end of their lease.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Report: Bills could have new owner by October

When Bills owner Ralph Wilson died last week, it initially was suggested that a sale by the Wilson family may not happen for a while. Now comes word that it could happen this year.

According to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News, efforts to sell the team have landed on the proverbial fast track. A deal could be negotiated — and a new buyer could be approved — by the time the league’s owners gather in October.

Graham explains that it’s more likely approval would happen by December 2014 or March 2015.

Much needs to be done before such a valuable asset can change hands. The potential speed of a sale invites strong speculation that a buyer already has been identified — and that the buyer is believed to be someone at least 24 owners would be willing to welcome to a very exclusive affiliation of millionaires and billionaires.

A quick sale would make it hard for current ownership to tie the hands of a new owner by agreeing to a stadium deal that keeps the team in place for, say, 20 or 30 years. Ultimately, the question becomes whether new principal owner Mary Wilson wants to maximize her return by selling to the highest bidder, even if that bidder would soon bid adieu to Western New York.

 

[Woodson]

Mary Wilson said, “I have complete confidence in Russ Brandon, our President and CEO, to continue his duties of running the organization. General Manager Doug Whaley and Head Coach Doug Marrone remain empowered by Russ to run the football operation.”

Brandon, Whaley and Marrone will direct the team with the same goal firmly in place -- winning.

As Brandon has stated repeatedly since last week, “We are in mourning over the loss of our founder, owner and friend, Hall of Famer Ralph Wilson. But our organization is operating in the day-to-day functions that we normally would because that’s the way Mr. Wilson would have wanted it.”

The current lease agreement is until 2022. So enjoy the Bills being in Buffalo until then.

 

[Exe Gesis]

The Toronto Sun reports rocker Jon Bon Jovi is part of a Toronto-based ownership group that plans to bid on the Bills.
"Jon remains passionate in his pursuit of an NFL franchise," were the words of Bon Jovi's publicist. According to the Sun, Bon Jovi's group would relocate the Bills to Toronto. An '80s hair metaler from New Jersey being the front for a group that moved the Bills from Buffalo would be a sad, sordid tale, but the team is locked in to Ralph Wilson Stadium through 2020. The Bills are going to be sold within the next year, but it's not time for fans to panic.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Donald Trump insists his interest in buying the Bills is legitimate.

Trump is a noted headline seeker, but is adamant he's not only interested in the Bills, but keeping them in Buffalo. "I'm going to give it a heavy shot," Trump told the Buffalo News. "I would love to do it, and if I can do it I'm keeping it in Buffalo." Trump is the first prospective owner to publicly voice his interest, but a Toronto-based group fronted by rocker Jon Bon Jovi is also believed to be in the mix. Other suitors will emerge in the coming days and months.

 

[Blacky]

Apparently the Eagles tried to trade for CJ Spiller

Pretty interesting

 

[Dagless]

Apparently the Eagles tried to trade for CJ Spiller

Pretty interesting

If true, not sure if Kelly has played too much Madden...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sven]

I have no idea where to put this, but it sort of relates to the sale of the Bills.

NFL owners have more reasons to smile tonight. Hundreds of million more reasons. If not billions.
Per multiple reports, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will buy the L.A. Clippers from Donald Sterling for $2 billion.
That’s Steve Ballmer. As in this Steve Ballmer. Paying $2 billion.
That’s not a bad return for Sterling, who bought the team in 1981 for $12.5 million.
It’s also nearly four times more than the previous record haul of $550 million for the Milwaukee Bucks, which were sold for $550 million. It’s also second only in all sports to the L.A. Dodgers, which were purchased most recently from Frank McCourt for $2.1 billion.
So what does that mean for NFL franchises? The estate of Ralph Wilson is about to find out.
Two years ago, Jimmy Haslam bought the Browns reportedly for $1.05 billion. Before that, Shad Khan purchased the Jaguars for $760 million.
If an NBA franchise can be worth $2 billion, what could an NFL team go for?

All I can say is OMG!

 

[Blacky]

Crazy

 

[bgt2110]

Ballmer is worth close to $20 billion, what's a couple of billion amongst friends. Obscene really.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Report: Owner of Pabst Brewing may bid on Bills

Posted by Mike Florio on June 11, 2014, 11:54 PM EDT

It’s fitting, we suppose, that at a time the Bills reportedly are trying to extend the window for selling beer at Ralph Wilson Stadium, the latest potential buyer of the franchise owns a brewery.

According to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News, Pabst Brewing Company owner C. Dean Metropoulos could make a run at buying the team.

“The Metropoulos family has a continued interest in acquiring an NFL franchise and expects to review any such opportunity,” a spokesman said.

Metropoulos tried to buy the Jaguars in 2008. Three years later, Wayne Weaver sold the team to Shad Khan. Last year, Metropoulos revived the Twinkie, purchasing the snack cake division of Hostess through the bankruptcy process.

Several potential buyers of the Bills have been identified via reports, and through their own public comments. The process could move quickly, with the overriding concern of the fan base being that the new owner won’t move the team.