tom webster

It is almost as if Ted's retirement plan includes getting fired.

It's the Jimmy Johnson plan toward draft success. Accumulate as many picks as you can and you are bound to find a diamond in the rough especially if you use the picks to allow you to go for the home run rather then the safe pick.

If they get two or three of the 2nd or 3rd rounders to hit big, the rebuild will accelerate exponentially. Throw in the possibility of Grigs and Armia being useful assets and this may all be worth it with or without McDavid

I understand the frustration but there is absolutely no reason to get rid of good people as long as the right person is brought to steer the ship. This change the culture thing is a bunch of crap. I have quickly soured on Marrone but there is no reason that Whaley and Brandon can't stay on and do the jobs that I believe both of them are more then capable of doing. I remember when Ralph was blasted for promoting a former scout from the USFL to run the ship. It took him a couple of years and he almost traded Kelly's rights but he ended up going pretty well. It's amazing how a few star players can make everyone look like geniuses

Being in the Gallagher Center and the Reilly Center during Murphy and Lanier was something special for a 9 year old kid. I will forever be indebted to my cousin.

It's hard to remember but that was a great time. Still think the Braves and McAdoo would have won a couple of rings if it weren't for Snyder and the Chicken King

And in all those cases, luck played a huge roll which is why I said I believe in the draft a QB every year mentality. We are really only one year removed from drafting EJ. I am not sure what they should have done other then what they tried to do which was signing Orton in the off season. And yes, I am for retaining Whaley even if they implode although I would guess a new coach would be in the offing. A new coach doesn't necessarily want full control, in fact, some like Mike McCarthy and Sean Payton don't want it.

What real teams? The Patriots? Look at their drafts and where would they be if they didn't get lucky with that 6th round pick a few years ago. The Bronco's ? Did they plan the Manning injury and subsequent free agent tour? The Colts? How prepared were they for Manning's injury or was their plan all along to suck for Newton and or Luck depending when Peyton broke down? The Saints? They got Brees only because Miami passed and they were so desparate they guaranteed a contract that no one else would? The Seahawks? They signed Matt Flynn to a mega deal before stumbling onto Wilson. The 49ers? They were set to give the reigns to Alex Smith before Kaepernick appeared. The Bills tried all summer to convince Orton to sign. Who would you rather had them sign? McCown? I am all about drafting a quarterback till you get it right so I would have liked to see him draft someone last year but none of them would have been ready anyway. You can pick and choose how you evaluate his performance but if you are going to use drafts when he was an assistant then give him credit for the state of the roster improvement in those years as well. It is clear that they are solidly in the middle of the pack now and as you say, its really all about the QB now and like it or not, luck will play a huge roll in deciding if they find a Russell Wilson or end up settling for an Andy Dalton

I agree with you on most of this but I will throw out a couple of points that might change my opinion. 1) It is "Pegula Sports and Entertainment" and they may have other "non-sports" content they would want to showcase. 2) I think the business model is a lot different now for regional networks and a lot more providers looking for content now

That's Preston Brown's play and he owned up to it after the game. It was of the few commentaries that the TV broadcast got right yesterday, Lawson crashes and the linebacker is supposed to contain. Apparently there was a lot of confusion on the defense as well so a time out may have helped. I do agree with you about the coaching though. Some of Marrone's decisions could be questioned but the game plan was fine. He is really no different then most NFL coaches. Usually the "geniuses" just have better quarterbacks. Marrone didn't tell his 4th string running back to fumble and he didn't have his "safe" punt returner available yesterday and he most assuredly didn't tell his street free agent quarterback to miss a bunch of throws.

I don't understand this at all. The talent level improvement on this team is palpable since he took over. As for Brandon, he discusses football and personnel like any any other fan and continually defers to Whaley and/or Marrone when specific questions are asked.

Now saying Sabre property, not current player

Actually, from a business stand point there is a huge difference. With McDavid I can get $300 per ticket over cost of ticket thanks to Canadien market. With Eichel , about one third

The Bills have more then a few numbers out of circulation but only one retired(12). I understand the difference and have been told the Rip story before. However, saying that the Knox's didn't want the number honored implies that there was some stigma associated with how Horton died and there wasn't. It was a different time. Unfortunately, it just wasn't considered a big deal. If we decided to retroactively change how certain revered players are remembered, there would be about 10 players in the four major hall of fames combined.

Don't know why this is a surprise. Despite all the more lurid rumors, Muckler and Nolan's big fight was over Nolan's desire for third and fourth line veterans over nurturing the youth.

Was in 716 today. I can't wait till its all ready to go. 6am opening for Tim Horton's Thursday. I could be talked into buying some coffee if any of you happen to be up and around that early.

If every 3 for 1 trade ended up with one player being a top end prospect and 1 player being a serviceable NHL'er,we should be happy. The Pommer trade lives and dies with how Zadorov ends up. Larson will play a long time in the NHL as a solid bottom 6 guy along the lines of Paille. Its like Sam Pollock used to say, the team that ends up with the best player wins the trade no matter how much the other team gave up. Like Ink eluded to, you acquire over 20 picks and prospects with the hope that that you end up with two or three elite players, two or three star players and maybe two or three solid players. The rest of the roster is just serviceable players you turn over every three years to keep it fresh.

First, let me say I stand by the "tinfoil hat comment" although I didn't mean it as quite the insult that it seems to be taken as. I'm pretty sure at least GODD knows how much I respect his insight even when we disagree. Second, I see this mostly as a Ted Nolan issue. I admit, I've never been a fan. I remember most of his first tenure pretty much as this with two major differences. He had Hasek, and a WWF brigade that made people forget the awful hockey they just witnessed. On top of that, the league has evolved. Whether you believe in analytics or not, a premium is now placed on puck possession and Teddy and his staff seem to have no answer. As I stated before, I see no reason anyone other then players objected to what Nolan said. HIs remarks and frustration is a perfect defense for those who question the team's motives. Of course, nothing is ever black and white and there are probably a lot of different things going on.

But that's the point. By blaming it all on effort he was implying that he believes the team should be better which is exactly the argument that the FO presents in defense of those that think they are tanking. That's what makes any suggestion that TM, TP or JB talked to Nolan laughable. If anything, they would want to encourage the notion that they are shocked by the performance. As for the league, all Nolan's outburst did was create the urgency for a memo to be sent to Patty that when his friend is fired that there will be no room in the league office for him

Maybe he was just referring to all the furor his comments caused. I know it's too simple for the tin foil hat brigade , but..,,,.

You know I am a big fan and think he will be a mainstay when the team is ready. As far as hockey IQ, that will only manifest itself when he is playing with guys that have a clue. They don't have to all be hockey 'geniuses" but they have to know how to create space, put themselves in position to accept passes and accept those passes when they hit their stick.

In fact, I believe the Sabres bought him out only after receiving assurances that he would block waivers.

The coffee is the main product, but yes

A company owned by the Pegulas is the franchise owner of Timmy Ho's.

And we will see as Datsyuk and Zetterberg fade away just how brilliant Detroit is.