That Aud Smell

COO roles vary widely. In my experience, the role tends to proceed from that person's strengths and background. New COO cut her teeth in sales? She's probably focused more on the sales side of things. New COO is a CPA? They may be spending a lot of time facilitating comms between the CFO and other operational directors. New COO is just a grinding worker bee? They may effectively be the "inside CEO" and thereby allow the actual CEO to be an external face of the company and brand. New COO is an expert with investments and finance? He may, as @Taro T noted, be focused on something like real estate development inside and around the existing arena. That is not how it is, in my experience. Private for-profit ventures - being as concerned as they are with making money - do not, as a rule, accumulate meaningless C-level officers.

Loved this post - great stuff - and then was bummed out by this closing shot. "Truly ridiculous" is tantamount to "frivolous" which is tantamount to a position being taken in bad faith. I've been as open and transparent - and as rational - as I can be (on a message board) about why I think the Pegulas should offer their faithful public some insight into how Kim's doing and how she's apt to do in the coming years. (By way of example, an issue that I continue to worry about: How's her cognition? I should like to presume it's fine, intact. And yet.) People disagree with me - some quite strenuously. And I get that. I see where they're coming from. They have every right to that opinion. There are good grounds for it. It's discouraging when people who disagree take the view that the position I'm taking is not a creditable one. That it's ill-conceived and based in nothing more than a sort of prurient interest in someone's private health information. And with that, it seems like we're back to a meta-board debate of auld about whether it's kosher to deploy the word "silly" when describing another poster's take.

It’s so good to have those high pedigree players in the bottom half of the lineup. They can do stuff.

I used to say that Skinner was a slightly less than average passer. I used to say that.

I reckon this is true - give or take a couple hundred million in amortization as well as unrecoverable lost opportunity costs.

Ha - it’s okay - you can mother eff me - I can take it. There are some good theories on what happened to her. It would be good to have a very basic understanding of her prognosis. Whomstsoever? I think that’s me. I’ve thought about this more than twice. Probably 50 times.

Buffalo looks like they could boat race this team. Let’s get it!!

Also: Many people here disagree with my view of the matter.

It’s not a legal contention. Nutshell: Public figures who own the most important private institution in WNY and who are the recipients of $850M in public money should provide the affected public with some information about the prognosis of the presumed surviving owner after she suffers a life threatening medical event. Private citizens have a fairly ironclad interest in the privacy of their health information. Public figures not as much.

They won the last time they wore the pajama uniforms, right?

I’ll add: Job descriptions for COO positions vary widely. Sometimes, a company will have a COO leave, hire another one, and the new COO carves out a largely different role than their predecessor.

I reckon it’s right that Raccuia’s EVP title at PSE trumps Roth’s COO title with the same organization. However, we know how Terry feels about flat org structures. Good call.

Making Raccuia the COO of the Bills made sense, as he’d been the President of ADPRO (which PSE acquired). Raccuia is also an EVP of PSE. Roth just sounds like an investment advisor. I’m not sure how well that qualifies him for serving as the Sabres and PSE’s COO.

Sure there is - sure there are. I’ve identified several. I think the disagreement is over whether those reasons could justify a requested intrusion on a public figure’s privacy. Mind you: I’m not suggesting there should be a shady HIPAA-violating investigation. I’m suggesting that questions could be posed directly, openly, and respectfully.

$850M give or take. And that amount amortizes at some point (15 years?). Given what the value of an NFL franchise should be at that point ($10B?), that buyout would offer little to no problem for a potential buyer with billions to throw around. Whether other clubs would be susceptible is beside the point. Buffalo’s the smallest market going. We need the Pegulas and their beneficence. I do my best.

I infer that Terry got to know him because Roth managed investments for the Pegulas. Good to hire someone you know, like, and trust. I didn’t pick up that Roth was involved in business management of his company, group, etc. It’d be a gap in his resume - for a COO job - if he weren’t.

No one is compelling anything, nor can such be compelled. Kim’s prognosis and plans for (capacities in) the future are relevant to the future of the Bills in Buffalo. “Gross,” maybe. But those are the facts, imo.

Terry’s age and Kim’s uncertain health would seem to increase the risk of the Bills’ being relocated by a new owner. Especially if the new lease doesn’t do enough to prohibit or discourage the same.

I continue to wish Kim Pegula well in her recovery. This recent Investigative Post report on the MOU for the new stadium lease points to the valid reasons that members of the public - a public that is footing the $850M bill - may want to know more about Kim's prognosis. https://www.investigativepost.org/2023/01/16/bills-new-stadium-lease-is-not-ironclad/

More than fair. And I mean - the team's offence finished 4th overall, if memory serves. That's pretty frickin' good! Still. I worry that he's holding the team back by not having the right sort of control over Allen. Relatedly, I wonder whether Dorsey as a former QB is more susceptible to being infatuated with, devoted to Allen's incredible physical skills than Daboll was. One more thought: The Bills need another good WR. DavisMcKenzieShakirBeasleyBrown ain't cutting it as a WR2. I hold out hope that Shakir can become a good secondary/tertiary option.

^ Re-reading the article, it's clear that the arrest was based on the victim being struck with a hockey stick. Which makes it weird. The DA probably won't charge the case. As you say above, the police report also talks about how the person being charged "continued to harass" the injured man and tried to fight him on the way to the locker room. I mean, what on earth. "Sad tough guys," as you put it. The saddest, in this case.

^ Great post.

I had the same frustration. From what I could gather, the offending action was a hockey play (but possibly a penalty? (slashing?)) -- i.e., trying to restrain/limit/affect an attacking player's shot by placing your stick across the follow-through of that player's shot. That led to the defending player's stick being brought up into the attacking player's face ... and ugh. I didn't pick up on the defending player's subsequent efforts to fight the guy whose face was broken?

Let's go, Buffalo!

Boy do they ever. Not sure if it's been mentioned upthread - apologies if so, we attend the games and so there's no message boarding (but some water boarding?) for me - but a fellow STH near me remarked: Daboll wasn't necessarily more creative or a better play schemer than Dorsey, but a skill he had that Dorsey seems to lack is being to able to check Allen's worst instincts, worst tendencies. Allen's borderline out of control right now. He needs an OC with a stronger hand and a cooler head. What's sorta bumming me out ahead of the divisional round game is that the Bills look every bit like the team that needed Von Miller in order to get over the hump. That front 4 just does not do enough on a consistent basis to get home and make a difference. I heard Booger McFarland on a podcast remark that, in order to be a true contender, a team needs a game wrecker on D. This D does not have one. Allen said in his post game remarks that they were spying him pretty effectively. Good stuff. GO BILLS!