Doohickie Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 Perhaps, but what was JBot's assertion right from the start: Success is built on the farm through honest-to-goodness player development. We hoped there would be winning at the NHL level, but JBot's emphasis would be in Rochester, then moving that success up to the NHL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildCard Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 Perhaps, but what was JBot's assertion right from the start: Success is built on the farm through honest-to-goodness player development. We hoped there would be winning at the NHL level, but JBot's emphasis would be in Rochester, then moving that success up to the NHL. Not arguing with you on this but the goal of the Sabres was very much to win. They just weren't going to do it at the expense of the plan in general Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Buffalo Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 I keep saying: The goal for this year was not for the Sabres to win. The emphasis has been on development (proper development) in Rochester, then bringing several of those guys up to Buffalo next season. In the meantime, we've got Housley trying lots of new things with the players. Jack is already improving his two-way game (despite occasional lapses); Sam is playing a more physical game. Housley isn't trying to win games this year; he's trying to form players into the players they would have been with proper development. At this point, the players get that. There's no reason to hang heads at this point; this season is an extended training camp. The roster depth isn't sufficient to consistently win, but bringing a line or two and a couple of D up from Rochester next year will give them the depth. In the meantime, just enjoy it for what it is. . It is hard to watch but agree with your assessment and thought the same thing... and as you said Sam is playing more physical but is too inconsistent about it. And there still isnt enough scorers on this team that can carry the puck. OK appears to be trying, and OReilly way too slow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildCard Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 @JoeYerdon I asked #Flyers Jake Voracek what helped the team turn it around following the 10-game skid: "We got drunk, that helped. We sat down together, we talked about some stuff we wanted to do better. We had some heart-to-hearts and it worked out so it was good." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTS Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 Which is an absolutely banana thing to say I would think a better way to put it was that the focus was not so much on winning as it was learning to adapt to the new system and playing a different game than they were coached. If they win great, if not, so be it. The one's who can execute the system will stick around and the one's who cannot will be shipped out as much as possible. Take for example when Fasching came up and he said he was told, "Get to the net, always." For us it sounds like, when the opportunity arises, but it's not necessarily that. It looked to me that it was very much, you go the net almost to the point of disregarding what the other 4 are doing and they will take care of the rest of the ice. Housley has them doing certain things and sometimes it may feel counter-intuitive to them and they may slip up. When that happens you end up with the rest of the guys having to cover for the mistake. I don't think it's as rigid as Ron Rolston's system but there are definitely roles he has in mind for the team. I can almost assure you Eichel is not being asked to get on the boards with players. You can watch him peel away in many cases where the normal play might be for him to get in the corner. It reads to me that they want him loose to get a puck that's turned over and not stuck along the boards where his speed is nullified. As for having fun... you can't go in day to day with the mindset that everything sucks. It doesn't work. You have to recognize (as Bogosian said) that things are not where they need to be and work hard to correct them. It's easier to do that if the team is getting along rather than them creating a finger pointing atmosphere. I understand this concept of holding people accountable but that doesn't have to mean that it's done by tearing people down. A group of people who get along should feel compelled to work harder for each other because they don't want to let each other down. They should be willing to accept when they are not working hard enough and if a player points it out they understand it. In a finger pointing culture a player will call you out and your first thought will be to respond with all the things the other person is doing wrong. It's like watching a political debate. No one talks about what they can do, they only try and tear each other down. In the end you are left with nothing standing and no one believes that they are to blame. Yes, it would be nice if the Sabres had a player that could come in and control the room. They don't have it, yet. Perhaps the first hope was to see what they could accomplish on their own. There are only a handful of players out there that can command the room like that and prior to the season starting I would have said only Jagr was available without having to trade away assets you didn't want to trade. I thought they should have signed Jagr, and perhaps they tried, but it didn't happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacque Richard Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 I'm glad the fact that they suck at their jobs hasn't dampened their mood. I don't spend a single dime on this team and they piss me off on a regular basis. I can't even imagine being a season ticket holder right now.perfect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 Sounds like they need an ###### in the lockerroom The beatings will continue until scoring improves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Buffalo Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 So Jack is the redheaded step child??? Damn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 (edited) I keep saying: The goal for this year was not for the Sabres to win. The emphasis has been on development (proper development) in Rochester, then bringing several of those guys up to Buffalo next season. In the meantime, we've got Housley trying lots of new things with the players. Jack is already improving his two-way game (despite occasional lapses); Sam is playing a more physical game. Housley isn't trying to win games this year; he's trying to form players into the players they would have been with proper development. At this point, the players get that. There's no reason to hang heads at this point; this season is an extended training camp. The roster depth isn't sufficient to consistently win, but bringing a line or two and a couple of D up from Rochester next year will give them the depth. In the meantime, just enjoy it for what it is. You keep stating this, but the evidence really isn't there. in the infamous "5 hit" game, he noticably threw a check (and was the player that was knocked down) at a line near the benches & it was effective - the player lost the puck. But, can ANYONE point out any of the other 4 "hits" he initiated? He doesn't play physical because his skating won't allow for it, IMHO. He doesn't get knocked around as much as his rookie year, but really don't see him playing "physical" & ever since the 2nd time he got a goal called back for GTI he doesn't go hard to the net front either. Perhaps you have a different definition of "physical" & if you do, please share it & as Emily Lutella used to say "nevermind." ;) Edited December 22, 2017 by Taro T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabre fan Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 still can't help but think or feel that while we all went into this season optimistic and thinking we'd for sure at least compete for a layoff spot, maybe, just maybe, GMJBotto isn;t all that concerned with winning because there's light at the end of the tunnel and exactly what this team needs more then anything... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_Dudley Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 If you are not going to knit tightly what's the point, eh? We don't want all those mittens on strings to come undone now, do we? lol, you made me think of this. Its your fault. Oh these sad Sabres kittens have lost their mittens, And they began to cry, Oh, Phil dear, we sadly fear Our mittens we have lost What? Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens! Then you shall have no pie. Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow. We shall have no pie. Our mittens we have lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doohickie Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 (edited) He doesn't play physical because his skating won't allow for it, IMHO. He doesn't get knocked around as much as his rookie year, but really don't see him playing "physical" & ever since the 2nd time he got a goal called back for GTI he doesn't go hard to the net front either. Perhaps you have a different definition of "physical" & if you do, please share it & as Emily Lutella used to say "nevermind." ;) I think the whole idea of his stint on the fourth line was to concentrate on the more physical aspects of play. I suspect our ideas of physical play are similar, but I'm kind of rooting for Sam so I see what I want to see. You see him as failed so you see what you want to see. still can't help but think or feel that while we all went into this season optimistic and thinking we'd for sure at least compete for a layoff spot, maybe, just maybe, GMJBotto isn;t all that concerned with winning because there's light at the end of the tunnel and exactly what this team needs more then anything... Freudian slip? :rolleyes: Thoughts: 1. He'll never be able to play like that on the smaller NA ice surface. 2. Hey, his number is available on the Sabres roster. Edited December 22, 2017 by Anordning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 I think the whole idea of his stint on the fourth line was to concentrate on the more physical aspects of play. I suspect our ideas of physical play are similar, but I'm kind of rooting for Sam so I see what I want to see. You see him as failed so you see what you want to see. Freudian slip? :rolleyes: Thoughts: 1. He'll never be able to play like that on the smaller NA ice surface. 2. Hey, his number is available on the Sabres roster. Nope. Don't see him as failed, though he has been disappointing this year to say the least. Just don't see any physicality to his game, no matter how often people say that he's added that tool to the tool box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doohickie Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 Fair enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorny Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 Perhaps, but what was JBot's assertion right from the start: Success is built on the farm through honest-to-goodness player development. We hoped there would be winning at the NHL level, but JBot's emphasis would be in Rochester, then moving that success up to the NHL. Though Botterill is placing a renewed emphasis on Rochester, I still believe that Botterill's main focus this year is the Sabres. If the Sabres aren't the main emphasis, there's trouble. And that's because the most crucial component to our future success is Jack Eichel. Botterill can't afford to allow the Sabres (and Eichel) to languish around while Rochester slowing begins to supplement the roster. I don't think Botterill is going to do that, at least I hope not, and that is why I place confidence in the rumours that he's listening to offers on all, save Jack. Whatever Housley is preaching re: individual player development, allowing Eichel to marinate in an environment where losing is acceptable, not the main focus, three seasons into his career, has the potential to be quite detrimental, I believe. I feel like that accountability needs to be taught from the get-go. It sounds like the players are being given a free pass, for "development" reasons. Honestly, I'm starting to just feel bad for these kids. That's what most of them are. They need leadership to guide them right and without it their competitive edge is floundering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pi2000 Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 still can't help but think or feel that while we all went into this season optimistic and thinking we'd for sure at least compete for a layoff spot, maybe, just maybe, GMJBotto isn;t all that concerned with winning because there's light at the end of the tunnel and exactly what this team needs more then anything... Even if they finish dead last, they still only have a less than 1 in 5 chance of keeping of the first overall pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildCard Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 Even if they finish dead last, they still only have a less than 1 in 5 chance of keeping of the first overall pick.I mean at some point we gotta win the damn thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pi2000 Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 I mean at some point we gotta win the damn thing Consider there are infinite parallel universes... in at least one of those universes the Sabres win the lottery every year. Likewise, in at least one of those universes they never win the lottery. Which universe do we live in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildCard Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 (edited) Consider there are infinite parallel universes... in at least one of those universes the Sabres win the lottery every year. Likewise, in at least one of those universes they never win the lottery. Which universe do we live in? The worst one Edited December 22, 2017 by Jokertecken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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