New week, same story (12-10-12)

The signs and symptoms were there. They were there in the first half when the Bills practically dominated the Rams and merely held a 3-0 lead. They continued to show when the Bills took a puny 6-0 to the locker room. I thought for certain the Rams were going to come out after halftime and go up 7-6 and collectively we’d say “here we go again”. It’s a new week, but the same tired story. Eventually the Rams did take that lead but the Bills answered only for the Rams to reply. Then the Bills took over needing only 3 points to force overtime at home, but again another ill timed 4th quarter Ryan Fitzpatrick interception ended the Bills hopes for the game and for the season.


I don’t know about all of you but I’m tapping out. I’m done with the 2012 Bills. I’m going to watch next week versus Seattle and then the following week against Miami because they are on TV and I can (the Jets game to close the season will surely be blacked out), and it’s my duty as a Bills fan, but will I feel bad if they lose? Nope, not in the least, in fact I think deep down I am hoping they lose out and finish 5-11. The worse the finish the better and I know some of you are thinking, what kind of a fan wants his team to lose? How about a fan who is tired of coach Chan Gailey? How about a fan who has seen enough of likeable but ultimately ineffective Ryan Fitzpatrick who never ceases to amaze with his predictable 4th quarter Fitzmagic? You know the trick, the one where the Bills have a shot and then Fitzpatrick fumbles or throws a terrible interception to ice the game for the opposition… tada! How about a fan who wants changes and knows the only way to get any from this team is when it falls to pieces or goes to extremes? How about a Bills fan, like most of you, who is tired of being so bitter and cynical about my football team that hasn’t been to the playoffs for a league longest 13 years!?!?    


My feeling is if we finish with a worse record (5-11) than the previous year (6-10) with an easier schedule than we faced in 2011, someone over at One Bills Drive will see that for what it is, a regression. It’s harder to hide behind the veil of progress and in the name of continuity when things get much worse when they were supposed to get better. In year one, we started the rebuilding (again!) and went 4-12. Last year we started to show progress and went 6-10. Now in the pivotal third year of the rebuilding effort we went backwards when everything was in our favor. We had one of the easiest schedules in the league. Owner Ralph Wilson went against type and spent big money to improve the defense and the talent level on this team had definitely improved. I think it was pretty reasonable to expect an 8-8 or 9-7 season, and many people who get paid to talk about football were calling the Bills a potential playoff team before this season. Whether you wanted to buy into the playoff talk or not this team was universally expected to take a step forward. Well, now we know this year’s Bills are nowhere close to playoff caliber and if they end up with the same record or a worse record than last year’s team after all the hype, after all the money spent, after all the talent added, then someone should have to answer for it. That someone is Head Coach Chan Gailey.


His continued inability to get the ball into the hands of one of the most dynamic players in the league is baffling. His misuse of the clock in several instances this season is laughable and his downright fear to be aggressive on the football field is unforgiveable. Sending Ryan Lindell on the field for the 52 yard field goal that would have put the Bills up eight points was probably the right move. Lindell hit from 50 last week in similar if not worse conditions and he made both of his earlier tries in the game. If Coach Gailey suddenly acquired cold feet about trying the kick, so be it, take the delay of game penalty and punt from the 39 instead of the 34. But to call and waste a timeout and then punt is ridiculous. I thought he should have went for it, a 4th and 7 that was makeable and if not converted, would have given the Rams the ball at or around their own 30, hardly scoring position for an offense that up to that point generated only 7 points against the Bills defense. You don’t think he wanted that timeout back at the end when the Bills offense tried to get into field goal range to tie the game? Maybe with an extra timeout in his pocket Fitzpatrick would have thrown or dumped it over the middle of the field instead of that fateful toss to the sideline that was intercepted by St. Louis. Who knows, but having 2 timeouts in that situation instead of one surely would have made things easier. To make matter worse, both of the 2 teams in front of them for that final playoff spot lost as well, meaning the Bills could have moved to within one game of Pittsburgh and Cincinnati with 3 to play. The questionable decision making is killing the Bills from within regardless of who they are playing.


I’ve been done with Gailey for a while now. He makes some great calls at times but has trouble adjusting to the flow of the game and is absolutely brutal as a gameday “head coach”. His misuse of both the clock and the Bills’ assets are obvious to casual fans at this point and quite frankly he looks overmatched most Sundays. What he looks like to me is a solid, if not good from time to time, offensive coordinator masquerading as a head coach. He’s an offensive version of Dick Jauron and yes, I realize you can take that in more than one way. We all remember how that ended.


Losing out the rest of this season would probably bring an end to this ride. It might be the only way to get the Bills brass to move into a gear other than neutral. I know changes may take time to pay off but when you are certain the guy you have is not the guy for the job, you have to act. At this point, I think everybody knows Coach Gailey is not the man to lead the Bills to the next level simply because he hasn’t and he can’t. 3 years is plenty of time to prove yourself in the NFL. Consider this, when you bring in a new coach, you always take at least a half step backwards before moving forwards, it’s inevitable. Players have to learn the new system, some players get traded or released and new ones come in who better fit the new coach’s philosophy. Some new coaches take an already solid team and bring them to the next level quickly (the half step back) while others need time to achieve more than their predecessor (a full step). After that adjustment period, the honeymoon so to speak, owners and fanbases expect results. Now 45 games into the Gailey run, the honeymoon is long over. Sadly as we move towards the end of year 3, those results are not there and this team only looks better than most of the previous 12 non-playoff editions of the Bills on paper. In reality, a 5-8 record is par for the course around here and after 3 seasons of rebuilding on a large rebuilding job that was rebuilding on a huge rebuilding effort of another massive rebuilding endeavor I’m tired of the baby steps and the constant rebuilding. I want to win. For that, a new coach and a new quarterback are needed. All sentiments towards them aside, everyone knows it. When you can predict the outcomes of these games as they happen and you’re not the only one, then something has to be done.


Who else thought the Bills were going to blow this one? As I said earlier, the signs and symptoms were there. This game had a familiarity and comedic quality to it. It wasn’t difficult to diagnose. We’d seen this before. Some of the players were the same, some were different but it sure felt like a re-run. The predictable coach bumbling through clock management and timeouts, afraid to be aggressive and kick a long field goal or afraid to be aggressive and dial up some pressure and blitz a mediocre at best quarterback who seemed to be gaining rhythm as the 2nd half wore on. Any disruption in Sam Bradford’s timing would have helped. Even the passes he was completing were off target. His receivers had to routinely wait for passes, reach behind themselves or make circus adjustments to even get their hands on them (sound familiar?). You don’t think blitzing a guy like this would be helpful? The Bills front four while not completely ineffective at this point were not getting the same pressure they were getting earlier in the game and now that game was in the balance. Blitzing a linebacker here or a safety there could have disrupted Bradford’s already shaky timing and could have caused the turnover the Bills needed to ice the game since there was little to no chance the offense was going to put this one away. By the time George Wilson dropped two would be interceptions on that fateful last Rams drive, I think even the people who were optimistically delusional were starting to waver. 


Every time the offense went 3 and out or punted the ball back to the Rams in the 2nd half all of us knew what was coming. The Bills only led by 5 points when the 4th quarter began and the Rams offense while largely unsuccessful most of the day was within one score. One score is all it takes to ruin an otherwise productive day by your defense when your offense can only score 1 measly touchdown… at home no less. Your best offensive player received 7 rushes and 1 pass and was even showing signs in the 2nd half that he was getting warmed up. Spiller had 4 rushes for 10 yards at halftime and finished with 7 for 36. That’s right, in a tight game where you held the lead for a long portion of the half, your best player had 3 rushes for 26 yards. I guess those numbers, albeit a small sample size, plus the countless highlight reel moments this season were not enough to convince this Bills coach to use him at least a little more frequently. So the Bills lost this game the way they always lose close games the past 3 years, on the arm of Ryan Fitzpatrick and through the football coaching of Chan Gailey.


Maybe the next few games they’ll fight through the skepticism and still be optimistic in that locker room. Maybe Coach Gailey will remind them that a team made the playoffs with a 7-9 record only a few seasons ago. Surely someone will mention how the Bills are still mathematically alive but I don’t want to hear about math here. Yes, the Bills are mathematically alive the same way I am mathematically alive to win the Mega Millions Tuesday night… it’s gonna take a miracle. And with the surging Seattle Seahawks coming to town err… Toronto next week fresh off of a 58-0 beatdown of Arizona, a team the Bills could barely defeat earlier this year, I’m thinking it’s high time to talk about what changes the Bills should make after the season, our potential draft position in April and which young quarterback we should target in that draft and where/when we should take him rather than discussing our pathetic playoff hopes which are only dwarfed in their ridiculousness by how disappointing this once promising season has gone. It’s time to accept that. The season is gone and it’s time to turn the page. This book seems like it’s been going on forever, or 13 years, which feels like forever to a sports fan. It’s a new week but the same story and I for one, am getting very sick of reading it… mostly because I know the ending.

Rules for your Super Bowl party (2-1-12)

Going to a Super Bowl party this weekend? Super Bowl parties have become some of the most important social gatherings of the year. These parties have gotten so big that whether you are hosting or going to one, the parties now seem to have an unwritten code of etiquette that confuse many. Well, it's unwritten no longer as right here I've spelled out the rules for you and you can take pride in acting accordingly this Sunday! With no further ado, I present my Super Bowl Party Rules!

The Super Bowl Party Rules!

First things first. You must get into the mindset that Super Bowl Sunday is a National Holiday. IT IS! These days, many companies allow employees to come in late the next day, or even take the day off, especially in the cities represented in the game. All across America, when someone stumbles in an hour late that next day, bosses tend to be a little more lenient, especially if they are football fans themselves. Super Sunday is a big deal and should be treated as such! Once you accept this realization, these rules and guidelines will not only make sense to you but they will be easy to follow as well. And if you refuse to acknowledge the power of the pigskin… well I wouldn’t want you at my party.

Now the rules and what you need to know:

-On attire: It is advised but not mandatory that you try to wear something football related whether it’s a t-shirt, hat, jersey, scarf, gloves, face paint or the ever popular zubaz pants. Bonus points to you if you can find more than one accessory! Also, it doesn’t matter if your favorite team is not playing in the game, you should represent for your team regardless. Its okay to wear a Bills jersey, a Browns hat or a Jaguars ringer tee… this is as close to the big game as these teams get! Show your love and as is the case with other holidays, dressing up makes the day better! Can you imagine not wearing a costume on Halloween? A hideous sweater on Christmas? You would probably dress up for weddings, funerals and formal events and this is no less important!

-On what to bring: You are not actually required to bring anything to consume, provided you've received an invitation, but if you plan to consume large quantities of food and/or drinks, you should be courteous to the other guests and provide things for them to enjoy. This also means no "markup consuming", that is bringing a discount product of small quantity only to consume tons of someone else's high quality goods. Example: Bringing a 40 ounce bottle of Olde English malt liquor and then consuming a 6-pack of Guinness. You know in your hearts of hearts it’s not right and there should be honor among football fans. In addition, you cannot ask to take the unused portion of what you brought with you when you leave. It’s simply not polite. At the end of the party, if the host wants to get rid of some of the food/junk, you should take that opportunity to volunteer and be a “nice person”, otherwise consider ownership of your goods transferred to the host once you walk in the door.

-On Substances: Every party guest acknowledges when they enter the party, it's like signing an invisible waiver stating that they will have no knowledge of any “alleged” legal or illegal consumption of alcoholic, psychoactive or hallucinogenic items during their stay. What people do to enhance the game or their mood is up to them. As long as none of the party rules are broken, everything is fine.

-On the party’s location: Be respectful of the host’s place. No recreating any plays from the game, tackling, throwing of objects like a football, showing off your “moves” or any other locker room inspired antics. If you need to dance, make sure you can do it in your space. If you need to recreate any action from the game, you must go out to the yard or the nearest available park. After all, the Super Bowl is played on a spacious turf, not in a living room. Treat the place as if it were your own. That also means offering to help with cleanup after the game. Surely you can grab a few dishes and put them in the sink/dishwasher. Think about why you didn’t host… because you didn’t want to have to deal with everything the host is dealing with! SO show compassion for those who have the courage to do what you are afraid to and pitch in. If you do, you’ll be sure to get an invite the following year, if not for the Big Dance, NHL playoffs or any future sporting event worthy of another party.

-On America: Everyone must stand, remove their hats and show respect for America during the National Anthem... even as the flavor of the month "recording artist" or old fossil "vocalist" butchers it.

-On the less fortunate: There are always some people at the Super Bowl party with little to no knowledge of football. Just know I and most knowledgeable attendees are more than happy to help answer any questions or explain any parts of the game that some may not be able to understand or follow but please withhold any appropriate questions until an appropriate time, like a bad commercial, a time out or a break in the action. However, I and even the most helpful of football fans will not answer any questions having to address any player’s martial status, butt or dreamy eyes.

Which leads me to...

-On the game chatter: Absolutely no dialogue can occur during the action other than reactions, instructions and exclamations to said action. This is especially true of the immediate perimeter around the television. Consider it a no-fly zone for irrelevant dialogue. Any parties not fully invested in the game may conduct conversations, face to face or phone to phone, especially the non-football kind in the kitchen or nearest bedroom. If it is to be an angry or loud non-game related conversation, it must be conducted at least 100 yards from any television at the Super Bowl party.

-On the expensive commercials: All commercials will be judged immediately with a quick and simple review ("well, that was just stupid") that must be given before the following commercial has ended... because that one must be judged as well!

-On potential human obstacles: Anyone standing in front of the television for any duration longer than .5 seconds should be pelted with all the food available to be thrown at that time. If they still have not complied then it will be time to introduce them to the sauces, dips and condiments at the party.

-On the halftime show: Since the halftime show features an old musical act that is no longer relevant, the previous rules of dialogue can be ignored and guests can and should talk freely. This would be a wonderful time to load up on food for the second half, get to the restroom and for those with less serious questions to ask them. Keep in mind, if a guest gets up and goes into a room leaving something behind on their seat, the seat should still be considered occupied and for all intents and purposes they are still sitting there and should not lose their place. This is their reward for arriving either early or on time. If the seat is left uncovered or as it was at the beginning of the party, the rules of “finders’ keepers” will apply and in the case of a tie, a friendly arm-wrestling match, coin flip or staring contest shall be used to settle the dispute. In every case, the host may bypass the need for a contest and simply award the seat to whomever they feel deserving of it.

-On children at the party: No kids are allowed primarily due to the saucy language expressed throughout the game by the serious football fans, drunk people or both. Kids also have a hard time following many of the rules laid out in this big game planner and the only “time outs” at a Super Bowl party happen in the game. Find a sitter.

-On Food: Keep it simple- no tofu, high brow or vegan stuffs unless your entire guest list is comprised of vegans. Let’s be honest though, if have 15 vegans coming over for something, it certainly isn't going to be to watch a football game. In addition, guests should not bring anything incredibly messy that cannot be contained safely on a paper plate. This goes back to the previous rule about respecting the host’s place. The carpet is not a forum for your abstract modern lasagna art.

-On Party etiquette: Despite the fact you are probably eating like a pig from a trough, dressed loosely and comfortably and around many of your friends there are some manners you should attempt to employ at the party for the greater good:

Double dipping: This should not have to be explained. Think of the famous Seinfeld episode: “That’s like putting your whole mouth right in the dip. Look, from now on, when you take a chip… just take one dip and end it!”

The Passage of gas (burping and farting): Unless your party consists exclusively of very large men with no regard for such things there will be no “sharing” allowed in this manner. Farters should be treated like smokers and sent outside to conduct their dirty business. Belchers do not have to go to the same lengths but should attempt to muffle and certainly should not blow or direct the burp at any other attendees. In the case of an accidental release where a muffle or some type of control is not an option, an apology must be presented immediately and the offender will be placed on immediate party probation, meaning that any further violations will result in the guest losing their seat and having to watch the rest of the game from the outer perimeter of the party. If the offender is already on the outer party perimeter, they should be reminded that they are very close to the door. When dealing with repeat offenders with no regard for human life, they should either be removed from the party altogether or placed securely in a tight closet where they alone will have to endure their insolence.

Lastly: Under no circumstances is anyone other than the host allowed to change the channel, and even the host MUST have a legitimate reason (i.e. an emergency) for doing so.

So that's it! These are the rules for the big game. If you and your guests follow these simple rules there is no reason why your Super Bowl party won’t be a smashing success!

State of the Sabres (1-30-12)

With the All Star break just about over, the Sabres return tomorrow night against Montreal… did you miss them? Did you even know they were gone for a week? Things are not ideal in Pegulaville and I guess the more important question is could the MSG/Time Warner Cable stalemate have come at a better time than when it did? Watching Sabres games have become such a gamble that if you aren’t currently able to see them, it’s simply not worth it to go a local pub and drop a bit of cash for drinks and/or food only to be subjected to something so awful that said food and drink could come right back up. The Sabres only seem to play hard for 20 minutes a night, if that and that's usually all the time the viewer needs to ascertain what will happen that night. Will it be close? Will the Sabres give a fair effort? It’s a big difference from a few seasons ago and even the end of last season when a 2-0 deficit had us wondering if they could come back and win. We kept watching because more often than not, they closed the gap to 1 goal, took it to OT and even stole a few. Falling behind didn’t mean a sure loss. Now a 2-0 deficit has the viewer wondering how bad the final score will actually be. Will we get shutout? Will it go from respectable to downright embarrassing? It’s no way to watch a team or a game and it seems less people want to watch this team. Even after last Tuesday’s refreshing win over New Jersey, the Sabres are still fighting to avoid being last place in the entire conference.

I’ve watched nearly every game since the MSG blackout and one of the questions that cross my mind most nights is; are they trying to get Lindy fired? The team hierarchy offers the large amount of injuries this year as the primary reason for their dreadful performance so far and injuries certainly play a role but more than that it’s terrible play and a lack of consistent effort. Every athlete goes through little slumps here and there but for so many guys to play so badly, for so long, at the same time? It’s highly improbable. It seems like there’s more to it. The passing is horrendous and game by game we have to watch the worst passes of the bunch end up in the Sabres’ net but even worse than the lack of good fundamental play is the lack of a consistent effort from this team. This is the part where I think some guys on this team are trying to get Lindy fired or have simply tuned him out. Collectively the guys give little effort most nights and routinely get beaten to loose pucks, lose the battles in corners and refuse to block shots, hit and sacrifice for the greater good. In fact, some of these guys should be charged with Grand Larceny because they are stealing millions from owner Terry Pegula this season.

People are using terms like “lifeless”, “gutless”, “stagnant”, “stale”, “underachieving”, “no heart” and that many of these guys are doing nothing more than collecting a check. Isn't saying that a team has no heart the worst thing you can say about one? It would be one thing if they didn't have any talent. It would be different if these guys were busting their butts and hustling all the ice but just didn't have enough talent to beat the better teams but to give such a pedestrian effort most of the time against competition both good and bad, to show no concern or even any anger that they are regressing and to look like they don't give a crap about their coach, their owner, each other and their fans is unforgiveable. Where's the pride? You’ve fallen on hard times, we get it. Now fight your way back to your feet! Recently in Chicago Paul Gaustad was run and knocked out of the game by tough guy Jamal Mayers and no one lifted a finger. It was a cheap shot and while it was a dirty hit to a lesser extent than the now infamous Milan Lucic hit on Ryan Miller in November, it once again exposed the Sabres as a team that can be beaten up and pushed around and they won’t push back. They won’t fight back. Do they even care? It makes me sick to watch. I have a feeling I’m not alone.

Then there’s Ryan Miller. 2 years ago he was arguably the best goalie on the planet and an Olympic hero… what happened? He’s statistically one of the worst goalies in the whole league this year. Going into that game where he was run the Sabres had a record of 10-5 on the season. Miller was playing shaky but the team was going along well considering and everyone was waiting for them to really get into gear. Then the thrashing at Boston happened and the team has found themselves in a downward spiral that has seen them lose 24 out of 34 games since that day. Miller went from being in a slump full on into the abyss with more than a few people wondering if he will ever be that Vezina trophy winning netminder again. The fact of the matter is Miller has always been a fiery, sensitive, eccentric goalie. I know it seems silly when talking about a rich, successful professional athlete but when the home crowds booed him early this year and when none of his teammates would stick up for him that November night in Boston, I think his feelings were deeply hurt and it's partially alienated him from this team. I don’t think he’s been the same since and I feel like there’s a rift there. Combine that with the nasty concussion he suffered that night and one has to wonder if he’s 100% physically, psychologically and emotionally.

Between the concussion and the disrespect he might feel from his peers I’m speculating that his heart is not entirely in it with this team. Look at the 2^nd time he was run by Nashville’s Jordin Tootoo in early December. He immediately dove upon Tootoo himself! Would a goalie normally be so quick to attack his attacker like that? Or did he do what he did because he thought no one would have his back? I think there’s something to that with Miller, and I think it’s beyond a simple apology from everyone involved. I don’t think he trusts his teammates in tough spots and with good reason. They let him down with alarming frequency and several times a game Miller finds himself staring down a 2 on 1 or worse after another poor pass or lackluster effort  leads to a costly turnover. It’s been the Sabres’ recipe for doom lately and in the old days when it did happen; Miller would usually bail out his teammates with big saves. Is he letting in goals on purpose? Of course not, but like the guys in front of him, his heart may not be in it right now. If you want to call my theory conspiracy that's fine, but if I'm right, it’s not a situation beyond repair and as we know in sports, winning cures all. Perhaps if this team can play a team game and get it together, they could go on a little winning streak and maybe things could be what they were at the end of last season. Until then, we are left to wonder what’s wrong with Ryan.

Behind all of this turmoil on the ice I feel really bad for Terry Pegula, Ted Black and everyone who came in with so much positive energy and good intentions. These guys have come in and especially in Terry's case are living a dream that has become a nightmare. Terry, Ted and the rest have done a wonderful job with the organization, the community and have done nearly everything right... except the actual hockey stuff. I’m talking about General Manager Darcy Regier and Coach Lindy Ruff.

I wouldn’t be heartbroken if either were fired but I am more partial towards Lindy staying because I do think he’s a good coach. With Darcy I feel like there is definitely a place for him in a team’s front office I just don’t want him doing all the drafting, trading, signing and decision making, i.e. the main responsibilities of a general manger. As a GM Darcy is best from a position of strength, where he can methodically plot his course and take all the time he wants to make moves. It fits right in with his deliberate decision making and carefully slow action. In this case, in times of weakness where quick thinking, quick strikes and adaptable vision are needed he fails. Darcy is simply not a war-time consigliere.   

He missed his chance to help the team for this season about a month ago. Prior to Christmas all the cracks in the foundation were showing and this team desperately needed help to make a playoff run. Nearly everyone (fans, media) was agreed on that assessment. The rumors were that Darcy was asking too much for his guys, once again overvaluing the players he drafted and acquired that comprised the core of the wounded bunch. He probably didn’t think he’d get fair value for his guys. Guess what? The ship was sinking faster than the Titanic and with so many players having bad years of course he wasn’t going to get what he perceived as fair value for his guys. He is dealing from a position of weakness. When a team is struggling as bad as the Sabres have been it obviously isn’t the best time to deal but you cannot help the team in the short term by doing nothing. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet for the greater good. Some of these guys had to be sent packing in order to change the lethargic feeling that’s been growing in the locker room and spreading onto the ice. If the Sabres wanted to make a charge for the postseason like they did last year, the time to have made moves was at least a month ago. Instead of a spark we got excuses from the top down, even Pegula himself was citing the injuries as the primary factor for the unexpectedly bad results. Meanwhile, this team fell from battling for the last playoff spot to the bottom of the conference in the last month. Now, they are 10 points back and in a dogfight with 8 other teams for that last spot. It's too big of a mountain to climb.

With most of the team returning from injury the team shows little signs of improvement, especially after a 6 game road trip where they lost the first 5 games, some in gruesome fashion and barely won on the last stop on the trip due to a phenomenal performance by Miller. At least it was a win going into the break… Sabres fans were happy for that break by the way. With only 33 games left, it not unrealistic to think they need to win more than two thirds of those remaining games. That means they’d have to win possibly 24 of 33 games when they haven’t won more than 20 in the first 49 games. If they won 24 and lost 9 of the last 33 (with no OT or shootout losses), they’d have 93 points for the year which is what the N.Y. Rangers had last year to earn the last playoff spot in the East. Now that you know how long the odds are to make a playoff run this season, do you actually think the Sabres will do it? I have no reason to think they will and with that in mind, this is what I would do: 

My philosophy for the rest of this season could be summed up in one word: future. I want to blow this team up, sell off the stale and underachieving parts for what we can get, whether its draft picks, prospects or character guys and get some of the kids up from Rochester to get valuable NHL experience. Now when I say blow it up I don’t mean a complete rebuild. I'm talking retooling. There are some parts here that can be used going forward to build our winner. I would keep high priced guys like Vanek, Pominville and Ehrhoff, plus keeping Myers is a no-brainer. I would also keep more reasonably priced guys like Gerbe, Ennis and Weber who are useful 3^rd liners and depth. Keeping some of the high priced, higher talent guys helps to potentially make this only a 1-year turnaround whereas a complete rebuild would mean moving all the high priced core guys and that could take a few seasons before you have a good team. We want this to be a lot better by next October.

Then I would move Derek Roy, Drew Stafford, Jochen Hecht, Paul Gaustad, Brad Boyes, Jordan Leopold and I would listen to offers for Andrej Sekera and Ryan Miller although not actively shop them. If someone blows me away with an offer for Miller, I take it. Leopold still has another year on his deal but he is a solid veteran defenseman who can contribute offense. Teams are always looking for those at the deadline. Sometimes you can even squeeze a first round draft pick out of one. Also I just heard that Tim Gleason re-signed in Carolina for 4 years and he was one of the hottest Defensemen available on the trade market. Guys like Leopold and Sekera could now fetch a nice bounty at the deadline as desperate teams compete against each other to acquire them.  

Guys like Derek Roy and Drew Stafford have undeniable talent and through underachieving or just being undisciplined on the ice have drawn the ire of Sabres fans, including this one. Both guys seem overpaid right now with each making $4 million per year but if they play to their potential, they are fairly priced. If you have a guy with talent who isn’t a complete head case or someone who gets into trouble off the ice but is just struggling, you’ll always find a team or many of them who want to gamble and see if they can bring that talent back out. With the trade market becoming clearer by the day and with the lack of many superstars and top level talent available, both these guys could be highly sought after by playoff bound teams who feel they need one more piece to their Stanley cup puzzle.

Hecht, Gaustad and Boyes are making about $10 million in combined salary that was coming off the books after the season and they were most likely guys that wouldn’t have been re-signed anyway. They do us no good now that we are planning for next year. Why not try to get something for them before they depart for free? Between the 3 of them we can perhaps get a few draft picks and/or mid-level prospects to help restock Rochester.  

Why do need to restock Rochester? I’m glad you asked. We need depth there because I plan to call up Zack Kassian, Corey Tropp, Marcus Foligno, Derek Whitmore, Jacob Legace and perhaps a few more to replace the departed while expanding the current roles of Luke Adam and Brayden McNabb to see what all these kids can bring to the table in the near future.

This is what I’d do if I were in charge. The reality I subscribe to says it’s too late for this year to be salvaged and for that I blame Darcy Regier and think he should be fired for it. I keep Lindy for now with the hope that the newly reformed club will respond to him as previous Sabres teams did. Underachievers, upcoming free agents and easily replaceable players should be traded away to load up for the draft and this summer’s free agency and trade period. 

Will the Sabres follow a similar blueprint? Who knows? They’ll either make some moves this week to try to make a run for the playoffs now or they’ll sell off parts in February leading up to the trade deadline and raise the white flag. If they decide our season is over I would hope they’d bring in a new GM. I don’t want the man who put us in this mess and failed to respond when needed overseeing the retooling. The new GM could make the necessary moves by this year’s trade deadline and then spend the rest of this season evaluating the remaining "talent" to see who is part of the solution and who is part of the problem. Then when the season is over you make the moves needed to turn this around. A name that’s been brought up a lot is Rick Dudley, a passionate and accomplished hockey man with Buffalo ties. He’d be an easy sell to the fanbase not only as a former Sabres’ player and coach but also as a front office man who had something to do with building Tampa’s 2004 cup winning team as well as Chicago’s recent cup winner in 2010.  

As for now, until this team does something, anything to change the dreadful climate they’ve created, all of us fans remain hostages caught in the middle of a brutal financial dispute between our cable provider and the television home of the Sabres and even worse held hostage by the Sabres themselves who refuse to acknowledge what all of us have seen for months… that this team as it is now is unwatchable and something needs to change. Perhaps MSG did us a favor after all.