News Article: AP: Pegula focused on efficiency; staying on as Sabres President

[5 Minute Major]

I would love for them to sell the team. They did save the Bills, if Trump or Bon Jovi's group had bought the Bills they'd be gone within 5 years, the NFL doesn't care about Buffalo. The NHL does care about Buffalo and would not allow a new owner to move the team.

The NFL doesn’t care about Buffalo?

OK, how many NFL teams have moved cities in the last 30 years?

I know one that hasn’t. Even with an old ass stadium.

 

[5 Minute Major]

Eichel won’t be here a year from now.

Take that to the bank.

Maybe that will be the team I start to follow when he does go.

 

[jc17]

One way could be to spend more on iq-testing before recruiting, not cheap out on good player's bonuses and swap them for cap dumps etc

Efficiency often comes from finding a sweet spot for resources, it does not mean cutting costs since investing more could give you a much better roi.

Simple example: spend enough resources to make the playoffs and fans will return.

Bad investments like Botterill, Okposo surely proves that we could get more out of the money that's already invested but it all starts with recruiting and hiring INTELLIGENT people and it's so **** easy to test.

Wait are you really saying run all prospective hires through an IQ test?

 

[Der Jaeger]

Eichel won’t be here a year from now.

Take that to the bank.

Maybe that will be the team I start to follow when he does go.

right. Trading franchise star centers just entering their prime happens.......

 

[Bendium]

A lot of over reaction in this thread IMO. Not everything Pegula is trash, and not all of it is roses. There are always big mistakes made as you learn, but once you learn you start to perform. It is silly to go through the first part of the process and then give up just when you are at the point where improvement is beginning to take shape. Are the bills a mess? No....but they were for some time under the Pegula's. They learned, drew on council from other owners, and made changes to get in a better position to succeed long term. They now have one asset that is performing the way they want it to both on an off the field. They have an "in the room view" as to how that is happening. It only makes sense that they evaluate their other sports business assets against it, to see what is not needed and can be cut, what is important but under resourced, how information and organizational flow are working, and take steps to fix, adjust, improve.

I think there still more changes to come organizationally, but maybe not everything this board wants. Like Botteril. I will bet he is still here 3 years from now, because like the pegulas he started wet behind the ears and is likely just really starting to get his functional footing. I bet we will have a solid but not spectacular offseason, and a second full year under Ralph will have the team playing better. That will buy more time.

 

[Bendium]

As far as Kim being being team President? I think that will be for about 3 years. I think they have identified some things Jason does well that they like in a GM, but.....organizational leadership is not one of them. That's where Ralph comes in. I believe he will continue to build the team, AND organizational culture until the talent and maturity is in place to really make a run at the cup. Then I would not be supprized to see Ralph take the team president role from Kim, and they hire in a veteran coach to make the push. There is something to be said for having deve3lopmental coaches during rebuilds and game masters for making cup runs.

 

[HaNotsri]

Wait are you really saying run all prospective hires through an IQ test?

That should be the standard for every business. IQ is the no 1 factor for high performance.

Not talking about the players since there are other factors there.

 

[Dubi Doo]

They are much better than Botterill but in the grand scheme of things haven't done much yet. No playoff wins and no division titles in 3 years so far.

To be fair, they had to rebuild from the ground up, so three years with 2 playoffs births given what they started with is a hell of a job, especially given how hard it is to make the playoffs in the NFL.

Theyve also maneuvered through the cap brilliantly while building a top-10 (ish) team. This year will be telling, but even if they lose again in the playoffs early- Im not writing them off. If they finish 8-8, then I'll be worried, but another 10+ win season- and i think the trend will be cemented- McBeane can build a good team that sustains success, which is incredibly hard for many franchises in the NFL.

 

[TalkingProuder]

To be fair, they had to rebuild from the ground up, so three years with 2 playoffs births given what they started with is a hell of a job, especially given how hard it is to make the playoffs in the NFL.

Theyve also maneuvered through the cap brilliantly while building a top-10 (ish) team. This year will be telling, but even if they lose again in the playoffs early- Im not writing them off. If they finish 8-8, then I'll be worried, but another 10+ win season- and i think the trend will be cemented- McBeane can build a good team that sustains success, which is incredibly hard for many franchises in the NFL.

No, they didn't have to rebuild. They chose to. If in their first draft they simply took Mahomes/Watson and one of Juju, Godwin, Kupp, Golladay, Kamara instead of Zay Jones there would have been no need to wait until year 4 to see if they could win a playoff game or a better than bottom of the barrel offense.

The rebuild all comes down to Josh Allen. If he's as good as the 3 Pro Bowl/ MVP QBs they passed on they are all set.

 

[Dubi Doo]

No, they didn't have to rebuild. They chose to. If in their first draft they simply took Mahomes/Watson and one of Juju, Godwin, Kupp, Golladay, Kamara instead of Zay Jones there would have been no need to wait until year 4 to see if they could win a playoff game or a better than bottom of the barrel offense.

The rebuild all comes down to Josh Allen. If he's as good as the 3 Pro Bowl/ MVP QBs they passed on they are all set.

Beane wasnt GM for that draft, so we can't fault him. Point the finger at McD if you want, but the dynamics have changed- so it's tough to draw any conclusion from that draft.

And I specifically remember you saying a couple of years ago the Bills finally have a GM who's willing to rebuild. It was needed. If Beane was GM the prior year, they wouldve been going for a QB in 2017s draft, and we may have ended up with Watson or Mahomes. Or maybe Mitch. Who knows? But things would've been different. It was painfully obvious they wanted to find their franchise QB as soon as Beane took over the helm.

 

[explore]

right. Trading franchise star centers just entering their prime happens.......

This team just very recently traded ROR for garbage and is still employing the GM and President who made it happen with full confidence.

I fully expect Eichel to be traded in his prime from Buffalo for garbage, and when it happens I'll stop following the Sabres.

 

[Der Jaeger]

This team just very recently traded ROR for garbage and is still employing the GM and President who made it happen with full confidence.

I fully expect Eichel to be traded in his prime from Buffalo for garbage, and when it happens I'll stop following the Sabres.

two completely different situations. You think the Pegulas are going to sign off on an Eichel trade?

 

[sabremike]

A lot of over reaction in this thread IMO. Not everything Pegula is trash, and not all of it is roses. There are always big mistakes made as you learn, but once you learn you start to perform. It is silly to go through the first part of the process and then give up just when you are at the point where improvement is beginning to take shape. Are the bills a mess? No....but they were for some time under the Pegula's. They learned, drew on council from other owners, and made changes to get in a better position to succeed long term. They now have one asset that is performing the way they want it to both on an off the field. They have an "in the room view" as to how that is happening. It only makes sense that they evaluate their other sports business assets against it, to see what is not needed and can be cut, what is important but under resourced, how information and organizational flow are working, and take steps to fix, adjust, improve.

I think there still more changes to come organizationally, but maybe not everything this board wants. Like Botteril. I will bet he is still here 3 years from now, because like the pegulas he started wet behind the ears and is likely just really starting to get his functional footing. I bet we will have a solid but not spectacular offseason, and a second full year under Ralph will have the team playing better. That will buy more time.

We are nearing a decade of off the charts failure pretty much with no equal in the modern history of hockey, a period consisting of the entire Pegula ownership. To suggest it takes a decade of learning before being capable of putting together a team and organization that isn't a laughingstock on and off the ice is completely ludicrous.

 

[SundherDome]

two completely different situations. You think the Pegulas are going to sign off on an Eichel trade?

Do they need to? Botterill could feel the heat and think he is being wronged (he is that delusional) and do a back door deal.

 

[TalkingProuder]

two completely different situations. You think the Pegulas are going to sign off on an Eichel trade?

At this point I think Eichel knows who he is dealing with. If Jack wanted to force his way out he could quite easily. He already has ROR as an example to follow.

 

[AustonsNostrils]

right. Trading franchise star centers just entering their prime happens.......

Name me a franchise star who has missed the playoffs his first 6 years in the league.

Jack Eichel has the power to trade himself, if he wants out he'll be traded. You can't have your franchise star so unhappy that he has requested a trade, talk about a toxic situation for any team. If he did request a trade of course they will try to get him to back off on it by telling him they can't/won't trade him, make promises to him but by that time it is too late. And he would be traded.

Eichel doesn't want to be traded, he wants success here but there is a breaking point and another season out of the playoffs while his peers McDavid and Matthews are in them will be his breaking point, he's saying he's close to that point now.

 

[kenfury]

two completely different situations. You think the Pegulas are going to sign off on an Eichel trade?

If Eichel wants out he can force his way out.

 

[SabresFanNorthPortFL]

Ok, I can make a case for why she is president, she does own the team. We have to respect "it's their $500 million dollars."

But it would be nice to hear they hired "???" as a consultant.

A consultant that brought Cups, reputation and a name. Give the team some needed juice. What Scotty Bowman did when he was 75.

I mean, I can't even dream any longer that they hired a Lou Lomoriello.

 

[TalkingProuder]

Beane wasnt GM for that draft, so we can't fault him. Point the finger at McD if you want, but the dynamics have changed- so it's tough to draw any conclusion from that draft.

And I specifically remember you saying a couple of years ago the Bills finally have a GM who's willing to rebuild. It was needed. If Beane was GM the prior year, they wouldve been going for a QB in 2017s draft, and we may have ended up with Watson or Mahomes. Or maybe Mitch. Who knows? But things would've been different. It was painfully obvious they wanted to find their franchise QB as soon as Beane took over the helm.

When you control the draft there is no out. The prevailing thought is that McDermott passed on Mahomes/Watson because he needed Beane. I think an equally plausible answer is that McDermott just didn't think Mahomes/ Watson were good. The one QB that McDermott and Pegula had dinner with pre 2017 draft was Mitch Trubisky and he was off the board when the Bills picked.

The fact that the Bills were spending time on QBs before 2017 draft contradicts the "waiting for Beane" theory.

Who knows.

The point is that all of this tear down , rebuild whatever won't be successful if Allen has a 3rd year like Bortles or Trubisky. Remember the 2014 Bills? 9 and 7 with a great defense and an offense that had pedestrian QB play.

 

[Asymmetric Solution]

This woman’s only qualification to running these orgs is that she’s married a billionaire who also props up her brothers busted ass record label. Embarrassing and wish Terry had the balls to fire his own incompetent wife. I still dream of Pat Laf running our team.

 

[Asymmetric Solution]

Eichel won’t be here a year from now.

Take that to the bank.

Maybe that will be the team I start to follow when he does go.

If he goes, i hope it’s to a team like LV or something, who I already root for out west. Gives most of us fans a fresh start.

 

[Buffaloed]

If Eichel wants out he can force his way out.

An accidental leak from his agent that Jack is fed up with busting his ass for incompetent management would do the trick.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Eichel won’t be here a year from now.

Take that to the bank.

Maybe that will be the team I start to follow when he does go.

Ooo me me, I’d take that bet!!!

 

[5 Minute Major]

Ooo me me, I’d take that bet!!!

And, you may win that but I am also betting Eichel will be gone because this team will continue to suck next season And Jack will demand a trade and the Pegula’s will be forced to cave.

 

[Dirty Dog]

And, you may win that but I am also betting Eichel will be gone because this team will continue to suck next season And Jack will demand a trade and the Pegula’s will be forced to cave.

Yes yes yes I want all of these bets