5) Does anyone really think Jim Kelly & his investors can get $800-$1billion together to buy the team when Ralph passes and who knows if the NFL will even let them?

It will probably be more than the net worth of the franchise since it goes to the highest bidder. Economies of scale make this tough for the Buffalo region.

meh……

Clayton also said if Losman wins Sunday, expect him to start next week against the NYJ as DJ is coaching for his job

I don’t think that DJ is coaching for his job ….. yet. I think DJ will do as well as Trent does in Buffalo. I think Jauron and his young QB have one more year to show progress and I will very surprised if Trent doesn’t play against NY. It isn’t that Trent is trying to work through some minor injury, he hasn’t even practiced yet this week. It’s not like Trent has been limited, he hasn’t thrown a ball all week.

they’re more worried about bitchn about playing in Toronto than beating the phins

Granted, I pay very little to what is being said by the players and coaches, but I havn’t heard one player or coach say that they don’t want to play in Toronto, think that the Toronto series is some bad thing, or anything similiar.

What the heck is with DJ’s contract? Does he have one or not?

I heard Paul Hamilton say that the new contract for DJ is a done deal. I think the Bills aren’t releasing any new info because of how bad the team has been. I jut think they are trying to avoid the blowback from the fans.

Does anyone really think Jim Kelly & his investors can get $800-$1billion together to buy the team

The problem is that the NFL requires a majority owner to have 30% of the team. So the real question should be: Can Kelly find someone with 300 mil to invest in the team? He can find a few mil here and there and raise that kind of money, but the NFL requires that somebody step up and put in a pretty substantial precentage. Even if Kelly’s group buys the team, Kelly won’t be the hero or the new owner or even all that involved (unless the new owner puts him on the payroll) with the organization. We will eventually have a new owner and he will be the face of the franchise, it won’t be a group of people owning the team.

You’re pretty much spot on regarding the money issue and selling the franchise. Really, I can’t see how Jimbo has anyone close to having that kind of money, even the 30% for majority ownership. Maybe he does, but it just seems unlikely to me. Plus, even if he does have some investors lined up willing to fork over the $750-900M, don’t you think it could get ugly having so many “owners” down the road? Even that would have an ominous cloud lurking….

I’m actually not that concerned about a stadium….yet. The Ralph sure seems to be in pretty good shape and there have been numerous upgrades and renovations over the years. Sure, it’s not some luxury, state of the art, suite filled cash cow, but it’s a good stadium that fits the region and fans. I think it can survive another 15-20 years, maybe longer, without a problem assuming renovations occur when necessary….

2) Thurman Thomas also said on wgr that “until the owner is gone things won’t change.” How does that make us feel?

That is 10000000% true. Ralph hurts this franchise more than he helps it at this point, at least personnel, coaching and football-wise. And that is exactly our double edged sword….Yeah, we all see and keep hearing about how the franchise won’t become that consistent winner again until Ralph sells it or passes on, but when that happens, we just might not have a franchise anymore. I hate this.

This whole Jauron fiasco is such a joke. Just announce he signed it already. We all know that Ralph won’t fire him anyways.

I don’t believe anything Clayton ever says, but if that is true, then it’s yet another head scratcher. If Jauron is playing for his job by starting lame duck Losman next week, then it’s the absolute last straw for me. This team is going nowhere this year and why in the world would you not allow your young QB to get more time on the field?? Assuming Trent is healthy, he MUST start.

If somehow Jauron did get fired, we’d may also be looking for a new QB….again. I don’t know how many new coaches would want to stick with Trent Edwards…..

I bring all this up just because I think some people brush it to the side when these are critical issues right now facing the long-term future of this franchise in Buffalo. Sure, Goodel is from Jamestown, NY, but money speaks louder than where your from and Goodel will go along with whatever is financially viable for this franchise, whether that means moving to Toronto, LA or staying in Buffalo. The guy on WGR says he pays $360 for his season tickets….a single ticket in NE is $121. You can’t compete without a new stadium, luxury boxes, seat licenses, etc, unless the new owner is so committed to staying in Buffalo he finds creative ways to stay competitive. LIke they said, Ralph doesn’t owe a dime of debt and everything is pure profit. The new owner would be $700? millions of dollars on day 1. How do you make up that money??? Not by charging $55 a ticket. Sure $78 million from Toronto is nice, but that’s not even one year of players salary.

II don’t want to specualte too much on if Losman plays well Sunday, but I just think it puts DJ in an interesting position. Clayton also said maybe Ralph and DJ have a “verbal” committment and nothing in writing….Either way, no franchise in the world does this and doesn’t announce a contract extension. They told us about Lee Evans. Why not Dick jauron? All I have to say, is this off-season will be very interesting indeed

if Ralph’s daughter would reconsider if he happened to pass away in 2010 and there was no estate tax to worry about. That would be a pretty darn big gift to her!

Even as a Dolphin fan I feel absolutely horrible for the good fans of Buffalo. While I may absolutely HATE New England and New York fans, I’ve always kind of admired the Bills faithful. Here’s a franchise with a rich history and a devoted following in a cool city, yet with things falling apart from the inside out, the team can’t seem to catch a break. I, for one, feel for you. My best friend growing up was a Bills fan, and we got to watch some great rivalry games together.

Obviously, when our teams kickoff this weekend my allegiances will lie solely with my Dolphins (I know any self-respecting Bills will do the same), but I remain empathetic to the fine people of Bills Nation in off the field issues regardless. A professional sports franchise is a special thing, and something I know I would fight for if posed with your precarious situation. So, fight the good fight, Buffalo! And may our teams emerge injury free this weekend!