Roger the Dodger

by Tasker4HOF on Oct 10, 2011 5:13 PM EDT

I wonder if I'm the only one that thought it curious that the NFL commissioner attended Sunday's Bills-Eagles game in Buffalo? I know he visits games all the time, but with the flap over the alleged "counseling" of Michael Vick to sign with Philadelphia and not with certain other "less desirable" situations, it seems odd to me that he would show up at this particular game. If the commissioner was looking for some personal vindication that he had indeed helped Vick make the right "choice," I'm not sure he saw that yesterday in the Bills' feisty victory over the "Dream Team."

Further, in the obligatory TV booth interview he had little or nothing to say about the Bills and the way they were playing this year. Granted, the passing of Al Davis was rightly the main thrust of the emotions of the day, but still, the commissioner's appearance usually is his opportunity to offer some nod to the home fans and players of a great NFL city, especially if the game is a sell-out and the team is playing admirably. He was conspicuously silent on that score. Oversight? Time constraint? While the eulogizing of Al Davis was certainly appropriate, Goodell could easily have included the obvious parallels of Buffalo and Oakland being historic AFL cities, and having original visionary founders in Mr. Davis and Ralph Wilson, but he carefully dodged the chance to do so.

Maybe it's just me, but after a decade of the Buffalo Bills and their fans serving as everyone's favorite punchline, the commissioner's failure to publicly note the team's turn-around while camping right there in Orchard Park is yet another poke in the eye, especially given the commissioner's Western New York "roots." Regardless of recent statements to the contrary, could his apparent discomfort while on camera in Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday be because he was NOT witnessing the listless, half-empty stadium and lopsided loss to the Eagles that would help cement a future "small-market-teams-aren't-viable-just-look-at-Buffalo" argument for moving the team? Yesterday's win and the raucous playoff-type enthusiasm exhibited by the team and fans alike showed that Bills football is alive and well. Surely he can't dodge that.

Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.

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honestly if he did thats cool with me i was upset at first

but it was rthe right situation for vick and hopefully we as bills fans can get past it and besides we got the amish rifle we dont need vick

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by Gpluehri on Oct 10, 2011 5:20 PM EDT reply actions

If he DID steer Vick away from Buffalo...

then I’d like to shake his hand. In hindsight, I would take Fitz over Vick every day of the week.

Fitzpatrick should have just walked around the stadium yelling "Are you not entertained!!!" ~ Dana H

by maestro110584 on Oct 10, 2011 5:34 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs

Amen...

I agree totally. I’m very happy we have Fitz. My main point is that with regard to the future of the team in WNY, I think Goodell’s motives need to be viewed with skepticism!

"Systems don't win, players do." - Marv Levy

by Tasker4HOF on Oct 10, 2011 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh yeah

Though I feel pretty confident w/ the number of investors who have come forward saying that they would buy the team. Not sure how reliable it is, but I’ve heard (can’t remember the source, sorry), that Pegula would be willing to buy the team. Same w/ an investment group allegedly led by Kelly.

Now to keep Toronto’s grubby hands away from our beloved Bills!

Fitzpatrick should have just walked around the stadium yelling "Are you not entertained!!!" ~ Dana H

by maestro110584 on Oct 11, 2011 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Vick is lucky he got out of this game alive.

He won’t last 3 more games.

Much happier with our boy Fitz.

And God dell is a snake. Don’t believe a word he says. I don’t care if he is from Maple Grove. He has no loyalty to us.

HERE’S TO RALPH LIVING TO BE 102 YEARS OLD!!

"There is not a loser in this room." Marv Levy.

by SERGEANT MAJOR THOR on Oct 10, 2011 7:06 PM EDT reply actions

No idea what u mean

Roger wants the the Bills in Buffalo. That’s why he said so when asked. Don’t be paranoid. There r other teams with just as bad corporate support, but FAR less fan support than we have that r ‘LA’ eligible.

If it makes u feel better, I believe Goodell was here precisely to attend the ‘secret’ meeting to KEEP the Bills here in Buffalo (per Chad Kellys tweet). Think about it, Goodell is a master at keeping his cards close to his vest, however he goes out of his way to mention that the team needs state support to renovate the stadium to ensure it’s sustainability for the long haul. Why would he mention that now, just a few weeks after Ralph himself publicly stated the same thing? I’d say it’s because Wilsons hip injury may be more serious than believed. Or at the very least, enough to make him realize he is too old to travel and be with his beloved team. The time is now for Ralph to pass the torch. And Goodell is integral in passing that torch because he must understand the ‘plan’ for succession, in order to sell said plan to the other 31 owners in the league.

In conclusion, his presence is more positive to me than negative. And it gets me pumped to think about!

by DJ O on Oct 10, 2011 7:31 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

DJ, I want you to be right...

In the transcript I saw of Goodell’s interview in Buffalo this past weekend, he said that the Bills would remain in Buffalo if the stadium remained competitive with other NFL venues, and if there was still support for the team. Is OBD already studying what has to be done to the stadium for it to remain “competitive,” (and who decides that it is or it isn’t competitive?) and I hope there is something definitive as to what “support” for the team actually means. Is x-number of sold-out games enough “support,” or are some intangibles going to enter in? Sorry for my paranoia, but with his talk of wanting the team to remain here, he’s also left two very big “ifs” out there.

Coincidentally, regarding the hip injury, I read just this week that the average life span of an elderly person after breaking a hip is 1.5 years. I’m not wanting to be insensitive to Mr. Wilson’s situation at all, I’m just saying that I read it.

"Systems don't win, players do." - Marv Levy

by Tasker4HOF on Oct 10, 2011 11:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Why is a city that pro football has already failed in three times considered to be the most desirable market for an NFL team? Los Angeles has had three teams (Chargers, Rams and Raiders) and all of them left because the market wouldn’t support them anymore.

I do remember the last time a Los Angeles team was high in league attendance. It was 1990. The Raiders were playing exceptionally well, they had a 100,000 seat arena and they had the largest market in the country. They finished second in attendance. Who was first?

Buffalo…in a market 1/8th the size and an arena with 20,000 fewer seats.

I’m sorry. Los Angeles does not deserve an NFL franchise ever again. Three strikes and you’re out.

"I could have conquered Europe, all of it, but I had women in my life." - King Henry II of England

by Calvert on Oct 10, 2011 11:56 PM EDT up reply actions

I think you are looking way too deeply into this. There may be some correlation here, but that does not, and should not, imply causation.

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by KPaup on Oct 11, 2011 3:51 AM EDT reply actions