Author: Chris Ostrander

Bills have options despite shortage at receiver

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Food for thought: the Bills have four specialists, four wide receivers and four quarterbacks. You might say three quarterbacks and five wide outs depending on your point of view.

Regardless, the Bills enter week one with a very interesting set up in terms of their 53-man roster. Tavaris Jackson, Tyler Thigpen and Brad Smith are all filling a role behind Ryan Fitzpatrick as Buffalo’s signal caller. Meanwhile, only Stevie Johnson, David Nelson, T.J Graham and Donald Jones are the wide outs for Buffalo’s typically spread open attack.

Dorin Dickerson’s versatility may fill the Bills need for receiving depth.

The choice to retain Thigpen was obvious. Jackson, while a fine option to fill the backup role behind Fitzpartick, hasn’t learned the offense yet and would leave the Bills crippled if Fitzpatrick was injured early in the year. In addition, Brad Smith has a wonky groin and seems better suited as a receiver than quarterback.Smith’s groin could potentially keep him out of, or limited, against the Jets. There is still five days until kickoff which allows for plenty of healing time. Regardless if Smith plays or not, there is a better chance he will be contributing as a receiver rather than at QB (outside of wildcat plays).

What might be the best option would be to cut ties with Smith. He hasn’t proven to be worth the investment they made, particularly with so few spots available for gimmick tools (see: kickoff specialist). It might just be in the best interest of the team to retain Thigpen as a third string passer, cut ties with Smith and fill the vacant spot with a proper receiver from a practice squad, waiver wire or free agency.

It seems safe to assume that the Bills will not attempt to go through the season with just four receivers while carrying an equal number of quarterbacks. At some point they will cut ties with a signal caller to free up a roster spot for either a playmaker or some other position of need. In the short term, however, they do have some options. Continue reading →

Pegula Ice Arena progressing towards completion

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This is a special guest submission from Kyle Rossi who runs the blog Thank You Terry. His blog is all about Penn State hockey – both club and NCAA – and is full of phenomenal information. I highly recommend reading it on a regular basis. Kyle was kind enough to offer some insight to the progress being made on the Pegula Ice Arena down in State College. Given the Sabres recent victory regarding the Webster Block, I thought there would be no one better to provide some insight on the scope of a Pegula funded project such as the PIA or the HARBORcenter. Enjoy.

Hey Sabres fans! My name is Kyle Rossi, and I write Thank You Terry, a blog covering the soon-to-be four hockey teams representing Penn State (men’s and women’s NCAA, men’s and women’s ACHA). As I’m sure you know, you and I both share a debt of gratitude to one rather wealthy man: Terry Pegula.

The rendering of what the finished Pegula Ice Arena will look like.

Our stories are actually somewhat parallel. While Buffalo was wandering through a purgatory characterized by an always-competitive team that never saw a free agent it couldn’t lose (or a scouting department it couldn’t slash) and therefore couldn’t take the final couple of steps, Penn State was dealing with its own sort of limbo. Our non-varsity teams, known as the Icers and Lady Icers, had been considered candidates to make the jump to the big time, NCAA Division I, for decades – if only the school could find some money for a DI-caliber hockey arena. Despite PSU’s glut of success in the ACHA (including seven national championships), the program’s rabid supporters were always just one “hey, when are you guys going DI?” from an outsider away from a feeling of hopelessness.

Suddenly, in swoops this billionaire nobody had ever heard of to write large checks and save the day. In the Sabres’ case, I suppose he wasn’t a complete unknown, but there still had to be a “wait…this guy’s a Sabres fan…and he wants to buy the team?!?” moment for you guys.

Anyway, Chris invited me to write this post to update you on the progress of something possibly of interest of you, the arena bearing Pegula’s name on Penn State’s campus.

You might be familiar with some of the widely-reported basics. There will be two NHL-sized sheets, one in what’s being called the Community Rink, which will have 300 seats, the other in the main arena, which will seat 6,000. Five thousand of those seats will be arranged in a single-level horseshoe, with a ring of suites above the open concourse that will be at the top of the “regular person” seating. The final thousand seats will be the student section, to be located behind the net Penn State will attack twice. It will be as steep as code allows, helping to meet the one major directive Pegula has given on the project, that the building “sound like a hockey game inside of a garbage can” on game days.

“It should sound like a hockey game inside a garbage can.” Terry Pegula

The price tag – $89 million – is absolutely staggering for a college hockey facility of its size. For context on that, one only needs to consider some of the venues toured by a Penn State contingent (including Pegula) in 2010 to generate design ideas. Notre Dame’s Compton Family Ice Arena, which opened last season, cost about $50 million. Miami’s Goggin Ice Center cost $35 million (in 2006). Minnesota-Duluth’s AMSOIL Arena opened in late 2010 at a cost of $38 million, while RIT’s proposed Gene Polisseni Center, the most likely candidate to replace the Pegula Ice Arena as the newest in college hockey, is estimated to cost around $35 million. Basically, if Penn State gets anything approaching dollar-for-dollar value on this project, it will instantly become the crown jewel of college hockey. Continue reading →

Might a new UB stadium spark something bigger?

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I was previously inspired to write about UB’s football program due to my desire to see a true Division 1 college team in my hometown. The Bulls were close at one time, but still have some work to do.

During the time I spent thinking about that previous post, Brian Koziol and Mike Harrington were discussing the Big East’s hope for a 14th team. Their conversation evolved into a discussion over UB’s stadium and the shortcomings the building has.

Upgrade me, please.

UB Stadium is just about 20 years old and has a much younger, albeit unimpressive, addition on the north and south ends. It its current state – replete with Jacksonville-style trap advertisements on the north end – the stadium holds just over 29,000 people. That is an average number for a stadium that houses a team whose fan base is quite small. Filling it, however is a completely different problem. As detailed in that previous post, in-roads need to be made to establish the legitimacy of the Bulls in the Buffalo sports market. Truthfully, this team should be no lower than third in priority behind the Bills and Sabres. This is a DI football team that seems to get equivalent treatment to a double-A baseball by many.

Improving non-conference competition and providing your head coach the appropriate amount of time to build the program are vital parts of taking UB to the next level But if the digs aren’t up to snuff, big conferences and fans that is on the fence may not be lured towards the Bulls.

UB’s current set up is by no means old. But it is severely below the standard for most DI programs. An ideal situation would bring about a new facility to house the football, track and soccer teams, but finding that kind of funding is going to be next to impossible. As of now, the only changes due to the stadium under UB2020 is the removal of the – now tarped – north bleachers. That will make room for an indoor facility which is a wonderful recruiting tool, but it doesn’t do much for the glorified DIII stadium that stands at UB North today. Continue reading →

Can UB football find more respect?

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Once again, college football is in full swing and all is right with the world. It is funny that most people in Buffalo still seem to care very little about the UB Bulls program. Despite the lack of general interest and fan support, DI college football lives in Western New York. However, it has yet to find a way to thrive.

The Bulls haven’t really done much to help their cause. Outside of the Tuner Gill era, this has been a program mired in mediocrity that has often inched towards downright pathetic. The early years were obviously thin as was expected when trying to make the jump. But it seems unfortunate that the team never gained momentum from their MAC Championship and bowl appearance. Perhaps the blame lies outside of the stadium walls.

Buffalo has always prided itself on being a football town. Yet the Bills seem to be the only team that fans have any interest in. The Buffalo News is fighting the good fight for this team and providing adequate coverage. However, the paper seems to be the only media outlet giving much attention to the team.

It is understandable that the battle between a college football program, the whiner line and candy drafts is a difficult one. At the end of the day I would imagine D1 football finishes a distant third from those two radio programming staples.

What would appear to be the biggest problem is two-fold. The team struggles to hit the .500 mark in most seasons while battling major perception issues from fans and area media alike.

The first issue is strictly fact. Aside from the success Turner Gill built, the Bulls have been quite average for their entire time playing with the big boys. Of course, that isn’t for lack of trying. They schedule big name teams for those early season pay days with hopes of constructing the framework to build the program on. However, it would seem as if there is also a perpetual state of recycling happening here. At some point the program will need to take the next, necessary step forward. Until they do, finding their rightful footing (truthfully they should slot in right behind the Bills and Sabres) in the Buffalo sports landscape will be a battle.

The second issue is simply a misconception of the football being played by UB. Just look at their MAC Championship season. They were ultra-competitive in the MAC and even managed a few upsets along the way. That first bowl berth was a great step to take, even if the end results pushed Turner Gill to a job with a more respectable school. Playing in the MAC is a big part of the issue for me. As someone who likes just about any form of college football, I’m cool with it. Mid-major conferences produce great competition and the occasional stud prospect. For bandwagon fans, however, it just doesn’t register. Continue reading →

Sabres Harbor Center chosen for the Webster Block

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It is official. The development team led by Terry Pegula and the Buffalo Sabres has been selected to develop the Webster Block.

Work can now begin on the HARBORcenter project that won the bid process for the Sabres’ group. When finished, the building will include parking, a hotel, two ice rinks along with retail and restaurant space. Their official proposal tabbed March as the start of construction, which is the date the Sabres will stick with.

News reports indicate that the restaurant, retail, ice rinks and parking will be ready for the start of the 2014-15 season with the hotel to follow shortly after. With the ground breaking set for March, I would anticipate that significant process will be occurring late in the summer of 2013.

Coupled with the progress on One Canalside (Donovan Building), the faux canals and the rest of the Aud Block, the Canalside footprint will suddenly be awash with construction projects. For a district that stayed afloat on renderings and proposals, this is a breath of fresh air.

The choice of the HARBORcenter over and Carl Paladino’s proposal likely came down to the office component that was part of the Paladino project. With the HSBC tower set to be largely vacated, there was no need for over 100,000 square feet of new office space so close to what is soon to be a vacant tower. In addition, the year-round draw that will come from the ice rink component makes HARBORcenter an extremely viable project.

In addition, the inclusion of Tim Horton’s and New Era as retail partners in the HARBORcenter plans showed that the retail component is going to have an immediate impact. Hearing the word “destination” attached to the Tim Horton’s location is particularly intriguing. I know one source pointed to this as potentially being built as the world’s largest Tim Horton’s.

One thing that should be noted is that this project was kept out of the hands of ECHDC. Byron Brown wanted to keep this as a city parcel and fast track the development and did just thatNot to denigrate the work that has been done by ECHDC at Canalside, but that project has has run into its fair share of snags, holdups and setbacks over the past few years. So much so that all that can be shown for the development of Canalside are a few plush lawns and some colorful chairs. Even one of the lawns came courtesy of Terry Pegula.

Before Donn Esmonde takes the time to credit the slower, dumber, cheaper approach that is being taken at Canalside, realize that lawn chairs have nothing to do with this project. This was a parcel that was identified as prime for major development and the city didn’t settle for anything less. So, if you see some form of rhetoric touting the Adirondack chairs and their influence on this project, realize it is bull crap.

What should be pointed out is that the relationship that HARBORcenter and Canalside will have is definitely going to be give and take. Canalside, while devoid of permanent attractions and activities, draws massive crowds every summer. Once the compressors are active in the canals, it will be a year-round destination. The throngs of people that frequent Canalside will be happy to find accessible parking and real, sit down food options at HARBORcenter. On the other hand, those planning on heading to HARBORcenter for hockey or a meal will be lucky enough to stroll down to the waterfront and take in everything that Canalside has become.

Adding Tim Horton’s and New Era brings the first real private retailers to Canalside’s doorstep along with a full-scale sit down restaurant. Add in the restaurant space at One Canalside and there will be a trio of restaurants (Liberty Hound) just outside of FNC set to serve fans and participants of youth or adult hockey games. Then, of course, there are the hotel patrons that will be staying in either HARBORcenter or One Canalside.

These hotel rooms will serve out-of-town travelers, hockey families and a number of other directly in the heart of downtown near what is now becoming one of the more exciting areas of the city.

There is a ton of positive momentum building at Canalside. Some of it has come from the ancillary installations that have been put in in lieu of any concrete development over the past five years. However, today’s announcement welcomes a second full-scale piece of development that will serve as a true cornerstone for the district.

Choosing HARBORcenter may have been a difficult decision to come to, but it most certainly was the right conclusion to reach.

Sportscenter 2.0

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Where are you Mackenzie McHale? ESPN needs you.

As each month passes, I feel like the content produced by ESPN edges closer to a skewed, rating-driven approach as compared to balanced sports coverage. You can see why this would be a problem for a station dubbed as the “Worldwide Leader in Sports”, no?

I’m sure she wouldn’t let Tebow in the rundown.

Perhaps there is some brazen American woman with a sexy accent (due to her British upbringing) who is concerned with actually providing sports news to sports fans, as opposed to much of what ESPN does on a daily basis.

It should be noted that this has little to do with ESPN’s hockey coverage. While their hunger for ratings is obviously what has kept the station away from acknowledging the sport even exists at the professional level, this isn’t just about that.

The continued employment and use of Skip Bayless, consistent coverage of a below-average quarterback who is expected to be a backup this season. Factor in the embarrassment that was “The Decision” and the laser focus given to singular players or teams as compared to the entire sport, and you see what ESPN has become.

They aren’t all bad, of course. Their ensemble analyst casts on College Gameday kills it every week, the NFL crew isn’t the worst setup of all the networks (see Sharpe, Shannon) and the other specific analysts do a phenomenal job. Whether you’re talking baseball, basketball or anything else. Factor in their new devotion to soccer and there is room for a winning recipe here.

It is the tabloid-level crap that needs to be scrubbed from existence. When Skip Bayless isn’t lying about his history as an athlete, he is drumming up arguments based less on fact and more on radical opinions. That, of course, is his job. But there isn’t much real sports talk occurring every time he pollutes the airwaves. Continue reading →

Poll: What are your thoughts on the All-American Prospects game uniforms?

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USA Hockey released the design of the uniforms for the All-American Prospects game that will be played at First Niagara Center on September 29. The uniforms, designed by Nike, have quite a bit going on. To say the least.

I don’t hate them. In fact, the white looks pretty sharp thanks to the red and blue accents. However, the blue uniform has a nice Pro Beach Hockey, RHI, minor-league feel to it. I think the watermark/sublimated USA Hockey logo that is set to the background of each pops more on the blue uniform, making it a little more busy. My only question is in regard to Nike making the jerseys for a CCM sponsored event. I know there are whispers of some hockey companies (CCM, Reebok, The Hockey Company etc.) being purchased. I just wonder if this represents one of those deals.

But enough about what I think. Share your thoughts in the comments and on the poll below.

The Instigator Podcast 1.18 – Featuring Die by the Blade

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Eric and I were joined by Zach, from Die by the Blade to talk about the Sabres Alumni Golf Tournament, Shane Doan, the leadership void in the locker room and plus/minus.

Thanks again to Zach for coming on the show, he is the first official guest we have had on the Instigator and it was fun to have him in the conversation. You probably already read Die by the Blade, and if you don’t you should start doing so immediately.

Jackson in, Young out as backup QB carousel keeps spinning

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Well, that was fun while it lasted. For a brief moment, the Bills had the first and third picks from the 2006 NFL draft on their roster.

For what it’s worth, one is a $100 million superstar and the other was a re-tread that Buddy Nix decided to take a chance on. I’ll let you take a guess which one just got released. On a side note, the 2006 Draft was the one in which the Bills took Donte Whitner at number eight ahead of such players as: Jay Cutler, Haloti Ngata, Chad Greenway, Kamerion Wimbley and Tamba Hali. Oh, the Bills also traded back into the first round for John McCargo that season. Isn’t this fun?

After acquiring Tavaris Jackson from Seattle for an undisclosed draft pick, the Bills chose to part ways with Vince Young after a relatively mediocre preseason from the former University of Texas star. While Young had a seemingly firm grasp on the backup quarterback job, he didn’t have a firm grasp on his place on the Bills roster.

Young enjoyed what was reported to be an adequate training camp and offseason, along with a strong performance against the Vikings in Buffalo’s second preseason game. However, he threw a pair of interceptions against the Steelers on Saturday and certainly didn’t look like he had a very good grasp of the offense.

Young’s lackluster performance against the Steelers looked to be the cherry on top of the sundae for him to be shipped out the door. Young looked lost in his few series against Washington in the first preseason game. Granted, he was playing with the threes and had to rely on his legs behind a patchwork line. However, it was more of the same happy feet and poor decision making on Saturday night. This time, his struggles came at the expense of the Bills and Steelers backups.

Signing Young in the spring time came as a decent reprieve from a pattern of late round prospects getting most of the looks from the Bills. Of course, Young was just above average under center this preseason, which expedited his departure. Continue reading →

Taking a stab at the Bills 53-man roster

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With the Bills set to significantly trim their roster tomorrow, I thought I would take my first run at the 53-man roster. I have a few positions that I had struggled with, but managed to come to a final conclusion. This week’s preseason game and practice reports pointed towards a few of the decisions I went with, although there is always a chance for a surprise veteran to get the gas at this time of the year.

For the first time in a few years, the Bills entered preseason with a roster that was a little more stable that in recent seasons. There were fewer position battles, especially for starting jobs and there was far less attention paid to the contributions of late picks and undrafted free agents. I had a fairly strong sense of what the roster would eventually look like heading into this first round of cuts. Hopefully my picks don’t turn out to be totally foolish. (* indicates rookies) Continue reading →