Author: Chris Ostrander

Washington rout the start of an ugly 48-hour period for the Bills

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It has been a hellacious 48 hours at One Bills Drive. After a definitive drubbing at the hands of Washington on Saturday, the Bills scrambled to reinforce their quarterback depth before losing their top cornerback for what could be eight weeks.

Stephon Gilmore is expected to miss at least 5-6 weeks and upwards of eight after it was reported that he suffered a wrist fracture on Saturday evening and is expected to be on the shelf for some time. Given that Buffalo only trimmed their roster to 76 on Monday, it could possibly leave the door open for Gilmore to be tabbed with the IR-designated to return status to start the year. Continue reading →

Projecting the 53-man roster

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With the deadline to trim the roster to 75 looming (the Bills already dropped to 76), the remaining roster moves will come quickly once this week’s preseason game has passed.

The primary focus of this year’s camp has centered around the quarterback competition as EJ Manuel attempts to earn the role of starter as a rookie. However, both Manuel and Kevin Kolb are all but guaranteed to be in uniform and on the opening day roster when the Bills open against the Pats.

Positions like receiver, defensive line, corner and linebacker will be far different as the Bills 53-man roster shakes out and I’m hopeful that my projected 53-man roster is close to that of Doug Marrone’s. Continue reading →

Q&A with BASE Hockey on the best sticks money can buy

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I’ve had the chance to correspond with a handful of hockey personalities this summer. People tapped into the industry working for companies like CCM and Warrior. I also had a very unique opportunity to do a Q&A with Ron Kunisaki, one of the founders of BASE Hockey.

If you haven’t heard of BASE, don’t worry. They’re a stick manufacturer who doesn’t bother trying to run with the bigger name companies in terms of marketing or endorsements. Instead, they put their money where their mouth is. Ask anyone who has used their products – there are way more guys out there than you’d think – you won’t hear a bad thing about them. Check out the Q&A below and then check out BASE Hockey.ca to see their entire product line.

Q: Mind giving a little more history about BASE? Just talking a bit about how you got started, the products you produce and your general mission?

Ron Kunisaki: The inspiration for BASE Hockey was borne out of a conversation between Cliff Ronning, Al Iafrate , Holmes Ghassemi and myself in early 2010. As veterans of the hockey stick business and the NHL, we recognized the need to bring to amateurs the shooting evaluation and stick customization offered to NHLers. Cliff is almost autistic with his trained eye, memory and stick spec expertise. Al understands shooting mechanics better than anyone. Combine these unique talents with their NHL career and experience as NHL Pro Reps, and you can understand why their career paths merged into BASE.

We developed proprietary software, hardware and protocol using high speed video to analyze a player’s shot and identify a player’s optimal flex, curve and lie. We then built our own stick factory in Tijuana, Mexico and our first Fitting Center in Vancouver. Simply put, we built from scratch the ability to deliver to amateurs the high-end  analysis and custom sticks provided to NHLers.

With the design team, manufacturing plant and retail fitting center built in 2010, BASE began providing  custom stick fittings, instruction and custom sticks in 2011. In addition to improving your game, all of our sticks are sold factory-direct to customers to keep pricing low. Continue reading →

Sabres load up for another Traverse City run

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You can’t say the Sabres haven’t won anything. They enter this year’s Traverse City Prospect Tournament as the defending champions after their triumph in 2011.

Buffalo’s title defense was delayed after last season’s lockout and they may benefit from the delay as they are prepared to ice a scary talented roster for the 2013 tourney. Mikhail Grigorenko will lead Buffalo’s other top prospects including; Joel Armia, Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nikita Zadorov and others in search of another tournament championship.

Mark Pysyk is one of the “vets” on Buffalo’s Traverse City roster.

Sending stacked rosters isn’t necessarily something that only the Sabres participate in. Each team manages to send a combination of pro ready prospects, new draft picks and players who have seen pro ice time to the tourney. It just so happens that Buffalo makes sure to construct a roster of their best prospects.

In 2011 the top line of Luke Adam, Marcus Foligno and Zack Kassian bullied their way through the rest of the tournament and claimed the first championship the franchise has ever seen.* Considering that Armia, Girgensons, Grigorenko and Larsson are amongst those participating, I think the Sabres are betting on bringing back another championship.

In addition to Girgensons, Grigorenko and Larsson – all who played professionally last year – Buffalo has a pair of NHL defensemen (Chad Ruhwedel and Mark Pysyk) to skate along with another NHL-ready player in Ristolainen. Continue reading →

Sharks tweaks give a new look in the same packaging

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The middle of August and hockey don’t have much in common. Just ask those who follow the Sabres Twitter account as they’re subjected to countless puzzle pieces of the new third jersey as they wait for the new sweater to be unveiled.

Two more clubs took their cue from the Sabres and Hurricanes this year and teased information on Twitter regarding their new jerseys. Minnesota will begin to tease pictures on the 26th and the Sharks tossed a few teasers out prior to their unveiling today.

San Jose’s new uniforms are pretty much the same as the one’s they’ve donned since the Reebok EDGE uniform system was unveiled in 2007-08 with some specific changes to the jerseys. First, they ditched the shoulder yoke off both the home and away uniforms while also removing the waist stripes from both jerseys. They added a lace collar, cut down on the amount of orange everywhere making the entire uniform set far more simple and closer to the design of their awesome black alternates.

Cluttered was the best way to describe San Jose’s previous uniforms. It was as if the design team went onto the NHL 14 team creator, picked every jersey option they could and then put four different colors to it. The result was a heavy, trimmed shoulder yoke, shoulder patch, numbers on the front and three-color striping and numbers. It was a mess. These new jerseys, while incredibly similar, are simple and clean.

Going to a simple two-color number is cleaner and makes the teal pop so much more now that the orange has been minimized. From the crest up, these jerseys look phenomenal. The shoulder logos kind of look like they’re floating, but losing the yoke was a major plus. Where they went off the rails was with the stripes.

The LA Kings can attest to what happens when you lose the waist stripes on your jerseys. It’s a bottomless expanse that looks unfinished. Unfortunately that’s the exact issue with these new Sharks uniforms. Add to that the odd decision to keep just one orange stripe on the sleeves and socks and San Jose is left with a very perplexing look. While de-cluttering is definitely the name of the game for the Sharks, perhaps they took it a step too far with the stripes.

Had they picked a lane with the stripes – orange or no orange – they would have been better off. It wouldn’t have been a problem to keep the pair of thin orange accents on the sleeves and socks. It also would have been just as easy to drop orange from the scheme altogether. One way or the other, they needed that bottom stripe as well. The jersey looks strange without it.

Overall the Sharks did a great job minimizing the amount of orange on the jerseys, accentuating teal and simplifying a brutal design. They missed on the stripes but still improved their look overall. I’m interested to see what the Wild have in store and I’m sure we’ll have six or seven more Sabres puzzle pieces to decode before October roll around.

QB competition closed and then reopened after Friday’s win

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Much like in their first preseason triumph, Buffalo’s second and third stringers controlled the games as the Bills rolled to a 20-16 victory over Minnesota at home on Friday.

It was a victory marred with regret as EJ Manuel was forced to go through a minor procedure on his left knee, knocking the rookie out for at least two weeks. Manuel didn’t show any signs of injury during his time against the Vikings, putting together another nice outing and taking another step towards Buffalo’s starting job.

Manuel’s play, like against the Colts, was less about the tangible results and more about his presence on the field, for me. Racking up yards against second and third teamers doesn’t hold as much water for me as the operating efficiency that Manuel has shown on his two long touchdown drives. He appears to have a strong grasp of the offense and manages the game well. Obviously a 225 yard, two touchdown half would yield numbers that indicate Manuel’s play was beyond impressive; but in these shorter cameo’s the substance is less about the final stat line for me.

Kevin Kolb’s numbers serve as a good example of this. He finished the evening with a couple of quality drives which bolstered his box score a bit. However, his play within the first half left plenty to be desired. Manuel’s knee injury will keep Kolb afloat for now, but it seems like a safe bet that the rookie will lock down the top spot on the depth chart. Continue reading →

Finding an identity for UB

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There’s a diamond in the rough in the WNY sports scene that has the potential to become one of the preeminent pieces of the athletic community in the region. It’s a team simultaneously fighting for the attention of WNY sports fans and a larger identity crisis.

As the years have ticked by, UB has battled an increasing difficult fight in an attempt to gain relevance on a regional and national level – specifically in the cash cow sports of basketball and football. As the 2013-14 athletics calendar heats up, UB’s newest facelift will be in full view.

One of Danny White’s first steps in his role as AD has been to usher in the use of New York as the most prominent branding feature for the school’s athletics team. Instead of focusing on being the University at Buffalo Bulls, they will be the State University of NEW YORK at Buffalo Bulls. The change has been welcomed with varying reviews, although the angle makes perfect sense.

In practice, I don’t think the change has been well executed. The big New York font on the football uniforms and Alumni Arena court looks awkward and doesn’t play very well on the eyes. While I support the thinking behind this type of rebranding, I’m not sure it is going to work as planned. Continue reading →

Will special teams save Smith’s spot?

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More so than the competition stewing under center at Bills camp; the gaggle of athletes vying for time at receiver has become one of the most intriguing parts of the preseason for the Bills.

One player at the crux of the battle is incumbent gadget player, Brad Smith. Smith’s role on the team was expected to be reduced this season and restructuring his deal during the dog days of summer indicated that he was well aware of what may be coming down the pipe.

With Stevie Johnson, Robert Woods, T.J. Graham and Marquise Goodwin slotted in as Buffalo’s top four wide outs, Smith was looking at the prospect for significantly fewer targets per game before the bags started being packed for St. John Fisher. The emergence of Chris Hogan, hype surrounding Da’Rick Rogers and the performances of Marcus Easley and, to a lesser extent, DeMarco Sampson has thrust Smith into some hot water.

Smith wasn’t going to be a major offensive contributor for the Bills this season. The draft all but guaranteed that the organization was looking for more speed and talent to complement their shiny new rookie quarterback. Even without a defined role on the offensive side of the ball, Smith still remains a quality special teams contributor both as a returner and in coverage.

Of course he has likely been supplanted as a return man too. Considering that, is there still a spot for Smith on the 53-man roster? Or will he be released to ensure a spot for one of the popular youngsters like Hogan or Rogers? Continue reading →

Bills backups roll up points, yards against Colts backups

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If there’s one rule of thumb that football fans need to follow it is to not read too deeply into the results on the scoreboard from preseason games.

While the third game is typically considered the final tune up for a team’s starters, the Bills entered their 2013 slate with the opportunity to see a handful of potential starters in extended auditions during their 44-20 win over Indianapolis.

E.J. Manuel was the greatest beneficiary of the extra playing time as he ran Buffalo’s offense for the entire first half while Kevin Kolb served as the emergency quarterback due to missing time last week with a knee injury and family issue. I wouldn’t necessarily say that Manuel made the most of his opportunity, but the extra playing time certainly won’t hurt his progression.

The shining moment of his day came on a surgically precise two-minute drill to give the Bills the halftime lead. The 92-yard drive likely served as a nice confidence boost for Manuel as the 92-yard trek was really the first evidence of the swagger that was on display during his most impressive games at Florida State.

Assuming he has the upper hand in the quarterback competition, I’d say that Manuel didn’t do anything to hurt his status on the depth chart. He took care of the football and even showed how dangerous he can be outside of the pocket on a pair of runs. His touchdown pass to Dorin Dickerson was perfectly thrown and served as a perfect cap to his preseason debut.

Manuel was somewhat limited to start the day, as the Bills featured a run-heavy look to start their possessions. In addition to the majority of run calls, Manuel was a little cold off the bat when putting the ball in the air. It wasn’t until his final couple of series when he started to heat up. He had his fair share of flaws; double clutching a few throws and getting a little too cute with others. Perhaps it was a case of nerves more than anything else and Friday’s matchup against Minnesota will serve as the link in the chain for Manuel. Continue reading →

Using HARBORcenter’s profile to attract college hockey’s best

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Last week, the Sabres and Canisius confirmed what many hockey fans in Buffalo had long assumed; the Golden Griffins will call HARBORcenter home starting in the 2014-15 season.

With the Griffs set to become the primary tenant at Terry Pegula’s newest contribution to downtown Buffalo, the ripple effects on hockey at the local and national level should be seen sooner rather than later.

The 1,800 seat facility will most definitely help the Sabres draw attention for such events like the All-Star Game, World Junior Championships and perhaps even the Frozen Four. The lodging, ice availability and attraction of the $172 million facility should bolster the resume for the Sabres and First Niagara Center. Not to mention the positive returns the Golden Griffins will enjoy in terms of exposure and on the recruiting trail.

However, there is one road that I’m still waiting for the Griffs, Sabres and most importantly, Terry Pegula to explore. The creation of a yearly tournament, jointly hosted by the Sabres and Canisius as a way to showcase the program, First Niagara Center as well as HARBORcenter. In some ways it would be a recreation of the Punch Imlach Invitational that was ran in the early 2000s, but I’d like to see things improved in the future. Continue reading →