steveoat87

Its not Granato or Ruff. Its Mr Palm Tree and the whole talent evaluation staff. Time to clean house again.

The Ken Dorsey of Hockey

If the team is sold say goodbye to a team in Buffalo. There are too many big market teams who would love a franchise. The best solution is pressure on Pegula to improve the team management and structure.

I remember Quinn looking very scared during the third period. He looked like he was trying to duck for cover. He should not be on this team -- not NHL ready.

The Bills have real leaders and a coach that demands accountability. They have a smart GM who knows what his team needs and is ready when the need calls (ie Amari Cooper). The Bills don't ever give up and always plays for Josh. Shakir said he would go through a brick wall for Josh. Who on the Sabres would do or say this? This is a pathetic bunch if kids -- yes, they look like kids, who are easily flustered and have no chip on their shoulder. The owner needs to do something.

What struck me about the Islanders game is not that the Islanders are a particularly good team, but how much more physically imposing they look than the Sabres. When I look at Brock Nelson or Anders Lee, they look so much bigger than their Sabres counterparts. We still look like we have alot of kids out there. Now these kids will mature and fill out more, but unfortunately that means we will have to wait and maybe then it will be too late.

I initially didn't have much hope for this season but there is something magical about this team. They are a hard working bunch and the pieces somehow seem to fit. This could be their year. The upcoming Detroit game will be very telling.

Good post. Right before Beane an McDermott, the Bills went through a version of this. Was the hiring of McDermott and Beane pure luck or was Kim a more positive influence then (unfortunately that no longer currently applies). I know there are people above Adams in the organization and maybe they will take a more active part. To me, this year's team is better than last years, but they are still adjusting to a new system and still have very young players. The coaching improvement is definite, but he has to have them unlearn alot of bad habits encouraged by Granato. I guess time will tell.

Terry must enjoy the success of the Bills. Given this, how can he tolerate what's happening with the Sabres. The money situation can't be the issue since he would make more money with a winning team. Does he really think Adams can turn this around or is it he just wants to believe this. I live through years of this with the Bills, but finally they got lucky. Do you think the Sabres will ever get lucky?

True, but it seems that a person of his means would have no difficulty finding someone if he really wanted to. I have worked at a number of large successful corporations and when there was motivation, there was never any problem finding a consultant or outside individual to assess and advise on a problem. Terry just seems very stubborn and appears to have some vision of what he wants, but it is unrealistic given the way hockey is currently played (probably whey he liked Jeff Skinner). The best chance we have is if either Lindy (who probably carries some weight) or his kids, who probably have some interest in the business) can talk some sense into him. Adams is just a yes man who is clueless as to how to run an organization.

This is shades of the Ralph Wilson syndrome. He would only hire people he new. You will never win with this philosophy. Hoping his kids can talk some sense into him.

I think with Quinn, the Achilles injury is still a big factor, whether it is psychological or physical. I know some basketball players who've had achilles injuries have taken several years before they are back to normal. You don't suddenly lose skill, but you do lose confidence. Hoping he can get this back.

Kevyn has to go. He has no sense of urgency while the season may be slipping away. I hope Lindy gets in his face and reads him the riot act. He should learn from Brandon Beane -- when the Bills needed a speedy wide receiver they wasted no type in getting Amari Cooper. This is pathetic.

Sad but true. He looks sturdy but performs like a piece of glass.

When Thompson is in the game, there is too much predictability -- too much deferral to him and his taking the same shot over and over again. When he was out, players had to scramble more and there was less predictability in the lineup. Yesterday was a mess. They appeared to be having trouble handling the puck the entire game and getting out of their own endzone. Too many long shots and almost no physical play. This is on coaching and the players. Show some pride. Benson is 19 and acts more grown up than most of them.

If Terry is the hold up to getting a good player, I am dumbfounded by the logic. For the 7 million he might have to spend, if this lead to a significant improvement to the team, won't this lead to more seats in the stadium and therefore more money for him? From a business standpoint, this makes no sense.

It feels like he has been out forever and there has been no update. Doesn't even feel like he is on the team. The team is definitely better when he is on the ice.

I wish the local media could put more pressure on Adams/Terry to do something.

Yes they are better than last year. What puzzles me is their ability to score goals 2 years ago compared to the current scenario. It must be that they are having trouble integrating the new defense (compared to having played no defense in the past) with their offensive game. Hopefully this will come in time. They also have to get much more comfortable shooting from closer distances with skill.

Not sure how great he was at development if they are not used to playing hard, both in games and practices. Not teaching defense is a major demerit, as well as not holding players accountable. He was kind of like Aaron Boone, the difference being Boone has veterans and highly skilled players, though their attitude and motivation if often questionable.

Barring unforeseen injuries I see the team improving as they keep getting comfortable with Lindy's system. Last year we wouldn't have won any of the recent games on the west coast. I would imagine we will see Levy again toward the end of the season. Maybe a trade will be made that actually helps the team?

Home town is a big part of it to me. I went to graduate school in Buffalo and worked afterwards for about 6 years. I became a big Bills and hockey fan ( I was a Yankee fan and Knicks fan prior to this). The economy was lousy and my wife was having trouble getting a good job. So we went home to live in the New York City metro area. I am still a big Bills fan and not as big, but still a Sabres fan. If the Sabres moved to somewhere like San Antonio I doubt I would watch them. It is the home connection that is meaningful to me. I know a lot of people are angry. But, it it better to have a team than no team. You will never get it back when there are cities like San Antonio, Atlanta and Oklahoma City.

What is going on with Hulu/ESPN+. Initially I had the game in English, but midway through the game the English feed was lost and I was stuck watching the Spanish version. Anyone else have this problem?

I think the team will get better, but it will take some time. You can see that some of the players don't yet look fully comfortable with the system and nothing yet is "instinctual" -- meaning it is so well learned that it becomes part of habit. What puzzles me it that some players, like Quinn, who were once very good shooters, cannot now hit the side of the barn. Granato said last year that defense is the hardest thing to teach and maybe until these players are more comfortable playing defense the scoring will suffer.

It is very clear to me that Granato was not a very good coach. For a so-called development person, there was little player development. No teaching of fundamentals and perseverance. Too much permission for sloppy play. As we just saw in the world series, even if you have a team with a lot of talent (The Yankees), talent can't overcome sloppy play when it counts.