The Bandits

[Drunkard]

For some reason a thread got closed about the trade deadline and I had a post already typed up that I was curious about so I have to create a thread rather than google the answer for myself (screw that, I already typed this up).

 

I generally agree with you. My point was just that Scotty seems to think that TP is laughing his way to the bank, having made millions by icing a crappy team -- and that this is way off.

To quote Rob Ray: No, you're right.

 

I agree with you though. He's not nefarious or anything but he really seems to have adopted the losing culture of Buffalo sports rather than reversing it so far. Sabres, Bills, and Amerks all floundering. Are the Bandits any good or did they fall off the performance cliff as well? I've never followed Lacrosse but I remember reading that they won multiple titles back when they had John Tavares' uncle or whomever. I don't know if the Bandits are better or worse since Pegula has owned them though.

[JohnRobertEichel]

For some reason a thread got closed about the trade deadline and I had a post already typed up that I was curious about so I have to create a thread rather than google the answer for myself (screw that, I already typed this up).

 

 

To quote Rob Ray: No, you're right.

 

I agree with you though. He's not nefarious or anything but he really seems to have adopted the losing culture of Buffalo sports rather than reversing it so far. Sabres, Bills, and Amerks all floundering. Are the Bandits any good or did they fall off the performance cliff as well? I've never followed Lacrosse but I remember reading that they won multiple titles back when they had John Tavares' uncle or whomever. I don't know if the Bandits are better or worse since Pegula has owned them though.

 

Yes, the Bandits have absolutely fallen off the performance cliff this season in a way that even surpasses the Bills and Sabres (I don't follow the Amerks). The Bandits had a great season last year and made it to the finals, and pretty much the same team from last year returned intact. So on paper, they look strong.

 

And yet most of their 8 games played this season have followed the same pattern: show up listless and get utterly blown out for most of the game, then come back to some extent to make it look respectable, but then lose. They actually played their first complete game last weekend and followed up with a really solid trade for a lefty forward (Pat Saunders), so it's hard to say whether last weekend was an aberration or whether the first 7 games were the aberration.

 

In summary: yes, Terry Pegula is a Terry-bly incompetent owner and everything he touches turns to sh!t. And I doubt he's even aware that he owns the Bandits, which could ultimately work in their favor...

[Drunkard]

Yes, the Bandits have absolutely fallen off the performance cliff this season in a way that even surpasses the Bills and Sabres (I don't follow the Amerks). The Bandits had a great season last year and made it to the finals, and pretty much the same team from last year returned intact. So on paper, they look strong.

 

And yet most of their 8 games played this season have followed the same pattern: show up listless and get utterly blown out for most of the game, then come back to some extent to make it look respectable, but then lose. They actually played their first complete game last weekend and followed up with a really solid trade for a lefty forward (Pat Saunders), so it's hard to say whether last weekend was an aberration or whether the first 7 games were the aberration.

 

In summary: yes, Terry Pegula is a Terry-bly incompetent owner and everything he touches turns to sh!t. And I doubt he's even aware that he owns the Bandits, which could ultimately work in their favor...

Thanks for the insight. That's crazy that even they stink now. He acquired them the same time as the Sabres though and they made the finals last year so I guess it wasn't an instant flop. Were they some type of juggernaut in 2011 that simply took 5 years to fall apart? I was half joking at first but maybe he really is cursed. Edited March 2, 2017 by Drunkard

[JohnRobertEichel]

Thanks for the insight. That's crazy that even they stink now. He acquired them the same time as the Sabres though and they made the finals last year so I guess it wasn't an instant flop. Were they some type of juggernaut in 2011 that simply took 5 years to fall apart? I was half joking at first but maybe he really is cursed.

 

The last Bandit juggernaut was in 2008 when they last won the championship. At that point, the team was mostly just a bunch of old vets while the rest of the league was beginning to move toward an up-tempo transition game that relied more on youth and speed. I think the current GM/HC at the time (Darris Kilgour) was great at what he did, but he was also a bit stubborn and behind the times. He doubled down by trading high draft picks for older established vets. This strategy seemed to no longer work in the league, and it led to his eventual firing by 2013.

 

My own personal assessment of the current GM (Steve Dietrich) and HC (Troy Cordingly) are that they are very good at what they do and were forced to rebuild a Bandits franchise without the usual assets that a rebuilding franchise has (Kilgour famously traded away draft picks to the point that the team didn't have a first round pick for 4 straight years - 2013 through 2016). The Bandits managed to reach the finals last year for the first time since 2008, and they did so with a nice mix of young guys, players in their prime, and older vets. They played admirably against a team that just seemed to be flat out better than the rest of the league.

 

I'm not entirely sure what's wrong with this year's team. Injuries have been a minor problem, but not nearly to the extent to justify getting absolutely blown out like they have been all year. Maybe the roster could use more pure shutdown defenders. There's still slightly over half a season left to get things turned around, and their second best forward (Ryan Benesch) should be coming back soon from IR.

 

So if I want to be fair, it's hard for me to blame Terry on any of the Bandits' current problems. If he is cursed, it could be the cosmic karma for getting rich off of destroying the Pennsylvania lands with his fracking ventures.

[matter2003]

Yes, the Bandits have absolutely fallen off the performance cliff this season in a way that even surpasses the Bills and Sabres (I don't follow the Amerks). The Bandits had a great season last year and made it to the finals, and pretty much the same team from last year returned intact. So on paper, they look strong.

 

And yet most of their 8 games played this season have followed the same pattern: show up listless and get utterly blown out for most of the game, then come back to some extent to make it look respectable, but then lose. They actually played their first complete game last weekend and followed up with a really solid trade for a lefty forward (Pat Saunders), so it's hard to say whether last weekend was an aberration or whether the first 7 games were the aberration.

 

In summary: yes, Terry Pegula is a Terry-bly incompetent owner and everything he touches turns to sh!t. And I doubt he's even aware that he owns the Bandits, which could ultimately work in their favor...

 

Yeah they lost the final game by a goal

[PromoTheRobot]

Oh, how we long for the days of Goilisano, Quinn and Regier. Our golden age.

[JohnRobertEichel]

The Bandits are now currently the worst team in the league.

 

Way to go, Terry and Kim. You are the proud owners of THREE underachieving, uninspired, unwatchable sports franchises.

[Stoner]

Oh, how we long for the days of Goilisano, Quinn and Regier. Our golden age.

Comparatively speaking, it was.

[PromoTheRobot]

Comparatively speaking, it was.

Ironically I clearly recall how galling it was for the Sabres to be merely making the playoffs.

[Drunkard]

The Bandits are now currently the worst team in the league.

 

Way to go, Terry and Kim. You are the proud owners of THREE underachieving, uninspired, unwatchable sports franchises.

 

#OneBuffalo

 

Time for some ticket price increases.