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Extending the Olive Branch

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  • If the Bills do move I hope they can pull off what the Browns did and secure the franchise rights so they can make an expansion Bills.

    "I said, 'I need someone who's going to want to get on the roller coaster with me knowing that it's not always going to be fun,'" -Paul DePodesta

  • So, what is the deal with Bon Jovi.....is he outwardly stating that he will move the team? And to where? Toronto? LA? Asbury Park?

    Why put 130 mill into a facility if one of the probable conditions of keeping the team there is a new stadium? Put that money into the new stadium.

    B 1 Reply
  • B BillsFan5885

    Howdy all! Figured I might pop in to drum up any support the Bills may have from the Browns' fanbase. We like our team where it is and hope everyone else does too. Small market teams like us are just as important to the league as big market teams imo.

    As I'm sure some of you know, the Bills & Browns have unofficially supported each other for a long time, both being small market teams. From the shenanigans they pulled together to steal Bernie Kosar for the Browns from the Oilers in the 1985 draft(great story btw. Google it if you're not familiar) to Ralph Wilson being one of only two team owners in the league to vote against relocating the Browns in 1996 even though he was considered one of Art Modell's closest friends. He supported the fanbase of small markets teams over all else. When he failed to block the move, he did the only thing he could and declared the Bills/Bengals game next season "Cleveland Browns Fan Appreciate Day" at Ralph Wilson Stadium. He also chose halftime at a Bills/Browns game to receive his Hall of Fame ring.

    Anyways, it's obvious what Bills fans think about moving the team. I'm curious what fans of another team think. Would you sign a petition to keep them in Buffalo or join a Facebook group to show your support?

    @billsfan5885 said:

    Howdy all! Figured I might pop in to drum up any support the Bills may have from the Browns' fanbase. We like our team where it is and hope everyone else does too. Small market teams like us are just as important to the league as big market teams imo.

    As I'm sure some of you know, the Bills & Browns have unofficially supported each other for a long time, both being small market teams. From the shenanigans they pulled together to steal Bernie Kosar for the Browns from the Oilers in the 1985 draft(great story btw. Google it if you're not familiar) to Ralph Wilson being one of only two team owners in the league to vote against relocating the Browns in 1996 even though he was considered one of Art Modell's closest friends. He supported the fanbase of small markets teams over all else. When he failed to block the move, he did the only thing he could and declared the Bills/Bengals game next season "Cleveland Browns Fan Appreciate Day" at Ralph Wilson Stadium. He also chose halftime at a Bills/Browns game to receive his Hall of Fame ring.

    Anyways, it's obvious what Bills fans think about moving the team. I'm curious what fans of another team think. Would you sign a petition to keep them in Buffalo or join a Facebook group to show your support?

    I'd never support a bills move. The bills belong in buffalo.

    Early man walked away as modern man took control. Their minds weren't all the same and to conquer was their goal. So He built his great empires and he slaughtered his own kind, and he died a confused man and killed himself in his own mind...

  • The Bills should NOT be moved out of Buffalo.

  • The GipperT The Gipper

    So, what is the deal with Bon Jovi.....is he outwardly stating that he will move the team? And to where? Toronto? LA? Asbury Park?

    Why put 130 mill into a facility if one of the probable conditions of keeping the team there is a new stadium? Put that money into the new stadium.

    @the-gipper said:

    So, what is the deal with Bon Jovi.....is he outwardly stating that he will move the team? And to where? Toronto? LA? Asbury Park?

    Why put 130 mill into a facility if one of the probable conditions of keeping the team there is a new stadium? Put that money into the new stadium.

    He wants to move the team to LA.

    A lot of Bills fans agree with you about the money for renovations. Ralph put up most of it out of his own pocket before he died though, so it's kind of seen as a nice gift to hold us over until someone builds a new stadium.

  • Keep the Bills in Buffalo, its a great football city. I have been there to watch the Browns play, in 1984 & 1986.

    Karlis Missed

  • Only keep the Bills in Buffalo if...

    1. There is strong fan support

    2. It's profitable

    3. There is a strong enough market to support it.

    Not ever city deserves an NFL team just because they're some-what large. Green Bay, WI is by far the smallest city in the world to have a sports franchise valued at over $1 billion USD, they hold the distinction by meeting all three criteria listed above.

    I would honestly like to see cities like San Antonio, Toronto, and Mexico City get teams if I knew it would be a success. Even if that means watching the Bills or Jaguars move to these places.

    “Football is a game played with arms, legs and shoulders but mostly from the neck up”
    Nuckin FutzN P miktoxicM The GipperT 4 Replies

  • I didn't know we were a small market team...

    Ja.brill Peppers - Cleveland Brown OldBrownsFan, on 02 Jun 2017 - 5:09PM said: "No you are not the work of the devil but you are deceived by the devil." Who's got it better than us? Nooooobody!
    B 1 Reply

  • Moving isn't the answer. Winning is. We all need to start winning.

    The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. -Mark Twain- "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." -Mark Twain-

  • What makes anyone think L.A. deserves a team? Buffalo has had the Bills since their inception. I've seen at least two teams leave L.A. In my lifetime.

    Early man walked away as modern man took control. Their minds weren't all the same and to conquer was their goal. So He built his great empires and he slaughtered his own kind, and he died a confused man and killed himself in his own mind...
  • Go 'LosersG Go 'Losers

    Only keep the Bills in Buffalo if...

    1. There is strong fan support

    2. It's profitable

    3. There is a strong enough market to support it.

    Not ever city deserves an NFL team just because they're some-what large. Green Bay, WI is by far the smallest city in the world to have a sports franchise valued at over $1 billion USD, they hold the distinction by meeting all three criteria listed above.

    I would honestly like to see cities like San Antonio, Toronto, and Mexico City get teams if I knew it would be a success. Even if that means watching the Bills or Jaguars move to these places.

    @go-losers said:

    Only keep the Bills in Buffalo if...

    1. There is strong fan support

    2. It's profitable

    3. There is a strong enough market to support it.

    Not ever city deserves an NFL team just because they're some-what large. Green Bay, WI is by far the smallest city in the world to have a sports franchise valued at over $1 billion USD, they hold the distinction by meeting all three criteria listed above.

    I would honestly like to see cities like San Antonio, Toronto, and Mexico City get teams if I knew it would be a success. Even if that means watching the Bills or Jaguars move to these places.

    Buffalo has a great football tradition as well as a rabid fanbase. What does San Antonio, Mexico City and Toronto have besides soccer fans? Ass hat!

    Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

  • Didn't Bon Jovi cancel his concert that was suppsoedt ob e a part of the Browns season kick off last year? Either way fuck him. Buffalo Bills need to stay the BUFFALO BILLS. This was the only team that had an owner that recognized how wrong it was to steal our Browns. Any Cleveland fan who didnt suppor them on this is an ass hat.

    OP's point is spot on as well, just because a market is defined as larger doesnt mean it better or more profitable for everything. Case in point I remember back in the late 90s when the Atlanta Braves were one of the hottest dynasty teams in basebell. You could literally go any night , buy a ticket and then walk down and sit a couple rows behind home plate. The place was half empty everytime we went. Market size does not translate on its own into a passionate spending fan base.

  • MLD WoodyM MLD Woody

    I didn't know we were a small market team...

    @mld-woody said:

    I didn't know we were a small market team...

    You are. The Bills and the Browns are probably the most similar teams in the NFL. From the rust belt cities they call home, to the underdog status of being a small market team, to the rabid blue collar fans that support them. It's the main reason most Bills fans that wouldn't stop watching football altogether if the Bills moved would become Browns fans by default. Two of the most similar(and best) fanbases in the entire league imo.

  • B BillsFan5885

    @mld-woody said:

    I didn't know we were a small market team...

    You are. The Bills and the Browns are probably the most similar teams in the NFL. From the rust belt cities they call home, to the underdog status of being a small market team, to the rabid blue collar fans that support them. It's the main reason most Bills fans that wouldn't stop watching football altogether if the Bills moved would become Browns fans by default. Two of the most similar(and best) fanbases in the entire league imo.

    @billsfan5885 said:

    You are. The Bills and the Browns are probably the most similar teams in the NFL. From the rust belt cities they call home, to the underdog status of being a small market team, to the rabid blue collar fans that support them. It's the main reason most Bills fans that wouldn't stop watching football altogether if the Bills moved would become Browns fans by default. Two of the most similar(and best) fanbases in the entire league imo.

    Cleveland is a pretty large market but otherwise I agree with your assessment.

    Sorry I have to root against you guys this year.

    B 1 Reply
  • Go 'LosersG Go 'Losers

    Only keep the Bills in Buffalo if...

    1. There is strong fan support

    2. It's profitable

    3. There is a strong enough market to support it.

    Not ever city deserves an NFL team just because they're some-what large. Green Bay, WI is by far the smallest city in the world to have a sports franchise valued at over $1 billion USD, they hold the distinction by meeting all three criteria listed above.

    I would honestly like to see cities like San Antonio, Toronto, and Mexico City get teams if I knew it would be a success. Even if that means watching the Bills or Jaguars move to these places.

    @go-losers said:

    Only keep the Bills in Buffalo if...

    1. There is strong fan support

    2. It's profitable

    3. There is a strong enough market to support it.

    Not ever city deserves an NFL team just because they're some-what large. Green Bay, WI is by far the smallest city in the world to have a sports franchise valued at over $1 billion USD, they hold the distinction by meeting all three criteria listed above.

    I would honestly like to see cities like San Antonio, Toronto, and Mexico City get teams if I knew it would be a success. Even if that means watching the Bills or Jaguars move to these places.

    Big surprise that a stoolers fan would be an asshole about this.

    :neutral_face:
    Go 'LosersG 1 Reply
  • T Taco918

    @billsfan5885 said:

    You are. The Bills and the Browns are probably the most similar teams in the NFL. From the rust belt cities they call home, to the underdog status of being a small market team, to the rabid blue collar fans that support them. It's the main reason most Bills fans that wouldn't stop watching football altogether if the Bills moved would become Browns fans by default. Two of the most similar(and best) fanbases in the entire league imo.

    Cleveland is a pretty large market but otherwise I agree with your assessment.

    Sorry I have to root against you guys this year.

    @taco918 said:

    Cleveland is a pretty large market but otherwise I agree with your assessment.

    Sorry I have to root against you guys this year.

    True, I guess you guys are more of a "mid-market" team but sure as hell have the loyalty and scrappiness of a small market team. I'm guessing just like the Bills, there's probably no such thing as a "Fair weather Browns fan."

  • Go 'LosersG Go 'Losers

    Only keep the Bills in Buffalo if...

    1. There is strong fan support

    2. It's profitable

    3. There is a strong enough market to support it.

    Not ever city deserves an NFL team just because they're some-what large. Green Bay, WI is by far the smallest city in the world to have a sports franchise valued at over $1 billion USD, they hold the distinction by meeting all three criteria listed above.

    I would honestly like to see cities like San Antonio, Toronto, and Mexico City get teams if I knew it would be a success. Even if that means watching the Bills or Jaguars move to these places.

    @go-losers said:

    Only keep the Bills in Buffalo if...

    1. There is strong fan support

    2. It's profitable

    3. There is a strong enough market to support it.

    Not ever city deserves an NFL team just because they're some-what large. Green Bay, WI is by far the smallest city in the world to have a sports franchise valued at over $1 billion USD, they hold the distinction by meeting all three criteria listed above.

    I would honestly like to see cities like San Antonio, Toronto, and Mexico City get teams if I knew it would be a success. Even if that means watching the Bills or Jaguars move to these places.

    suck a nut bowel breath. if that was a criteria for your team to get pulled then you should be worried in pittsburgh. it's not like your fans from across the country are going to pinch in when the rooneys go belly up.

    buffalo is sooo much classier than pitt that it isn't even worth mentioning. it's soo cold when they play in november that you don't have to worry about getting mugged at the bodega getting a pack of cigs at midnight the night before....because we all know cockroaches and samoans hate the cold.

    i'd gladly drive up and be in any type of rally to support the bills.

    and gladly do a drive by in pittsburgh during a rally of support.

    Go 'LosersG 1 Reply
  • DieHardBrownsFanD DieHardBrownsFan

    GuNNerGatSKy said:

    Absolutely I support the Bills staying in Buffalo!

    Diehardbrownsfan is a jackass don't listen to him. When Art "the traitor" Moddell decided to abandon his Cleveland franchise in favor of owning one in Baltimore, the hearts of millions of Browns fans were broken, particularly those of families such as mine that have bled Brown and orange for decades. You are absolutely right that small market teams are important to the league. Small market teams have the most devout, rabid fans without question. I believe the Browns have the most diehard professional sports fans on planet earth.

    This Browns fan stands behind you and your team staying in Buffalo!

    GO BROWNS AND BILLS!

    I didn't say I wanted them to leave, I said I think they will leave. I think Jacksonville will leave also.

    @diehardbrownsfan said:

    I didn't say I wanted them to leave, I said I think they will leave. I think Jacksonville will leave also.

    History lesson- if the NFL had given a expansion franchise Baltimore instead of Jacksonville, History would have been a lot different. Modell wouldn't have sold the team to Weaver. If any team is moving I hope its the Jags- talk about front running fans cover the top of the stadium with tarps to get "sell- outs".

    Bills Fan- You're going to have to build a new stadium- it sucks, but it will be the price of keeping the Bills. Crap, First Energy is only 15 years old, and we're already sinking another $100 million into it.

    @billsfan5885 said:

    -Our best hope for keeping the team in Buffalo ownership-wise is probably the group associated with Jim Kelly, but he's recently been battling with some really bad cancer so who knows how that will turn out. Donald Trump has expressed interest in keeping the Bills here, but that's a steep price to pay. I can't imagine having someone like that owning my team. 😳

    I personally would stop watching the NFL completely if the Bills moved. Forever. Though you'll probably get a kick out of the fact that a lot of fellow Bills fans say they'd become Browns fans if they were forced to root for another team. There was just a big thread about it on a Bills forum not to long ago.

    Ditto. In the three years the Browns were gone, I might have watched 3 hours of NFL football- it's amazing the other things you can find to do on nice Sunday fall afternoons.

    @go-losers said:

    Only keep the Bills in Buffalo if...

    1. There is strong fan support

    2. It's profitable

    3. There is a strong enough market to support it.

    Not ever city deserves an NFL team just because they're some-what large. Green Bay, WI is by far the smallest city in the world to have a sports franchise valued at over $1 billion USD, they hold the distinction by meeting all three criteria listed above.

    I would honestly like to see cities like San Antonio, Toronto, and Mexico City get teams if I knew it would be a success. Even if that means watching the Bills or Jaguars move to these places.

    The only reason the NFL wants a team in LA is it's the #2 TV market in the country- with #2 fans that don't give a shit- with the number of teams they've lost how can you say they deserve another?

    #1 Doubtless

    #2 BS- the NFL's primary income stream is TV revenue- To the tune of Directv's $4 BILLION, just to do Sunday Ticket, & I'm too lazy to look up what NBC, CBS and FOX shell out- it's way more than that for sure.

    #3 See below-

    @the-cysko-kid said:

    What makes anyone think L.A. deserves a team? Buffalo has had the Bills since their inception. I've seen at least two teams leave L.A. In my lifetime.

    You can bet if it was all about money- the NFL would have moved the Packers out of Green Bay- long ago. Browns fans wanted the same deal- but were refused- let the CITY own the team.

  • Go 'LosersG Go 'Losers

    Only keep the Bills in Buffalo if...

    1. There is strong fan support

    2. It's profitable

    3. There is a strong enough market to support it.

    Not ever city deserves an NFL team just because they're some-what large. Green Bay, WI is by far the smallest city in the world to have a sports franchise valued at over $1 billion USD, they hold the distinction by meeting all three criteria listed above.

    I would honestly like to see cities like San Antonio, Toronto, and Mexico City get teams if I knew it would be a success. Even if that means watching the Bills or Jaguars move to these places.

    @go-losers said:

    Only keep the Bills in Buffalo if...

    1. There is strong fan support

    2. It's profitable

    3. There is a strong enough market to support it.

    Not ever city deserves an NFL team just because they're some-what large. Green Bay, WI is by far the smallest city in the world to have a sports franchise valued at over $1 billion USD, they hold the distinction by meeting all three criteria listed above.

    I would honestly like to see cities like San Antonio, Toronto, and Mexico City get teams if I knew it would be a success. Even if that means watching the Bills or Jaguars move to these places.

    Well, the answer is: 1. There is strong fan support in Buffalo, 2. Its an NFL team dumbass...of course its profitable 2. How is #3 not the same as #1.

    I agree that not every city deserves an NFL team......and that is why LA does not have one because they have not shown to deserve one.

    FYI, Toronto and Mexico City at this point view the NFL as a novelty...same as London. There is absolutely no evidence that they meet any of your criteria for an NFL team. (other than that they are big North American Cities). I think San Antonio could/would probably be a decent NFL market....and I agree that Jax may be one place where the support for the team may not be strong.

    Of course, I also believe that if Pittsburgh would have to endure the same kind of bad on field run that the likes of Cleveland and Buffalo had to endure there would be a lot of talk about moving them.

    Go 'LosersG 2 Replies

  • As long as you support it, you deserve the team.

    I will say sometimes that isn't enough. If your new owner starts talking about a new domed stadium, you might want to listen and not let the city politicians screw it up like they did here.

    Had we told Art we were goingf to build a new stadium for the Browns, he would have never left.....and that is the bottom line when you sift through all the finger pointing and verbage.

    If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
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