Jairus Byrd is one of Buffalo’s most important defensive players and is currently not under contract. The Bills placed a franchise tag on Byrd, but the Pro Bowler has yet to sign the tender or attend optional team workouts. The Bills and Byrd are in contract negotiations regarding a long term deal, but how much is the safety worth? How much should the Bills pay him over how many more years?

In nine months we’ll be four years removed from the impressive run that Team USA took to the sliver medal in Vancover. While the US entered the 2010 Olympics as an underdog expected to finish behind the Swedes, Finns, Russians and Canadians, they will not enjoy the same treatment entering Sochi. In fact, the US might boast one of the most impressive rosters in the tournament when they arrive in nine months.

As I've said a few times on this site, I'm surrounded by obnoxious Jets fans. They are the worst of the worst. Silly folks, I tell you. Obviously, we speak to each other in regards to our teams.

I'm sure we all know friends or co-workers who cheer for different teams. Anytime your team squares off against each other, it is pretty much all fair and love and war in terms of trash talking. It ranges from waiting for the person to get in the office to talk trash or taking your shit talking to texts.

We all know in sports how players and coaches change sides constantly. In these cases, the trash kind of takes a backseat and the learning process begins. You start asking if this or that player is going to make a difference. Weaknesses, strengths, leadership abilities and all that stuff.

When the Bills hired Mike Pettine, I asked the closest Jets fan in my cubicle what his thoughts were on Pettine. Pretty much he said he's good, but it is still Rex Ryan's defense.

Without question, Ryan Miller has been the most polarizing sports personality in Buffalo over the last five years. There is a giant magnifying glass focused on everything he says and does while we react as if he's the President of the United States when he raises any sort of controversial point.

In the coming months, that lightning rod for controversy may soon be moving to a different area code, gone forever. But we have an ace in the hole, someone else whose words and actions we can study like he's Brad Pitt and we are TMZ.

That's Mario Williams.

Terry Pegula bought the Buffalo Sabres in January of 2011 for $189 million. There were reports that another bid was higher previously, but that buyer would have moved the Sabres out of Buffalo (report here). While the Sabres leaving Buffalo may not have been a real option, Pegula did save the Sabres franchise, and the surrounding community, in a way.

By keeping the Sabres in Buffalo, Pegula also kept the hockey team’s economic impact in the area. The table below is a breakdown from the State Comptroller’s office, estimating the annual impact the Sabres have on the Buffalo-Niagara region.

Could OJ become a free man? Did his previous lawyers pull a David Kleinfeld? Did he not know his crew had guns with them when they raided a hotel room to get his memorabilia back?

Do we even care? Did we forget he existed?

Seriously, was there even an article, talk show topic or a 30 second local news package about how OJ is trying to get out of jail? There was nothing on Twitter, except a few jokes about his photos and how he looked old and on helium.

The guy couldn't be anymore of a black sheep when it comes to Buffalo folklore.

It is official: Doug Whaley is the man. Not the most polished speaker, but whatever. As long as he picks the right players, he can be Helen Keller of the NFL World. Nothing really earth shattering from the press conference besides being confused about who negotiates contracts (Overdorf? Darcy? Ralph's wife?). Honestly, almost all teams have a chief negotiator when it comes to deal who isn't the GM.

Still wish the Bills would take the analytics department more serious than just throwing it out there as a possibility. Start hiring some math whizzes or the dorky looking guy who runs Football Outsiders.

It’s a time of turnover in Hockey Purgatory Heaven with Lindy Ruff getting his walking papers while Jordan Leopold, Jason Pominville and Robyn Regehr each were shipped out of town before the deadline. It appears as if this summer will bring about more change via the trade market for the Sabres as they continue their rebuild.

I've written before about the love and mostly hate relationship with Toronto and Buffalo. Besides our love for hockey and tolerance for the cold weather, I tend to believe both entities are more different than some would like to believe. Canadians pride themselves on being a boastful bunch that takes their values seriously. They are proud of their heritage and you can just sense it whenever they blurt out "O Canada" during a hockey game. As for us, we tend to be a self-depricating bunch who mostly use our hands to massage the frustration off our faces. We are constantly down on ourselves and take any criticism to heart.

However, for today, we can add misery to the hockey love and tolerance for cold weather to the mix.

Stupid Russ Brandon! I pretty much had it in my head for at least the last few years that Buddy Nix would be retiring soon. Of course, he comes out and says Buddy would be the GM for a long time coming and I pretty much expect to see him in a wheelchair, picking players and having a nurse move guys off the draft board. All these guys do is lie! LIE! LIE! LIE! 

However, if you take out Russ Brandon's declaration, this isn't too shocking.