Volume VII- Bills, takes, and dad mistakes

The Deeper Drought

As Tony Soprano once said to a group of people sitting around a dinner table reminiscing about the past, “Remember when is the lowest form of conversation.” Then he got up, left the table, and went to cheat on his wife.

Well, welcome to that conversation.

As a Buffalo sports fan, nostalgia cuts deep. I truly believe about 70% of my brain memory is Buffalo sports while the other 30% is stuff my wife wishes I remembered more.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the Buffalo Sabres have broken the drought in what is probably the biggest in-season turnaround in Buffalo sports history.

(Sidebar: I’d say the 1998 Buffalo Bills going from 0–3 to 10–6 is probably second place. Then I want to say the Sabres in 2011 were near the bottom of the conference around Christmas before Bucky Gleason reported that Terry Pegula was going to buy the team. They then went on an epic run and made the playoffs.)

Sabres fans deserve this.

I fucking deserve this.

I used to be a huge Sabres fan. I bought the Center Ice TV package numerous times and have gone to countless Sabres games since I was a kid. The drought killed me. I remember my love taking the biggest hit when Kevyn Adams was hired from down the office of birthday parties at Harbor Center and the Pegulas did that Zoom from hell during COVID and said they were going to cut costs.

I was done.

I still watched here and there, but my mindset was that I had already gone through hell and didn’t need to keep going. Wake me up when you’re good again.

Well, I’m awake.

It’s remarkable that in this century we’ve seen a 17-year Bills drought and a 14-year Sabres drought. How the hell haven’t we killed ourselves yet?

I can tell already that the 2017 drought-ending Bills season is vastly different from the 2025-2026 Sabres.

For starters, the Sabres are much better than the Bills were then. The Bills started 5–2, then lost three straight games, benched Tyrod Taylor for what felt like the worst quarterback cameo ever, then put Tyrod back in. There weren’t that many splash plays and LeSean McCoy was basically the MVP.

They did have some young guys making noise like Matt Milano, Tre’Davious White, Jordan Poyer, and Micah Hyde. But that team wasn’t exactly producing a lot of highlights.

That entire season, up until they broke the drought, wasn’t that fun. It was the first year for Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane, and they weren’t respecting the old arrangements with hand-picked players that Doug Whaley had brought in.

When they traded Sammy Watkins and Ronald Darby for draft capital that everyone knew would be used the following year to get a franchise quarterback, it signaled to me that this was going to be a rebuilding year or maybe even a self-tank.

The 5-2 start and beating the defending NFC champions Atlanta Falcons was fun, but then the next phase was brutal with getting crushed in 3 straight games. That also put Tyrod Taylor in a lightning-rod position where everyone knew he was going to be gone. I remember Sal Capaccio reporting that the Bills would definitely draft a quarterback the next season and mentioning it on basically every radio spot he appeared on.

By doing that, in my opinion, it might have helped turn fans on Tyrod.

It was like finding out your high-school crush had a giant crush on you and was coming back from the military the next year to date you. At that point, Tyrod was the rebound you couldn’t wait to dump. Some fans—raises hand—thought that was disrespectful, because he was put in a terrible situation with pretty crappy offensive skill players not named LeSean McCoy.

What I’ll always remember is the lead-up to the final game of the season when the Bills needed to win against a dog shit Miami team and have either the Ravens or Chargers lose. Neither scenario was crazy.

But at that point I felt like nobody really cared on social media. It was all about the draft.

It culminated with me listening to Bulldog from WGR, who would categorize himself as a fan more than a journalist, and he felt the same way. He said he didn’t really care about breaking the drought, which made me blow a gasket. I’ll give Bulldog credit though. When he was doing postgame after the Miami game and Andy Dalton hit Tyler Boyd to eliminate Baltimore and send the Bills to the playoffs, he quickly changed his mind.

He said seeing the look on the producers’ faces—who were all young and super excited—changed everything for him.

The lead-up to the Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars playoff game was a giant party on social media. Everyone was thrilled and it felt like the ultimate house-money situation with no risk. For me, it’ll always be remembered as an incredible week for vibes. But you definitely couldn’t say that about the whole season.

Things for the Sabres are obviously different.

This season has had some epic games and there’s been almost no controversy. Crazy enough, you have the same core group of guys who were a big part of the losing culture here—which you couldn’t really say about the Bills outside of Eric Wood and Kyle Williams.

Players like Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, UPL, Alex Tuch, and Mattias Samuelsson have made the connection with fans even stronger because they’ve gone through the same losing bullshit the fans have.

They’re also having outstanding seasons and aren’t just along for the ride—they’re carrying it.

Unlike Bills fans in 2017 who mostly stood by the team through the drought, a majority of Sabres fans had basically broken up with the team. Just look at attendance after COVID.

Winning ultimately brought everyone back.

And that’s the funny thing about sports in Buffalo. No matter how mad we get, no matter how many times we swear we’re done, we always come back. Maybe it’s because we remember what it felt like when it was good. Maybe it’s because deep down we believe it will be good again.

For a lot of Sabres fans, the last few years felt like a breakup. People checked out. They stopped watching. Some even pretended they didn’t care anymore. But now the team is winning, the building is loud again, and the same fans who swore they were done are right back where they started.

Turns out we weren’t done.

We were just waiting for a reason to care again.

Pass the mic to Chad DeDominicis

We did this a few weeks back with The Apologist who talked NBA. Now it is time for stats nerd Chad DeDominicis to take the reigns and it won’t be about charts or hockey.

Acknowledge Me

I’m sure most people know me as Chad, the hockey stats guy that breaks Sabres news from time to time. The guy that founded the super cool website Expected Buffalo. Some of you may know that I also do BBQ competitions with some of my friends around the country during my limited free time. I shared plenty of photos on social media from our trip to Texas a few weeks ago for the World Championships.

How many of you know that I’m a wrestling guy too? It’s true. It’s damn true.

Connection to being a Kid

Sports entertainment (wrestling) was something I was into for a while when I was a kid. Shawn Michaels was my favorite and DX still lives close to my heart. The days of Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock, the Undertaker, Triple H, and all of those legends.

I remember as a kid having all of the wrestler toys and I would create fake wrestling events in my room. I had all of the CDs with the entrance music so I could do the whole thing. Ahhh the simpler times.

I’ll also never forget when I was a kid and the tooth fairy brought me exactly $49 one time so I could use it to buy the PPV event that night.

In my teenage years I stopped paying attention to WWE and for almost 20 years I left it behind.

A New Connection

Then another kid pulled me back into my son. It was almost two years ago now that I saw the Rock was going to be on Wrestlemania 40. I thought oh that’s cool I’ll check that out. I had no idea of the storyline or reason at that point. I watched it and my son walked in the room. He stopped and asked what I was watching.

I told him and started to explain some of the background behind why I was watching. He watched the remainder of the match with me and wanted to see night 2 of Mania the following night.

He really didn’t get fully into it until I took him to Smackdown a few months later in Buffalo. Little to my knowledge did we get lucky to see Roman Reigns in person and the reuniting of the original Bloodline. Not often you can catch the Tribal Chief live in your city.

Now, my son is hooked like me when I was kid. He has all the wrestling toys and does the matches in what he calls “his universe.”

That has pulled me back into it and don’t let me blame this all on my son. I’m hooked back too on my own accord. I watch shows without him at times when he’s off doing other things.

I think wrestling is a connection I have to being a kid. It’s something my family of four shares together when we all watch and are into it. We all know the current storylines and what’s coming. Who we want to win and lose. We go at each other during shows if we’re on opposing sides.

It’s fun. It’s a break from the day to day that is full of stress and real life problems. Hockey is my first hobby and passion, of course. That’s also sort of a job too with what I do.

Wrestling is just relaxing to take my mind off it all and try to get into the soap opera of it.

We’re approaching Wrestlemania 42 and have begun planning with the family for what we’re going to do. The unexpected plot twist is that I’ll probably have a Sabres playoff game to contend with that weekend. Don’t worry, I’m not complaining and I’ll figure that out.

My house is one that acknowledges our Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. I’m ready for him to take the gold from CM Punk and carry the business like the star that he is.

When it comes to Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton we have some differences in feeling. My son’s favorite wrestler is Seth Rollins so that’ll be a stressful match if he’s able to face Bron Breakker as many expect.

So, that’s my story. Another piece of my puzzle falls into place.

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Did Dion Dawkins fall for the fringe or is he just trolling?

If you’ve followed me on social media or listened to me on the Chicken Wing of West Seneca podcast, you know one of my biggest pet peeves is when media or fans amplify fringe opinions and present them as if they’re common. I can’t stand it. It feels like this is exactly how news gets reported now: take the most extreme, random take and act like it represents a large group of people.

“Hey! Liberals want to cancel Sydney Sweeney’s boobs because of a jean commercial!”

“Hey! Bills fans are furious at Josh Allen and want to trade him!”

Meanwhile, if you listen to most podcasts, you’ll almost never hear hosts give fans credit when they’re right. Instead, it’s constant criticism—sometimes even inventing what “the majority” supposedly thought—just so they can pat themselves on the back for being right against a completely made-up narrative.

Negativity becomes the story. And if you have any kind of following, it’s incredibly easy to find a handful of fringe opinions and spin them into whatever narrative you want.

Which brings me to Dion Dawkins. It feels like he may have grabbed onto that same fringe and run with it. He was on a podcast last week—honestly, who even is this podcaster?—and mentioned that fans weren’t happy with him or were “cooking” him.

Sneaky Joe@SneakyJoeSports

Here's the full context of the Dawkins clip with N3on.

Thigh Doctor @ThighDoctor

Wow, ☃️ says he’d leave right now (albeit for double the money) because of the fans. Apparently, feels Bills fans trying to cook him thinking we can do it without him All that ‘nice guy stuff’ is over Takes the 🔑 and ✌️

1:01 PM · Mar 31, 2026 · 195K Views

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85 Replies · 40 Reposts · 391 Likes

Maybe he was joking, especially since he played it off around April Fool’s Day. Maybe he was looking for a new edge and wanted to pull a Michael Jordan and make up a thing to be mad at. Either way, I don’t even care about the “double the money” comment as of course you take that deal. Anyone would.

But the idea that fans are out on Dawkins? That’s the part that feels disconnected from reality. He’s easily one of the five most popular Bills players of the past decade. The only real “noise” I’ve seen was when Matt Parrino floated a hypothetical trade scenario on his podcast—which is normal offseason content—and even then, the overwhelming reaction was fans not wanting to trade him or even other podcasters saying they’d hang up the phone on other teams. Even still, you had people doing the “How can fans want Dion traded!?”

This is exactly how the narrative game gets played. Someone takes a tiny pocket of opinions, exaggerates it, and suddenly it becomes, “Fans want him gone—how stupid are they?!”

If you’re going to use the “some fans think” angle, there should be a baseline. Not one reply guy. Not a couple random comments. Make it something real—say, at least a third of your mentions or a noticeable portion of the conversation.

Otherwise, you’re not analyzing the fanbase—you’re manufacturing it.

Stathead stat of the week

Dalton Kincaid rankings since 2023 for TEs with at least 40 catches

• Catches: 18th (156)

• Yards: 13th (1692)

• Average Yards after the catch: 17th (5.4)

• Average yards through the air before catch: 27th (5.4)

• Catch percentage: 34th (72.6%)

• Games played: 42nd (41)

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DAD SHOTS

-- You guys know how much I hate made-for-NFL-TV events that exist just for content, which brings me to the NFL owners meetings. I’ll admit I’m being a bit of a hypocrite here, writing about the “news” that came out of it—kind of like a wrestling podcaster screaming “KEEP KAYFABE ALIVE!” whenever Cody Rhodes or Chris Jericho say they are “performing”, while also breaking down all the behind-the-scenes drama.

For starters, Terry Pegula once again didn’t speak. He hasn’t talked at an owners meeting since 2019. I get it—when Terry talks, it can sometimes lead to embarrassment—but that comes with the territory. If other owners can speak publicly, so should he.

--Number 3 on the list of Pat’s guys list..Jay Skurski did have a 1-on-1 interview Pete Guelli from the owner’s meeting. President Pete is basically the stand-in for Pegula in any of these gathers. The interesting thing he mentioned was not ruling out a game in Toronto while saying it was too early in the process. I guess if you can get past how the Rogers people tried to stealing the Bills 12 years ago, it is a good idea as you’d probably rather play a game 90 minutes from Buffalo than 9 time zones away.

Skurski also had another piece with Pete and the interesting nugget was that Matt and Kelly Pegula sat in on the coaching interviews. Matt you can sometimes see him as an Easter egg on one of the Bills Embedded episodes and Kelly doesn’t post on social media anymore. I’ve always wonder what ownership would look like after Terry Pegula is gone. Tim Graham had a nugget from his podcast about a year ago saying the Pegulas definitely had an interest in keeping the Bills, but not so much the Sabres. I wonder if things have changed with the hockey team’s recent success.

I also do wonder with Rogers people now being involved and having two of their former players Vince Carter and Tracey McGrady holding a very very small percentage of the Bills, I wonder if they are trying to position themselves to maybe try buying the Bills again. And no…I don’t see them moving the team, but since owners have multiple teams in different cities, why wouldn’t they want to get in the NFL race? Just something to monitor.

-- Does anyone else feel like something is up with Dalton Kincaid not getting surgery on his PCL? Or at least wonder why it’s still lingering? I don’t love hearing Joe Brady bring up “load management.” What is this—the NBA? You’re heading into your fourth year in the league, and being on a snap count isn’t exactly encouraging. I want Kincaid to work out, but if we get another season like the last two—flashes of promise mixed with ongoing injury concerns—you at least have to consider trading him.

-- I’m sick of hearing about how Keon Coleman needs to “mature” off the field. If the rumors about him being late to meetings because he likes to have fun are true, I’d just point out that plenty of guys from those 90s Bills teams probably showed up to meetings smelling like booze and Marlboro Reds. Keon needs to get better at playing football. Showing up on time matters, sure—but let’s not pretend that’s the main issue here.

-- Random ILB prospect that I had ChatGPT tell me about that the Bills should draft at 26:

Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas)

School: Texas

Height/Weight: ~6’2”, 238 lbs

Position: Inside Linebacker

Why he fits the Bills:

• True inside linebacker build (6’2”, ~238) with physicality

• Strong run defender + downhill thumper, ideal for 3–4 fronts

• Enough athleticism to stay on the field in coverage

• Ranked as a top 3–5 LB in the class

• A violent, downhill linebacker who thrives attacking gaps and stopping the run. He plays with:

  • Excellent trigger speed (reads → explodes)

  • Natural block-shedding ability

  • Strong tackling fundamentals

  He’s not just a run-stopper—he’s shown:

  • Blitzing ability (adds pass-rush value)

  • Enough fluidity to hold up in zone coverage

I’m sold! We don’t need draft experts anymore!

— UPL looks very locked in right now. Yes, I will absolutely change my mind next week when trying to figure out the goaltending situation for the Sabres.

— Pat McAfee is terrible, and I’m not just talking about his talk show. His wrestling persona is awful—like a cosplaying mark/jock sniffer. Him joining forces with Randy Orton makes zero sense. He’s got go-away heat, and if you wanted to do this Attitude Era vs. Cody angle, they should’ve brought in someone who actually represents the Attitude Era. Right now, it feels like TKO is sticking their noses in, if you believe the dirt sheets. Maybe I’m doing the Principal Skinner “Am I out of touch?” thing, but outside of McAfee, I have no clue who most of these celebrities are.

— Fans are getting sick of Cody Rhodes, and he’s starting to feel like John Cena circa 2008. He needs to turn heel ASAP.

— There was a leak online of alternate Bills uniforms. I like the numbers and the patch, but the gray is awful. If I may—gray is the worst color on any jersey in sports. Honestly, it sucks on everything: cars, couches, shirts, cooking items… all of it. Gray blows. Anyway, these look like something you’d find at a flea market on Walden Avenue in the 90s.

— Andy has started stripping down to his diaper. I don’t know whether to laugh or panic, because it could mean he’s ready to use the potty—or that he’s training to become a stripper. He also finished last in his Easter egg hunt, but at least he looked cute doing it.

— Whenever Bills fans talk about good players from the drought era, it’s usually with a lot of praise—Stevie Johnson, Fred Jackson, Lee Evans, and so on. Stephon Gilmore—who was a really good player—never seems to make that list for most fans. Maybe it’s because he didn’t smile when he was drafted, or because guys like Jerry Sullivan and the print brigade didn’t like him since he wasn’t a great quote. But the dude was legit. Now that he’s retired, I’ll say this: outside of Jason Peters and Marshawn Lynch, he might have been the most talented player the Bills had during the drought, considering his entire career. He won Defensive Player of the Year with the Patriots and is someone who, in my opinion, should have had a better relationship with the fanbase.

— I’ve seen an enough of Logan “Hodor” Stanley. He’s a turnover machine and he’s just a big tree.

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If you made it this far, you are at the finish line and I thank you. I’m on Pats podcast today so if you can’t get enough of me you can listen to the audio book of myself while fast forwarding Pat’s terrible takes.