Talking Buffalo

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Pulse Cellular, Patrick Moran continues his “Wings With” series while still back visiting his hometown of Buffalo.  This time the spot is Sonny Red’s in Lackawanna and his guest is former Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl center and current Bills game day radio color commentary as well as ACC Network analyst, Eric Wood.

Before they even dive into topics Moran is blown away by how slimmed out yet chiseled Wood’s looking these days. Moran is going in the complete opposite direction, probably because this is his 15th time having wings over the last 12 days. These were among the best of the lot as they mowed down a plate full of “Joe’s Chicken Wings”, ironically labeled as “made famous by Eric Wood” on the menu.

After discussing how good the wings were and mentioning other spots their fond of they discussed big changes in Wood’s professional life —getting jobs with the ACC Network as an analyst and taking over for Mark Kelso as Bills radio game day color analyst.   Wood revealed how those opportunities came out, how he plans on approaching his work, what his attitude will be calling games for the team he spent his entire career with  and what his travel schedule will look like now that football season is starting.

They also spend plenty of time discussing the 2019 Bills as Wood breaks down the offensive line including how he feels about so many news faces in terms of continuity, what he’s hearing about Mitch Morse, why he gives Dion Dawkins a pass for 2018 and how he feels about Cody Ford playing both guard and tackle early in camp. He also has thoughts on Josh Allen going into his second year and a defense he thinks can and should be one of the best in the league.

They also talk about the “What’s Next With Eric Wood” podcast, including Eric’s process of putting the episodes together and the premise of great guests from all walks of life transitioning into their next phase of life. It’s a formula that makes Wood’s podcast an entertaining and even educational listen.

They wrap with a series of random questions for Eric submitted by fans from Twitter and Facebook ranging from the Bills to superstitions, karaoke jams and much more.

You can follow Eric on Twitter @EWood70 and of course tune into WGR-550 for all Buffalo Bills games during the season.

Special thanks again to Sonny Red’s in Lackawanna for being a great host and allowing the guys to devour some ridiculously good wings (and pizza.) If you live in the Western New York area you need to give Sonny Red’s a visit, located just minutes from New Era Field in Orchard Park.

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The guys hit the record button at one of Moran’s favorite spots in all of Western New York for wings and let the conversation fly, warts and all not to mention plenty of patrons eavesdropping in.

The three spend a chunk of time early discussing one of Graham’s outstanding feature stories, a stunningly detailed and sometimes dark look at former professional wrestling star from Western New York, Lex Luger.  Moran asks Graham to detail the process of what goes into producing a long form story like this and Tim provides a lot of insight on several factors that go into making long form stories a winner.

After taking a break to bang out wings and chicken fingers, all three unanimously praise Cajun hot while agreeing the fingers are nothing to sleep on either.

They then spend time talking about The Athletic and Tim details a fantastic story of being responsible for bringing together Matt Fairburn and John Vogl for a meeting last year, one that ultimately became the foundation of an all-star Buffalo media lineup to join online subscription-based publication.  Unsurprisingly throughout Graham’s incredibly candid, as  always when pointing out reasons he left The Buffalo News and what he perceives the big working environment difference between the two.

Of course, The Athletic’s Buffalo division got even stronger recently with the addition of Joe Buscaglia and Graham reveals what makes Buscaglia a special reporter and such a good and credible fit there.

The conversation turns to honest talk about Tim’s interviews with O.J. Simpson and Tim’s radio show before finishing up with some silly random questions before signing off, including karaoke songs Tim and Jeff think they could rock out too.

As we’ve all come to expect, Tim pulls no punches whether the topics are fun or serious.   Jeff, a former college journalism student of Graham provides excellent commentary and insight throughout the episode as well.

Huge thanks again to The Audubon North for being a gracious host on what was a far busier Monday night taping than anticipated.  The wings are very highly recommended so much so that both Moran and Graham put them in their top three.

You can follow Tim Graham on Twitter @ByTimGraham and of course check out his incredibly entertaining work at The Athletic.   Follow Jeff on Twitter at @JeffBoyd716 and hear his work along with the boys at the 716 Sports Podcast.

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On today’s episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran is joined by recurring guest Joe Yerdon, Buffalo Sabres beat writer for The Athletic in a fun conversation taped live at the Essex Street Pub on the west side of Buffalo.

This is Yerdon’s third time on the podcast but first in person. In fact, just minutes before this taping is the first time the two ever met.  Once the tape started rolling Pat and Joe spent time talking Buffalo and more specifically the west side, a neighborhood Moran grew up in and Yerdon currently lives in now.

They run down some of Joe’s favorite sports for chicken wings before turning their attention to The Athletic, which now has more than a half-million subscribers. The Buffalo division received a huge boost on the football side recently when Joe Buscaglia joined the staff and Yerdon offers his thoughts on Joe B’s addition.  They also discuss Joe’s mindset during hockey offseason summer months before taking a break to mow down some BBQ, Jerk and Maple wings.

The second half of the conversation revolves around the Sabres and Joe takes on topics such as predicting if Rasmus Ristolainen will be traded before opening night, what blue liner is best equipped to be paired with Rasmus Dahlin, who should skate on the top line with Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner, if Tage Thompson should spend the upcoming season in Buffalo, what is going on with the goaltending situation and wrapping up the chat providing a present day forecast for the upcoming season.

You can follow Joe on Twitter @JoeYerdon and of course check out his work at The Athletic, where they always have discount specials going on for annual subscriptions.

Special thanks to the Essex Street Pub for being a gracious host. It’s located at 530 Rhode Island Street in Buffalo and both Pat and Joe, already a Pub regular highly recommend checking it out.

Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets 

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by O’Neill’s Stadium Inn, Patrick Moran hooks up with veteran WGR 550 Buffalo Bills beat reporter Sal Capaccio for an extended chat at O’Neill’s in Orchard Park, one of Moran’s favorite spots for both drinks and wings.

It’s Capaccio’s third time on the podcast but the first with Moran in person after previously being his first-ever guest and also his guest on the one-year anniversary episode.

They begin with talk on Bills training camp and Capaccio breaks down how the offensive line rotation has worked, his mild surprise that Cody Ford is getting so much first team work this early, how John Brown has looked the part of a game changing through the first few days, how far long shots David Sills and Duke Williams need to go to make the team and a few players Sal wants to see step up and do more in the coming days and weeks.

They then take a break to chow down some wings and here’s a spoiler alert—the Cajun medium at O’Neill’s are absurdly delicious.

After spending a few talking wings, in which Sal’s convinced most wings taste the same—a take Moran considers controversial they shift to several questions for Sal submitted by fans on Twitter. The questions range from the Bills to general sports, Game of Thrones, his own former football career, what he thinks about his son possibly playing the sport and much more.

You can follow Sal on Twitter at @SalSports and of course be sure to check out his work at WGR550.com.

Special thanks to O’Neill’s Stadium Inn for being such a gracious host and banging out tasty wings for us to enjoy, which by the way rank seventh out of 44 spots on Moran’s Chicken Wings Power Rankings.  Everyone knows O’Neill’s is a great party spot for Bills Sunday home games—you need to know it’s also a place to get top notch food from a full menu and  of course wings that feature literally dozens of flavors.

Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets 

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Pulse Celluar, Patrick Moran has an extended chat with longtime fantasy football writer & analyst Evan Silva on a variety of topics.

Silva discusses his early life, ranging from northern Virginia to St. Louis before ultimately going to college at the University of Marquette in Wisconsin and living in Chicago today.  He still remembers when he first caught the fantasy football bug and how it’s a developed passion that ultimately led to Rotoworld, where he’d work for more a dozen years.

Recently Silva co-founded a new subscription-based site called Establish the Run and he reveals why he felt it was time to leave Rotoworld and what motivated him to tackle this new venture.

Of course, the two also spend considerable time talking fantasy football, both from a Buffalo Bills and NFL perspective.  Moran runs down all the skill position players on the Bills and Silva offers fantasy analysis for each, landing on three players he considers the most draft worthy.  They then move to the NFL with Moran throwing out names in packs of three with Silva ranking while also throwing out some sleepers to target and potential fantasy flops to avoid early.

You can follow Evan on Twitter @EvanSilva and check out Establish The Run for more information on how to become a member.

After that Moran reads off some Bills fans bold predictions for training camp, including takes on Lesean McCoy as well the battle for wide receiver roster spots before Moran adds a prediction of his own in regards to Buffalo’s starting left tackle.

Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets 

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Pulse Cellular, Patrick Moran has an extended chat with Nate Geary from WGR550 on a variety of topics including a look into Buffalo Bills training camp.

Before they venture into Bills camp territory Geary talks about having the opportunity along with Joe DiBiase to take over for Howard Simon on the Bills “Countdown to Kickoff” Sunday morning pregame show as well as replacing Sal Capaccio on the Sports Talk Saturday show.

From there it’s a training camp preview with Buffalo beginning camp at the end of the week. Moran and Geary sift through the roster, breaking down potential battles and standout players at each position.

Following the camp preview both Moran and Geary power rank the top five Buffalo businesses they wish could bring with them if relocating to another part of the country.

The interview concludes with the traditional Moran-Alytics Podcast mini lightning round, where we learn what game show Nate could dominate, what Queen song he rocks out at karaoke and what three dinner guests he’d most enjoy having over.

You can follow Nate Geary on Twitter @NateGearyWGR and check out all of the WGR online content and ability to stream the radio station live at www.wgr550.com.

Also, congratulations to Michael Hontz Jr., winner of the three Buffalo-themed t-shirt prize pack giveaway sponsored by our friends at Identity Ink.

Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets 

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Pulse Cellular, Patrick Moran reunites with his buddy Joe from NYC for the first time in over two months for an extended installment of “The Run In With Joe” that covers numerous topics.

The two spend a few minutes with a little friendly NBA and TV show banter before diving into the Buffalo Bills as we’ve now reached the one week mark from the start of training camp.  Both compile a list of the 10 best players on the Bills right now and count them down, both agreeing on nine of 10 players although not necessarily the same order.  They also discuss a few things they’re looking forward to at camp with Moran highlighting the offensive line and Joe (@BuffaloWins) being into defensive back depth.

The topic of a potential 18-game NFL regular season schedule is discussed amid reports it could become a reality with Pat and Joe both listing the pros and cons of how it’d likely play out.

From there it’s a spirited discussion over whether most reporters have any true benefit of being granted media credentials to cover a team and which outlets should and shouldn’t be sitting in professional sports press boxes.

They also play a little fantasy game on the heels of a recent WGR poll as both reveal what past Bills and Buffalo Sabres player they’d add to the current roster to improve the team.

They wind down with a chat about WWE, including Brock Lesnar once again being Universal Champion, the failed title reign of Seth Rollins, the emerging Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon and Joe angering Pat by making fun of the IIconics before each come up with a storyline they think could make WWE more entertaining.

Of course, each Run In With Joe segment ends with Joe hitting his (final take) finisher, and this time it’s aimed directly at sports media personalities who tweet about themselves playing golf.

Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets 

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Pulse Cellular, Patrick Moran and Jeff Boyd get together for a supersized “Big Boyd Theory” segment covering the Buffalo Bills ,Buffalo Sabres and….. Seinfeld.

They discuss how the Bills may distribute the percentage of snaps and carries between aging veterans Lesean McCoy and Frank Gore as well as the role rookie Devin Singletary may play.  They also speculate how the offensive line may shake out over the next handful of weeks and agree that Tremaine Edmunds is set to emerge from training camp/preseason with breakout season potential oozing from the second-year linebacker.

Moving onto the Sabres, they go over the Henri Jokiharju for Alex Nylander trade with Chicago, which happened just hours after Jeff spent considerable time discussing Nylander on the podcast last week. They examine what move(s) Buffalo may make on the blue line to help add to the forwards or if the team rolls with Jimmy Vesey and Marcus Johansson as the lone potential significant additions up front.

They end with an extended conversation about Seinfeld on the heels of Moran binging the entire series after never seeing it when originally aired in the 1900s. Claiming he feels like he got a Christmas gift and forgot to open it for two decades, Moran highlights some of his favorite parts of the iconic show while adding a few things he wasn’t thrilled with before ending with each naming their Mt. Rushmore of TV shows.

You can follow Jeff on Twitter at @JeffBoyd716 and check out his work on the 716 Sports Podcast.

Before that Moran opens with thoughts on deceased boxing legend Pernell Whitaker and discusses plans for upcoming episode tapings in Buffalo.

Also, you can have a change to win a FREE T-Shirt Prize Pack, sponsored by Identity Ink. Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets  and see his pinned Tweet for more details.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Pulse Cellular, Patrick Moran kicks off what will be a recurring High School Hoops Legends series, beginning with former Buffalo Traditional star Jason Rowe, who dominated the area high school scene in the early-to-mid 1990’s.

Rowe’s fourth all-time in Western New York with 2,286 points. He’s a three-time first-team All-WNY and two-time Buffalo News Co-Player of the Year. He’s also on The Buffalo News’ All-90’s decade first-team as well as third-team on their all-time team.

Translation: he’s one of the best basketball players to ever lace up a pair of sneakers in Buffalo.

Rowe talks about growing up with basketball around him physically and in his bloodlines, including his Uncle Lester Rowe, a stud player at Lafayette high school who went on to become a star at West Virginia. Rowe speaks of the role his local Boys Club played in his development as well as playing on teams against kids several years older.  They discuss his days at Traditional, where Jason spearheaded a team that won the Class C Section VI title all four of his years including a state title his senior season.

He reveals why he chose Loyola of Maryland for college over Marquette, his disappointment with how his college career ended and what life was like playing overseas, as Jason played professionally for 15 years globally in countries all over the world.

Beyond Jason’s life and accomplishments the two spend time discussing his current head coaching job at Bishop Timon, reminiscing about the glory days of the Yale Cup and some of the best players to ever come out of Western New York while examining why more city legends didn’t make it big before ending with Moran stumping Rowe by asking him to name his own personal all-time WNY team.

You can follow Jason on Twitter at @CoachJRowe.

Following Rowe’s interview is a movie review of Spider Man: Far From Home courtesy of Sean Chandler from the Sean Chandler Talks About YouTube channel. Chandler was on the podcast a few months ago and has become one of YouTube’s leading and most respected content creators. His movie reviews, franchise rankings and much more can be found among his daily content on his YouTube channel, which is over 122,000 subscribers and growing.

Also, you can have a change to win a FREE T-Shirt Prize Pack, sponsored by Identity Ink. Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets  and see his pinned Tweet for more details.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Pulse Cellular, Patrick Moran interviews former Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Marques Sullivan on his life, Bills career, Western New York and other topics.

Despite being born in Chicago, Sullivan discusses growing up a fan of the Buffalo Bills. He didn’t even start playing football until his freshmen year of high school and still by the time he was a senior he was the highest ranked offensive prospect in the country and one of the nation’s biggest recruits.  Marques reveals that family was the deciding factor in choosing Illinois for college over such powerhouses as LSU and Wisconsin among others.

After a good career at Illinois Sullivan talks about the process of going from college football player to NFL draft prospect, including sharing the disappointment back in 2001 that he wasn’t a first-round draft pick. He then spends time talking about his time in Buffalo, including some of the veteran players he became close with, the love the organization showed him during a difficult time, why he felt 2002 first-round pick Mike Williams was rushed into the starting lineup and the colossal frustration of a talented Bills roster that went just 6-10 in 2003.

The two discuss what Sullivan is up to these days before wrapping with the traditional mini-lightning round, where we learn a myriad of Sullivan fun facts.

You can follow Marquise on Twitter @SiFuSullivan.

Immediately after that Jeff Boyd (@JeffBoyd716) from the 716 Sports Podcast joins for another installment of The Big Boyd Theory.  Today the guys are talking about Buffalo, another hidden gem Moran had chicken wings at before settling into some Buffalo Sabres talk as Boyd analyzes the impact of Marcus Johansson, how the forward lines may play out and if the needle will move on the team if the roster remains essentially what it is now.

They wrap with a chat about Seinfeld and each create their own Mt. Rushmore of TV show theme songs.

Also, you can have a change to win a FREE T-Shirt Prize Pack, sponsored by Identity Ink. Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets  and see his pinned Tweet for more details.

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