Talking Buffalo Blue Wire

It's a rare sharp left turn from Buffalo sports talk on Talking Buffalo today as Patrick Moran reveals his wing rankings and tiers for 2024 and is joined by Luke and Tom from the Buffalo Wing Coalition for their thoughts and analysis in a conversation recorded live at Sonny Red's in Lackawanna.
Ranking and placing wings into tiers is something Patrick's done at least a handful of times in recent years although it's been 18 months since he's done it last. It was a fun exercise that began in 2016 not long after moving to Florida for what would become five years. On his latest list is 92 different wing spots throughout Western New York (although a small handful of them have recently closed shop) and instead of ranking them 1 through 92 he has them broken up into seven tiers: Waiver Wire, Roster Bubble, Depth Chart, Solid Starters, All-Pro, Elite and of course the four-spot Mt. Rushmore.
While these charts are the opinions of Patrick alone, he's joined by two of the guys from the Buffalo Wing Coalition for their insight. The Buffalo Wing Coalition has grown significantly in recent years and these guys do an outstanding job of highlighting one of the region's greatest treasures. They talk about when and why the group started, how they go about reviewing the places they visit, their pyramid of wing spots (six tiers of groupings) and not taking themselves too serious yet understanding their outlet has become a vehicle that a lot of wing goers not only often refer to sometimes even depend on when going out to eat.
It's a fun and certainly different type of Talking Buffalo episode than the norm. Make sure you check out the Buffalo Wing Coalition on Instagram (who excel with food porn level photos from their visits) and a big thank you again to Sonny Red's---who alongside Nine-Eleven Tavern, Elmo's and Bar Bill make up this year's Mt. Rushmore.
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On this episode of Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran is joined by longtime friend and recurring guest Tone Pucks in studio for live reaction just moments after the 2024 Buffalo Bills schedule was officially released, in addition to plenty of thoughts about Bills new wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Week two primetime matchup in Miami, a home late afternoon clash with the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and Sunday night game in Orchard Park against San Francisco two weeks later are the highlight dates of the schedule. The guys both have thoughts on how the schedule's been structured and if the flow of it is favorable to the Bills. They also conclude that as things stand right now, this could prove to be a very tough slate for Buffalo.
The guys also have reaction to the Bills signing wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling earlier this week. Patrick is pretty high on the signing at this stage of the offseason, certainly a lot higher than he was when they signed Chase Claypool, and thinks that MVS isn't just a bottom of the roster addition who may not even make the team. Does Tone Pucks feel the same way?
That plus thoughts on Seth Appert joining Lindy Ruff's coaching staff with the Buffalo Sabres, Culture Club and plenty more. Follow Tone Pucks on Twitter @TonePucksRedux
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It's the weekly Podbag on today's Talking Buffalo, the episode where fans control the topics with their takes and questions for Patrick Moran to reply too, focused (as usual) heavily on the Buffalo Bills.
One question in particular that got Patrick thinking was a question asking who's going to be the Bills player that has one of those "wow" seasons you didn't see coming, referencing Terrell Bernard as that guy last year. Patrick's forced to think long and hard before ultimately coming up with another guy on the defensive side of the ball who may not be that young but definitely still may be ascending and with opportunity is capable of having a monster year.
Also, the Bills signed wide receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling, which immediately garnered a ton of questions and takes and Patrick has plenty of thoughts on the addition and it becomes pretty evident right away that he's a fan of signing, citing a handful of clutch performances in the postseason and his speed to be a deep threat as things this Bills offense is in need of.
Patrick also responds to even more Stefon Diggs takes, a fan convinced Buffalo will never beat Kansas City. a fan term Patrick hates, wondering if a free agent veteran may still ultimately return and plenty more.
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On this episode of Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran is joined by friend and recurring guest Anthony Marino for a discussion focused on how the Buffalo Bills defense could end up being even better than it was last season, a 2023 campaign that saw them finish fourth-best in points allowed and ninth in yards.
The Bills defense, especially statistically was pretty damn good last year. It's a continuation that's seen them in the top five in fewest points allowed four the five past years. But last year's defense wasn't without cracks and the guys talk about some of those issues, including the unit's failure to close out games with a (very) late lead three times, some awful injury luck and a penchant for imploding in games the team didn't win.
They spend a good chunk of this show explaining some factors that could lead to the defense being better this season, even if not statistically. Among those reasons are getting Matt Milano back, a solid influx of youth and athleticism at all three levels of the defense, improved depth at defensive tackle, Von Miller coming into camp 100% healthy again and just the belief that they'll have better luck with team crippling injuries.
They also do their "Finish the Sentence" segment, talk about the recent surge of Talking Buffalo and much more. Be sure to follow Anthony on Twitter @AnthMarino 
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On this episode of Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran is joined by frenemy and recurring guest Joe From Queens for a chat about some noticeable trends from a Joe Brady coordinated offense for the Buffalo Bills going into the 2024 season in addition to thoughts on John Murphy retiring and some Bills schedule predictions.
The Bills seemed to have more success last season after Sean McDermott fired Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator following the Denver loss in Week 10 and replacing him with Brady. The Bills record was certainly better from that point on, but was the offense really more efficient? Patrick looked into some statistics and found trends the guys talk about, including a big change in time of possession, the needing to continuing to move towards running the football more, no singular lion's share of passing targets and significant upticks for two weapons. They also talk about a few things that were perceived as big changes but really werent---such as Josh Allen's turnovers and rushing attempts/yards.
Also, John Murphy is retiring from being the radio voice of the Buffalo Bills after 35 years, including the past 19 as the team's play-by-play guy. Murphy suffered a stroke in early 2023 and talking remains too difficult for him to continue the job. The guys talk about his career, one that spans in Buffalo for well over three decades and how they felt about him as an on-air talent.
They also each make three predictions for the Bills 2024 schedule in advance of it being officially released on Wednesday night and much more. Follow Joe on Twitter @BuffaloWins.
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On this episode of Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran is talking Buffalo Bills and plenty more with Bills beat reporter and popular podcast host Matt Parrino in a conversation recorded live from Casey's Black Rock in Buffalo.
From the time the Bills lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional playoff round through last month's NFL draft and up til now, it's been an eventful offseason for the Bills--one of change. Matt helps Patrick navigate through it all, highlighting what he thinks the front office has gotten right and a few opportunities missed. Would Matt pull the trigger on trading Stefon Diggs right now were he Brandon Beane if he knew how the position would be handled since dealing away Buffalo's top receiver over the past four years.
Patrick also asks Matt if he thinks the Bills made a mistake releasing Mitch Morse instead of redoing his contract, how he feels about the Bills 2024 draft haul now that he's had some time to reflect, what direction the Bills offense may be headed in and his reaction to people's overreactions on the Chase Claypool signing. That plus some talk of Buffalo summer, wings and much more.
A huge thank you to Casey's Black Rock for their hospitality and having us do the show there. They truly are not just one of the most underrated spots in town for killer wings, but a great place to relax and have a drink with some awesome decor and vibes throughout the bar---even if it's a Kansas City Chiefs backer bar!
You can follow Matt on Twitter @MattParrino and of course be sure to check out his work at NYup.com as well as subscribe to the Shout Buffalo Football Podcast.
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