Talking Buffalo

This episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast features Patrick Moran and his buddy Joe with an extended edition of the recurring “Run-In With Joe.” Today the guys are talking about how rottenly spoiled the Boston sports fan base is, particularly those 30 years and under. Simply put, Moran is convinced they can’t relate to other sports fan bases. As evidence, Moran points out how over the last 18 years the Patriots have been to the playoffs 17 times (with six championships), the Red Sox 10 times (four championships), the Celtics 14 times (one championship) and Bruins 12 times (one championship.) Meanwhile the Buffalo Bills have seen one playoff game during that span with the Sabres in danger of missing the playoffs for an eighth straight year. They also talk about the Bills being tied with Arizona for dead last in next year’s Super Bowl champion odds at 150-to-1 while debating the future of Bills running back and biggest “star” player Lesean McCoy. They also deliberate the significance of another Carolina connection, Ken Dorsey being added to the Buffalo coaching staff. They also talk a little WWE regarding Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Dean Ambrose before Joe (@buffalowins) manages to work in church, germs and handshaking reluctance all in one take. Moran ends the segment pondering if he’ll ever forgive Joe for not immediately recognizing one of the most iconic songs of the 1980s. Moran also has a take on NBA superstar/oversensitive jerk Kevin Durant in the podcast opening and admits he’s stoked for the Grammy’s on Sunday thanks to Alicia Keys later in the episode. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran chats with ESPN Buffalo Bills beat reporter Mike Rodak about a handful of New England Patriots and Bills topics. Rodak was previously a guest on the podcast back last May (Episode No. 25) and then we learned plenty about Mike beyond his ESPN job, including his upbringing, education, career journey and his takes on a ton of sports media, social media and fun human interest topics. Today’s conversation is more to the point as Rodak weighs in on the Patriots perhaps now the greatest dynasty of all-time, not just in football but all of sports. He also has insight as to why the Patriots aren’t on the same popularity level as some of other all-time great dynasties in other sports, talks about what makes them nearly unstoppable, warns fans that they’re not going away anytime soon and offers his opinion on why we may not have seen the last of Gronk. Mike also has takes on a handful of Bills topics, including Lesean McCoy’s future with the team, what incumbent offensive lineman may be back in 2019 and a position the team may spend heavy resources on that most fans probably don’t expect. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeRodak and check out his work at ESPN.com. Immediately after Moran is joined by his buddy Tone Pucks (@tonepucks) for another installment of “Pat with Pucks.” The two are complaining about the Super Bowl, a lackluster 2018 NFL season in general, the NBA owning a lot of Super Bowl week and a discussion about the ongoing Buffalo Sabres struggles. Also, Patti LaBelle, Human League and Culture Club somehow end up getting worked into the segment. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On the episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran has an extended interview with Sports Illustrated senior writer Alex Prewitt. Born in Manhattan but raised in Northern Virginia, Prewitt talks about growing up a sports fan of many athletes but never completely attached to one team. A baseball player as a youth, Prewitt decided to attend Tufts University in Massachusetts in part because it would give him an opportunity to play D-III college baseball. While already sensing sports journalism may be his career path before arriving on campus, his vision began to take shape while at college. He went to intern at several high profile places and ultimately would land his first big job covering the University of Maryland football and basketball beats for the Washington Post. Despite having zero experience covering hockey and seeing a total of one NHL game live previously, Prewitt was eventually assigned the Washington Capitals beat. Prewitt crammed and honed his craft, excelling at covering the spot and it ultimately led him to an opportunity at Sports Illustrated in 2015. Going there and leaving the Washington Post is a decision Prewitt calls the toughest decision he’s ever had to make. The interview covers his entire career, his lukewarm feelings towards Twitter and a brilliant feature story he wrote on Buffalo Sabres franchise center Jack Eichel before giving his opinion on if the Sabres will find themselves in the playoffs at the end of the regular season. You can follow Alex on Twitter @Alex_Prewitt and be sure to check out his work at Sports Illustrated. There’s also another “Run-In With Joe” segment featuring Joe (@BuffaloWins). Today the guys are discussing a story written by Tim Graham of The Athletic that outlined the challenges the Buffalo Bills face when trying to attract prominent NFL free agents. It quickly turns testy as they disagree on how the Bills should spend money in regards to salary cap ramifications. They also have a discussion about a few WWE topics, with Moran calling Becky Lynch the biggest star in the company today, male or female while Joe has a take on being excited over the potential future of AEW. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran chats with WROC-TV Rochester sports reporter/anchor Dan Fetes on a variety of topics. Fetes talks about being born and raised in Webster, New York and growing up a fan of the Buffalo Sabres and Atlanta Braves. He liked playing sports as a child while also learning young that it was fun to “play” sports reporter. It’s a path that led him to SUNY Fredonia for college; giving him both an opportunity to play baseball and learn about the sports journalism profession. Fetes talks about how going to a small school had its advantages and ultimately helped hone his craft. Fetes also reveals his biggest influences in the sports media, describes his favorite and least favorite parts about his profession, offers his take on social media, gives Sabres fans insight on some of Rochester’s top prospects and goes through the Mini-Lightning Round, where we learn of his fondness for Genny Light, The Replacements, Pat McAfee and Chipper Jones among others. You can follow Dan Fetes on Twitter @DanFetes and check out his WROC-TV work by clicking here. Moran also has a segment with Aaron Quinn (@AaronQuinn716) from Cover 1. The two spend time talking about the Senior Bowl from last week, with Quinn analyzing a handful of prospects he thinks could be good fits for the Buffalo Bills. He also discusses how the pair of University at Buffalo prospects, Tyree Jackson and Anthony Johnson fared at the Senior Bowl and explains what the Cover 1 (http://www.cover1.net) “Lofton Exercise” means. Quinn also takes part in the Moran-Alytics Interest Meter, offering scores and takes on a handful of sports and pop culture topics. Sandwiched between the interviews is Moran’s offering on WWE’s Royal Rumble from Sunday night. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com in advance of Sunday night’s Royal Rumble. An acclaimed veteran pro wrestling scribe, Johnson has been writing for Pro Wrestling Insider since it first launched in 2004, nearly 15 years ago. During that time it’s become one of the most informative and widely recognized wrestling “dirt sheets” in the entire industry. Johnson describes in detail how a harrowing accident would begin his path to becoming a full-time wrestling writer. After that the attention turns to the 32nd edition of the Royal Rumble, being held Sunday in Phoenix and the two run down the entire card from top to bottom with Johnson offering thoughts and a prediction for each. They spend considerable time discussing matches involving the women and agree the road will ultimately lead to women main eventing Wrestlemania this spring. Johnson also discusses “The New” Daniel Bryan, predicts two title changes on the Smackdown side and guesses the direction for Finn Balor after he clashes with Brock Lesnar for the Universal title. You can follow Mike on Twitter @MikePWInsider and check out tons of free content at PWInsider.com. Mike also informs listeners on how they can become elite subscribers on the site. Prior to Johnson’s interview Moran has his buddy Joe (@BuffaloWins) on for an installment of The Run-In With Joe. The guys re-visit last week’s AFC and NFC championship games and decide if changes need to be made regarding the overtime possession rule while debating if pass interference penalties should become challengeable by coaches. They also discuss the Buffalo Bills offensive line and try to figure out if Bills GM Brandon Beane will bring back any of the three pending free agent linemen that began the season in Buffalo as starters. They disagree on how resources should be spent on the position, with Moran saying the team would be best served spending big O-Line money in free agency while offering up two names he’d like to see signed. Joe disagrees and thinks they can find O-Line help in the draft and wants more resources spent on the skilled positions. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On the episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews longtime Buffalo sports media veteran Kevin Sylvester on a wide variety of topics, dating all the way back his growing up in Waterloo, New York. During a career that’s now spanned more than two decades, Sylvester’s pretty much done it all when it comes to sportscasting, particularly in the Western New York region. He’s worked on the radio side at WGR multiple times as well as WBEN while also spending 11 years with the Buffalo Sabres in several different roles. Sylvester runs through what those experiences have meant to him. They also spend time discussing some of Sylvester’s current projects, ranging from co-starting Buffalo Sports Page with fellow local media guy Paul Peck to co-hosting the Half Hour Hockey Show with Kevin Snow to his work on PGA Tour Radio covering various professional golf events. The topic then turns to the Sabres and Sylvester offers his thoughts on the team’s recent slide and if missing the playoffs could result in the firing of Phil Housley at season’s end. They finish up with the Mini-Lightning Round where we learn several of Kevin’s favorites, including the three dinner guests he’d love to have, his favorite non-sports hobby and the Twitter handle that’s his biggest must-follow. You can follow Kevin on Twitter @KevSylvester and be sure to check out both Buffalo Sports Page and the Half Hour Hockey Show. After that interview Moran is joined by Tone Pucks (@tonepucks) for another installment of “Pat with Pucks.” Today the guys are discussing the AFC and NFC championship games at Sunday and Moran admits to the world that by the end of the day he found himself actually rooting for Tom Brady. Pucks weighs in on the blown pass interference call costing the New Orleans Saints a trip to the Super Bowl and the two spend time talking about the Buffalo Bills, including agreeing on being fine with the team using a top 10 pick on a defensive lineman and eagerly awaiting to see how the team addresses the tight end position once they inevitably release Charles Clay. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran has an extended interview with the executive sports editor of The Buffalo News, Josh Barnett on a variety of topics. Barnett talks about growing up in White Plains, New York as a child before passing up a scholarship elsewhere so he could attend Syracuse University with dreams of sports journalism on his mind. His path eventually led him to the Philadelphia Daily News, where he became sports editor and eventually executive sports editor. From there in 2012 he went on to work at the USA Today, where he took charge of sports magazines and non-daily’s before running the national high school sports digital platform. Ultimately it led Barnett to The Buffalo News in 2017. He describes the process of that happened before addressing the widely publicized and controversial 2018 spring at the News that saw an exodus of veteran sports writers leave via buyouts for a reported variety of reasons. Barnett provides insight from the News side of things, talks about the difficulties and adjustments that came with the many exits, goes over some of the new additions to the staff and has a take on The Athletic opening up a Buffalo division that’s sprung the most competition the News has had for eyeballs in several years. Seeing they’re both big wrestling fans (Barnett actually does some writing for PWI), they end the chat by talking WWE and Barnett has thoughts on what’s contributed to a lackluster handful of months, the women’s secondary angles becoming a problem, and looks ahead to some potential Wrestlemania matchups. You can follow Josh on Twitter @ByJoshBarnett. Immediately after is the return of “The Run-In With Joe” on the heels month hiatus that saw Joe spending time in Buffalo drinking a lot a lot of craft beer and hating on Jim’s Steakout. Joe’s (@BuffaloWins) commentary on one of Moran’s favorite sub joints has him unhappy, as does Joe confessing he was never a fan of the classic TV show Happy Days. They do put aside different opinions to talk about the recent struggles of the Buffalo Sabres that have seen them fall out of a playoff spot while also examining the possibility that Bills GM Brandon Beane may be willing to try and orchestrate a trade for Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran chats with Cover 1 podcaster and contributor Aaron Quinn about a variety of topics. The talk about Cover 1, including how Quinn got his start with the site and what makes it unique in how they cover the Buffalo Bills. They also discuss the Cover 1 Podcast and Quinn’s role with it and we learn what Hall of Famer led Quinn to becoming a Bills fan. From there they talk NFL playoffs from last weekend, including being forced to marvel at how the New England Patriots manage to annually play their best football in January. They run down the conference championship games and pick a winner. After that the attention shifts to the Buffalo Bills and Quinn reveals who he considered the team’s MVP this season, offers thoughts on Josh Allen winning him over, spends time identifying some players that would look good wearing a Buffalo uniform in 2019 but realizes many of the players the Bills may target will face stiff competition from Indianapolis. The interview wraps with the Moran-Alytics Interest Meter, where Moran runs off a series of random sports and pop culture topics and Quinn rates his interest on a scale of 1-10 while tossing a few takes along the way, including saucy ones on R. Kelly and O.J. Simpson. You can follow Aaron at @AaronQuinn716 and be sure to check out Cover1 at www.cover1.net Before signing off for the day, Moran hands out his weekly MVP award to the imminent return of one of his favorite TV shows while slapping the LVP on the Philadelphia 76ers for waiting absurdly too long to finally retire the number of one of the team’s all-time greats. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran welcomes a returning Joe Yerdon of The Athletic in a chat covering the Buffalo Sabres and the company he writes for. When Yerdon was first on the podcast back in mid-September he had just begun his stint with the newly formed Athletic Buffalo division. Today he discusses how that job has been going, including what it’s been like creating a formidable one-two punch with colleague John Vogl. Moran asks Yerdon how the arrival of The Athletic has helped bring out the best not just in him and his writing partners but all local media covering the Buffalo Sabres and Bills beats, with the winners being the sports fan having more quality content to consume than ever before. The attention then turns to the Sabres and he offers his take on their surprising first half of the season, a campaign thus far exceeding any realistic preseason expectations. He talks about the monumental 10-game winning streak that put Buffalo on the map around the league and the inconsistencies that have sometimes plagued them since. He also has thoughts on Jack Eichel’s recent injury, Jeff Skinner being left off the NHL all-star team, the team’s crazy upcoming schedule, Phil Housley’s fate if Buffalo fails to make the playoffs and much more. You can follow Joe on Twitter at @JoeYerdon and of course check out The Athletic at www.theathletic.com. Immediately following Yerdon’s interview, Tone Pucks (@tonepucks) joins for another installment of “Pat with Pucks.” On the heels of a survey sent to season ticket holders, the two debate if the Pegula’s should build a new stadium in downtown Buffalo or renovate the current one in Orchard Park. After having a little time to digest the season, Pucks offers his take on where he thinks the Buffalo Bills are at in their rebuilding process and what he thinks expectations should be for the 2019 offseason, a win total the two disagree on. They also spend time doing the “Pucks Interest Meter”, where Moran offers up a series of sports topics and Pucks replies with how much (or little) of interest it is to him with a few comments about each before they conclude the segment by agreeing on which NFL home favorite is most likely to lose this weekend. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran has a lengthy interview with newyorkupstate.com Buffalo Bills writer Ryan Talbot spanning a variety of topics. The two begin by talking NFL playoffs, including the ransom Nick Foles is getting ready to collect in free agency in a few months, the outside possibility that it could be Foles and not Carson Wentz that sticks around in Philadelphia, Lamar Jackson’s awful outing against the Chargers, and Talbot opines that Tom Brady is actually the worst AFC quarterback remaining in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Moran doesn’t trust the Rams in the NFC and admits he rooted against Jackson last weekend for his own selfish reasons. Naturally the talk eventually turns to the team Talbot writes about and he discusses how the Bills 2018 season was pretty on par with what he assumed it would be last August. That’s not necessarily a criticism, as most expected Buffalo to take a step back from their playoff appearance last season, and Talbot feels a lot better about the quarterback room now than he did this time a year ago. Talbot also gives his thoughts on Charles Clay underwhelming during his four seasons as a Bill, the chances Lesean McCoy sees a reduced role in the offense as well as a potential contract restructuring, power ranks his team MVP and LVP for the season, and breaks down the Bills signing of CFL star wide receiver Duke Williams. The chat is also littered with Talbot giving Bills fans a handful of potential free agent targets and college draft prospects. You can follow Ryan on Twitter at @RyanTalbotBills and check out his excellent work at www.newyorkupstate.com. Before calling it a wrap, Moran hands out “Terrible Tweets” to terrible Chicago Bears fans and Moran-Alytics Podcast MVP to the greatest female TV comedy actress ever. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast is taped at a spot where Patrick Moran demands credit for unearthing what he considers the best chicken wing hidden gem in Western New York— The Audubon North in Amherst. There, Moran is joined by New York Upstate Buffalo Bills beat reporter Matt Parrino for a lengthy chat about the Bills—after they rave about the wings and chicken fingers. Parrino just completed his first year covering the Bills beat after spending the past handful of years working in the UFC and living in Las Vegas. Moran asks him how things went during his ‘rookie” season and the two discuss some of the challenges that came with 2018, relationships formed with his colleagues and his favorite road trip of the season. From there they transition into a Bills 2018 season review and Parrino offers his take on many topics, including the surprising emergence of both Robert Foster and Levi Wallace, the failures of Kelvin Benjamin and Nate Peterman, Lesean McCoy’s future, the changes coming on offense and of course plenty of Josh Allen talk. You can follow Matt on Twitter at @MattParrino and check out his work at newyorkupstate.com. Be SURE to go check out The Audubon North (3025 Sweet Home Drive) and try their wings. We went with 10 Hot Cajun Double Dipped and 10 Hot wings and they were amazing. Seriously and you have my word this is no paid endorsement— Audubon North literally may be the most underrated place in all of Western New York for wings, and that’s not even what they’re known for! The chicken fingers are even better. Trust me, you won’t be sorry and I don’t recommend spots lightly— this is easily a top five chicken wing joint in the area. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this very different episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran hooks up with his buddy, Tone Pucks for their semi-recurring “Pat with Pucks.” Typically the segment is taped via Skype with the two 1,300 miles away, but with Moran being in Buffalo for the holidays they hook up at a North Buffalo Starbucks with Moran’s mobile podcasting gear, and mediocre audio ensues! After a little small talk they get into the Buffalo Bills, starting by reflecting on the great career of retiring defensive tackle Kyle Williams before turning their attention to Sunday’s big 42-17 season finale victory over Miami. Pat and Pucks go over performances from Josh Allen, Tremaine Edmunds and Shaq Lawson—all of who may have played their best game of the season. They also select the 2018 Bills MVP and LVP, and neither select the same guys. Some time is spent discussing the Buffalo Sabres, who are somewhat reeling following that record-setting 10-game winning streak earlier this season. Pucks (@tonepucks) is concerned about Jason Botterill’s willingness to pay the price to acquire another top six forward and is flat-out pissed off after Jack Eichel was given a “maintenance day” from practice by Phil Housley on Sunday. Of course, there’s “This Week in 80’s Music”, which this time highlights the top 10 songs from 31 years ago this week in 1987. Both are merely lukewarm to the selections, sans a one-hit wonder that gets Pucks excited. Before leaving, Tone uses his Puck Drop on people celebrating a vicious block on a defenseless player while Moran has Notre Dame haters for his Pat Peeve of the Week. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran has some of the guys on from the 716 Sports Podcast for a chat. Justen, Jeff, Mike and Steve join to talk about their tremendously underrated sports podcast. The guys talk about how the podcast came to be and some of the strengths that make their show pleasing for fans. One of their biggest strengths is the professional sounding audio they produce, an art often taken for granted in today’s world where many hobby podcasts are so hastily recorded and thrown together that the audio can be unlistenable. The other thing that makes the 716 Sports Podcast a great show is their willingness to engage in topics beyond just the Buffalo Bills and Sabres. Sure, there’s plenty of conversation on both teams, but the guys go out of their way to include discussion on the Bandits, Beauts and many other Western New York matters that rarely get on-air time elsewhere. There’s also a cool story about how FIFA for EA Sports and beer (of course) get them through the lean times. It’s a podcast all Buffalo sports fans should have in their podcast rotation. You can follow the 716 Sports Podcast on Twitter @716SportsPodcast and check out their website/podcast at www.716sportspodcast.com. Before the interview Moran has an extended monologue, where he tells listeners how much he hates Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook for screwing him out of a Moran vs. Moran fantasy football championship matchup, and gives everyone an update of how the Knowledge McDaniel story (go back to episode No. 59 for full context) ended up playing out down in Florida. Finally, Moran-Alytics Podcast MVP to a Buffalo Bills great and LVP to Pro Bowl complainer awards are handed out before putting this episode to bed. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews Kevin Snow, co-host of the Half Hour Hockey Show on a variety of topics. Along with Buffalo sports media mainstay Kevin Sylvester, Snow helps anchor one of the best Buffalo Sabres focused podcasts you’ll find anywhere. Snow talks about how their podcast got started, the process he and Sylvester go through each episode with a heavy emphasis on producing professional sounding audio. Their show recently featured Danny Briere, one of the most popular former Buffalo Sabres in team history as a guest and Snow let’s fans know what Briere’s up to. The focus then shifts to hockey and Snow admits his surprise with how well the Sabres have played this season. They discuss Jack Eichel’s ascension from potential franchise player to legitimate superstar as well as the steady rise of rookie Rasmus Dahlin before Snow drops a hot take on Jeff Skinner being far different than former Sabre Evander Kane. They end by talking about the “Conquering New Ground” book on Ronda Rousey that Snow had published in 2017, including his personal thoughts on Rousey as a person and performer. You can follow Kevin Snow on Twitter @kwsnow, catch the Half Hour Hockey Show on Soundcloud (as well as tons of other platforms) and order Snow’s Ronda Rousey book on Amazon. After that Moran is joined by Michael Necci for their “Necci Digs It” segment. Today they’re expressing frustration over some fans being upset that the Buffalo Bills victory over Detroit on Sunday meant dropping four slots in the NFL draft order. They also comment on the continued rise of Robert Foster, the steady play of Lorenzo Alexander, the uselessness of Charles Clay and the absurdity over Josh Allen vs. Tyrod Taylor continuing to being a thing with social media. They also premiere the Necci Interest Scale, where Necci measures his interest on several sports and pop culture topics. You can follow Mike Necci on Twitter at @manecci. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran indulges himself with WWE talk and in doing so enlists the assistance of one of the best wrestling minds around. Jason Solomon of the Solomonster Sounds Off podcast joins for an extended interview. The two discuss several topics, including Solomon’s podcast he’s been at since 2007. We find out how he got started on it more than a decade ago, what his process is, some of the incredible wrestlers he’s interviewed through the years and what’s been his key to longevity. From there they transition into WWE talk and Solomon offers his insight as to why WWE is failing so miserably lately, evidenced by plummeting ratings. The two agree part of it is an abundance of heel and face turns, so much that it’s hard to keep tract of them. They conclude by running down Sundays’ TLC pay-per-view card and Solomon offers insight and predictions for each match. Well, most anyway as he saves a few for his own podcast airing the day of the show. You can follow Jason on Twitter at @solomonster and check out his award-winning podcast at solomonster.podbean.com as well as all the standard podcasting platforms such as Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Sticher, etc. Directly before the Solomon interview, Moran has the recurring “Run In With Joe” segment featuring his buddy Joe from New York City (@buffalowins). The two quickly agree Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is essentially playing by himself on offense at this point, and Moran gives Joe a list of five Bills players that he thinks has the most to play for over their last three upcoming games. The two also hit on the Buffalo Sabres bouncing back after a five-game winless streak and talk a little Buffalo sports media, as it appears the Buffalo Maven is no more, at least in regards to Bucky and Sully writing for it. Finally, the Moran-Alytics Podcast MVP award is handed out to Tre’Davius White for non-football reasons. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews one of the driving forces behind the growing success of Trainwreck Sports. Zach Sheldon AKA “Maniac” joins the podcast for an interview about a variety of topics. The two spend time talking about Trainwreck Sports and the ways in which it’s grown over the past few years covering sports in Western New York. Maniac discusses what prompted him to join Trainwreck and how collectively they’ve grown and transformed it into a brand an increasing amount of Buffalo sports fans are familiar with. He also talks about separate podcasts Trainwreck Sports puts out covering the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres and the UB Bulls respectively, some of the guests they’ve landed on their shows and reveals what’s planned in the near future for one of the true growing outlets of Buffalo sports coverage. You can follow Maniac on Twitter @zachsheldon and check out all the audio, video and written content from Trainwreck Sports at www.trainwrecksports.com Immediately after that Moran is joined by Michael Necci (@manecci) for a second consecutive week because hey—if it’s not broke don’t fix it, right? The two discuss the Buffalo Bills loss to the New York Jets; a game the Bills were seemingly in control of throughout until the final minutes. They offer takes on Josh Allen perhaps already becoming the biggest riverboat gambler (apologies to Ron Rivera) in the NFL, Robert Foster emerging into a star, the defense playing well enough to win but again failing to close a game out, and dig a grave for soon-to-be former special teams coach, Danny Crossman. They also hit on a few other items from the NFL, talk a little hoops, try to figure out if the New York Yankees are all-in for Manny Manchado, and marvel at how amazing Lady Gaga was in “A Star is Born.” ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews the greatest kicker in Buffalo Bills history. Steve Christie joins the podcast for an extended 40 minute interview. The two discuss Christie growing up in Canada playing soccer before starting to kick for his high school football team. It ultimately led to a scholarship at William & Mary for college and Christie continued on to the NFL, signing with the Tampa Bay Bucs as a rookie in 1990. After two losing seasons in Tampa, Christie’s career took a major arc when he signed with the Bills in 1992. Christie recounts the call he got from Bill Polian that convinced him Buffalo was the right fit, and what it felt like competing with the very popular Scott Norwood during training camp. Not only did Christie win the job, he went on to become the Bills all-time leading scorer. Christie spends considerable time talking about his nine-year Buffalo career, including the crazy, emotional 32 point comeback against Houston in the playoffs, of which Christie nailed the game-winning overtime field goal. He also talks about his Super Bowl record 54-yard field goal against Dallas, the pain of losing to Tennessee in the playoffs and offers great insight into several former teammates, including Andre Reed and Jim Kelly. Immediately after that Moran is joined by Joe (@BuffaloWins) for another “Run-In With Joe” segment. Joe offers his thoughts on the Bills cutting Kelvin Benjamin, Josh Allen’s progress, the Buffalo Sabres recent mini-slide and closes with a take on WWE champion Daniel Bryan, who’s enjoying a nice heel run. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran chats with KCTV5 Kansas City sportscaster, Tom Martin about a variety of topics. The two talk about Martin growing up in Houston, Texas before choosing Missouri for college over Syracuse (among others) to pursue sports journalism. Martin spent time honing his craft in Missouri and Louisiana before making his way to Buffalo in 2015 after landing a job at WIVB-TV. Martin looks back on his time in Buffalo, speaking very highly of the city and its people while explaining the difficult decision he faced before ultimately moving on to a job at KCTV-5 in Kansas City in August of 2017. Martin discusses the excitement that covering the Kansas City Chiefs has brought this season, including the unworldly emergence of Patrick Mahomes as a superstar quarterback. Of course, the Chiefs were rocked with scandal this past week when star running back Kareem Hunt was dramatically cut from the team just one day after video emerged on TMZ showing Hunt committing physical violence against a woman in a hotel hallway. Martin offers his perspective on Hunt and makes a prediction on if we’ll see him back in the NFL again. Before heading out Martin goes through the Moran-Alytics Podcast traditional mini-lightning round, where among other things we learn of a romantic city to bring your lover and three unorthodox guests at his dream dinner table. You can follow Tom Martin on Twitter at @TomKCTV5 and check out his work at KCTV5.com. Immediately following that, with “Pat with Pucks” segment partner Tone Pucks on the injured (sick list) Moran has a chat with buddy Michael Necci (@manecci) about the Buffalo Bills in his Moran-Alytics Podcast debut. They discuss how much Josh Allen won them over following his performance on Sunday, the special teams gaffes and penalties that frequently make watching the Bills insufferable, and Necci has a take on rookie linebacker Tremaine Edmunds before a quick preview of what to expect in future segments between the two. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran has an interview with Rochester based sports reporter (13WHAM-ABC) Jenna Cottrell on wide variety of topics both heavy and light. Only in her mid-20’s as the time, Jenna was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer a few years ago. She discusses first feeling sick late in 2016, being diagnosed and her initial reaction, the support that’s helped through her battle and for the time being, defeating the deadly disease. Amazingly, her brother also had cancer at just 15-years old. On a more lighter note, they discuss last year’s NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Jenna, while shooting video for her station on the sideline was in the wrong place at the wrong time as Mike Evans and Tre’Davius White got caught up near the end zone and Evans was sent barreling into Cottrell, who literally went flying with camera in hand. The video went viral and because she wasn’t injured was able to laugh about it afterwards. There’s plenty of other ground covered, including Cottrell growing up in Saratoga Springs, how a basketball game between Syracuse and UConn decided her college fate, how the opportunity at 13WHAM came about as well as her takes on sports/social media issues and of course, Cottrell does the mini-lightning round at the end of the interview and Moran learns they have something in common when it comes to favorite movies. You can follow Jenna Cottrell on Twitter at @jennacottrell and check out some of her work at 13Wham Sports in Rochester. Immediately after that Moran is joined by his buddy Joe from New York City for his recurring “The Run-in With Joe” segment. Joe (@buffalowins) is pretty annoyed when Bills fans get mad over Josh Allen to Tyrod Taylor comparison from last week, talks about the amazing job Jason Botterill has done building the Buffalo Sabres into a (current) winner, weighs in on the Washington Redskins claiming Ruben Foster off waivers and is disgusted with WWE programming of late, particularly Monday Night Raw. He also gives a Netlix recommendation for fans to watch. Before signing off on this episode, Moran hands out “Terrible Tweets’ hardware to Piers Morgan. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast features another installment of “Pat with Pucks” as Tone Pucks (@tonepucks) joins Patrick Moran to discuss Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres and 80’s chart topping music from 1982. The two begin by discussing the Bills 24-21 victory on Sunday over the severely underachieving Jacksonville Jaguars, a game that turned the Bills way after Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette was ejected in the third quarter for fighting with Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson. They discuss that series of events as well as the job rookie quarterback Josh Allen did in perhaps the best performance of his young career. Also, Kyle Williams may literally be ageless and Tone Pucks, an official himself, explains how bad he thinks the officiating crew was in this game. After that they talk about the red hot Buffalo Sabres, who find themselves riding a nine-game winning streak as of Tuesday. Pat and Pucks compare the excitement of Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner playing together to the days of Pat LaFontaine and Alexander Mogilny while singing the praise of head coach Phil Housley for the way he’s brought along Rasmus Dahlin on the blue line. They also examine if Jason Botterill may end up a buyer at the NHL trade deadline a few months down the road. In “This Week in 80’s Music” Moran runs down the Top 10 songs on the billboard charts from 36 years ago, the week ending November 27, 1982. Featured on the charts were songs from Don Henley, Ton Basil and Lionel Richie among others. We also find out Moran’s first crush during this rundown while Pucks plays sing-a-long to Hall & Oates and Neil Diamond tunes. Before getting out Tone Pucks gives the Pegula’s a little love in his Puck Drop, while Moran berates fans and the media for the #PayJeffSkinner hashtag. Finally, a trio of early Moran-Alytics Podcast segments return: A Buffalo columnist earning “Terrible Tweets”, The Jaguars decision-makers receiving LVP and Moran’s daughter capturing MVP honors. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this Black Friday episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran chats with newly appointed Buffalo Sabres beat reporter over at the Buffalo News, Lance Lysowski in a wide-ranging interview. With Lysowski completely new to the Buffalo sports scene, this is a “getting-to-know” type conversation and Moran finds out more about Lysowski’s background, including growing up a hockey fan in Youngstown, Ohio and attending Kent State for college. Lysowski talks about his path, one that eventually would lead him to a revamped Buffalo News sports department. Lysowski discusses spending the past few years covering the Pittsburgh Pirates before the Buffalo News opportunity came about, working alongside Mike Harrington now, what area he has settled in, his initial thoughts on Buffalo, chicken wings (he’s not seasoned enough to know beyond Duffs and Anchor Bar yet) and much more. You can follow Lance Lysowski on Twitter at @LLysowski and check out his work at covering the Sabres beat at The Buffalo News. As the podcast closes, Moran plays another track from talented electric guitarist and rock vocalist Robben Ford, whose new studio album Purple House was released two weeks ago. The single is called “Bound for Glory” and you can order the album at: https://robbenford.lnk.to/PurpleHousePR. Be sure to check out Robben’s website www.robbenford.com for music, tour dates, news and plenty more. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran talks with the managing editor of Wrestling Inc., one of the biggest and best wrestling websites in the world. Managing editor Nick Hausman joins to podcast to recap an eventful WWE Survivor Series from Sunday night. Among the main topics discussed is the unmistakable rise of women wrestling in WWE, Brock Lesnar sort of dismantling new WWE champion Daniel Bryan, the shine potentially wearing off for Asuka, the idiocy that is Enzo Amore and why they even bothered with a kickoff show match that didn’t even count on the Raw vs. Smackdown Survivor Series tally sheet. Nick also reveals the story behind him playing Dominoes with WWE legend The Godfather in Chicago on Sunday night. You can follow Nick on Twitter @WIncRebel and check out the Wrestling Inc. website at www.wrestlinginc.com Before that Moran is joined by Tone Pucks (@tonepucks) for their recurring “Pat with Pucks” chat. Today they’re discussing the Buffalo Sabres blazing start, including firing back at critics chastising franchise center Jack Eichel over only having four goals through the first 20 games. They also discuss the solid goaltending of Carter Hutton and continued growth of rookie stud defensemen Rasmus Dahlin. They then turn their attention to the returning from their bye week Buffalo Bills. Considering the parity in the middle of the AFC, Moran’s still upset over the Bills not beating Houston a few weeks ago and inserting themselves into the wild card playoff conversation (yes, playoffs) while Pucks shares what he hopes to see with the Bills over their last six games. Before getting out the two revisit the Billboard Top 10 songs from this week 34 years ago, because why the hell not. During the opening segment of the podcast, Moran can’t hide his excitement about the growing possibility of an “The Office” reboot. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran is joined for a second time by long-time Buffalo News sports writer Mike Harrington. Harrington was first on all the way back on Episode No. 11 in April, where they took a deep dive into his life and career. This time the conversation is more straightforward with an emphasis on the team Harrington diligently covers, the Buffalo Sabres. The two discuss Buffalo’s hot start that has them sitting among one of the NHL’s better teams after 18 games. Harington talks about the importance that Jeff Skinner and Carter Hutton have brought to the team, how he feels team captain Jack Eichel is progressing in his fourth year in the league, an evaluation of overall number-one draft pick Rasmus Dahlin and more. Harrington also discusses some of the adjustments and whirlwind that became his life both personally and professionally after several veteran sports writers left The Buffalo News earlier this year for a variety of reasons. It’s been a year of transformation at The News and Harrington provides plenty of insight as to how things have moved forward. You can follow Harrington on Twitter at @ByMHarrington and of course check out his work at the Buffalo News. Immediately after Moran is joined by his buddy Joe (@BuffaloWins) for another edition of “The Run-In With Joe.” Today the guys are talking about Tim Graham’s radio show and whether they agree with Tim having on O.J. Simpson as a call in guest earlier this week. They also discuss the Buffalo Bills releasing Nate Peterman and the extremely gracious parting words many fans and local media had for him, as well as Joe’s realistic best hope for the rest of the Bills regular season before they end things by recapping an incredibly wild week of WWE action that saw Becky Lynch get injured and Smackdown put the heavyweight title on a heel-turning Daniel Bryan in seemingly makeshift fashion the very next night. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast is all about “Pat with Pucks” as Tone Pucks joins Patrick Moran for their weekly conversation on a wide variety of topics. The two go over what was an incredibly week to be a Buffalo sports fan. The Buffalo Bills dismantled and embarrassed the New York Jets, 41-10 on their own turf behind an improbable dominant performance from Matt Barkley, who hadn’t started a game at quarterback since 2016. Who stood out from this game that may actually matter to Buffalo going forward and Nate Peterman’s potential return to the Bills is discussed. Moran and Pucks (@tonepucks) talk about the Buffalo Sabres promising 9-6-2 start to the NHL season, including a pair of thrilling victories last week; a 6-5 overtime win in Montreal and erasing a two goal deficit inside the final three minutes to score a home shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks. Jack Skinner has been sizzling hot and Pucks has a take on what he thinks the Sabres may have to ultimately sacrifice to lock Skinner up long term. Of course, both professional teams pale in comparison to the success of the UB Bulls so far, both football and basketball. The basketball team being ranked in the AP Top 25, making it the first Big Four school to achieve that since 1970 and today’s Puck Drop features a rant on Nate Oats being the best coach to come through Buffalo since…. Marv Levy? The episode isn’t limited to just Buffalo sports. Moran informs Pucks that the Chick-Fil-A set to open in Western New York at the end of this month is overrated and the two go over the Top 10 songs on the billboard charts for this week exactly 35 years ago as Tone Pucks once again shows off his vocal prowess. It’s a segment that can go “All Night Long” ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, NFL insider and reporter Benjamin Allbright joins for a second time to talk with host Patrick Moran about a handful of topics. His first appearance back on Episode No. 13 in April was one of the most downloaded episodes to date. Today he discusses Dez Bryant signing with the New Orleans Saints, a scoop Allbright had first but didn’t get credit for the work. He talks about the frustration that sometimes comes with scoops more/less being stolen in the industry and chimes in on if Bryant’s addition will help the Saints offense. The two also spend time talking about the Buffalo Bills as Allbright elaborates on his pre-draft thoughts on Josh Allen and how his feelings have been altered since. When it comes to the team itself, he shockingly thinks Buffalo is merely competent quarterback play away from being a playoff caliber team. Allbright also drops a hard truth about Chad Kelly and sticks to his guns on a preseason Super Bowl prediction. You can follow Benjamin Allbright on Twitter at @AllbrightNFL. Immediately following Albright, Joe from New York City (@BuffaloWins) joins Moran for his “Run-In With Joe” segment. Joe’s trying to refrain from political talk with only moderate success before they turn their attention to the Buffalo Bills, and possibly the most uninteresting matchup of the NFL season looming Sunday against the New York Jets. They also talk about Lesean McCoy’s future with the team before turning their attention to WWE talk, including a brief review of Crown Jewel and a look ahead to Survivor Series. Joe ends the segment with his finisher, a strong take on people who use the salary cap as an excuse for Buffalo’s offensive inactivity. As has been done a few times previously on this podcast, the episode ends with the playing of an original music track by a talented non-mainstream artist. Today’s selection is “Tangle With Ya” from electric guitarist and rock virtuoso Robben Ford, whose new studio album Purple House drops today. You can order the album at: https://robbenford.lnk.to/PurpleHousePR and be sure to check out Robben’s website www.robbenford.com for music, tour dates and news. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran is joined by his segment co-partner Tone Pucks for a full podcast worth of “Pat with Pucks” that discusses many topics. The Buffalo Bills suffered another humiliating loss on Sunday, this time at home to the Chicago Bears, 41-9 in a contest that saw their offense as anemic as ever. The blowout loss poses the question that by investing so heavily in the offseason on the defensive side of the ball, is Bills management going about trying to build a contender the wrong way in today’s NFL? Several other Bills related topics are deliberated, including if Sunday should be the end of the road for Nate Peterman for good as well as examining if Lesean McCoy and Charles Clay should be part of the organization going forward after this season. Also, Moran wonders why in God’s name would head coach Sean McDermott kick a field goal when he was team was trailing by four touchdowns in the second half, notices the offensive line rearing its ugly head yet again and the two firmly agree one the weakest link to the Bills defense. After the dust settles from Bills talk, Pucks (@tonepucks) hits on the Buffalo Sabres semi-surprising good start to the NHL season while Moran grudgingly is forced to give props to a team he hates more than life itself, the Boston Red Sox after they won another World Series. The segment takes a fun turn as the two reminisce about the Billboard Top 10 songs from 30 years ago on this date in 1988 before Pucks hits his Puck Drop on a Sabres forward he doesn’t think will be with the team long term and Moran reveals his Pat Peeve of the Week— having to wish everyone a Happy Birthday on Facebook. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews one of the more engaging writers of the Buffalo sports media scene over the past two decades. Bucky Gleason, writer for the Buffalo Maven and sports talk radio host at 1270 The Fan joins the podcast for a wide-ranging interview. The two start at Gleason’s youth, talking about him being born and raised in Hamburg, New York and his love of sports, particularly basketball at a very young age. Of course, Gleason would go on to be best known for his 20 years at The Buffalo News. Gleason talks about his time there, including thoughts on one of the biggest legends to ever work there, Jim Kelley. Alongside several others, Gleason made headlines earlier this year when he accepted a buyout offer and abruptly left the News. Gleason offers his opinion on the series of events that led him to decide a buyout was his best course of action. The discussion turns to Gleason’s current ventures. He reveals what led to opportunities to write for the Buffalo Maven as well as the Bucky and Sully radio show, both alongside his colleague and friend Jerry Sullivan. He talks about the highs and lows of each, his brotherly relationship with Sullivan and why he thinks his show is different than other shows around. They wind down with Gleason’s strong takes on the Buffalo Sabres tank era before finishing off with the Mini-Lightning Round, where we learn among other things he nearly became a State Trooper instead of a sports journalist. You can read Bucky Gleason’s work at the Buffalo Maven website and be sure to check out the Bucky and Sully radio show weekday mornings between 9:00am and noon on 1270 The Fan ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews a very talented sports reporter at WGRZ-TV Channel 2 in Buffalo, Heather Prusak on a variety of topics. The two discuss Prusak’s growing up in the Town of Hamburg (New York), why she had her heart set on staying nearby to attend Syracuse for college, and they retrace the career steps that led to Prusak’s opportunity at WGRZ-TV, including stints at the college’s Citrus TV and a video production internship with the Buffalos Bisons that saw her go above and beyond. Moran also gets Prusak’s takes on several sports media topics, discuss what it is about Western New York that remains so endearing to them before ending the conversation by putting Prusak through the Mini-Lightning Round where we find out many of her favorites, including a surprising favorite Twitter follow and a country music superstar among her three most desired dinner guests. You can follow Heather on Twitter (@haprusak) and of course check out her work at WGRZ.com when she’s not on the air at Channel 2. Immediately after that Moran is joined by his buddy Joe from NYC (@buffalowins) for another installment of “The Run-In With Joe.” Today the two are discussing a historically shocking evening of WWE Monday Night Raw this past Monday, both in the real world and kayfabe. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns announced at the beginning of the show that he has Leukemia and has to immediately leave to focus on his health and family, which got Moran and Joe thinking about the saddest sports moments they could remember. During the entertainment portion of the show, Dean Ambrose shockingly turned on his partner Seth Rollins seconds after the two captured the tag team titles, which got the guys reminiscing about the most shocking heel turns ever. They talk Chad Kelly’s latest disaster and buzz about a potential strain between Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane before Joe hits his finisher on the reputation of blue collar football. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran hooks up with his buddy Tone Pucks for an extended edition of “Pat with Pucks” to gab Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, UB Bulls and MLB World Series. The Bills were humiliated in Indianapolis Sunday by the previously one-win Colts, 37-5. It was an afternoon where the offense turned the ball over five times and the defense was no better — powerless to stop neither Andrew Luck nor the suddenly potent Indianapolis run game. Moran and Pucks sift through the mess, or at least what they saw from it after each admitted neither stuck around to see all four quarters. Is this the worst Bills offense ever? Does it really matter if Derek Anderson or Nate Peterman are the quarterback? How many players on the offensive side of the ball will be back in 2019? Why does Bills radio announcer John Murphy says Bills quarterbacks “fired” the ball so often? If this is an elite defense then why did the unit look like it quit in Indy? How much blame should Sean McDermott receive and has the shine worn off the Bills second-year head coach? All these Bills topics and more are discussed. The two also talk the Sabres and their surprising 5-4 start over their first night games; a beginning to the season that had Pucks eating his own Twitter words over the weekend. Thoughts on Jeff Skinner, Rasmus Dahlin, Sam Reinhart and Buffalo’s goaltenders are also hit on during this segment. Not to be forgotten are the 7-1 UB Bulls and a huge ESPN2 home contest looming against Ohio on Tuesday, October 30th as well as World Series predictions between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. This episode concludes with a “Puck Drop” on Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, the “Pat Peeve of the Week” on the NFL not flexing the Bills out of Monday Night Football and Moran shouting out the potential for a Mariah Carey implosion at an upcoming Buffalo concert next spring. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A fan favorite returns on this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast as Patrick Moran has a chat with Buffalo Bills super fan Ezra Castro, better known as Pancho Billa. Castro was a guest on the podcast back on Episode No. 43 and it was a deep dive interview covering many topics including his childhood, how he became a Bills fan, his cancer diagnosis and subsequent fight with it and several memorable stories. Today’s chat is more of a follow up as Moran checks in to see how Poncho is feeling these days while also getting his take on what he’s seen from his beloved Buffalo Bills so far this season. Castro also provides a few fun stories from his latest game day tailgating experiences. You can follow Castro on Twitter at @Panchobilla1. There’s also a Go Fund Me page set up to help support his ongoing fight with cancer at Pancho Power. Immediately after that Joe from NYC (@Buffalowins) joins Moran for his “The Run-In With Joe” segment. Today the guys are running through the list of Bills quarterbacks that have started since Jim Kelly retired, which now sits at 19 following the announcement Wednesday that newly signed Derek Anderson will get the starting nod this Sunday. Joe power ranks the best and worst of those quarterbacks and gives his insight on Anderson, which (spoiler alert) is not very flattering. They also debate whether Josh Allen’s elbow injury is a blessing in disguise, if the likelihood of a Lesean McCoy trade has increased with Allen on the shelf and if Kyle Williams could emerge as a trade candidate before Joe ends with a take on concussions in the NFL. This episode ends with an original track, “Run to the River” by talented Buffalo-born country/pop artist Caitlin Koch. You can check out her bio, tour dates and other information on her website at www.caitlinkoch.com ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran has an interview with Tampa Bay Bucs rookie defensive end and Buffalo, New York native Demone Harris. After spending the first five weeks of his rookie season on the Tampa practice squad, Harris was promoted to the active roster and made his NFL debut this past Sunday in Atlanta. He provides perspective on the experience and seeing on the opposing sidelines stars like Julio Jones and Matt Ryan as well as a guy he considers a mentor, Steven Means. The two also discuss Harris not being drafted this past April but grateful for the opportunity to go to Tampa and his feelings when he was initially waived before being brought back the next day to the team’s practice squad. They talk about the culture change of living in Tampa after previously being in Buffalo his entire life. Harris (@demoneharris) also shares his feels about his two alma maters: the University at Buffalo and Bishop Timon High School before giving strong opinions on a topic previously covered on the Moran-Alytics Podcast, “The Knowledge McDaniel Story” Immediately after that interview concludes Moran is joined by Tone Pucks for their “Pat with Pucks” segment. After watching the Buffalo Bills blow a game Sunday in Houston they could’ve easily won, today the two are wondering if Nate Peterman’s Bills career should be over for good. They also discuss if Sean McDermott should put Josh Allen back in the lineup as soon as he’s physically able to go or if the Bills head coach should reverse course and determine the rookie would benefit from spending multiple weeks on the sideline learning. McDermott’s performance as coach, Bills special teams and Kelvin Benjamin are among other Bills topics on the table. The two end with quick hits on the Buffalo Sabres and MLB playoffs before Tone uses his Puck Drop to obliterate the UFC. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran has an interview with WIVB-TV Channel 4 Buffalo sports reporter, Nick Filipowski. They chat about Filopowski’s childhood and being born into a military family that had him living quite literally all over the world during his youth, including a decade of residence in Japan. The two discuss many topics, ranging from Nick’s obsession with landing a Tony Gwynn rookie baseball card, going to the University of Nebraska for college, what led to him deciding he wanted to become a broadcast sports journalist and all of the jobs that led him from Nebraska to Iowa and eventually Buffalo. Nick also speaks on leaving Channel 7 for Channel 4 last year, why he loves Buffalo so much and some takes on the sports media before concluding with Moran’s Mini-Lightning Round, which reveals among other things Filipowski’s favorite athlete, sports movie, city to visit, Twitter handle and three dinner guests from any era he’d love to have it as his table. You can follow Nick on Twitter @News4_Nick and check out some of his digital work at wivb.com. After that Joe (@BuffaloWins) from New York City returns for another “Run-In With Joe” segment. Today they’re talking about if the Buffalo Bills should be looking to keep or trade running back Lesean McCoy, whether Josh Allen is better off taking rookie lumps now or sitting on the sidelines to develop before both Joe and Moran come up with a Mt. Rushmore of all-time NFL quarterbacks and Joe hits his finisher on Making Nuances Great Again. Finally, this episode marks the launch what will be a recurring series of original music played by deserving artists to end the show. Today’s episode ends with a tracked called “Welcome Home” by Caitlin Koch. You can read her bio as well as check out tour dates, news and music by visiting her website at CaitlinKoch.com. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews one the leaders in the world of hockey analytics, Ryan Stimson of The Athletic. Stimson is a contributing writer at the Buffalo division of The Athletic and does an impeccable job of covering the Buffalo Sabres through extensive analytical and statistical driven analysis. For mainstream fans not aware of Stimson and the work he does, Moran asks Stimson about where he grew up, how he got into hockey and when he figured out deciphering through analytics would play a role in his life. Stimson also talks about how the opportunity to join The Athletic came out and how he feels about working some of the most talented and well known sports journalists in Buffalo. Of course, the conversation ultimately turns to Sabres talk and Stimson breaks down why he thought playing Jeff Skinner with Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart was a bad idea, talks about Eichel being an elite scorer but not necessarily yet an elite center, and gives insight into what fans can expect of goaltender Carter Hutton going forward. Finally, the interview wraps with Moran’s recurring Mini-Lightning round, where Stimson reveals such nuggets as his favorite athlete, city to visit, activity, spot to hit up for wings, the one person on Twitter he’d follow if only allowed and the three dinner guests from any era he’d most like to have. You can follow Ryan Stimson on Twitter at RK_Stimp and subscribe to The Athletic, where they always seem to be having advantageous deals for new subscribers. Immediately after that Moran is joined by Tone Pucks (@TonePucks) for the recurring Pat with Pucks segment. Today the guys are breaking down the Buffalo Bills last second 13-12 victory over the Tennessee Titans to earn their second win in three weeks. While Pucks is glad to see his hometown team, he’s anything but pleased with the progress rookie quarterback Josh Allen is making. He’s discussed along with Matt Milano and Sean McDermott, their post-game weekly awards and much more. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this very special episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran gets away from his typical conversational format with guests that talk about their life and career, and instead dedicates an entire show to a very talented high school football player in Florida that despite personally doing nothing wrong has been unfairly and excessively punished by the Florida High School Athletic Association. “The Knowledge McDaniel Story” tells the tale of a senior high school football star who earlier this spring received several D-I offers, including Ohio State and the University of Georgia, all the while seeing his Grandmother/caregiver fall on impossibly hard financial times. Desperate for a bed to sleep on, food and the environment to better focus on his studies, McDaniel started living with the family of a close friend and teammate. Unaware any FHSAA rule was being violated, an investigation was launched after a former player’s parent wrote an anonymous letter to the state alleging several violations. While most were quickly proven inaccurate, it was disclosed that because McDaniel lived with a player on the team and a family with “athletic interests.” Among other program penalties, McDaniel was deemed ineligible to play his senior season just two days before the team’s Kickoff Classic. This kicked off a wild series of events, appeals and suspicious circumstances that have resulted in the innocent kid being partially reinstated, meaning he can play in the regular season after missing four games but no postseason contests, despite the publicly written plea of the Appeals Committee Chairperson for a full and unrestricted reinstatement and the resignation of another committee member over a mediation decision. It’s a story with many layers that’ll have your head spinning and likely angry. It’s also a story that’s caught the attention of several nationally known people in the sports world. ESPN’s Dick Vitale lives in the area and has gotten to know Knowledge personally through all of this. He had a passionate social media rant recently regarding this story that is replayed on this podcast. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Josina Anderson, Tampa Bay Bucs Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy and former Buffalo Bills Pro Bowler Eric Wood are among other notable figures that have publicly tweeted out in disgust over what’s happened. After laying out the details of Knowledge’s story, Moran has an interview with Jason Dill (@Jason_Dill) of the Bradenton Herald, who provides insight mainly from a reporter’s perspective but does drop the nugget that he feels McDaniel ultimately has been sentenced twice for the same crime. The big interview on this podcast is with Florida born and raised former 14-year NFL star, Kevin Carter (@KevinCarter_93) who once was a Florida high school football legend himself. Carter, now a CBS Sports college football analyst is downright incensed at the FHSAA over their refusal to reinstate McDaniel without restriction and pulls no punches in an interview you absolutely need to hear. Please listen to the podcast and when it’s over, we implore you to at least try and help right this absurd injustice to an innocent teenage child. To do that, you can contact the Director of the FHSAA , Mr. George Tomyn and let him know you think what they’re doing to Knowledge McDaniel is wrong. Mr. Tomyn is the one person that has the power to instantly overturn everything. His office phone number at the FHSAA is (352) 372-9551 (extension 110), his email is [email protected] and you can use Twitter @FHSAA. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran welcomes the show’s first two-time special guest, Kris Baker of The Athletic. When Baker appeared on Episode No. 31 in July, Moran took a deep dive into Baker’s life and career. This time it’s all about Buffalo Sabres hockey as the puck is set to drop on the NHL season this Thursday. Moran talks to Baker and gets his thoughts on the opening roster as it’s currently constructed, on Tage Thompson starting the season as a top six forward, Casey Mittlestadt centering a third line and the performance of prized rookie Rasmus Dahlin during the Sabres preseason. They also spend time talking about some guys who didn’t make the Sabres roster coming out of camp, including Alex Nylander, Brendan Guhle, Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Asplund. Which prospects could be up with Buffalo sooner than later? Finally, Moran asks Baker if he’s perplexed about Jack Eichel, the face of the franchise not yet being named the Sabres captain. You can follow Kris Baker on Twitter (@sabresprospects) and read his along with a who’s who of incredible sports content by subscribing to The Athletic. After that Moran is joined by Tone Pucks (@tonepucks) for their “Pat with Pucks” segment. Today they’re breaking down the good, bad and ugly from the Buffalo Bills latest lopsided loss, a 22-0 shellacking in Green Bay. How much of the blame falls on rookie quarterback Josh Allen? Is it time for the Bills to start actively trying to move Lesean McCoy? Is Kelvin Benjamin ever going to help the offense? What rookie was the team’s biggest bright spot in their third miserable outing in four tries? All those topics are discussed as well as some New York Yankees and Ryder Cup talk before the Puck Drop comes on former Sabres general manager Tim Murray and final shout-outs to an Academy Award winning actor and longtime now former sports writer for the Buffalo News. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran has a wide-ranging interview with talented young WIVB-TV Channel 4 Buffalo sports reporter Jenna Harner. Relatively new to Buffalo having arrived this spring, Harner talks to Moran about her life and career, including growing up in Connecticut as a Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins and New York Giants fan, a weird combination for sure. She discusses going to Ithaca college and what got her interested in sports broadcasting. While still in school Harner started working at both the school’s radio station as well as the newspaper and it would springboard her to a job in Elmira. After nearly two years in Elmira the opportunity to come to Buffalo and join the WIVB sports team happened, and Harner details why she made the decision. The two also spend time discussing how Harner has adapted to living in Buffalo, how she feels about the city and a few spots she likes to hit up for wings or beers. They also talk about the University at Buffalo football team, off to a 4-0 and featuring potentially two players who could be high NFL draft picks in the near future. They wrap with Moran putting Harner through his mini-lightning round, a series of random questions where Harner reveals among other things her favorite athlete, city to visit, sports movie, Twitter follow and her three most coveted dinner guests. You can follow Jenna Harner on Twitter at @JennaHarner4 and check out her work at WIVB-TV. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran joins his recurring “Pat with Pucks’ segment partner Tone Pucks for the duration of the podcast as they cover a wide variety of topics. Of course, at least as far as Buffalo sports fans are concerned the big story is the Buffalo Bills shocking not just their owns fans, but NFL fans all around with a dominating 27-6 victory over the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings. In fact, this was the first time in the past 40 years a team came into a game underdogs by at least two touchdowns and won by more than a touchdown. Pat and Pucks (@tonepucks) break down the game and highlight the return of an extremely impressive defense that was supposed to be the team’s biggest strength yet played horribly over the first two games. That wasn’t the case in Minnesota, as the unit produced four sacks and forced three turnovers. Equally impressive was rookie quarterback Josh Allen, who played well enough to give fans hope they may finally have the young franchise quarterback they’ve lacked since the days of Jim Kelly. Sure, we’ve heard it before with J.P. Losman and E.J. Manuel but this performance felt different. Or does it? The guys don’t necessarily agree. After Buffalo Bills and NFL talk, the pair talk Tiger Woods, including Moran admitting Wood’s win at the Tour Championship had him feeling emotional. Among other topics, they discuss the rotting away of baseball’s best player, if Casey Middelstadt’s deserving of an opening night roster spot on the Buffalo Sabres, and the exciting 4-0 start of the UB Bulls. As they wind down, The Moran’s Top 10 list features Elton John’s songs while The Puck Drop places off-field troubled Lesean McCoy on blast and the Pat Peeve of the Week reveals how bad Florida summer and fall weather is for football players. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews WKBW-TV Channel 7 Buffalo sportscaster Matthew Bove on a variety of topics. A native of Western New York, Bove talks about growing up just north of Buffalo, why he became a Boston Red Sox fan as a kid and tells a story of how he nearly went to UConn instead of Buffalo State for college before a panic attack just a few weeks prior changed his course of action. They discuss Bove getting a job at WKBW and starting as an editor and photographer before working his way to a news reporter position and ultimately a spot as a sportscaster and reporter. Matt speaks of some media influences, including his widely popular Channel 7 colleague Joe Buscaglia. He also has thoughts on the turbulence that’s went on in the Buffalo sports media over the past year as well as the effectiveness of social media and some solid advice for youngsters who may want to break into the sports media business. Of course, they talk plenty of Buffalo Sabres hockey and Matt provides his insight on Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Dahlin and others before declaring there’s no reason the Sabres can’t be a playoff contender this season. The interview wraps with Moran putting Bove through his traditional Mini-Lighting Round, where Matt discloses several of his favorite things, the one Twitter handle he’d follow if only allowed one, and keeps it a family affair with the dinner guest final question. You can follow Matt on Twitter at @Matt_Bove and check out his work online at wkbw.com. Immediately after that Moran is joined by his buddy Joe (@buffalowins) for another “Run-In With Joe” segment. They’re discussing how much of the Buffalo Bills early failures are due to trusting the process versus flat-out poor personnel decision making, while also having takes on Maroon 5 being named the primary Super Bowl halftime entertainment, Game of Thrones winning another Emmy for Best Drama Series and WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view last Sunday. Joe ends with his “finisher”, a beef with many Buffalo Bills beat reporters. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran has a lengthy interview with the newest sports enterprise writer for the Buffalo News, Jason Wolf. A 15-time recipient of the Associated Press Sports Editors national top-10 writing award, Wolf details his career journey during this wide-ranging chat; dating all the way back to his days as a youth growing up in Pennsylvania as an Eagles, Flyers, 76ers and Phillies fan. A graduate of Penn State College, Wolf spent several years honing his craft while working in his hometown state covering high school and college sports before venturing off to Virginia and North Carolina to do the same in more prominent roles. A big break came Wolf’s way in the summer of 2015 when he moved to Tennessee to cover the Titans for the Tennessean. Wolf was prepared to remain there for the long haul but that changed when the Buffalo News came calling this past summer. Wolf talks in detail about the tough decision he made to move to Buffalo, why he was interviewing the News as much as they were interviewing him, how he feels about the tough competition between the News and The Athletic, what he thinks of Buffalo during the short time he’s been there, and of course a lengthy chat about chicken wings, because why wouldn’t there be? Moran also discusses a few of the excellent stories Wolf has penned since arriving at the News, including a poignant feature on UB’s Khalil Hodge and following Eric Wood around during his first game as an ex-Buffalo Bill. You can follow Jason Wolf on Twitter at @JasonWolf. After that Moran is joined by Tone Pucks (@tonepucks) for their weekly “Pat with Pucks” segment. They are fully breaking down the Buffalo Bills home opening 31-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. How did Josh Allen look in his career debut? Will Sean McDermott be calling defensive plays going forward? Should the Bills try to get something for Lesean McCoy? All these topics and more are discussed and unlike Vontae Davis, Pat with Pucks doesn’t quit halfway through. The UB Bulls, Buffalo Sabres, Elton John and more are covered during this entertaining recurring segment. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, today marks the official start to hockey season as the Buffalo Sabres take the ice for training camp. To celebrate a new season, Patrick Moran interviews Sabres beat writer Joe Yerdon of The Athletic (Buffalo) on a variety of topics in a wide-ranging discussion. They discuss everything from Yerdon growing up near Albany through his youth and college days before deep diving into his career and everything that led to him joining The Athletic this summer. Of course, they spend considerable time talking about the Sabres, and Moran asks Yerdon about Rasmus Asplund, Alex Nylander, his thoughts on an improving bottom half of the Sabres roster, the effect that the arrival of Rasmus Dahlin has had on the culture and vibe of the organization and Joe is asked to give a prediction on how the team will fare in 2018-19. It seems no Moran interview is complete without chicken wing talk these days, and Yerdon has an entertaining story about his experience at Bar Bill with hot wings before they wrap with the mini-lightning round and Yerdon explaining the origins of his “noted jerk” moniker. You can follow Joe Yerdon on Twitter at @JoeYerdon and you can subscribe to The Athletic by going to https://theathletic.com/ After that, Moran is joined by Joe from BuffaloWins (@buffalowins) for his recurring “The Run-In With Joe” segment. Today they’re reacting to Buffalo Bills rookie Josh Allen being named the starting quarterback after just one game, examine if Nate Peterman’s Bills career may already soon be coming to an end, discuss if Stephen A. Smith was exaggerating when he tweeted that the Bills may be the worst team of this decade and veer off for some WWE talk as they run down the Hell in the Cell pay-per-view this coming Sunday and offer predictions. Finally, Joe uses his “finisher” to blast the Buffalo News sports department for doing a poor job using Twitter. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews the all-time undisputed king of sports agents and the real-life inspiration for the 90’s Hollywood blockbuster Jerry Maguire. Leigh Steinberg is today’s featured special guest. He’s represented and guided the career of more than 300 professional athletes, including a mind-blowing 63 former NFL first-round draft picks and a record-shattering eight consecutive years of representing the top overall pick of the draft. Leigh discusses his business approach towards being an agent and how it helped him attract clients like Troy Aikman, Steve Young Warren Moon, Oscar De La Hoya, Lennox Lewis, Ben Rothlisberger and a pair of Buffalo Bills Hall of Famers, Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith among countless others. Steinberg (@leighsteinberg) also talks about debating Ronald Regan when he was young, why he was interested in becoming a sports agent, why it’s so important for his clients to be entrenched in their communities and to give back, his comeback from alcohol and personal demons, and offers advice to youngsters looking to break into sports management. Of course, we also talk about the famous Steinberg-inspired 1996 Cameron Crowe movie Jerry Maguire starring Tom Cruise as well as some other Hollywood hits Steinberg’s consulted on, including For The Love of the Game, Any Given Sunday and Arli$$. Immediately after that, Moran’s joined by Tone Pucks for “Pat with Pucks.” Today they’re discussing the abysmal showing by the Buffalo Bills in their regular season opening 47-3 loss at Baltimore. Are the Bills really this bad? Is the Nate Peterman era over already? Is Kelvin Benjamin the most overrated player on the Bills roster? Why was Vontae Davis inactive? All these topics and more are covered by two guys seemingly flabbergasted over how bad the Bills looked in Week one. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews multi-time New York Times best-selling author Jeff Pearlman to discuss his new book hitting stores next Tuesday “Football for a Buck: The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL.” Pearlman reveals the painstaking process of writing the book and interviewing over 400 people while doing so. Because of that he’s able, as his own description says to “unearth all the salty, untold stories of one of the craziest sports entities to have ever captivated America.” He also talks about the tireless physical and mentally exhausting promotional side that goes into a book after it’s published and available for purchase. This isn’t Pearlman’s first rodeo when it comes to writing winning sports books that rank among the best sellers in the world. We discuss some of his previous efforts, including novels about Bret Favre, Barry Bonds and Walter Payton as well as the 1986 Mets and the Dallas Cowboys dynasty of the 90’s. Pearlman wraps up the interview with some interesting Buffalo Bills/USFL stories about Jim Kelly, Joe Cribbs and Marv Levy. Follow Jeff Pearlman on Twitter @jeffpearlman, You can purchase “Football for a Buck: The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL” and any other of Jeff’s books, among other ways by going to his website at www.jeffpearlman.com After that Joe from Buffalo Wins (@buffalowins) joins for a “Run-In With Joe” segment. Today they’re talking reaction from Tuesday’s podcast that featured Jerry Sullivan and some Buffalo Bills talk. Joe has strong takes on several sports media topics involving Sully, discusses Nate Peterman, names a make-or-break guy on each side of the ball for the Bills and offers a final record season prediction as well as his Super Bowl pick. The podcast concludes with the debut of “Spin It Skully”, where Moran’s friend, Skully from Buffalo joins and does what he does best—puts a positive spin on anything and everything Buffalo Bills related. You can’t help but laugh and enjoy when listening. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s a milestone for the Moran-Alytics Podcast, as this marks the show’s 50th episode. To celebrate Patrick Moran interviews one of the most polarizing Buffalo sports writers/columnists of all-time, Jerry Sullivan. A 29-year veteran of the Buffalo News before accepting a buyout in May, Sullivan goes all-in on the News with one of his first public interviews since leaving the company he spent nearly three decades with as a sports columnist. “Sully” as he’s known to Buffalo sports fans everywhere talks about the straw that broke the camel’s back on his decision to accept the buyout —having his long standing sports column taken away. Never one to mince words and admittedly still feeling somewhat volatile over his column being yanked, Sully goes into details of the overall unhappiness for many at the News, the BN Blitz that he perceives as a miserable failure and talks about the possibility that the Terry and Kim Pegula may have had influence to his column being taken away. Feeling emasculated over losing his column, Sully left and spent time debating what his future would be. Turns out that involves reuniting professionally with an old friend and colleague. Sully recently announced that he along with fellow former Buffalo News sports writer and columnist Bucky Gleason would be writing for Buffalo Maven, a division of the Sports X-Change covering the Buffalo Bills, and also co-hosting a weekday morning sports talk radio show together from 9:00am to 12:00pm on 1270 The Fan. Of course, Sully talks about the team he’s covered for so long, telling stories of his time covering the team during the Super Bowl years of the 90’s and gives insight on today’s team, including his thoughts on Josh Allen as well as predictions for how he sees the Bills in 2018. It’s without question the most fiery interview on this podcast to date. You can follow Jerry Sullivan on Twitter @ByJerrySullivan. After that Tone Pucks (@TonePucks) joins Moran for “Pat with Pucks.” The two discuss their feelings on Nate Peterman being named the Bills starting quarterback, A.J. McCarron getting traded and a positional review of the team’s current 53-man roster. They also reveal a series of Bills individual and team season predictions, and each take a stab at picking this year’s Super Bowl. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, it’s a Buffalo style SB Nation daily double. Moran interviews the managing editor of both Buffalo-based blogs under the SB Nation umbrella; Matt Warren from Buffalo Rumblings (Buffalo Bills) and Chad DeDominicis of Die by the Blade (Buffalo Sabres). Moran talks with Warren to wrap up the Bills preseason immediately after a very dramatic comeback victory in Chicago, 28-27 in which the team was awful for three quarters before coming back with 25 unanswered points for an improbable victory Warren offers his takes on Sean McDermott never officially naming a starting quarterback for the game, where he thinks A.J. McCarron stands with the team after Chicago and who he expects to be the Bills starting quarterback when the games start counting next weekend. He also reveals who he thought helped and hurt himself most in the preseason finale, names a few guys he think may end up on the chopping block and offers up a prediction for the season. You can follow Matt on Twitter at @mattrichwarren and be sure to check out www.buffalorumblings.com for daily Buffalo Bills news and original content. After that and with training camp just two weeks away, Moran talks to DeDominicis to help catch fans up to speed with what’s been an incredibly busy Sabres hockey summer. DeDominicis gives his takes on the Conor Sheary, Jeff Skinner and Ryan O’Reilly trades as well as the free agent signing of goaltender Carter Hutton. Of course, we also talk about ultra-touted rookie Rasmus Dahlin and what his arrival means to the team, the roster position battles Chad’s looking most forward to at training camp, and he’s tasked with attempting to sell fans on getting excited about Buffalo Sabres hockey again. You can follow DeDominicis on Twitter at @CMDeDominicis and be sure to check out www.diebytheblade.com for daily Buffalo Sabres news and original content (and yes, we said the exact same about Rumblings. Get over it, they’re both great blogs!) ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran teams up with his Pat With Pucks segment co-host Tone Pucks for a lengthy conversation of all things Buffalo Bills on the heels of an abysmal performance by starters on both sides of the ball in a 26-13 preseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Heralded rookie quarterback Josh Allen got his first start of the preseason but never had a chance to behind an offensive line that couldn’t come close to containing a ferocious Bengals pass rush that sacked Allen five times in the first half. Nate Peterman came in to start the second half and carved up the Bengals second team defense to continue a strong training camp and preseason. Is this quarterback competition over? While the headlines focused on the Bills failing offensive line, the team’s starting defense fared no better. The defensive line put zero pressure on Andy Dalton, the linebackers were caught out of position and the secondary couldn’t cover AJ Green or John Ross. Moran and Pucks discuss what potential changes we may see on defense between now and the season opener. The two also discuss a few players that saw their stock rise and a few who may find themselves in trouble come roster cut down later this week. Moran also asks Pucks if he thinks the city of Buffalo could support a MLB team in 2018 and forces him to pick between having an expansion MLB or NBA franchise. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran welcomes former center, captain and one of the most popular players of this or any era of Buffalo Bills football, Eric Wood in one of the longest interviews the former Pro Bowl center has ever done. Wood reveals in more detail than ever before exactly how the process played out from the end of the 2017 season to the point where he was forced to retire because of a culmination of neck injuries. Wood describes feeling blindsided by the MRI results as he physically felt great and was already beginning the mental readiness for his next season, not to mention a baby with his wife on the way exactly at the time everything happened. He also talked about the aftermath and a press conference he admits should’ve been canceled in an emotional account of events Wood is still in the process of dealing with. On a much lighter note, the two retrace Wood’s (@ewood70) football roots, going all the way back to a nine-year old youth, winning two state titles while in high school and choosing to go to Louisville in large part because it was the lone D-I school to offer him a scholarship. Wood also discusses the NFL draft process in 2009, going to Buffalo, his Bills career and what it meant to not only become a captain and leader of the team but also the importance of being on the team that finally ended a 17-year playoff drought. They wrap the interview with Wood providing insight on the 2018 Bills including thoughts on Josh Allen, Nate Peterman and the offensive line. Oh, they also talk about chicken wings because of course they do. Immediately after that Joe from BuffaloWins (@buffalowins) pops on for a “Run-in With Joe” segment, where they discuss Joe’s selfie with Ronda Rousey, WWE Summerslam action and some Bills takes on a handful of players at the midway point of the preseason. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews Boston Sports Journal owner, editor and columnist Greg Bedard for well over a full hour in a wide-ranging interview. It’s a true deep dive into Bedard’s life and career, from his growing up a huge sports fan and talented baseball prospect to his entire sports writing journey, Bedard spends time discussing each step and how it’s shaped who he is today. Everyone sports journalist akes a different path to becoming successful and Bedard’s certainly no exception. He tells the story of how of all things, covering a little league baseball team in Florida in the 90’s helped jump start a career that he previously felt was going nowhere. Bedard also speaks candidly of his time at Sports Illustrated after being hand-picked by Peter King, as well as the hurt and frustration he felt after being part of their layoffs in 2017. It ultimately led to Bedard launching BostonSportsJournal.com and he reveals the reasons why he came to that decision after evaluating the landscape of the business. Also never one to shy away from a voicing an opinion, Bedard talks about covering Brett Favre and Tom Brady, questions why reporters basically give their work away from free on Twitter, and has an ultra-strong take on why the Pittsburgh Steelers can’t beat the New England Patriots. You can follow Bedard on Twitter @gregabedard and check out his work at www.bostonsportsjournal.com ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this first of its kind episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran is not steps away from the comfort of his home studio in Florida but actually tapes this podcast at a bar to coincide with the preseason opener for the Buffalo Bills. It took 45 episodes but the Moran-Alytics Podcast finally took the show on the road, recording Thursday night from the Amherst Ale House in Amherst. Joining Moran on the podcast in Amherst is “Pat with Pucks” segment co-host Tone Pucks (@tonepucks). Together the two hit on a variety of topics early in the show, including Moran’s chicken wing adventures while spending the past few weeks in Buffalo, New York on a working vacation. Moran’s been eating wings nearly every night he’s back in Buffalo since moving to Florida roughly two years ago and power ranks them almost immediately after each, and the Amherst Ale House is no exception. Will the combination of Crown Royal BBQ and Cajun/Medium wings land them in Moran’s Top 10? Of course, the main topic of the podcast focuses on the Bills preseason home opener against the Carolina Panthers. Football is back and moments after the Bills lost, 28-24 the two give their thoughts on several players, including the fantastic job both Nate Peterman and A.J. McCarron did at quarterback, Kelvin Benjamin’s big preseason debut, an unlikely running back emerges in the mix while a rookie defensive back really struggled. Apologies in advance on the varying background noise during this taping, far more noticeable on Moran’s mic than Pucks’. Taping shows outside with crowds is a process and sooner than later we’ll get that sound tight. For a sound snob like Moran this audio is occasionally painful. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews Cover 1 founder and contributor football writer for The Athletic Buffalo, Erik Turner. Quickly earning a reputation as one of the best at breaking down and analyzing game film, Turner talks about his career path that began as a youngster in Lockport, New York through high school and college in upstate New York before starting to dab in the scouting and blogging industry. Turner discusses some of the places he honed his craft at before eventually starting Cover 1, a move that expanded his readership as well as his profile. Eventually it would to an opportunity with The Athletic when they formed a Buffalo division and Turner reveals why he jumped on board. Moran also gets Turner (Cover_1_) takes on several Buffalo Bills topics, including the recent trade for Corey Coleman, how Josh Allen is progressing, breaking down film with former Bills center Eric Wood, and some guys Turner’s looking forward to seeing when the preseason starts. The interview wraps with Turner answering several random questions during the mini-lighting round, including the one person he’d follow on Twitter if he were only allowed on follow, and the three dinner guests from any era he’d love to have. After that Joe (@buffalowins) pops in for a “Run-In With Joe” segment. They discuss Joe’s disdain for training camp, his thoughts on the national media shitting on Allen already and concludes the segment by inciting Moran with a chicken wing take. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran is joined by one of the most recognizable NFL Superfans, certainly among the “Bills Mafia.” Ezra Castro, more affectionately known as Pancho Billa is Moran’s special guest on the show. Pancho speaks comprehensively on a wide range of topics in an interview that goes on for nearly a full hour. During that time he talks growing up in El Paso, Texas and the unlikely fashion in which he initially became a Buffalo Bills fan at around seven years old back in 1986. Being a Bills fan just yards from Mexico is pretty rare, especially growing up in a home with his father a diehard Dallas Cowboy fan. We talk about his love of football that started as a young kid and has never waned. Fortunately for Pancho he was smart enough to realize early on his dreams of being the next Kent Hull and playing in the NFL would never become a reality, so after high school he eventually focused his sights on a career becoming a mortician. That’s right—he went to Mortuary school and got into that line of work. Pancho talks about what led to him choosing that career and why he felt able to handle everything that comes with it. Pancho also reveals, in candid detail the moment he realized something was significantly wrong with his health, which unsurprisingly happened on the road for a Bills game. He discusses the process of being diagnosed with cancer, what his initial reactions were and how both he and his family have handled it since. Of course, we talk about the moment the entire world got to know Pancho Billa at the 2018 NFL Draft in Dallas when former Bills legends Fred Jackson and Andre Reed called him up to the stage to announce the team’s third-round draft pick. You didn’t need to be a Bills fan or even a football fan to feel the emotion of the moment. Naturally that’s led to Pancho Billa becoming a celebrity of sorts, never more evident than his appearance at Bills training camp last week that attracted Bills GM Brandon Beane, co-owner Kim Pegula and countless players and fans to approach him for well wishes, selfies and even autographs. This is a great interview featuring one of the most genuine person you’ll ever hear. You can follow Castro on Twitter at @Panchobilla1. There’s also a Go Fund Me page set up to help support his ongoing fight with cancer at Pancho Power. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.