It's a rare sharp left turn from Buffalo sports talk on Talking Buffalo today as Patrick Moran reveals his wing rankings and tiers for 2024 and is joined by Luke and Tom from the Buffalo Wing Coalition for their thoughts and analysis in a conversation recorded live at Sonny Red's in Lackawanna.

Ranking and placing wings into tiers is something Patrick's done at least a handful of times in recent years although it's been 18 months since he's done it last. It was a fun exercise that began in 2016 not long after moving to Florida for what would become five years. On his latest list is 92 different wing spots throughout Western New York (although a small handful of them have recently closed shop) and instead of ranking them 1 through 92 he has them broken up into seven tiers: Waiver Wire, Roster Bubble, Depth Chart, Solid Starters, All-Pro, Elite and of course the four-spot Mt. Rushmore.

While these charts are the opinions of Patrick alone, he's joined by two of the guys from the Buffalo Wing Coalition for their insight. The Buffalo Wing Coalition has grown significantly in recent years and these guys do an outstanding job of highlighting one of the region's greatest treasures. They talk about when and why the group started, how they go about reviewing the places they visit, their pyramid of wing spots (six tiers of groupings) and not taking themselves too serious yet understanding their outlet has become a vehicle that a lot of wing goers not only often refer to sometimes even depend on when going out to eat.

It's a fun and certainly different type of Talking Buffalo episode than the norm. Make sure you check out the Buffalo Wing Coalition on Instagram (who excel with food porn level photos from their visits) and a big thank you again to Sonny Red's---who alongside Nine-Eleven Tavern, Elmo's and Bar Bill make up this year's Mt. Rushmore.

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On this episode of Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran is joined by longtime friend and recurring guest Tone Pucks in studio for live reaction just moments after the 2024 Buffalo Bills schedule was officially released, in addition to plenty of thoughts about Bills new wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

Week two primetime matchup in Miami, a home late afternoon clash with the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and Sunday night game in Orchard Park against San Francisco two weeks later are the highlight dates of the schedule. The guys both have thoughts on how the schedule's been structured and if the flow of it is favorable to the Bills. They also conclude that as things stand right now, this could prove to be a very tough slate for Buffalo.

The guys also have reaction to the Bills signing wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling earlier this week. Patrick is pretty high on the signing at this stage of the offseason, certainly a lot higher than he was when they signed Chase Claypool, and thinks that MVS isn't just a bottom of the roster addition who may not even make the team. Does Tone Pucks feel the same way?

That plus thoughts on Seth Appert joining Lindy Ruff's coaching staff with the Buffalo Sabres, Culture Club and plenty more. Follow Tone Pucks on Twitter @TonePucksRedux

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It's the weekly Podbag on today's Talking Buffalo, the episode where fans control the topics with their takes and questions for Patrick Moran to reply too, focused (as usual) heavily on the Buffalo Bills.

One question in particular that got Patrick thinking was a question asking who's going to be the Bills player that has one of those "wow" seasons you didn't see coming, referencing Terrell Bernard as that guy last year. Patrick's forced to think long and hard before ultimately coming up with another guy on the defensive side of the ball who may not be that young but definitely still may be ascending and with opportunity is capable of having a monster year.

Also, the Bills signed wide receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling, which immediately garnered a ton of questions and takes and Patrick has plenty of thoughts on the addition and it becomes pretty evident right away that he's a fan of signing, citing a handful of clutch performances in the postseason and his speed to be a deep threat as things this Bills offense is in need of.

Patrick also responds to even more Stefon Diggs takes, a fan convinced Buffalo will never beat Kansas City. a fan term Patrick hates, wondering if a free agent veteran may still ultimately return and plenty more.

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On this episode of Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran is joined by friend and recurring guest Anthony Marino for a discussion focused on how the Buffalo Bills defense could end up being even better than it was last season, a 2023 campaign that saw them finish fourth-best in points allowed and ninth in yards.

The Bills defense, especially statistically was pretty damn good last year. It's a continuation that's seen them in the top five in fewest points allowed four the five past years. But last year's defense wasn't without cracks and the guys talk about some of those issues, including the unit's failure to close out games with a (very) late lead three times, some awful injury luck and a penchant for imploding in games the team didn't win.

They spend a good chunk of this show explaining some factors that could lead to the defense being better this season, even if not statistically. Among those reasons are getting Matt Milano back, a solid influx of youth and athleticism at all three levels of the defense, improved depth at defensive tackle, Von Miller coming into camp 100% healthy again and just the belief that they'll have better luck with team crippling injuries.

They also do their "Finish the Sentence" segment, talk about the recent surge of Talking Buffalo and much more. Be sure to follow Anthony on Twitter @AnthMarino 

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On this episode of Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran is joined by frenemy and recurring guest Joe From Queens for a chat about some noticeable trends from a Joe Brady coordinated offense for the Buffalo Bills going into the 2024 season in addition to thoughts on John Murphy retiring and some Bills schedule predictions.

The Bills seemed to have more success last season after Sean McDermott fired Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator following the Denver loss in Week 10 and replacing him with Brady. The Bills record was certainly better from that point on, but was the offense really more efficient? Patrick looked into some statistics and found trends the guys talk about, including a big change in time of possession, the needing to continuing to move towards running the football more, no singular lion's share of passing targets and significant upticks for two weapons. They also talk about a few things that were perceived as big changes but really werent---such as Josh Allen's turnovers and rushing attempts/yards.

Also, John Murphy is retiring from being the radio voice of the Buffalo Bills after 35 years, including the past 19 as the team's play-by-play guy. Murphy suffered a stroke in early 2023 and talking remains too difficult for him to continue the job. The guys talk about his career, one that spans in Buffalo for well over three decades and how they felt about him as an on-air talent.

They also each make three predictions for the Bills 2024 schedule in advance of it being officially released on Wednesday night and much more. Follow Joe on Twitter @BuffaloWins.

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On this episode of Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran is talking Buffalo Bills and plenty more with Bills beat reporter and popular podcast host Matt Parrino in a conversation recorded live from Casey's Black Rock in Buffalo.

From the time the Bills lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional playoff round through last month's NFL draft and up til now, it's been an eventful offseason for the Bills--one of change. Matt helps Patrick navigate through it all, highlighting what he thinks the front office has gotten right and a few opportunities missed. Would Matt pull the trigger on trading Stefon Diggs right now were he Brandon Beane if he knew how the position would be handled since dealing away Buffalo's top receiver over the past four years.

Patrick also asks Matt if he thinks the Bills made a mistake releasing Mitch Morse instead of redoing his contract, how he feels about the Bills 2024 draft haul now that he's had some time to reflect, what direction the Bills offense may be headed in and his reaction to people's overreactions on the Chase Claypool signing. That plus some talk of Buffalo summer, wings and much more.

A huge thank you to Casey's Black Rock for their hospitality and having us do the show there. They truly are not just one of the most underrated spots in town for killer wings, but a great place to relax and have a drink with some awesome decor and vibes throughout the bar---even if it's a Kansas City Chiefs backer bar!

You can follow Matt on Twitter @MattParrino and of course be sure to check out his work at NYup.com as well as subscribe to the Shout Buffalo Football Podcast.

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On this episode of Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran is joined in studio by longtime friend and recurring guest Tone Pucks to discuss a potentially effective Bills free agent singing flying under the radar, two potential breakout candidates this season for the Bills in addition to plenty of Buffalo Sabres talk.

Chase Claypool was the noticeable name that signed with the Bills late last week, a move that Tone calls out Patrick for his negative overreaction, but the addition of Dawuane Smoot mostly slid the cracks and/or was quickly dismissed by many as non-relevant news. Tone advises that shouldn't be the case, pointing out the structure of his contract shows it's highly likely Smoot's going to be part of this roster and defensive end rotation. The guys talk about that very possibly be a good thing considering Smoot had four consecutive seasons of at least six sacks before being slowed down last year in recovering from a torn achilles. Can Smoot be this year's version of Leonard Floyd?

After the Smoot section Patrick gets into two incoming second-year players he may be higher than most; wide receiver Justin Shorter and linebacker Dorian Williams. In the case of Shorter, Brandon Beane's excellent day three draft record is pointed out as well Shorter never getting going last year after a hamstring injury. Williams was a different story---we saw his athleticism immediately but it was apparent that mental gaffes on assignments led him to Sean McDermott's dog house, so much so that he mostly watched from the sidelines as AJ Klein got helplessly torched by Travis Kelce in the playoffs. Patrick feels confident that if Williams grows on the mental side of things in year two that he could carve himself out a significant role in this defense and on this roster, even if not as a starter.

They also talk about what the Sabres may do with UPL's next contract, even more Jeff Skinner talk, Tone snubs Patrick's birthday and much more. Follow Tone Pucks on Twitter @TonePucksRedux

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On today's Talking Buffalo, it's another edition of The Podbag---the episode where the audience controls the narrative and Patrick Moran is answering questions and reading takes sent it from listeners and viewers of the show, mostly focused around the ongoing Buffalo Bills offseason.

The Bills lost a ton of veteran players and leaders this offseason, particularly Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Tre White, Mitch Morse and Stefon Diggs. This coupled with their inability to get past the AFC divisional round the past three years has created a strong national perception, at least among media and fans that Buffalo's Super Bowl window is closing if not closed for this regime. As one fan of the show points out, it's a load of crap and uses multiple examples of great quarterbacks winning Super Bowl far older than Josh Allen currently is. Patrick talks about agreeing that the Bills window to win a championship with this core is still very much doable but does admit that it won't get any seemingly easier than it was the past handful of seasons, when Buffalo put themselves in great position to get it done.

There's several other interesting submissions this week, including a more predominant running game on the way, someone locked in on the development of second-year linebacker Dorian Williams, Sean McDermott's storied history of developing linebackers and Diggs' attitude being gone a positive for the Bills. There's also someone extremely happy that Lindy Ruff is here to coach the Sabres and plenty more.

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On this episode of Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran is really starting to wonder if the Buffalo Bills are having a crisis of identity with their offense based on recent decisions and it's up to friend and recurring guest Anthony Marino to convince him it's not headed toward a downward spiral.

it's been well documented in conversation, data and film study that Bills quarterback Josh Allen has enjoyed the majority of his success working the passing game with smaller receivers who excel at separation and getting open quickly as opposed to bigger, physical lumbering receivers who excel more in traffic and catching contested balls. General manager Brandon Beane talked about this just a week or so before the NFL draft, yet the Bills appear to be getting away from what their standard of receiver has been, first drafting Keon Coleman in the second round and then signing free agent wide receiver Chase Claypool last Friday.

Patrick absolutely hates the Claypool signing and immediately overreacted on social media when it happened, something Anthony immediately called him out on. At any rate, the guys have a pretty detailed discussion over what they think this Bills offense is trying to be. Does factors like drafting a big guy like Keon Coleman over a Stefon Diggs/Khalil Shakir type like Ladd McConkey, and cutting Mitch Morse to move a much bigger Connor McGovern over to center, or drafting bowling ball style running back Ray Davis in the fourth round symbolize that Sean McDermott is looking for the Bills to be more physical and methodical with their offense as opposed to speedy and explosive?

It certainly feels that way. Also, there's no use crying over spilled milk but do the guys think the team is going to rue trading Diggs instead of finding a way to make things work for one more year and does the departure of Diggs and not doing anything of note other than a draft to replace him put a lot of instant pressure on Coleman?

What about the notion that Sean McDermott doesn't care about the offense as much as the defense, despite the fact the Bills have now drafted a pass catcher with their first pick in the past two drafts. That plus their "Finish the Sentence" segment and a whole lot more . Be sure to follow Anthony on Twitter @AnthMarino 

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On this episode of Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran is joined by frenemy and recurring guest Joe From Queens for a conversation on a handful of topics, highlighted by the Buffalo Bills wide receiver room and where it stands compared to its peers around the league.

Patrick went through each team around the look and took a look at the top four wide receivers on each of their depth charts. In the end he created a power ranking for all 32 teams in addition to putting them in six separate tiers---as the difference between being ranked 13th to 20th feels a lot more distant than it actually is. In compiling the list he took into account their current talent, projected talent going forward and what teams he'd be willing to trade the Buffalo wide receiver room for.

Patrick's assessment concludes that the Bills top four of Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Mack Hollins slides into the fifth of six tiers and more specifically ranks just 25th out of 32 teams. The guys have a conversation about the Bills group, where they slot in on the chart and how much more could they realistically rise in the reasonably near future.

Also, Tim Graham of The Athletic recently posted a fascinating story about the Pegula's, including the revelation that Kim Pegula is now legally incapacitated with Terry as the guardian in addition to Terry's daughter Laura playing a much more prominent role in the the Bills and Buffalo Sabres organization than almost anyone knew about. Tim followed it up with several interesting viewpoints on his Tim Graham and Friends podcast and the guys have several thoughts on this story that's starting to have the feel of a HBO drama.

That plus Joe wants to know if Bills fans are going to obsess more over what Stefon Diggs does in Houston or Xavier Worthy does with Kansas City, Patrick absolutely can't stand the Bills Chase Claypool signing and much more. Follow Joe on Twitter @BuffaloWins.

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On this episode of Talking Patrick, Patrick Moran discusses with friend and recurring guest Tone Pucks whether new/once again Buffalo Sabres head coach was the right person to get tasked with putting an end to the team's historic playoff drought in addition to a conversation about the general direction of the team.

Tone was on the show yesterday when the discussion centered on if the Buffalo Bills look like a team that's still going to be good in 2024. Today it's almost entirely about the Sabres. Following a 13th consecutive season of missing the playoffs, not only an extension of their own record but tying the New York Jets for the longest in major pro sports, Terry Pegula fired Don Granato and within a week Ruff was hired to once again take over. The guys talk about if have a problem with a wider coaching net not being cast before landing on Ruff as well as how much of the hire is about hockey and how much to perhaps help win back fans.

There's also plenty to talk about with the team in general. Despite nearly everyone saying it's not going to happen, Tone is still convinced that the Sabres are going to end up getting rid of Jeff Skinner this summer, whether that comes through buy out or a trade and even uses an interesting Bills situation as a baseline for comparison. He also has thoughts on Matthew Fairburn recently saying on this show Dylan Cozens could eventually become a captain on this team in addition to thoughts on trading Casey Mittelstadt rather than paying him long term, not having a rush to get anyone in the pipeline onto the main roster and plenty more. Follow Tone Pucks on Twitter @TonePucksRedux

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