As a lifelong resident of the Western New York area, and a holder of season tickets for the past 45 years I see the sun setting on professional football in the Buffalo area in the not to distant future. I did not renew my season tickets this year for several reasons.

The teams draft has everyone changing positions from where they played in college!! Dick Jauron is no Bill Belichick who can win superbowls with receivers playing cornerback.

The Bills didn't really make any significant acquisitions during the off season, and let go several key players such as Jason Peters. A net loss of talent for a 7-9 team isn't progress.

Factor in the Ralph Wilson age factor and the football we will see in Buffalo until the ultimate estate sale will be mediocre at best. As a diehard fan that sat through the debacles of the 70's and 80's I would be totally devastated when that time comes for the team to move on to where the highest bidder wishes.

Yes, I've heard the words of Thurman and Kelly indicating that the team would never move, but in the third poorest city we may have a group of interested millionaires however when the bidding will involved billionaires from around the country I can't see any WNY contingent coming up with enough money. And if they were able to save the team, the rise in ticket prices to recover investment costs would make it tough for the average Joe to continue.

So I figured it was about time for me to close up the tailgate, turn down my expectations of another superbowl run and just sit back and watch a team with a mediocre coach muddle their way through another couple of sub average seasons before they go the way of Los Angeles, Baltimore and Cleveland.

I guess it's less painful to initiate the divorce rather than wait until the papers are served on you.