EP 131: Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic

On this packed episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Identity Ink, Patrick Moran interviews Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic in addition to an installment of the “Big Boyd Theory” with Jeff Boyd.

Fairburn was on the podcast a little more than a year ago and they talk about how things have changed during that time.  For starters, Fairburn was at NYUp.com at the time and not long after that podcast aired joined the newly formed Buffalo division of The Athletic.  He talks about the decision not being a particularly hard one to make with having the opportunity to remain living in Western New York at least playing a small role in the decision. He talks about the success of The Athletic Buffalo since launching and the professional and personal satisfaction he gets from covering the Buffalo Bills there.

Speaking of personal, Fairburn talks about his upcoming wedding later this week, including answering if the final days leading up have him nervous and what wedding song was chosen for their first dance.

Of course they also spend a little time talking about the Bills and Fairburn offers his analysis on their busy offseason, how the offensive line will help shape this team, the lack of leadership he’s seen from Lesean McCoy and offers a few Bills positional predictions before the season starts.

You can follow Matt on Twitter at @MatthewFairburn and of course check out The Athletic, where you can currently get a subscription for 40% off.

After that Moran is joined by Boyd for their recurring “The Big Boyd Theory” segment. Today the guys are discussing the Buffalo Sabres first few draft picks from this weekend, with Boyd giving his take on how long before fans can expect Dylan Cozens to be playing in Buffalo and if Ryan Johnson will unfairly be forced to carry a Ryan O’Reilly tag on him the same Tage Thompson does. They also discuss the Sabres roster and how much better it could possibly be because of incoming head coach Ralph Kruger, even with limited personnel changes and weigh in on if former Sabre great Alexander Mogilny should be included in this year’s Hall of Fame class.

They wrap up by talking Seinfeld because Moran is nearly three seasons into a binge of the show, never having watched it when originally on in the 90s.  Jeff talks about what made him a big fan of the show and the two pick their Mt. Rushmore’s of television shows.

You can follow Jeff on Twitter @JeffBoyd716 and listen to his work as part of the 716 Sports Podcast.

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

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