Archives for December 2008

‘”I think it’s going to be a tremendous atmosphere,” said receiver Lee Evans. “A lot of people are excited about it and have been talking about it for a long time. Going up there and doing some promotional things, visiting with the media, a lot of people are excited, so it should be a lot of fun.”‘

‘”Whoever lined up on my side was catching balls that day. [Ginn] just had the most yards,” McGee said. “I didn’t knock down one pass that day. But I don’t feel like I have to prove something. I just want to go out and have a good game and not have a repeat of what I did previously.”‘

‘But wow, I hadn’t realized what a homer Murphy can be.’

‘Of the four best running days the Bills have enjoyed this season, they have won only one of those games, and that came against Kansas City, whose defense is nothing short of pathetic.’

‘Remember Rob Johnson? Travis Brown? Cleo Lemon? You get the idea.’

‘Both the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins have combined to use 24 quarterbacks since Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and Dan Marino retired. None have been able to repeat their success. Here’s who has tried…’

‘”The Bills have always tried to expand their base (like) having their training camp in Rochester. They are pushing out because the city of Buffalo is not as strong (financially) as other cities. By linking up with other cities and sharing a game or two, it’s a tremendously positive force to keeping the team in Buffalo, which is what we are trying to do. Our involvement gives the Bills extra financial muscle to stay in Buffalo.”‘

‘More highlights include the Bud Girls, the Buffalo Jills cheerleaders, Bills’ Shout song originator Otis Day and the Knights, and the Flutie Brothers Band, which features former Bills quarterback and CFL great Doug Flutie, who led the Argos to two Grey Cups, and his brother Darren, who also played in the CFL.’

‘Bills fan Brendan Braun says not even a favourable exchange rate makes tomorrow’s game worth the cash. Not when his season ticket package in Buffalo averages out to about $75 per game. “I couldn’t even get nosebleeds in Toronto for that,” says Braun, 22. “It’s too expensive. I think Rogers outpriced demand.”‘

‘”Yeah, it is a test of patience,” Losman said. “Waiting and waiting, trying to be ready, trying to study as hard as possible, knowing you’re not going to, the chances are slim to none, but possible. It is tricky, it is hard.”‘

‘That’s why, in one way, Kollar agrees with Bills fans who would prefer their team were playing against the Dolphins at home and outdoors rather than in the Rogers Centre with the dome closed. The Dolphins are 4-10 against the Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium since 1994 and 2-7 historically against them after Dec. 1, including two playoff losses. “People say when they see a game in cold or sloppy and rainy conditions, that’s real football,” Kollar said.’

‘That, and the fact that the Bills game didn’t sell out in a flash, which took away any sense of mass public endorsement, made it easy for the politicians to stay clear this time and allowed the CFL to publicly take the high road, to smile contented smiles from afar. (Cohon is spending the weekend in New York.) But it’s easy now. The stakes are small. No one’s moving to Toronto full-time. No one’s asking for money.’

‘But by negotiating a 59.5-per-cent share of a revenue pool that includes the local revenue – in place of a 65-per-cent share of one that did not – the players upped the ante on teams such as Buffalo. The result is that in today’s NFL, the salary cap jumps every time Jerry Jones takes in another nickel, whether Bills owner Ralph Wilson does or not.’

‘The credit crisis, the plunge of the Canadian dollar, the embarrassing pre-season game here in August that featured an estimated 15,000 tickets being given away — it all diminished the significance of this game.’

‘”It’s killing me,” Sabuda said. “It’s a lot of money we’re losing, as far as revenue, and for my employees and their wages. We look forward to these 10 games at home — including the pre-season — because it helps pay the bills throughout the year.”‘