Archives for January 30, 2013

‘The impact has also been seen at Ralph Wilson Stadium, according to Brandon. Five years ago, the Bills drew about 11 percent of their season-ticket holders from the greater Toronto area. That number is now more than 20 percent, Brandon said.’

‘”People talk about advantages and disadvantages. I always looked at it as tell us where we need to go, what time we need to be there, and our responsibility is to go and play football,” Marrone said following Tuesday’s announcement that the Bills in Toronto series has been extended five more years.’

‘”I know how tough it is to sell tickets in this city, especially football (he was president and CEO of Toronto Argonauts, 2003-07) but I was absolutely dumbfounded with the overwhelming appetite (once ticket prices were reduced) and how many tickets were sold,” Pelley said.’

”’Yeah, I did call it a joke,” Bills center Wood said at the time. ”It stunk that we were up there. And I was heated when I said it was a joke. And I’m not going to sit here and retract all my statements because that’s what I meant and what I felt. Those non-Bills fans that go to the game are just cheering for plays as opposed to cheering for a team. And that kills you.”’

‘”The Bills partnership with Rogers Media is key to our franchise’s regionalization plan and we are excited to continue it for years to come,” said Bills president and CEO Russ Brandon. “Our regionalization efforts have strengthened the franchise’s foothold in Western New York by supporting our efforts to further develop our fan base in Toronto and Southern Ontario.”‘

‘The Bills made the announcement at a press conference Tuesday at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, with team president and CEO Russ Brandon, head coach Doug Marrone and executive vice president of strategic planning Mary Owen on hand. They were joined by Rogers Media president Keith Pelley and the executive director of the Bills in Toronto Series, Greg Albrecht.’

‘”Rogers Media is committed to producing and delivering premium sports content and experiences for fans,” said Keith Pelley, President, Rogers Media. “We are ambassadors of the NFL and are continually assessing the market to bring that true NFL experience to Canadians. We created a benchmark for our game last season with a first-rate pre-game festival and half-time show, and look forward to building on that over the next five years.”‘

‘”I thought it was a perfect fit,” said Morris of coaching under Marrone. “He’s the reason I’m here. We’ve known each other over the years and we were both line coaches. We kind of have our little society. He is the person that I thought he was. What he’s done is treat everybody fair and with class and I’m excited to be a part of his staff.”‘