Archives for September 14, 2014

‘”He’s passionate about it. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, which is the quintessential Buffalo mentality, us against the world, always the underdog.’

‘Huge group at Bills bar. Friend says “it’s a rule that as Bills’ fan, your fav player must be FJ” Whole place nods’

‘Bills 27, Dolphins 14.’

‘When you consider the dramatic confluence of events, it could be the biggest and most anticipated home opener in team history. I’ll defer to people who were on hand for Kelly’s first game in 1986, or for the first home game in the inaugural AFL season in 1960. But it should be one wild afternoon.’

‘”This is my second Bills season here, and thanks to the Pegulas, I’m looking forward to many more,” she said.’

‘All this would normally be enough to energize the home squad but for reasons that are difficult to explain – perhaps Ralph won a poker hand with St. Peter – the Bills are experiencing a seismic shift in karma these days.’

‘ills 19, Dolphins 17.’

‘”Kelly Tough, to me at the beginning, was being physically strong, being able to bounce back from injury, being able to bounce back from something that some people may not be able to; just tough it out,” Kelly explained. “But I found out Kelly Tough is more than just the physical part, it’s the mental part. Being mentally tough is probably just as important, if not more important.”‘

‘Kelly said there’s still a spot that his doctors are concerned about, and they are considering performing Gamma Knife radiosurgery to eradicate it. The problem, though, is there’s significant risk involved, and Kelly is unsure whether he’s willing to take it.’

‘For now, upgrades in the current stadium and investment by the Pegulas in the franchise itself, bode well for the team, the city and fans throughout western New York. With the help of private developers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “Buffalo billion,” the city is on the upswing. For fans, the Bills can’t emulate that surge soon enough.’

‘”I’ll be truthful,” Hackett said on a blustery Friday morning at One Bills Drive. “Sadly, that’s more (criticism) than I wish it would be. You want a guy to develop, you want a guy feel supported, you want him to be successful, and then he has to deal with all that other stuff. It sucks, but people want him to be great. It’s just because they love the Bills and they want him to be great. It’s just unfortunate that he has to deal with that right now. That’s why a lot of people don’t play quarterback.’

‘With all that’s happened this past week with the Buffalo Bills, from their thrilling overtime win against the Chicago Bears in Week 1, to the sale of the team to Terry and Kim Pegula, it’s no wonder tickets to the home-opener against the Miami Dolphins today are being sold for as much as they are.’

‘Fans will loudly pay homage to the man who stubbornly, proudly kept the team in Buffalo for decades. If there were a Ralph Wilson Stadium decibels-level record, it’d be in jeopardy Sunday at about 12:55 p.m. EDT.’

‘If Bon Jovi and his partners truly wanted to convince the trust and its legal team that their about-face was in earnest, they could have furthermore written, “We promise not to move the Bills from Western New York beyond the current lease,” or some such thing.’