clearwater cadet Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I'm a Bills fan living in New England, I was driving to work today, when I heard former Pats Qb Scott Zolak taking to Carl Banks on his radio show, Zolak was talking about how terrible the old Meadow Lands stadium was. He then went on to say that Buffalo by far the worst place to ever play. I didn't get the impression he was talking about the fans or the weather. It seems he was bashing the Ralph. Banks sort of agreed. I've been a season ticket holder for the Bills for many many year, I've traveled to Buffalo frequently for the last 10 years for games. I've been to 4-5 other nfl stadiums. Other then not having a bunch of fancy consession stands, (which I thought no really cares about after 3 hours of tail gating), I also thought the Ralph was ok. Has anyone else ever heard the anything else bad about the Ralph. The field seem well maintained, they changed the turf 2 or 3 times in the last 10 years to stay updated. I've never heard anything bad about the locker rooms or training areas. Has anyone else heard anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albany,n.y. Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Without hearing it, I get the impression he was talking about playing in the wind. The Ralph & the old Giants Stadium are notorious for unpredictable winds, making a QB's job very tough. They're also no fun for kickers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalobillsfootball Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I live in Boston and always listen to the Sports Hub (98.5) - wish Buffalo had a radio station like this... I never listen to WGR's sister station here anymore... Anyhow, I didn't hear them ever bash the Ralph (not saying they didn't) but I have heard them put down our location for being too difficult to get IN or OUT via traffic. Excuse me - but how how many roads lead to Gilette Stadium? Why do fans leave at the start of the fourth quarter in New England?? It's to beat the horific, one way in / one way out option called Foxhole. ps: Patriot Place is a joke - worst designed / set up ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoretalk Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 My out of town friends have always been impressed with the sight lines and comfort of the stadium. Almost all have loved the ambiance outside the stadium in the Abbott Road lots. What they have not liked is the weather, the rest rooms, and the number of people who stand for most of the game blocking views. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpcolosi Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 My out of town friends have always been impressed with the sight lines and comfort of the stadium. Almost all have loved the ambiance outside the stadium in the Abbott Road lots. What they have not liked is the weather, the rest rooms, and the number of people who stand for most of the game blocking views. when it comes to the Ralph, see Bill Simmon's article 2 years ago about the Bills-Cleveland MNF game. It's a loud place, everyone can see the field, average joes can sit in the bottom bowl, its loud, etc. It has everything a fan and hometown player would want in a stadium. 2 bit guys on boston radio aren't doing much to change that opinion of mine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talley56 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I've just heard people say that they think it is old but I went to my first Bills game (from out of town) a few months ago and I thought it was fine. I also think it's in a great area in the suburbs instead of downtown in the congestion of a city like other stadiums are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ieatcrayonz Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 He then went on to say that Buffalo by far the worst place to ever play. I didn't get the impression he was talking about the fans or the weather..... Other then not having a bunch of fancy consession stands, During Zolak's "career" he probably was back and forth to the concession stands a lot during games. I wouldn't be too surprised if this is how he ranked them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffal0 Bill5 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I'm gonna pull out the old Super Techmo Bowl and beat Zolak's head in for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Blizzard Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 The Ralph is no Turner Field, but it's not a bad place to watch a football game. Sure, it would be nice to have a state of the art stadium, but it is functional and most of the seats offer a good view (other than low end-zone seats). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SF Bills Fan Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I don't think that he was talking from a fan and amenity perspective, but more likely the elements and noise. Lots of players have said they hated playing there for those reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyDingo Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I hear some ruffians at the Ralph sometimes are wont to relieve themselves in the parking facility or, daresay, the restroom sinks. Filthy rapscallions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldstorage5 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) I live in Croton Ny. 30 miles from NYC. In some ways its easier to go to Orchard park Ny, than in is going to the new Meadowlands. Leaving the Ralph is a breeze compared to NJ. I can drive from the ralph something like 390 miles and get home in 7 hrs (Straight High way, 75-80 mph). There have been times it took me 3 hrs to go 40 miles from the Meadowlands home. ( you gotta take a bus, to the far away parking lot, then sit in traffic getting out of the lot,, then hrs more traffic getting to the bridge, then more traffic croosing over the bridge.) The ralph is fine. its the product of the draft that equals losing football teams. We all know thats the issue. 10 years of horrible drafts, not The Ralph. Edited January 15, 2011 by coldstorage5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_franchise Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Bring back the Marlboro ad and the old endzones. I got to walk through the suites, locker room, practice field, on the field, and the front office area a few years back. I was more than impressed with everything in there. Maybe i'm biased, but looking up at the seats from the field was probably one of the top five greatest sights I've witnessed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullim4 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 The Ralph is OK - it kinda sits in the middle for me as NFL stadiums go. I've seen games at the old Meadowlands, Lincoln Financial Field, and Lambeau. I'd put RWS behind Lambeau and LFF, but vastly ahead of the old Meadowlands: Pros: - Great sightlines - I don't know that there is a bad seat in the entire stadium. - The areas that have actual individual seats are actually pretty comfortable. - The fans that aren't drunk are typical Buffalonians - some of the nicest people you'll find and very knowledgeable about the team. Cons: - Outside of the club seats, the bathroom situation is awful. - Fan behavior can be very poor in the cheap rockpile seats and high in the upper deck. - The abundance of tailgating has caused the catering company to mail it in, resulting in food that just doesn't taste good. It'd be nice if they at least tried. - They should make the entrances to the stadium something more than a friggin chain link fence. There is so much history attached to this franchise, and other teams have done things like add plazas that honor past teams and players amongst other things. Our stadium from the outside looks like ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I hate the Bills ! Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Th bathrooms were awful at the ralph, its been a few years since I have been there so maybe they changed, but I remember a big long trough where guys stood and pissed it seemed like it was always half ful I think because the drainage was bad. Was so bad guys used to piss in the round sinks instead - NO class ! As a whole The Ralph is outdated when you compare it all the new stadiums like Dallas, NY etc. If the Tax payers could afford it a new stadium would be great but they cant ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T master Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Seeing as probably 55 percent of the taxes in NY state go to keep the black hole known as NYC a float & that most of the monies for the New Meadowlands stadium came from the rest of the state of NY (more than likely) instead of Jersey. Does it really surprise any of us that the tax payers that live in Western NY will probably never see a new stadium for the Bills ?? If the politicains in NY would allow the people to keep more than a mere .36 of every dollar they make the whole state would be a lot better off . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldstorage5 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Seeing as probably 55 percent of the taxes in NY state go to keep the black hole known as NYC a float & that most of the monies for the New Meadowlands stadium came from the rest of the state of NY (more than likely) instead of Jersey. Does it really surprise any of us that the tax payers that live in Western NY will probably never see a new stadium for the Bills ?? If the politicains in NY would allow the people to keep more than a mere .36 of every dollar they make the whole state would be a lot better off . Nyc Make the country Trillions of dollars so stop with the black hole stuff....Yes it is BS how NE and NJJ and NJG get state of the art stadiums. NY State will never let the Bills leave, they will keep refurbing the Ralph. Which is fine with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANCOCK Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 they probably meant how the ralph was pre 1999. the field before 1999 was crap.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbyte Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) I remeber Bledsoe said, that there was 2 things about the Ralph, that he did not like. 1: It was the only crowned field left in the NFL. The middle of the field is about 12 inches higher than the edge of the field. This was done for drainge. I wonder if this is one of the reasons, we get players hurt a lot. 2: It does not have heating pipes under the field. In winter the field freezes and get really hard. Edited January 15, 2011 by dogbyte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I remeber Bledsoe said, that there was 2 things about the Ralph, that he did not like. 1: It was the only crowned field left in the NFL. The middle of the field is about 12 inches higher than the edge of the field. This was done for drainge. I wonder if this is one of the reasons, we get players hurt a lot. 2: It does not have heating pipes under the field. In winter the field freezes and get really hard. I imagine both of these, the old field being tuuurrrrrible, the wind, and I bet the visiting lockerrooms may have been nice but compared to other stadiums much less comfortable. Things like concessions and sightlines probably don't much effect a visiting player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Fong Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I've been to several NFL stadiums in my time. There's nothing wrong with the Ralph. Maybe they were talking about the facilities on the interior of the stadium that the average fan never gets to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOBILLS78 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Maybe he was talking about the hard-as-cement AstroTurf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I've been to several NFL stadiums in my time. There's nothing wrong with the Ralph. Maybe they were talking about the facilities on the interior of the stadium that the average fan never gets to see. There's also something to be said - a pickup truck gets the job done, but compared to a bentley it wouldnt be your first choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Fong Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 There's also something to be said - a pickup truck gets the job done, but compared to a bentley it wouldnt be your first choice. I guess so, but Buffalo isn't exactly a Bentley town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills(70) Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I've just heard people say that they think it is old but I went to my first Bills game (from out of town) a few months ago and I thought it was fine. I also think it's in a great area in the suburbs instead of downtown in the congestion of a city like other stadiums are. It is old. Buffalo, New York needs a domed stadium, and not along the Lake front either, but NorthEast of Downtown, even in the Riverside area would be fine. You want to minimize the Lake affects dumping on the dome. South of the city is not the place to build it given the snowbelt, North/NorthEast of the city is the common sense place to put it. Without a domed stadium the Buffalo Bills are going to end up leaving WNY, sometimes, the truth hurts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metzelaars_lives Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I'm gonna pull out the old Super Techmo Bowl and beat Zolak's head in for this. As a virtual Tecmo God, I can tell you off the top of my head that in the classic game, which is of course the 1991 version based on the 1990 season for NES, New England's QB's are Steve Grogan and Hugh Millen. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Ofcourse Scott Zolak hated playing in Buffalo...wasn't this guy playing when Bruce Smith was burrying opposing QB's into our cement turf that we used to have? I mean, if I was being slammed into the concrete after every pass I threw and the crowd was so loud I couldn't hear an airplane fly over and the swirling winds and my own lack of QB'ing ability got in the way of completing a pass (because my name is Scott freakin' Zolak), then I guess that I would not like playing in Buffalo, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Ofcourse Scott Zolak hated playing in Buffalo...wasn't this guy playing when Bruce Smith was burrying opposing QB's into our cement turf that we used to have? I mean, if I was being slammed into the concrete after every pass I threw and the crowd was so loud I couldn't hear an airplane fly over and the swirling winds and my own lack of QB'ing ability got in the way of completing a pass (because my name is Scott freakin' Zolak), then I guess that I would not like playing in Buffalo, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Sheff Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 One of the most common compliants that I have heard is that the visitors locker room is too small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 The stadium is old. From the crumbling pitted concrete everywhere, to the old dingy concession areas, to the 300's bench seating, to the disgusting bathrooms. I have never seen the player facilities but compared to modern stadiums I suspect they are lacking as well. It would be silly to expect a new stadium in Buffalo now with the future ownership in question. The Ralph may not quite be an embarrassment to the NFL, but it is heading that direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 when it comes to the Ralph, see Bill Simmon's article 2 years ago about the Bills-Cleveland MNF game. It's a loud place, everyone can see the field, average joes can sit in the bottom bowl, its loud, etc. It has everything a fan and hometown player would want in a stadium. 2 bit guys on boston radio aren't doing much to change that opinion of mine... Great reference. These new facilities often first price the avid fans out, then leave the place with a sterile, shopping mall feel. There are two things I would like to see changed: First, find a way to reduce the wind on the field. Playing 7 home games means that there is the potential for seven games where it's difficult to throw the football and this is not advantageous to the Bills. It also discourages offensive production, which is a great deal of the entertainment of the game. Second, improve the sound system. It is WEAK. The announcer is just a faint noise on the opposing side 50 yard line. At other stadiums the sound system rocks and helps motivate the crowd as well as can be used to(illegallly) pump in fake crowd noise to help the home team D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills(70) Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 The stadium is old. From the crumbling pitted concrete everywhere, to the old dingy concession areas, to the 300's bench seating, to the disgusting bathrooms. I have never seen the player facilities but compared to modern stadiums I suspect they are lacking as well. It would be silly to expect a new stadium in Buffalo now with the future ownership in question. The Ralph may not quite be an embarrassment to the NFL, but it is heading that direction. Agreed CodeMonkey. Even if Kelly, Thomas and the crew can get an ownership grou together, they'll need to find an extra 2 billion dollars in the next 5 years or so and build a domed stadium. It's about the only way this team is going be cemented in Buffalo for any longterm period. People shouldn't be worried about the Ralph or the new ownership group. They should be worried about what is going to anchor this team here longterm, and a state of the art Domed Stadium does that without question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Maybe he was talking about the hard-as-cement AstroTurf. which was replaced with Astroplay, a rubber infilled synthetic surface in 2003. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hey Hey Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I'm a Bills fan living in New England, I was driving to work today, when I heard former Pats Qb Scott Zolak taking to Carl Banks on his radio show, Zolak was talking about how terrible the old Meadow Lands stadium was. He then went on to say that Buffalo by far the worst place to ever play. I didn't get the impression he was talking about the fans or the weather. It seems he was bashing the Ralph. Banks sort of agreed. I've been a season ticket holder for the Bills for many many year, I've traveled to Buffalo frequently for the last 10 years for games. I've been to 4-5 other nfl stadiums. Other then not having a bunch of fancy consession stands, (which I thought no really cares about after 3 hours of tail gating), I also thought the Ralph was ok. Has anyone else ever heard the anything else bad about the Ralph. The field seem well maintained, they changed the turf 2 or 3 times in the last 10 years to stay updated. I've never heard anything bad about the locker rooms or training areas. Has anyone else heard anything? I never had a problem with the Ralph but this season I saw a game in Arizona. That stadium is incredible. It's clean and the food and drink options are great. With that said I will take the Ralph as is to keep the bills in buffalo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headcase Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Nyc Make the country Trillions of dollars so stop with the black hole stuff....Yes it is BS how NE and NJJ and NJG get state of the art stadiums. NY State will never let the Bills leave, they will keep refurbing the Ralph. Which is fine with me. I've got nothing to say about RWS, never been there, but what part does NE play in this situation? Kraft paid for that stadium, no public money was used for it. The state/town did some infrastructure improvements, but no public money is in the stadium. SSDD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I guess so, but Buffalo isn't exactly a Bentley town. I totally understand but in this case it wasn't a buffalo player complaining. Nothing wrong with a "gets the job done" stadium, but comparatively it's likely among the least outfitted and comfortable. Couple that with the crowning, turf from his days, Bruce, the location, the weather, the crowd being loud and proud.... I doubt that when schedules come out players look forward to the Ralph in December the same way as they might going out to a new stadium in the south. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoner7 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 The sight lines at the ralph are better then anywhere else I have been, included Baltimore, Foxboro, happy vally, and the dome. The only place cooler than the Ralhp was Air Force's stadium but thats Oranges to Apples. Traffic at teh Ralph is horrible though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I never had a problem with the Ralph but this season I saw a game in Arizona. That stadium is incredible. It's clean and the food and drink options are great. With that said I will take the Ralph as is to keep the bills in buffalo. I'm sure the player facilities are similarly posh compared to RWS-.of course, cry me a river that you are getting paid hundreds of thousands a game and the lockerroom smells like sweaty men instead of mahogany and leather bound books. It's quite serviceable but a fair critique saying it's among the worst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I've got nothing to say about RWS, never been there, but what part does NE play in this situation? Kraft paid for that stadium, no public money was used for it. The state/town did some infrastructure improvements, but no public money is in the stadium. SSDD Which is exactly how it should be for all sports stadiums!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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