Two Bills Drive

“NFL quarterbacks, kickers and punters have always shuddered at the thought of playing in Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium late in the season. It isn’t the snow. It isn’t the cold. It’s the wind. Picking up steam over Lake Erie, it moves inland toward Orchard Park, howling over the giant Jumbotron scoreboard, heading toward the tunnel entrance like a locomotive. At least it used to be predictable. Since the construction last summer of two 450-seat luxury club boxes atop the ones that already existed, the wind no longer blows through the stadium. Instead, it swirls in maddening, unpredictable directions, the result of an enclosed bowl effect.”

“You never know what to expect when you approach Ted Washington’s locker after a practice or a game. Washington is wary and abrupt even on his best days. Catch him at the wrong moment and he can be downright miserable.”