Inside The Bills

Brandon: No multiple games in Toronto

Despite reports to the contrary last week, Bills CEO Russ Brandon in his weekly appearance on Bills flagship station WGR Sportsradio 550 explained that there will not be a scenario in a new Toronto deal that will have more than one regular season game a year played at the Rogers Centre.

“We’re continuing those negotiations and we’re close to an agreement,” said Brandon. ”But the one thing that I will say is the report in the Buffalo News was not accurate. The one thing I want to make clear is we will not be playing multiple regular season games in Toronto.”

Brandon explained how despite fan opposition to the initial Toronto agreement that the club has seen positive results from it.

“You look at the past five years and the what the Toronto initiative has done and we talked about bringing our fans from Southern Ontario back to Ralph Wilson Stadium,” said Brandon. ”That’s been the biggest positive. Five years ago roughly 11 percent of our fans came from Southern Ontario. Now literally 20 percent of our fans are from that location each and every Sunday.  So it has worked and it’s about keeping the team viable in Western New York and it’s a huge part of it.”

Bills get go ahead on Toronto Series

At the league meetings in Atlanta the International Committee gave the Bills approval to continue playing games in Toronto as part of their Bills Toronto Series.

Bills CEO Russ Brandon issued the following statement.

“The International Committee’s decision to approve the continuation of our games in Toronto is a crucial step in our ongoing efforts to regionalize our franchise. As we have stated on many occasions, the regionalization process remains vital to keeping our franchise strong in Western New York. We are continuing our discussions with Rogers Communications on a new deal and remain optimistic that we can come to an agreement in the near future.”

The Bills and Rogers Communications are still negotiating a new agreement to extend the Bills Toronto Series.

Rogers prez likes path BTS has taken

Rogers Communications President Keith Pelley in an interview with the FAN590 has liked the path that the Bills Toronto Series has taken believing it has benefited both parties.

In addressing the preseason game reverting back to Ralph Wilson Stadium this coming preseason instead of being played in Toronto, Pelley noted that due to two Blue Jays homestands, the only available date for the preseason game was August 26^th.  Pelley said they could not commit to that date right now.  So the choice was made to bring the game back to Buffalo since we were in a rush to release our season ticket package.

Pelley’s comments echoed those of Bills CEO Russ Brandon’s on the preseason date issue.

“We’ve been in active negotiations with our Rogers friends for the last couple of months and this really came to bear from the standpoint if you look at the (Blue) Jays’ schedule they’re at home the first two weekends in August,” Brandon said in an appearance on WGR Sportsradio 550 Thursday. ”And then we know we’re on the road for our fourth preseason game because that’s the game that we can schedule and we scheduled that a long while back with the Lions.

“Really that third preseason game and third weekend was about all they had available and they did not have the weekend available. They only had a Monday and Tuesday that we could play a game which we can’t do. So we’ve moved the back here. We’ll focus that game as being our Kids Day which is historically a sellout and a huge day at our facility and obviously the price points as you know are very, very low for kids to get in the building. We’re going to reposition that game in our future extension with Rogers.”

Pelley also said negotiations have been going on for 3-4 weeks and hopes to have a decision on the extension of the Bills Toronto Series by the beginning of May.

Pelley also admitted the last deal was done to get Toronto exposed to the NFL market.  Added that the deal has helped create a number of Bills and NFL fans in the market.  With the next deal they hope to build on that growth and bring down ticket prices.

Here’s the full interview.

Rogers not looking to add games

Rogers Communications Media president Keith Pelley in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday revealed some of their intentions with a new deal.

Pelley stated that Rogers is definitely interested in continuing the relationship with the Bills in Toronto, but didn’t provide many details on current negotiations.

However, Pelley did say that Rogers is not looking to expand the number of regular-season games the Bills play in Toronto.

“No,” he told the AP. “At this point, without getting into any details of the conversation, I think that it would be a deal that would that would certainly work for both sides. We’re not looking to increase the number of games.”

A 10th sack in win over Skins

The Bills were awarded a 10th sack in the win over the Redskins last Sunday.

The NFL changed a first quarter play by John Beck on a 2nd-and-8 at the Washington 28, where in dropping back to pass he fumbled, recovered the ball, tried to step up in the pocket and was dropped by Nick Barnett and Danny Batten.

Both Barnett and Batten were awarded a half sack.

Bills-Redskins tailgate info

For those fans going to the Bills-Redskins game Sunday here’s one great tailgating option.

The Budweiser Tailgate begins at 11 a.m. and runs until 3:30 p.m. on game day and provides an experience that stretches from east to west, north to south in the area surrounding Rogers Centre.  The Budweiser Big Rig will be on site along with the Bud Girls, great music, tailgate-style food, prizes, giveaways and interactive elements including the Bills Toronto Series mechanical buffalo. There will also be special appearances by the Buffalo Jills, Bills Alumni and Billy Buffalo.

The Budweiser Tailgate main stage – located outside of Gate 10 – will also feature Bradleyboy MacArthur, in addition to Juno-award winning Finger Eleven.

Jim Kelly appearance

Bills Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly will be making an appearance for an autograph signing north of the border this weekend.

Kelly will be at the Van Heusen store for their grand opening at the Heartland Town Centre in Mississauga on Saturday from 2-3 pm where he’ll be signing autographs for Bills fans.

As an added bonus any customers that spend more than $150 at the Van Heusen store Saturday will receive two tickets to the Bills-Redskins game at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on Sunday.

Report: Fletcher to start

Well for anyone that knows London Fletcher it’s no surprise to see this report.

According to NFL.com’s Jason LaCanfora, London Fletcher will start on Sunday for Washington against the Bills despite a hamstring injury suffered just last Sunday.

JasonLaCanfora London Fletcher (hamstring) will start for Redskins Sunday. Set to play 215th straight game. Never missed one since entering NFL in ’98

Fletcher did not practice on Wednesday, but was limited Thursday. Last Sunday when he injured the hamstring he came out of the game and did not return. So it had to be a notable injury. It’ll be interesting to see if Fletcher’s range is affected by the injury Sunday against the Bills.

Roof to be closed Sunday

The Bills confirmed that the Rogers Centre roof will be closed for Sunday’s game at the Rogers Centre against Washington. The game will also be televised locally.

Every one of Buffalo’s home games have been sold out so far this season.

Report: Hightower has torn ACL

Rotoworld is reporting that Redskins starting RB Tim Hightower has a torn ACL saying it was confirmed by the team.

Hightower was carted off the field Sunday with a knee injury. Expected to take his place in the starting lineup Sunday against the Bills in Toronto is Ryan Torain, with Roy Helu as the backup.

Fan Friday 10-21

Time for everyone to catch our breath here in the bye week before the Bills work their way through the last 10 games of a promising season. Keep sending your questions in to AskChris@bills.nfl.net. Let’s get to this week’s questions.

1 - Chris my question is around defense. The Bills still do not have any pass rush that I have observed. Are the Bills trying to design some sort of pressure? Also Shawne Merriman has been non-exsisent so far so what is being done to get him more involved. The Bills will not keep winning without a better pass rush, and more activity out of our linebackers…

B. Gately

CB: You’re right about pass rush production. It’s been lacking. As we reported this week it was at the top of the ‘to do’ list for head coach Chan Gailey and his staff. Buffalo simply can’t get home with four rushers and against the Giants they couldn’t get to Eli Manning when they sent five on almost every third down in the first half. Gailey said part of the problem is they’re not winning their one-on-one battles when they have them. They said they’d harp on improving pass rush technique with the players up front.

Unfortunately I think they’re going to have to rely on scheme a bit more to generate pressure instead of pure talent and that’s not easy. Fortunately Merriman is supposed to be back in the lineup as well as Kelsay, so hopefully things can improve in that area. Otherwise big plays against the Bills will continue to be made.

2 - Hey Chris,

I was Just wondering what the status is on Jasper and if they are working him in to the offensive tackle position, much like they did with Jason Peters before he was traded.  If the Bills staff get him going I think they would add great size and run block for the running game.

Secondly, do you think the stadium will get any more upgrades?

Thank you for what you do for the fans everyday!!

GO BILLS!

Very Respectfully,
Kevin K.
Temecula, CA

CB: Jasper has been working at guard for the past month. The first week in which he was switched to the offensive line he manned the tackle spot, but shortly after the Bills picked up Sam Young off waivers and he’s been at right tackle with the reserves kicking Jasper in to guard. Jasper played guard his last two collegiate seasons at Bethel and it’s probably his most natural position on the offensive line.

He’s got the athleticism to pull from there on run plays, and he obviously has the girth to stand in there against the big DTs in pass protection. He’s also been working even harder to get his weight down more. He’s at 373 now with a goal weight of 360.

3 - Chris,

Has there been any news on either Fred Jackson (2012) or Ryan Fitzpatrick’s (2011) contract extensions?  Given their production (especially Freddy – no slight to Fitz, but Freddy has done quite a bit), you’d think and I hope Management will make a motion to keep them.

Mark
Elmira

CB: There’s been a lot of progress with Fitzpatrick’s contract negotiations. I think Fitz will be done sooner rather than later, but to lay out a timetable would be foolish because no one can predict the pace of negotiations. As for Fred I agree, he has outplayed the value of his contract. However, with Stevie Johnson’s contract up after this year I would anticipate that he is taken care of after Fitz.

Fred is still under contract through the 2012 season, so the same urgency to get Jackson a new deal might not be there as for players like Fitzpatrick and Johnson. That being said knowing that Jackson has stated publicly more than once that he’d like to have a new contract, I do know that he met with Bills GM Buddy Nix a couple of weeks ago and that the meeting was very positive.

Does that mean negotiations are going to be kick started? I don’t believe so. I don’t think there’s any debating that Fred is deserving, but there are other players on his side of the ball that have to addressed first.

4 - Hi Chris,

Hats off to the Bills for their great start. I think Fred Jackson is the best running back they have had since Thurman Thomas. Having said that, I am a little concerned over the alarming amount of yards they are giving up on defense. True, they are a plus nine in turnovers and they are doing a great job with that, but they need to stop people better. Based on what I saw in the game against the Eagles, the linebackers are not one hundred percent sideline to sideline, meaning their lateral pursuit is lacking. Teams that run well off the edge will continue to have huge gains. They ran zone blitzes on Michael Vick and they were successful, but they still give up too many big plays. What is your take on this? I will look forward to your answer.

Tony, Daytona Beach, Fl

CB: I think your concerns were fully realized in the Giants game. Without takeaways the yardage allowed was magnified and without a pass rush big plays were more prevalent. Buffalo was also without three starters in the front seven. In addressing the range of Buffalo’s linebackers Barnett has been playing with a bad ankle and Andra Davis is more of an in the box ILB. I think that’s partly why Kelvin Sheppard is getting more and more playing time moving forward. He has sideline to sideline range and can also be utilized as a blitzer. So his mere presence on the field makes them more athletic and versatile. Whether it makes a noticeable difference is something we’ll have to wait and see.

5 - Now that the Ralph is rocking again, selling out the games and the Bills are headed in the right direction how much longer do we need to play one game in Toronto? It is a huge disadvantage for us and we haven’t won there yet.

Ryan
Albany, NY

CB: You’re right the Bills have not won a regular season game in Toronto to this point. With respect to the Bills Toronto Series however, no matter if the Bills sell out every home game at the Ralph, to remain financially competitive in the NFL they need to continue to regionalize the franchise and that includes Toronto. Buffalo by itself does not have the corporate tax base to sufficiently fill premium and luxury seating at Ralph Wilson stadium. It’s big companies that often invest in suites and premium seating.

Part of the Bills Toronto Series aim is to draw more of the large corporate base from Toronto back to RWS for that kind of investment. The state of economics in the NFL, even in the wake of the new 10-year CBA makes it a necessary approach.

Bills-Toronto Series update

Bills CEO Russ Brandon covered the whole gamut of items on Buffalo’s table this offseason and beyond during local media interviews this week. That included comment on the future of the Bills Toronto Series.

When asked if negotiations have begun on a new agreement to stretch beyond the current five-year deal here was Brandon’s comment.

“We have had discussions with them right now about where the agreement is with the CBA and with the game this year,” said Brandon. ”Our focus right now is playing the Redskins up in Toronto.  They have some new leadership there, obviously Phil Lind is their vice chairman and Keith Pelley is their new president.  Keith and I have had some conversations relative to our current agreement.  We anticipate having some discussions moving forward.”

Buffalo’s current agreement lasts through the 2012 season. Brandon also said that Toronto has to be part of the franchise’s regional footprint for the long term.

Uniform patches a lot of work

While we count down to the June 24th unveiling of the Bills new uniforms, we’d thought we’d pass along some of the lesser known details to the uniforms over the years including some of the patches that have appeared on the shoulders of the jerseys.

Most Bills fans remember the 50th anniversary patch worn in 2009 and the black oval Gene Upshaw initial patch after the Hall of Fame Raiders lineman and former NFLPA head passed a few years ago. Buffalo’s jerseys also had a 35th anniversary patch back in ’94 and an NFL 75th anniversary patch.

All those patches have to be sewn on by a seamstress, which the Bills have locally done by their dry cleaner. With the most recent Bills Toronto Series patch the Bills equipment staff has to go for efficiency knowing they’ve sometimes got just five days to get the BTS patch on for the game that’s played in Toronto and then off again in the event that there’s another home game the next week at Ralph Wilson Stadium, which is the case this year.

“It is a lot of work,” said Bills equipment manager Dave Hojnowski. ”We’ve had the anniversary patches and luckily for the anniversary patches those stay on the whole year. The Toronto ones, we have to have them on for that week and if we have a home game the next week we have to have them removed. So pretty much we just have our seamstress single stitch them so they’re easy to put on and easier to take off.”

Here’s a look at that patch below, which will be sewn on the week of Buffalo’s game in Toronto against Washington (Oct. 30th) before having it removed for the game the following Sunday against the Jets (Nov. 6th).

Bills fan through and through

The Buffalo Bills fan base suffered an unfortunate loss recently. One of the team’s contest winners for the Bills in Toronto Series just last month suffered an untimely passing after a fall.

Dedicated Bills fan David Vice won a contest, which earned him pre-game field access among other special fan privileges through the Toronto Star as he served as the paper’s beat reporter for the Bills-Bears game at the Rogers Centre on Nov. 7. Though he enjoyed most of the day as a fan, he did submit this report on his Bills experience recapping the day with his son and friends, not long before his tragic passing.

The Bills organization passes along our thoughts and prayers to the Vice family during this difficult time.

Cutler numbers vs. Bills

Bears QB Jay Cutler has faced the Bills twice before in his career and has some fat numbers yardage-wise.

Cutler threw for over 300 yards in both meetings with Buffalo while playing for the Denver Broncos with a win at Buffalo in 2007 (15-13) on a last second field goal and a loss in Denver in 2008 (30-23). Here’s his cumulative stat line vs. the Bills.

He went 48-84 (57.1%) passing for 663 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He averaged 7.89 yards per attempt. He was also sacked twice and had a passer rating of 76.6. His longest pass play from scrimmage in those two games was 36 yards.

With a new team, new receivers and a coordinator that likes to go deep it’s hard to say what Cutler will be on display Sunday in Toronto.

Bills-Bears to be on TV

The Buffalo Bills vs. Chicago Bears game this Sunday at 1 p.m. at Rogers Centre will be televised locally and across Western and Upstate New York on Buffalo Bills television affiliates.

In addition, based on the local forecast, the roof of the Rogers Centre will be closed for the game.

Football week in Toronto coming up

With the Bills preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts in Toronto fast approaching, the Bills along with NFL Canada, the Toronto Argonauts and the organizers of the Bills in Toronto Series are presenting Football Week in Toronto.

From Sat., Aug. 14th to Fri., Aug. 20th Football Week in Toronto will be a series of events aimed to raise awareness for and promote participation in minor football in the Greater Toronto Area and support Football Canada.

Football Week in Toronto will center around the following four football events hosted at Rogers Centre.

Sat. Aug. 14th, Toronto Argonauts vs. Montreal Alouettes – 7:30 pm

Sun. Aug. 15th, Ontario Junior Varsity Football Conference finals – TBD

Thurs., Aug. 19th, Bills Toronto Series – Buffalo Bills vs. Indianapolis Colts – 7:30 pm

Fri., Aug. 20th, Toronto Argonauts vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats – 7:30 pm

New turf at Rogers Centre

The Rogers Centre is putting new turf this week in time for baseball season for the Blue Jays replacing the older version. But there will also be a new and separate similar surface for football, no doubt making several Bills players very happy knowing they’ve got a preseason and regular season game north of the border this coming season.

The turf, which is being installed by the Astro Turf company, according to the Sports Business Journal, is for baseball only right now. But the Rogers Centre will also have a new surface for football. Only a few of the new Astoturf panels are compatible for both baseball and football, so the other three-quarters of the surface will be baseball or football specific, depending on the season.

The new surface is the same as the one the St. Louis Rams are installing this offseason in their dome facility. 

The new AstroTurf product features long rolling strips held together by Velcro instead of the almost 1,400 trays of turf previously used. The old surface had a lot more seams than the new surface will have, which means greater safety for the players.

Fan Friday 12-11

The snow has been flying late this week in Buffalo. Crazy wind and at least a foot of snow in most places. But we still bring you Fan Friday as always here on the Inside the Bills blog. As always you can email your questions to AskChris@bills.nfl.net.

1. Hi, Chris,
With the talent level the Bills have at running back, why don’t they have Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson in the backfield at the same time? They could pound opposing defenses continually, and keep our defense off the field. This would take pressure off of the QB, and maybe put the Bills in position to win more games. The offensive line as it stands right now, is having issues pass blocking. Just a thought…
 
Tony Falzone, Daytona Beach, Fl

CB: There has been more of this in recent weeks, but not a ton more. I think that set presents a lot more options for the Bills offensively and also affords better pass protection with both Lynch and Jackson back there. We’ll see if there are more snaps with that look over the final four games, but I agree it has a lot of potential for an offense that has struggled all season.

2. Chris,

I know it’s very early in the process, and I keep hearing the Mr. Wilson wants to hire a GM to hire a coach (you could probably say how true that is better than me,) but I had a couple of names I was hoping to get your feedback about for a potential new coach.

1. Brian Billick: While I don’t know how well he actually knows quarterbacks like he claims– I do know he won the Super Bowl with the Ravens, and even when they struggled before he was fired, they played great defense. He seems like he wants to get back to coaching, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him in Buffalo.

2. Russ Grimm: He was a finalist for the Pittsburgh and I think Arizona job as well, before Whisenhunt was hired– so I get the impression the guy has something management likes. He’s a firey presence that helped change the culture of the team in Arizona in a VERY short time period…exactly the kind of change Buffalo needs. Also, the guy has an o-line background, and ours desperately needs work.

3. Pete Metzelaars: I know Pete is relatively green… but he was a blink of Tom Moore’s eye from being the OC in Indy this year before he and Mudd decided not to retire. Also, I get the impression that just the timing of some of the early 90′s Bills going into the HOF these past years, that the Bills and its fanbase are reconnecting with those teams. What better way to do it than to bring in one of the pieces that got us there? At the very least in an OC capacity.

I could be wrong, but I can’t imagine any of these guys commanding the kind of money the Cowhers or Shanahans of the world do… so maybe they’d be a fit here?

I’m curious to know your thoughts

Matt
Farmington, NY

CB: I think Billick and Grimm are worthwhile candidates. Grimm would certainly put attention where it’s needed on the offensive line. Heck with Grimm at the helm they may draft a tackle before a QB, which I’m not opposed to. The Dolphins showed that could work drafting Jake Long and then Chad Henne. Cleveland had the right idea too with Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn. Quinn is actually playing a bit better of late.

As for Metzelaars I think he is too green for a head job. Wouldn’t mind making him an assistant on this staff, Frank Reich as well for that matter. I think Cowher and Shanahan are unfortunately long shots at best.

3. Hey Chris,
Are the bills done with Trent? Why go back to Fitz again? I think you go with trent, for better or worse, to see if he’s your franchise guy, your thoughts?
thanks,
Ryan
CB: I’m afraid that ship appears to have sailed. Players have made no secret even to the media that they prefer having Fitzpatrick in there. No doubt they made those preferences known to the coaching staff as well. So my feeling is Trent will remain the backup for the rest of the season barring injury.

I don’t think there’s any question that Edwards is physically superior to Fitzpatrick, but Fitzpatrick is more willing to take chances in the passing game and he has seen the whole field better when he’s been in there. As to whether Trent is still considered franchise material, I think that’s a determination that may also have been made already, but under a new regime that’s always subject to change. Time will tell.

4. They had a crowd of 51,000 people. We could have sold 70,000 in Ralph Wilson stadium, w/ the large majority cheering loudly for our (undermanned) Bills.

I’m no marketing guru, but how is this putting more money in the franchise’s pocket? Simply because it’s guaranteed money? We haven’t made the playoffs in 10 years and we still get near sellout crowds for most games in Buffalo. The players have repeatedly said the fans support gets them pumped up.
  
Given the 3 tepid performances so far in Toronto, including the preseason game, it’s hard to see that we are expanding our fan base playing there. The Canadian fans may enjoy seeing the NFL, but they are hardly there to cheer on our home team.

I was pretty skeptical of the idea in the first place. I don’t think it has helped the Bills as a team, or the franchise, or even (cynically) Ralph Wilson himself.  Help me out, Chris. What am I missing?
 
Pete
Gilbert, AZ

CB: The Bills sold the Toronto Series to the Rogers group for $78 million. It equates to $9.75M per game, which is almost double what the franchise pulls in for a regular home game, and far more than that for a preseason game. So that’s a major revenue benefit, which is important in the league’s big market/small market climate right now.

If 2010 goes off without a salary cap, which is looking more and more like reality, this regionalization effort will be more important than most fans realize. It will continue to help to keep the team financially competitive.

Though it may be hard to see how the games in Toronto are helping the fan base, 15% of the season ticket base is from southern Ontario. And figures show that number is now increasing thanks to the team’s annual presence in Toronto.

Believe me when I tell you the decision makers for this franchise understand that it’s a bitter pill to swallow for Bills fans that respect the franchise’s tradition and home field advantage with respect to the 12th Man. But this is a necessary step to keep the team financially viable and competitive in a league where the ‘haves’ are continually trying to make life more difficult for the ‘have nots.’
The Toronto Series helps to keep the team financially viable, while staying in Buffalo.

5. Chris,
Do you see the Bills keeping Perry Fewell around after the season is over?  I like a lot of Bills Fans, like his attitude and think he will be a great loss on the Defensive side, and the same goes for Bobby April. What do you think?
 
Thanks,
Bill
Frederick, MD

CB: I do think both Fewell and April have a lot to offer, but a new head coach generally likes to bring in his own people. I think April has the resume to be offered a job on the staff, no matter what head coach comes in, but I doubt he will take it. It wouldn’t surprise me if April felt passed over for the interim head coaching job, especially with Assistant Head Coach as part of his title under Dick Jauron.
It’s my belief April will be moving on after this season is over, and make no mistake it would be a great loss.

As for Fewell, unless a new coach coming in is a big believer in the Tampa-2 scheme he too is likely to be looking for work elsewhere. It sounds cruel, but these men know its part of the business. I like what Fewell has done in his stint as interim head coach, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the organization determines that they have to wipe the slate clean and turn the page on all that is associated with the Dick Jauron era.

Goodell stamps Bills Toronto Series “successful”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked to assess the Bills Toronto Series, in his state of the league address in Tampa Friday afternoon, and he expressed a strong feeling that the initiative has gone very well.

“The two games up in Toronto were tremendously successful for us,” said Goodell. ”We said the objective was to regionalize the Buffalo Bills, and it achieved those objectives. We were able to increase our season-ticket sales in the Toronto area significantly, over 40 percent. And I think from that standpoint we achieved what our initial objective was.”

Goodell also mentioned that he had met with all parties involved to see what is planned for the 2009 regular season game at Rogers Centre.

“It’s a building process,” said Goodell. ”When we first got into this we wanted to make sure that it was a good experience for the two teams, that they were successful and they could do it without any negative competitive consequences, and we achieved that objective.”

“I met with the people that are promoting the game, Rogers Communications, along with the Bills earlier this week, and I’m very confident that next year’s game is going to be bigger and better. I think they’ll evaluate every aspect of the game, including the pricing, and I think they’ll do a terrific job and it’ll be a great game.”