Archives for April 2006

‘Erie County officials do not see an overall, audited profit and loss statement from the Bills when the time comes to pay the annual subsidy for game-day expenses, said Budget Director Ken Vetter. "We get an annual statement of their game-day" costs," he said. The county provides up to $6.7 million a year to support the Bills. Of the total, $3.3 million is for game-day expenses, including pay for ushers, in-stadium security and other personnel. The rest goes for capital costs.’

‘I may sound like a conspiracy theorist, but when I consider that half of the Bills’ home games in the 2006 NFL schedule will be played after Thanksgiving my suspicion is that it’s payback for Ralph Wilson’s failure to get in lock step with the majority of owners who suggest that departing Commissioner Paul Tagliabue is the greatest American leader since Abraham Lincoln.’

‘Death. Taxes. And, bye-bye Buffalo Bills. Say it ain’t so, Ralph.’

‘Even with all of this, Wilson would forge on, hopeful that his legacy would somehow endure. Except for one other piece of fine print in the CBA, another dagger in his back. It says that any new owner of an NFL franchise won’t get any revenue sharing right away. If that passes, it’s a death sentence for the Bills in Buffalo. No new owner could make a go of it without revenue sharing on top of debt service for purchasing the team. "That’s a game changer," Littmann warns.’

‘Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds, R-Clarence, sent a letter to 94 other members of Congress about the impact of the National Football League’s new labor agreement on small-market teams. Also Friday, State Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, launched an online petition on his Web site, www.senatormaziarz.com.’

‘Brown backed up Wilson’s message Friday afternoon that all is not fine in the NFL just because labor peace has been shored up for the next six years. And he wanted to defend Wilson, the 87-year-old founder of the Bills, from what Brown considered personal attacks from critics in and around the league that didn’t directly address the issues concerning the league.’

‘”Obviously, I saw an opportunity for a starting position, so that’s why I signed,” Price said. “I’m not going to sit here and say I don’t want to be a starter. That’s what I’ve wanted to be and that’s what I’m going to fight to be.”‘

‘The Bills continue to negotiate with CB Nate Clements, who has been given the franchise tag, but a deal isn’t close. That was evident when Clements skipped the team’s voluntary mini-camp for veterans last weekend.’

‘RB Willis McGahee’s off-season commitment to the new coaching staff didn’t last long. After attending the first 10 days of the club’s off-season workout program, McGahee skipped last week’s voluntary three-day mini-camp for veterans. Instead, he was back home in Miami. “We love Willis,” coach Dick Jauron said. “We’d just love him a little more if he had been here.”‘

‘"I think the things he has said are accurate, and I support what he said," Brown said in a meeting with beat reporters who cover the Bengals. "In effect, he has said that this agreement is a hardship on low-revenue teams, small-market teams, going forward."’

‘Brown echoes Wilson’s sentiment that the bottom fourth of NFL teams could struggle financially under the agreement. He said the Bengals have climbed out of the bottom fourth, but they remain in the bottom half in revenues. "We do better with the market that we have given to us than – I could start naming teams: Houston, Dallas and some other large-market teams – when you consider what we generate out of our market compared to what they generate out of theirs," Brown said.’

‘”I’m not saying this to argue for better treatment of the Bengals. I’m saying it because I think the NFL has gone somewhat off the tracks in this area,” Brown said. “And the man who stood up to say so and said the emperor has no clothes is being attacked for saying what is the fact.”‘

‘If there is any justification for this deal beyond the fact that Price was once an excellent receiver in Buffalo, I would ask that it be brought to my attention, and at the same time, I would like to remind Marv Levy that Andre Reed is still available on the free-agent market. He was good once, too.’

‘”I expect to be in that conversation well before the November election. Tagliabue is a good guy. His word is good. And I’m sure he’ll listen.”‘

‘Thomas had been trying to battle back from a knee injury.’