Archives for April 2006

‘He was orginally drafted by Buffalo in 1999, after playing his college ball at Tennessee.’

‘After a visit last week to One Bills Drive, former Bills wide receiver Peerless Price became a member of the Buffalo roster again signing with the Bills earlier today.’

‘Buffalo has been able to keep its football team, even as its home region lost hundreds of companies and hundreds of thousands of jobs over the last few decades, because of the NFL’s remarkably just revenue-sharing philosophy. Equal distribution of the league’s television contracts and a simple split of ticket sales have long guaranteed each team a profit before the first ticket is sold. While the setup kept old-guard owners like Wilson quite content, new corporate sharks like Jerry Jones of Dallas and Washington’s Dan Snyder found loopholes in the old system, converting suite sales and corporate sponsorships into massive war chests that enable them to afford immense signing bonuses for players and above-market salaries for coaches that the Bills and Bengals of the world can’t match and remain profitable.’

‘The best thing Buffalo Bills fans can do is continue to lobby New York politicians as well as big-wigs at the NFL to keep their institution alive. Otherwise, those diehard fans will be sick to their stomachs when they hear this in a few years: “Los Angeles, say hello to head coach Pete Carroll and your Bills!”‘

‘”Since returning to Buffalo from the Dallas meeting, Wilson has come off like a Bills fan who hasn’t gotten over the Norwood kick. Ralph, it’s time to get over it and move on and work within the system, not against it.”‘

‘Wilson said that he was aware that NFL owners were concerned about the team’s gross receipts, which he called “the lowest in the league,” but that he would not raise ticket prices beyond what the region could afford. He also said the league wants him to sell the naming rights to Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘Wilson is out there on his own. It’s a little frightening. There’s a tendency to patronize him in this town, to treat him with kid gloves. He is a beloved public figure, the man who brought the NFL to Western New York and has kept it here for 46 years. Wilson has a coarse but undeniable charm about him. In the end, he’s our guy.’

‘”It feels weird sitting back watching because I’ve never been out like this before,” said Everett, a third-round pick out of Miami. “It’s hard because you’re so used to being out there and being the guy everybody expects to make a play. I’m just working right now and hopefully God will bless me to get out here and be injury free. If I don’t get another injury, I’ll be out there and hopefully soon.”‘

‘On the subject of who may own the team after him, Wilson, 87, again left the door open for transferring ownership to a family member, perhaps his wife, Mary. In the past, Wilson repeatedly stated he would not give the team to his family. “I don’t know what I’m going to do now,” Wilson said. “I can’t answer that now. Before, I’d sell the team or something, but I don’t know. This has changed everything.”‘

‘The issues are pretty easy to figure out – a depressed economic environment and a mass exodus of Western New York residents. Can Albany somehow alleviate that to Wilson’s liking? It’s doubtful.’

‘Another potential qualifier may involve reimbursements made to franchises by public entities. The Bills, under their stadium lease with Erie County, receive funding for maintenance and game-day costs. In the future, that money may, too, be defined as revenue.’

‘Q:I know you were trying to get Willis(McGahee) in yesterday(Saturday), will he be here next camp?

J:”We’ll expect him in the next camp. Willis did a terrific job, the week or ten days he was here earlier, and we love Willis. We’d just love him a little more if he had been here for this one. But yea, we expect him. But we know this, we know he’s working. We know he’s down there working, we’d just like to get him with us, with our team and working with the guys on those occasions when he can make it. These are voluntary and our team did a terrific job showing up and the numbers that showed up were great.”‘

‘Senator Schumer went on to give the reasons why he wants to help, “First and foremost, the Bills are the heart of Buffalo. They are a team that symbolizes the community. Ralph and I are both committed to keeping the Bills in Buffalo, and making the Bills as stong as possible.”‘

‘No matter what the NFL owners eventually do, and I think there will be a compromise eventually struck to help the smaller market teams like Buffalo, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Green Bay, Kansas City and a few others, and I also think Ralph Wilson will do whatever it takes to keep his team in Buffalo long after he can no longer own it.’

‘Schumer said that he will call Tagliabue first thing Monday morning. In addition Schumer stated that he will be in touch with senators from other states with small market teams and will also lobby support from high profile Bills fans such as Tim Russert and former Bills quarterback Jack Kemp.’