Archives for March 2014

‘Polian tried to cling to that ideology even when he had to operate in the system he helped design. Sure, he signed some free agents because he had to, but the draft was his primary source for roster replenishment, and he enjoyed tremendous success.’

‘For all of the many ways in which Rogers Centre is not Ralph Wilson Stadium, beginning with its size and the fact that you can’t stand around all morning in the parking lot and become soused, the Toronto series has been crippled from the start by the Bills’ chronic inability to not suck.’

‘Sarama grew up in western New York, buffeted since the 1970s by the occasional dread inspired by talk of the Bills’ relocation. He founded a fan website called twobillsdrive.com, in deference to the home team’s street address of One Bills Drive, deep in a residential neighborhood of Orchard Park, N.Y.’

‘It’s the first time since 2010 the team has raised season-ticket prices, an increase it called “modest” in a statement. In 2013, season tickets ranged from $225 to $720 in regular seating areas and $1,278 to $2,790 for a club seat. This year, club seats range from $1,470 to $3,100.’

‘Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz on Thursday announced the seven members he appointed to serve on a committee that will represent the county as part of a new panel exploring whether to build a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills or to make further renovations to Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘The stadium commission will explore all possible options for where the Bills could play once the present lease deal at Ralph Wilson Stadium expires. That could include further renovations to the aging Orchard Park facility – one of the league’s oldest venues – or a new stadium in Orchard Park, on the Buffalo Outer Harbor or elsewhere.’

‘Also on Thursday, free agent linebacker Jasper Brinkley visited the Bills’ facility. Brinkley has four seasons of NFL experience and played in Arizona last year before being released by the Cardinals this week. He played his first three seasons with Minnesota after being selected in the fifth round of the 2009 draft.’

‘Poloncarz included himself among the appointees, as well as deputy executive Richard Tobe, who represented the county in negotiating a 10-year lease agreement with the Bills in 2012. Other appointees are former Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathleen Hochul, who is now an M&T Bank vice president, and Clover Management president Michael Joseph.’

‘McClain was added to the active roster during the season, but never dressed for a game.’

‘Smith joined Buffalo’s practice squad on last Sept. 10 before being promoted to the team’s 53-man roster on Oct. 8 and appeared in two games in 2013. Smith (6-1, 205) entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panthers in 2011.’

‘In the NFL, exclusive rights free agents (ERFAs) have two options when tendered by their team. They can choose to accept the tender and sign it, or they can leave the NFL entirely. ERFAs are defined as players that have contracts end before the player has three vested seasons in the NFL.’

‘Byrd is a fantastic player, but it’s obvious that when he elected to move on and not accept the Bills’ lucrative offer, they had a contingency plan in place to sign Aaron Williams for the long-term. You’d have to think that it’s part of the reason the Bills did not issue the franchise tag to Byrd, knowing they could lock up Williams straight away.’

‘The Bills have exercised their exclusive rights by tendering offers to WR Chris Hogan, OL Antoine McClain, and FB Frank Summers and re-signing DB Brandon Smith.’

‘Brinkley (6-1, 252) is a four-year veteran who played for the Cardinals last season appearing in 15 games in a part-time role that included three starts. The 28-year old lined up mainly at inside linebacker in Arizona’s 3-4 front.’

‘”The goal of variable pricing is to create a pricing structure that best reflects the market demand for all games,” stated Russ Brandon, president and CEO for the Buffalo Bills.’