Archives for August 3, 2014

‘The NFL’s constitution and bylaws mandate the principal owner invest at least 30 percent of the team’s purchase price. The Bills are expected to break the NFL’s franchise record of $1.1 billion for the Miami Dolphins in 2009.’

‘I know how much the Bills mean to the people of this region. So I want you to hear this from me: I’m not risking it all to let you down. If we are given the chance to be the next owners of the Buffalo Bills, I promise you that we will bring the same passion that you do every Sunday, every day.’

‘So who’s the front-runner? Sports industry experts are reluctant to name one, but some tend to discount Trump’s bid.’

‘”These are blue-collar towns that dot the road map of an amazing journey,” Reed said to a standing ovation. “They’re connected by the blood, sweat, tears and cheers of a football life I’ve proudly led for parts of the last four decades. It’s a life defined by many things, but none more important than hard work.”‘

‘My excitement and enthusiasm seeing Andre inducted into the Hall motivates and encourages me. Hopefully, one day, some of our current players will wear the prestigious gold jacket with pride, representing the Bills organization, their Buffalo fan family and our city, carrying on the legacy of leaders that came before them. But more than that, hopefully they will humbly uphold the tradition of leadership and integrity that marks a man off the field.’

‘A spokeswoman for New York Magazine, Lauren Starke, told Groller that “the entire conversation with Andre Reed was clearly on the record. Furthermore, writer Reeves Wiedeman did not in any way attempt to disguise the angle of the story.”‘

‘”I just wake up each and every day and say my prayers and hopefully, when they look at the scans, there’s not going to be anything there.”‘

‘We played all those games together, we were all one team, one family out there and when I go into the Hall, I am taking a piece of each and every one of you with me.’

‘Diagnosed with the eye disease macular degeneration, Miller can’t drive anymore. He needs a walker to get around his neighborhood at times. He fell a few times while adjusting to the walker, landing in the hospital for a few weeks in February. His distinctive voice, which has helped him get into six Halls of Fame, no longer is as strong as it once was.’

‘A team tour of the Pro Football Hall of Fame provided a great look at what the Bills have meant to the NFL: The Hall of Famers, the contributions of late owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr., and the memorable games the team has played.’

‘As has so often been the case when the Bills have sent a player to Canton, Bills fans overran this history-steeped town and virtually turned the ceremony into a Bills home game. And as they did so often in their heyday when they were winning four AFC championships in succession, Kelly and Reed stole the show.’

‘These include Steve Tasker, Fred Smerlas, Darryl Talley, Kent Hull, Cornelius Bennett and GM Bill Polian from the Super Bowl Era. Others are Drew Bledsoe, Doug Flutie, Larry Centers, Ted Washington and Troy Vincent, and coaches Chuck Knox and Lou Saban. I would even toss in Tom Sestak and Mike Stratton from the AFL championship teams who would warrant consideration by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee.’

‘Kelly said he is “not afraid to die,” but that he has many more things he’d like to experience. No doubt watching his former team return to the playoffs – something that was second nature during his playing days in the late 1980s to mid-90s -would surely be one of those experiences that he wants to stick around for. Bills fans would like to share that experience.’