Archives for September 2014

‘Four years ago few of us had ever heard of the Pegulas. It was the end of November 2010 that a report arose of the Sabres being for sale and Terry Pegula, fan, being in line to buy them. I remember the day, partly because my great friend and esteemed sports writer Jim Kelley died that night.’

‘”Kim and I are humbled and honored that the Wilson family has chosen us to be the second owner of the Buffalo Bills. Pending the NFL approval process, being the next owner of the Buffalo Bills would be a great privilege for our family. Ralph Wilson left an indelible mark on our community and we will strive every day to honor his legacy.’

‘The next step in the approval process will be for the Pegulas to meet with the NFL’s finance committee. The Pegulas have a reported net worth of $3.5 billion, and will likely have little trouble in that phase. Once that hurdle has been cleared, the winning bidders will then be put to a vote at one of the league’s upcoming owners’ meetings and will need to be approved by 24 of 31 franchises accross the league.’

‘The Bills, and the Pegula’s other sports property the Sabres, and Buffalo are intertwined. Both franchises are a fabric of the community and part of our soul. If either team ever left it would be like someone had ripped out our heart. With the Pegula’s playing the role of white knight, we don’t have to worry about that anymore and hopefully never again.’

‘Manuel finished his day 16 of 22 with a TD, an Interception and a rushing TD. His numbers aren’t going to impress too many individuals but to me, it was a good day. Manuel threw the ball down the field with success, and while accuracy has been called in to question, he did the job well enough for me. Let’s take a look at one of his better throws of the day…’.

‘Buffalo Bills Controlling Owner Mary Wilson said, “This is a very important day in the history of the Buffalo Bills franchise. Ralph brought professional football to Buffalo in 1959 and it was his life’s passion. He loved his team and he cherished the fans and his legacy will remain for all-time. Ralph would have been pleased with the sale of the team to the Terry Pegula family, who has been so committed to Buffalo and the Western New York region.”‘

‘”He demanded everyone’s attention and he’s just the leader of our offense,” receiver Robert Woods related. “Before the game he spoke to the whole team. He just fired everyone up. Everyone is believing in him and confident in him and he just got us the win.”‘

‘”The only way you change culture is to win football games like that … You face adversity and still go out and win.”‘

‘Defensive tackle Kyle Williams, who had a key interception – the first of a nine-year career – admitted of the win, “I think you can look at it as an improved makeup of the team. Guys that have been around awhile and guys that have had success like (linebacker Brandon) Spikes and (cornerback) Corey Graham. We’ve got guys that have been around and can kind of rub off on (the younger) guys.”‘

‘What matters is that young players learned they can play with anyone, even on the road. What matters is that E.J. Manuel showed what he can do as a steward of a good team. What matters is that the Bills won.’

‘Brandon Spikes, the veteran linebacker, had six tackles and a sack. Punter Colton Schmidt, who was picked up a week before the season, dropped four of his five punts inside the 20 and limited Chicago to minus-1 yard in returns. Kickoff specialist Jordan Gay had five touchbacks. The other was returned to the 13.’

‘If the Bills are able to replicate that success running the ball on a weekly basis, it will allow quarterback EJ Manuel to have games like he did Sunday and the team should be competitive.’

‘Two sources said there was a belief the Bills’ winning bid will be higher than the $1 billion the Cleveland Browns sold for in 2012 and could break the NFL record of $1.1 billion set by the Miami Dolphins in 2009.’

‘EJ Manuel standing up and speaking at the pregame offense meeting Saturday night. This didn’t come from Manuel, but in the locker room Sunday several players shared an account of Manuel interrupting the offensive skull session led by coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to address his teammates and basically tell them to forget the preseason and get focused on the regular season.’