‘In a note to ticketholders, the Bills said they are experiencing “staffing challenges” and are recommending that fans arrive at Highmark Stadium earlier than they are accustomed to.’
Archives for September 2021
Some NFL teams impose vaccine rules for fans, but Bills and Erie County stand pat
‘The Buffalo Bills, following guidance from Erie County, require fans, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask while in enclosed areas of the stadium, such as the concourses. Outdoors, unvaccinated fans must continue to wear a mask at all times, except when actively eating or drinking, though it’s unclear how stadium staff will enforce this rule.’
Season preview: Can the Bills get to the Super Bowl?
‘Everyone, from Beane to coach Sean McDermott to players, hits on a similar theme. They say it’s a totally new slate, and last year is all the way behind them. That’s a lot easier to say when you’re coming off a 13-3 season. Sure, things can change quickly in the NFL, but it’s much harder to start from scratch than to keep the wheels from falling off. Still, the idea of a restart is pervasive around Orchard Park.’
Sir Charles, Canelo and Sean McDermott? Bills coach stays himself even amid spotlight
‘”I remember starting on the show in 2016, and there just wasn’t much Bills talk, and if there was, you were doing it to satisfy an East Coast time zone or because you were doing it out of nostalgia because we grew up Bills fans,” Kyle Brandt, one of the hosts of NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, said this week. “Now, it’s like we lead the show with the Bills. Half the national media members are picking the Bills to go to the Super Bowl. It’s crazy. Personally, I just like to think we as a show were just slightly early to the party, because they’re blowing up now. They’re not the club band anymore. Now they’re playing arenas.”’
How Bills receiver Stefon Diggs spiced up his brand. It’s not just with new hot sauce
‘“Going into this season, one of Stefon’s objectives is to just really, really further ingratiate himself within the Buffalo community,” Meaza said. “In 2020, he wasn’t able to do that, interfacing with fans. … That, I would say, is one of his key goals this season, is really getting to know Bills Mafia. Really, really becoming even more so a member of this community and getting to know everyone there.”’
How we see it: Our Bills season predictions – is this the year?
‘They get a taste of Kansas City on the road on a Sunday night, and could very well meet them again in an AFC championship game rematch, as the Chiefs will be strong again. The Bills’ stretch of New Orleans-New England-Tampa Bay is most interesting to me, with both Thursday and Monday night games mixed in. I have the Bills meeting the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl, so perhaps a year of multiple dress rehearsals for the postseason run.’
Josh Allen, winning record and college atmosphere help make Bills a prime-time draw
‘“But you play your way into prime time,” Mike North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning and scheduling, said in a telephone interview. “You don’t draft your way into prime time. The Bills have earned it and their market size doesn’t matter quite as much as their 13-3 (regular season) record. If the Bills were 4-12 or 4-13, market size matters. But record matters more.”’
As excitement surges for Bills fans, so do ticket prices
‘Entering a season with Super Bowl aspirations, the Bills are becoming an even hotter ticket. According to TicketIQ, the average price for a Bills game is $414, an increase of 159% over 2019, the last time fans were allowed at full capacity. Consider that prices for NFL tickets are soaring as fans return and prices for the league overall are up 87%. The percentage increase for Bills tickets is almost double the increase.’
Erik Brady: Don Beebe shares memories of 4 TD game against Steelers 30 years ago today
‘Beebe caught touchdown passes of 34, 14, 11, and 4 yards. It is the team record, tied with Jerry Butler, who caught four against the New York Jets in 1979. (Only three players in NFL history have caught five touchdown passes in one game: Bob Shaw for the Chicago Cardinals in 1950, Kellen Winslow for the San Diego Chargers in 1981 and Jerry Rice for the San Francisco 49ers in 1990.)’
It looks as if the Bills will be healthy for season opener against Steelers
‘Wide receiver/kick returner Isaiah McKenize and nickel cornerback Taron Johnson both returned to practice and McDermott expects both to play Sunday, though Johnson will probably have to do so with his injured hand heavily taped.’
Josh Allen: Bills must focus in on Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick Sunday: ‘He can wreck a game plan’
‘“He’s a ballhawk,” Allen said ahead of Sunday’s 1 p.m. matchup against the Steelers at Highmark Stadium. “He just switches up his style every couple plays, you don’t know if he’s dropping into the box or if he’s trying to play over the top on something. He’s always around the ball, whether it’s a fumble that’s forced by one of their other guys that just seems like it’s popping right up into his chest. When the ball’s in the air he has as good of ball skills as anyone in the league.”’
Bills’ Stefon Diggs, ‘obsessed with making people around him better,’ gives his definition of leadership
‘“Whether it’s staying after practice with Gabe (Davis) and working him through a ball cart of reps. Or it’s speaking up in a meeting and making sure him and Cole (Beasley) have their timing on a crossing pattern down to the split second,” Dawkins wrote. “Or it’s just doing whatever is needed to lead his group like a true unit. Or it’s making the type of play where the entire sideline is left speechless, and is just like, Oh, word? We’re setting the bar at “Hall of Famer” today? Whether it’s any of those things, man. Stefon has been there for it.”’
Buffalo Bills to Super Bowl LVI? Team is a popular pick among analysts and experts
‘With the 2021 season upon us, many experts and analysts are making their picks for Super Bowl LVI and after watching the trajectory of the Bills over the past few seasons, many are picking the Bills to represent the AFC in the big game.’
Allen, Diggs, Poyer, other Bills captains hoping to get Super Bowl run started with Week 1 matchup vs. Steelers
‘“We know it’s going to be a tight game,” said Allen of Sunday’s matchup. “Obviously, the past couple of years have been boxing matches. Taking a couple of hits here, giving them out. They’re extremely well-coached, they’re a very talented group on defense, and they have a Hall of Fame quarterback over there. So we’ve got to be on top of our game and go out there and try to execute to the best of our abilities.”’
Keep Bills’ talks in the open
‘We live in a state that vacillates between being flush with money and crying poverty every couple of years. School officials have begged for more state money every year for decades. Local governments are begging for more reimbursement money for road work on state-owned roads. Local needs are often crowded out of the state budget. If sports stadiums and entertainment venues are going to be getting state and local money, the public should know about the spending before it happens, not after.’