Dear Mr. Brandon--the Toronto series must go

[bbb]

great piece.

 

Cautious prediction: The Bills-Falcons game is the last time we'll see the Buffalo Bills play in Toronto.

 

I like this (I had been thinking how can the same fans who threw beer bottles at the Sabres players on Friday night be expected to cheer for the Bills on Sunday afternoon?):

 

What few people outside of Toronto and Buffalo know is this. The two cities’ residents pretty much despise one another.

Buffalo sees itself as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band — and Toronto as Boy George and Culture Club.

Toronto sees itself as a world-class, five-star restaurant and Buffalo as a soon-to-be shut-down greasy spoon.

Both look down on the other. The dislike is palpable, and seared into the rivalry between each city’s NHL teams — Buffalo’s Sabres and Toronto’s Maple Leafs — and their fans.

[papazoid]

 

 

I like this (I had been thinking how can the same fans who threw beer bottles at the Sabres players on Friday night be expected to cheer for the Bills on Sunday afternoon?):

 

What few people outside of Toronto and Buffalo know is this. The two cities’ residents pretty much despise one another.

Buffalo sees itself as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band — and Toronto as Boy George and Culture Club.

Toronto sees itself as a world-class, five-star restaurant and Buffalo as a soon-to-be shut-down greasy spoon.

Both look down on the other. The dislike is palpable, and seared into the rivalry between each city’s NHL teams — Buffalo’s Sabres and Toronto’s Maple Leafs — and their fans.

 

All cities are proud people. i don't dislike Canada or Toronto whatsoever. the Sabre/Leafs games are the absolute best games to attend. a "rivalry" is fair, but "despise" is not what i would call it. the amount of cross border crossings suggests otherwise.

 

unfortunately the product known as the buffalo bills we are trying to sell, isn't very good right now. most criticism is well deserved.

[May Day 10]

I do notice much more pot-shots taken by the media up there and certain people. They like to hold the "Sabres and Bills only exist because of us" over our heads.

 

I also remember being up there when Gilmore was drafted and the paper was basically saying he looked unhappy and speculated that he was unhappy because he was drafted by and had to go to Buffalo.

 

I love Canada/Toronto however. The Rogers Centre is a dump, and I will never support Bills games up there*. Other than that, its cool

 

*if the NFL schedule goes to 18 games, I think I can live with a Home and an Away game.

[machine gun kelly]

I'll start off by saying I'm a season ticket holder who lives much closer to Toronto then Buffalo and I completely agree that this series must go. The Ralph is a HUGE advantage for the Bills and in a league where they only play 16 games you need every advantage you can get.

 

That being said, let`s get one thing straight - no matter where you play a 2 - 9 team, be it The Ralph, Georgia Dome, Rogers centre or in my backyard YOU HAVE TO BEAT THEM! Dont blame the stadium or the crowd for the loss, it clearly falls at the feet of the missed plays on Defence and the lost fumbles.

 

Rich

 

 

I couldn't agree more. I don't think thIs series will end as it makes the team too much money, and Goodell and owners most likely want it. With that said, there is no excuse for losing that game. Lack of The Ralph crowd noise is not the reason we lost. We lost due to poor play across the board on defense, dropped passes by SJ and Chandler, and so on.

[Jerryg1983]

As a diehard Canadian bills fan, this Toronto series is a joke. I went to the first one is it sucked. Half empty stadium with people cheering for any big play. You cant beat the atmosphere, passion, and tailgating at the Ralph. Its just a money scheme for the organization. Were 1-5 so far, so its not getting us any wins. GET RID OF IT. Taking home games away in december is not right.

[dave mcbride]

People should read Mark Gaughan's column today. He's plugged in, and he says that this series may well end sooner than planned.

[FireChan]

Dear Mr Brandon.

 

Away games at an empty Raymond James Stadium to a 3-9 team out of playoff contention must go. This is not an environment conducive to winning. We need home games and rookie QB's to spot us 2 picks a game to win. Make it happen.

[BillsfaninMyrtleBeach]

Face it we are not seeing a winning team on the field, but those of us who have been loyal Bills fans for many years will still sit through the agony of the losses and the joy of the wins. But I can tell you from being at the games at the Ralph and the Toronto games, the Canadians in general do not give a damn about the Bills. I have nothing against Canada or It's citizens (some of my best friends were from Canada) but when I go to the games I have noticed that a lot of the people coming from Canada are more interested in getting drunk and partying than watching the game. When I went to the Toronto game they cheered for the other team more than the Bills. I asked a guy from Toronto if he was a Bills fan and he said that he didn't give a damn about the Bills.

[papazoid]

this whole toronto thing is to blame for getting crushed in Tampa.....................(sarcasm)

[PromoTheRobot]

Let's offer the Bills to Toronto next year for all 10 games and let's see if they take them.

[Reed83HOF]

I really feel like it is Major League with the Bills. Suck so bad that Buffalo and the fans don't care if the team moves....

 

Rinse and repeat, same ol' Bills....fold under pressure

[billsfan714]

Russ blaming the fans for not selling out in the Ralph is like Foghat wondering why they dont sell out arenas anymore.

[bbb]

Russ blaming the fans for not selling out in the Ralph is like Foghat wondering why they dont sell out arenas anymore.

 

In Toronto, they get a Free Ride!

[BillnutinHouston]

Stating that games aren't sellouts is stating a fact, it's not blaming.

 

Likewise, stating that the Bills lost is a fact, it's not blaming.