Bills fans at 2009 Hall of Fame

Video Recap of Bills Hall of Fame

Channel 7 and Channel 4: Bills Hall of Fame Video Wrap

It was a great night to be a Bills fan. It's like going to a high school reunion mixed with a roast. The Hall of Fame inducted Bruce Smith and Ralph Wilson, but the ones who stole the spot light weren't the Hall of Famers, but the thousands of Bills fans. The sea of blue and red was all over Canton, Ohio. The highlights wasn't just Bruce talking about his family, it was the crowd chanting Bruuuuce. The ovation that Ralph Wilson got gave me goose bumps (until he talked). But the night took back everyone to their Zooba wearing and mullet haired childhood or adulthood of the 90's.

My favorite moment of the night was seeing Ralph Wilson pump his fist in the air when he was introduced. Chris Berman did a great job in building up Mr. Wilson and the city of Buffalo. Yes, I would have liked if maybe someone like Al Davis presented him. But Berman putting over Buffalo and the 90's teams was a great moment. Berman's best part of the intro speech was talking about how Ralph isn't like newer owners, who have to be seen all the time around the sidelines and the press. Thank god for that. Wilson's speech wasn't that inspiring, but what can you expect from a 91 year-old guy. I think had Ralph talked more about the 90's Bills it would have been better. Say what you will about Mr. Wilson, there are some days I want to strangle him, but if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have football in Western New York.

Ted Cottrell did a great job of introducing Bruce Smith. I was surprised by that, because I'd never really heard Cottrell speak before. The best part of Cottrell's speech was making all of Bruce's old teammates stand up and giving quick intros of each player. Bruce spoke very eloquently, which wasn't a surprise. He spoke about the importance of his father in his life. His best part of the speech was talking about his former teammates and the importance of them, not just on the field but off it. The funniest moment was when Bruce told Thurman Thomas that he hid his helmet. My reaction was laughter, then oh yea.. Overall it was a great night for Buffalo and hopefully Andre Reed will get in soon. Once Reed gets in, it's going to be a long time before another Bill gets in.

Bruce Smith Hall of Fame Speech Live Blog

Well, after uninspiring speeches from guys like Randal McDaniel's (is he the guy from All-State commercials) to Rod Woodson 20 minute speech where he thanked the pastor for the Baltimore Ravens, it's time for Bruce Smith's speech. Hopefully he doesn't go all over the place and talk about being in a 3-4 defense.

Ted Cottrell video package of Bruce
-I actually covered Ted Cottrell's son at Buffalo State-
-Um, that Payton Manning analogy is just dumb, Bruce played him 4 times in his career-

Ted Cottrell Presentation Speech
-Bruce is already crying-
-Cottrell goes with the norm of thanking god-
-Cottrell goes into how Art Shell said he wouldn't allow his LT to play him one on one-
-Darryl Talley in the house, Dan Marino said Talley was the scariest player he ever played against..it didn't have to do with him on the field-
-Jim Kelly wants to leave it looks like-
-Very cool all his teammates are standing up-
-Where is Cornelius Bennett, he's the one guy who fell off the face of the earth for the Bills-
-Cottrell has showed more yelling today, than Jauron has in 4 years..sigh

Bruce Smith Induction Speech
-Bruce is crying-
-talks about the weather in Buffalo, sigh-
-talks about his dad and family-
-Here comes Bruce to Buffalo-
-Whose this fan who brings a photo of Bruce there, tool!
-Bruce son looks like him, someone scout his ass!-
-eesh, I wonder how many Redskins fans are there-
-great Dan Snyder sits by Smith's family
-Look for s#$t stirrers at WGR to talk crap about Snyder being there-
-actually it was 6 straight years making the playoffs Bruce-
-funny, Bruce says he hid Thurman Thomas helmet-

-Ruben Brown isn't going to the HOF-

-See if he thanks Chuck Dickerson-

-off course not-

-Bruce is done, great speech-

Live Blog of Ralph Wilson's Speech at 2009 Hall of Fame

Smith Interview with Holtzman-
-Look at Smith already in game form, bitching that he was misquoted for being nervous about his speech.-
-Does say that he's looking forward to being around the crowds-
-I always thought Smith loved the fans of Buffalo more than people think, at least he played to them when he sacked someone-

-Intro of Hall of Fame Inductees-
-Here comes Bruce Intro-
-Gotta love the BRRRRRRRuce chants-
-dam lots of Bills fans-
-Come on do the sack dance!-
-that's a big ass rose on his suite.
-Here comes Ralph-
-Great fist punch By Ralph-

Chris Berman Intro
-Video Package of Berman intro of Ralph-
-Great comment on Ralph not being a ego maniac by Berman-
-good stuff by Berman-

Berman intro speech
-My god, Buffalo was ranked the 14th biggest Metro area in 1960, Sad-
-AFL speech by Berman-
-Paul McGuire, may of been a classic punter, but he sure sucked as a announcer-
-Say what you will about Berman's selection, but he's a great story teller-
-Man, hearing the Juice's name makes me not think of a great runner-
-Look at Jim Kelly, great QB, crummy bar owner-
-Laundry list of 90's Bills-
-Andre Reed comment is great, he should be here-
-I wonder if they told Berman to keep going, because of worrying about Wilson-
-Great cheering for Ralph-
-Dam whose the crazy old guy with the Pancho-
-Circle the Wagons catch phrase-

Ralph Wilson Speech
-Nice Bronze statue-
-Please don't stumble Ralph-
-OK a minute in Ralph is fine-
-Ralph tells his first football game-
-Lamar Hunt talk-
-Ralph Needs to speed up, no one cares about his Miami problem-
-Gives thanks to the fans-
-Oh boy, Ralph is like half way through the time allotted , and he's still at 1961-
-Funny story on him trying to rile up his team during the 1961 at halftime, team was done 21-7, Ralph Does his best Newt Rockney speech, and they lose 51-7. -
-Great line on his coach saying next time talk to the other team.-
-look for the s$%t stirrers at WGR to say the speech was too much about the AFL-
-Ralph is saying thanks to everyone-
-Ralph talks about his late daughter, Linda who was a scout-
-Ralph thanks the older people who cheered for him at the parade today-
-ok speech from Ralph, considering he's 91, kind of wish he would of mentioned more about The 90's Bills, good job with his daughter-


Will be back later for Bruce Smith's speech

List of Bruce Smith's Quarterback Victims

*List of Players From The Buffalo News*

5- First Overall Picks

6- TV Sports Personalities

4- Hall of Famers

1- NHL Owner

2 -Baseball Players

1-Buffalo Native

1-Son of a HOF

2-Guys with the Same Last Name

1-Reality Star


Ken O'Brien (17.5) -He was god awful

Drew Bledsoe (12.5) -Bledsoe gets sacked? what a surprise

Jeff George (9.5) - dude said, "oh s#$t" when he saw smith coming

Dan Marino (9.5)- the hardest QB to sack

Jack Trudeau (7)- coolest last name

Tony Eason (6)-this dude started a SB?

Warren Moon (6) - great pass

John Elway (5.5) -Mr. Ed

Steve Young (5) - surprising since they only played 3x

Boomer Esiason (4.5) -Norman! Norman!

Jim Harbaugh (4.5) - Didn't Jim Kelly knock his tooth out?

Kerry Collins (4) - Dude's been in the league for like 20 years

Randall Cunningham (4) -Awesome weapon

Jim Everett (4) -Don't call me Chris

Matt Hasselbeck (4)- from Redskins days

Bernie Kosar (4) - Hard to believe he owns a NHL Team

Bucky Richardson (4) -All in one game too

Vinny Testaverde (4)- Dumbest last name

Trent Green (3.5)- Dude is old

Neil O'Donnell (3.5)-Most overpaid player in NFL History

Chad Hutchison (3) -should of stuck with baseball

Donovan McNabb (3) -Redskins days

Mark Rypien (3) -wish you would of got him in the SB

Browning Nagle (2.5)-Ehhesh

Dave Brown (2) -Phil Simms rolling in his grave

Mark Brunell (2)- upset the Bills in Jim Kelly's last game

David Carr (2) - Look at Drew Bledsoe

Ty Detmer (2)- I had his Heisman card

Craig Erickson (2) -No Jim Kelly here

Doug Flutie (2)- Run Mullet, run

John Fourcade (2)- Who the hell is this?

Gary Hogeboom (2) -Ditto

Damon Huard (2) - had a brother too

Brad Johnson (2) - worse helmet than Kelso

Tommy Kramer (2) -Damn, Bruce is old

Joe Montana (2) -Greatest

Shawn Moore (2)- um,

Timm Rosenbach (2) -happened in Buffalo in a snow storm

Kelly Stouffer (2)- terrible

Steve Beuerlein (1.5) - maybe a half a sack on each of his teams?

Jay Schroeder (1.5)-worse qb ever in a AFC Championship game

Steve Walsh (1.5)- Miami had some bad qbs

Tony Banks (1) - bet you he fumbled too

Todd Blackledge (1) -?

Steve Bono (1) - worse last name ever

Bubby Brister (1)- worse first name ever

Aaron Brooks (1)-Remember him & his cousin (Vick) were to set league on fire

Scott Campbell (1) -at least he gets to say Bruce sacked him

Cody Carlson (1)-Ah the commander

Quincy Carter (1)-Another great Jerry Jones project

Chris Chandler (1) -Smith scored on a touchdown on this sack

Steve DeBerg (1)- had a nasty pinky injury and played with it

Steve Grogan (1) -Man, the Patriots had some bad QBs

Rex Grossman (1) - Bust

Jeff Hostetler (1) -A#$hole

Paul Justin (1) - B4 Payton

Bill Kenney (1) - not googling

Ray Lucas (1) - now a sny personality

Todd Marinovich (1) - got some weed man

Steve McNair (1) - Smith had to work for that I bet

Scott Mitchell (1) - boy are you fat

Jesse Palmer (1) - Worse reality show ever, also Smith's 200 sack

Doug Pederson (1) - dude got 4 million a year to qb for the Eagles

Jake Plummer (1)- Call me snake

Tom Ramsey (1) -Mike Ramsey's brother?

Frank Reich (1) -I'm sure Frank said a prayer before this

Sean Salisbury (1)- worse analyst

Phil Simms (1) -most overrated analyst

Erik Wilhelm (1)- ah, another gem

Marc Wilson (1)- no clue

Wade Wilson (1) -No relation, but did buy roids

Jeff Blake (.5)-Throw a great bomb

Trent Dilfer (.5) -Your bald

Brian Griese (.5) -should be the Bills back-up today

Tommy Hodson (.5) -Before Bledsoe

Don Majkowski (.5) -Buffalo native

Media isn't a fan of Bruce

Been hearing a lot of negative reaction from some of the Buffalo media personalities about their opinion on Bruce Smith. It has nothing to do with his on the field play, but his personality off it. Adam Benigni of WGRZ, was on the Howard Simon show on Friday, and he talked about being turned off by Smith always touting himself as the greatest defensive player of all time. Someone needs to tell Adam, how a lot of players in professional sports aren't to humble when it comes to describing themselves. Smith has a legit beef. If you were to compare him to Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White, his numbers surpass theirs, but because he played in a small market like Buffalo, he doesn't get the same recognition.

Mike Schopp said earlier this week, he felt Bills fans didn't care as much about Bruce Smith's enshrinement as previous Bills players from the 90's. He brought up how it may of been because of Smith not living in the community after his playing days. Jerry Sullivan, has been the least friendliest of all of the above listed, by stating that Bruce Smith was the biggest egomaniac he has ever covered. Sully did say, a tear was brought to his eye, when Smith was talking about the importance of his parents in his life. Even Ed Kilgore, who doesn't say anything bad about anyone in Buffalo sports, wrote in his blog how Smith didn't talk to him for over a year, because he criticised the sack master for doing a sack dance when the Bills were trailing in a football game.

I always hate when the media puts their problems with an athlete on the front burner. It should be all about what the player did on the field. Just because Smith had a huge ego and doesn't live in Buffalo like Kelly and Thomas do, shouldn't take away anything he has done. Bruce had a very up and down relationship with the local media during his playing days. Jerry Sullivan said, that Smith was the type who wouldn't get along with the locals but when the national media came to do a story on him, he was all ears. I feel some of the criticism and jabs Smith has gotten from some of the media types has to do with his relationship with them during his playing days. There has always been rumblings how certain players don't get in HOF right away, because of their relationship with the media (Jim Rice, Michael Irvin, Chris Carter) during their playing days.

I'd like for the media in Buffalo to lay off of Smith's ego and just talk about how his performance on the field. Fans and the media put way too much into what a player is like off the field, you think they were doing a back ground check on the player. Like I said yesterday, Smith is the greatest Buffalo player in my lifetime. 200 sacks, 4 defensive player of the year rewards, 14 years with 10 sacks or more. The numbers don't lie. I just sometimes wish the media would look at the numbers more, then their pen and paper.

-Joe-

-Be sure to check out my live Blog of both speeches-

Channel 4: 2009 Hall of Fame Show

2009 Hall of Fame

It's kind of funny if you think about it. If you look at the Patriots 3 championship teams the only shoe in Hall of Famers are Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Willie McGinest, Teddy Bruschi, and Rodney Harrison are long shots to get in. It gives you a perspective about how special the 90's Bills were. Ralph Wilson and Bruce Smith will be the 4th and 5th members of that era, joining Marv Levy, Jim Kelly, and Thurman Thomas in the Hall of Fame. Andre Reed should get in eventually, but won't be for about another 5 years it would seem.

The 90's Bills is what I grew up on. That era made me a huge Bills fan. I lived and died with the Bills. I can remember ever game like it was yesterday. Jim Kelly running in the end zone for the game winning touchdown versus Miami. Thurman's 200 yard rushing game against the Jets on Monday Night football. Freezing my ass off at the Bills/Dolphins playoff game in 1990. It was the greatest time of my sports life. Maybe it was being young and starting to watch football in 1989 that made me so drawn to the team. God, I wish we could just go through that one more time. I'd do anything for a division title. My friend and I still joke that if the Bills ever won the Super Bowl we would come back to back to Buffalo and tip over a police car. I still get chills youtubing videos from that era.

Listed below is what Saturday will bring to back to my mind.

1) fandemonium
2) The Comeback
3)51-3
4) 200 sacks
5) 4 straight
6) 2-14 no more
7) snow
8)No huddle
9) Thurman Thomas screen pass
10) Dominating Miami
11) 3 touchdowns in 77 seconds
12) Carlton Bailey
13) Reed should be there
14) the Shout song
15) Al Davis Pissed off
16) Dan Marino Pissed off
17) Steve Grogan Pissed off
18) Blair Thomas Pissed off
19) John Elway Pissed off
20) Get out of town!
21) Goal to Goal the post game show
22) 6 touchdowns vs the Steelers
23) Beebe 4 touchdowns vs the Steelers
24) Tasker blocked punt vs Raiders
25) Jamie Mueller catches the game winning TD??
26) Steve Christie onside kick
27) Leonard Smith celebrating on a golf cart
28) Goal posts
29) Bruce sack dance
30) Leon Seals and Cornelius Bennett dancing (badly)
31) OJ at halftime
32) Circle the Wagons
33) Bickering Bills
34) beating the Giants in the meadowland
35) Frank Reigh beating the Dolphins for home field advantage
36) all the bad player TV shows
37) the back-up QB and kicker had a TV Show?
38) James Lofton reborn
39) Jeff George saying, "oh s#$t"
40) Bruce saying Hammer Time
41) Darth Vader helmet
42) who has a weirder name, Nate or Kirby?
43) Rich Stadium
44) Wind
45) sticking it to Bills haters
46) destroying Montana's dream
47) heartbreak
48) 78
49) wall of fame
50) If I can turn back time

-joe-

*Photos from The Buffalo News*

Bruce Smith the hall of famer

I know there has been lots of coverage this week about Bruce Smith getting into the Hall of Fame and rightfully so. Smith in my opinion is the greatest Buffalo Bill of all time. Just look at the numbers. His 200 sacks ranks 1st in NFL History. Lots of fans compare Smith to Reggie White, considering both are ranked 1 and 2. Whenever you look at a hall of famers body of work, you should look at who they played with. How good would have Jerry Rice been had he not played with Joe Montana and Steve Young or vice verse. White played in the 46 defense that was designed by defensive guru Buddy Ryan. The goal of the defense was to blitz, blitz, and blitz again. And who did White line up with? All-pros Clyde Simmons and the late Jerome Brown. The Eagles defense sported 7 pro bowlers in a 4 year stretch from 1989-1992.

As for Bruce Smith supporting cast. His defensive coordinator was Walt "Swizzle sticks" Corey. His defenses were best know for their bend but don't break strategy. I mean for god sakes, radio personality Chuck Dickerson was the line coach. So there was no confusion between comparing Corey and Ryan. As for Smith's linemates, we aren't talking the fearsome foursome. Jeff Wright was your undersized nose tackle who made a career just in sacking Dan Marino but nobody else. And how could we forget, Dr. Sack, Leon Seals. The only thing he sacked was food. Bruce had very little help when it came to trying to sack the quarterback. I sometimes wish the Bills could of brought in a guy like Ted Washinton during the Bills Super Bowl run.

Bruce may have not gotten as much love as Jim Kelly or Thurman Thomas. But he was the Bills most talented player in my lifetime. He dominated offensive lines and put fear into the hearts of quarterbacks. If he had the supporting cast that Jim Kelly had on his side of the ball Bruce Smith would of been a MVP candidate. Fans always say that the Bills haven't found their next Jim Kelly yet, well they sure as hell haven't come close to finding their next Bruce Smith.

-joe-

Top 5: Good Ralph or Bad Ralph

Good Ralph Vs Bad Ralph

Everyone has an opinion when it comes to the owner and founder of the Bills. Ralph Wilson has been called everything in the book by fans and media members. Pioneer, loyal, cheap, and senile just to name a few. I look at Ralph being two people, there's good Ralph and then there is bad Ralph. Think of the pitch fork and halo when describing either one. Ralph to me is riddle trapped in a enigma. One minute I love the fact that he's our owner, the next minute I'm begging for Mark Cuban to take over.

1)Toronto Buffaloes

Good Ralph:

I've said it at least 10 times on my blog that in order to make money in the NFL you need to sell luxury seats, and lots of them. The Bills may be able to sell some luxury boxes in Orchard Park, but they can almost charge double the amount in Toronto. The Bills average ticket price is $53.00, while in Toronto they can go as high as $250. The revenue for a Toronto game is almost 4 times that of a Bills game in Orchard Park. To give you an idea of the discrepancy between Buffalo and bigger markets. The price tag to buy Luxury Boxes at Jerry Jones "fabulous Taj Mahal of stadiums" is an eye popping $500,000 for each of their 300 luxury boxes a year. How many companies in Buffalo can afford that? And what about the fans? Giants are charging $7,500 for a personal seat licenses to go along with individual tickets costing $250 a game. Again, you gonna pay for that? Ralph is smart in keeping up with the Jones, by going to Canada and getting the 4th Largest North American market to pay for those prices. Wilson knows that in this economic climate and the issues Buffalo has always had with the job market that the fans can't afford those prices. By doing the Toronto experiment it increases the value of the Bills and makes it more appealing for a new owner to want to keep the Bills in Buffalo.

Bad Ralph:

I still get angry at thinking about the press conference Wilson had with the Rogers Group announcing the Bills in Toronto series. Ralph was yucking it up about how amazing Toronto is and how they are building new skyscrapers. When he talked about Buffalo, he didn't sugar coat the problems the city had. When Wilson was asked about the fans fears of the team moving, Wilson stated, "The fans can think whatever they want. I can't speculate the future." Wilson still hasn't made any sort of efforts to make sure the team stays in Buffalo after he passes away (sorry that was morbid). It's a catch 22 with Wilson, I sometimes wish he would pull a card from the Sabres regime. Just lie to the fans and act as if the team is on the up and up, and Buffalo will be here long after he is gone. On the other hand, his honesty is so cold and bitter that it just makes me want to strangle him. He's made a lot of money off the team and it's not like he is struggling to make ends meat. Your complaining about a team not making money, yet the economy is in the worse shape in decades.

2)The Buffalo Fans

Good Ralph:

Fans will always be quick to state that Wilson invested a bargain price of $25,000 for the team in 1960, and is now worth over $800 million because of fans buying the product. There are flaws in that logic. The NFL is an American phenomenon, it doesn't matter where a team plays, because selling out games won't be a problem. Of all the NFL games played last year, only 3 games weren't sold out. If the team is called the Portland Bills, it's going to sell out all of Portland, Maine. The issue for a team is how much a fan is willing to pay for the games. Like I've mentioned above, Buffalo can only charge a certain amount for tickets. Wilson has never buckled under the pressure of charging NFL market value for tickets. Be thankful your not paying for PSL's (for now). Ralph has never tried moving the team and reminds us that every AFL team has moved at least once, while his is still standing.

Bad Ralph

Even though Ralph hasn't upped his ticket prices, he sure has upped his complaints about not making as much money as the bigger market teams. Well if Ralph had read my column on how I would run the Bills, he would change the name of the stadium. Fed Ex is paying almost 8 million dollars a year for the rights of the Redskins stadium name. After you get the 8 million dollars off that deal, how about putting it in your football team. Its been 9 years since the Bills have made the playoffs, yet the fans keep coming back for more. Ralph's mindset is that he has done enough for the fans by keeping the Bills in Buffalo, and keeping tickets relatively cheap. If you think Ralph is going to empty his pockets and bring in FA after FA, you got another thing coming to you. Ralph isn't as stupid as some make him out to be. He knows that the fans will pay for an average product. Lets not forget fans may be buying tickets because they think if the Bills don't sell out, it will give another reason for the franchise to pack up and leave town.

3)Is Ralph cheap?

Good Ralph:

Ralph has been accused of being cheap when it comes to his players. That's hardly the case. He paid Aaron Schobel and Lee Evans market value, along with overpaying for Chris Kelsey, Derrick Dockery, Kwaika Mitchell, and Langston Walker. Let's not forget he paid 6.5 million to bring in the Terrell Owens side show to town. And I'll say this, during the Bills heyday in the 90's he paid through the nose to keep guys like Andre Reed, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith, and Jim Kelly. And we aren't talking just giving them a 4 year deal and saying "see you in 4 years." Just ask Bruce Smith, who must of renegotiated his contract at least 5 times. If the team is winning, Wilson has a history of keeping the team together no matter the cost.

Bad Ralph:

Who would you rather have Lee Evans at 9 million a year or Bill Cowher for 7 million? Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Ralph will put money into players, but severely lacks when it comes to paying his coaches and general managers. It took him over 45 years to pay a new Bills head coach over a million dollars a year. If you ask me, the only reason why Jauron didn't get fired was because Ralph acted to quickly to extend him after the 4-0 start last year. All coaches contracts are guaranteed even after being fired. If Jauron doesn't have that extension signed, he's dead as fried chicken. If you don't believe me, ask Wade Phillips who went to court with Wilson fighting over a half a million dollar contract that was owed to Phillips after being fired (or quit, if you ask Wilson). Want to go a step further, how about neutering the GM position and have the marketing guy do both jobs.

4)Does Ralph deserve to be in the HOF?

Good Ralph:

Ralph was one of the founding fathers of the AFL. He was the one owner who had deep enough pockets to lend owners money when their teams were fledgling. He was also very key in getting the AFL's first TV deal. Besides his accomplishments in helping the AFL, The Bills are one of ten NFL teams to reach the Super Bowl at least 4 times. Wilson is tied with Al Davis as the longest serving owner in the NFL today. And of course, Wilson has never moved the Bills.

Bad Ralph:

During the press conference that Wilson was announced as part of the new Hall of Fame class, he rambled on about how the Buffalo needs football in its town. Well Ralph, if you are so hell bent on keeping the Bills in Buffalo after your gone, then sell some of the team to someone who may want to keep the team there. The 800lb gorilla in the room is if Wilson still owns the team after he dies, by law the team would go up for auction. That means an ownership group with Large pockets in LA could swoop in and outbid the Jim Kelly group (which doesn't exist) or any other local group and move the team. This would of course get eliminated if Wilson sold some of the shares of the team to someone committed to Buffalo. If the Bills leave Buffalo, Wilson's legacy would be tarnished because he could of stopped all of it from happening. But again you can make the case that Wilson did all he could in keeping the team in Buffalo, and it's the city's problem that they aren't in good financial shape to support a NFL team.

5)Will the Bills stay in Buffalo?

Good Ralph

Ralph will live for another 10-15 years, and by then Buffalo will have new businesses and the Bass Pro project will finally be complete. The franchise will play 2 games a year in Toronto with Canadian fans being accustomed to cheering for the Bills. When Mr. Wilson passes on the team will be worth a lot more money because of the involvement of Toronto and being able to tout itself as a franchise in 3 markets (Rochester, Buffalo, Toronto). The incoming owner would be stupid to try and move the team and pay for the franchise relocation fee.

Bad Ralph

The Toronto experiment will only quench the thirst for the city to want its own NFL team. The pockets of rich business men in Canada will try to outbid any local group in Buffalo. Ralph passes away within a couple years with the city still trying to get the Bass Pro deal developed and battling a shrinking market. The NFL decides that it's fair game on who has the deepest pockets to buy the team and play the "it's the law" card, when it's deciding who buys the team at the auction.

It's going to be a dicey time fans. If you were to put a gun to my head and ask me what I think will happen, I'd say the team is going to move, because the law that the team goes to the highest bidder is going to be the biggest issue. Not to mention with all the new stadiums being built and charging PSL's, it is going to make the NFL think the city can't compete in today's market. The wild card in all this is Toronto. If the Bills can get Toronto to be the Milwaukee for Green Bay like during the 90's, then it will be a success. If Toronto becomes uninterested and doesn't care about the team, then you're going to have a problem. So for all you Wilson haters who want him out of Buffalo, be careful for what you wish for because as soon as Wilson is gone, the team may follow.

Joe