Toronto Bills Blog

ESPN anchor Chris Berman will present Bills owner Ralph Wilson at the Hall of Fame induction on August 8 in Canton, Ohio.  Berman said he is pleased and humbled by Wilson’s request.  Berman’s speech will incorporate Wilson’s favorite expression, “No one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.”  These words are prophetic.  The team’s days in Buffalo are under seige.  Fans are running for cover.  Shortly it will all be over for Buffalo and the team will move permanently to Toronto.

The Bills are counting on an improved defense to bring them back to the playoffs.  The squad is built around a corps of seasoned talent and young players.  Returning veterans Paul Posluszny and Donte Whitner anchor the defense.  John Digiorgio is coming off an injury.  There is experience in the line with Chris Kelsay and Aaron Schobel.  Newcomers Aaron Maybin and Chris Ellis will be competing to start.  While there is definitely talent, the defense needs to pull together under inspired coaching.  Otherwise the team will not be able to stop the ball and will again languish.

The Bills need to remain healthy this year if they want to make the playoffs.  The team has been plagued by injuries which have hurt at key positions.  Last year 35 players were on the injury report or reserve.  Standouts like Aaron Schobel, Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish, and Donte Whitner were out for part of the season.  This can not be repeated in 2009.  The coaches and trainers have to work with the squad to avoid injuries.  The Bills must stay healthy in their uphill battle to end the playoff drought.  Otherwise it will be the tenth straight year of disappointment.

Bills all-time great quarterback Jim Kelly is hosting his football camp for youth.  The annual event is underway this week at Ralph Wilson Stadium.  Kelly leads young players through practices and drills.  His love for the game is clearly undiminished.  He remains loyal to the team and town he brought to four Super Bowls.  Kelly has indicated he will try to put together an investment group to buy the Bills and keep the team in Buffalo.  While his intentions are great, the task of raising nearly one billion dollars would daunt even a Wall Street banker.  Rogers Communications has beaten him to the punch.  They have demonstrated that Toronto will support NFL football in a large and affluent market.

The Bills had operating income of $12.4 million in 2008, according to Forbes.com.   This was on revenue of $206 million.  The team had player expenses of $139 million and gate receipts of $40 million.  The team was valued at $885 million.  The operating income was among the lowest in the NFL.  That is bad news for Buffalo fans, since a new owner would need the operating income to service debt on the purchase of the club.  A new owner committed to keeping the team in Buffalo would have to come up with the sale price of $885 million in cash.  Otherwise the Bills will be marketed to out-of-town investors who would move the team to a larger, more profitable market like Toronto.

Bills owner Ralph Wilson, in an Associated Press interview, said he is not in a hurry to increase the number of regular season games played in Toronto.  He said he will wait 2 or 3 years before reworking the contract with Rogers Communications.  He justified the Bills Toronto Series, citing the difficulty of competing against big market teams such as the Dallas Cowboys and the new stadiums.  Wilson’s words are intended to reassure the Buffalo fans for now.  He has long insisted that he will not move the team as long as he is alive. He did not, however, address the inevitable sale of the team, probably to out-of-town interests, to settle his estate.  New owners will move the Bills to a larger market that is economically viable, namely Toronto, the financial capital of Canada.

Third year middle linebacker Paul Posluszny is the Bills standout on defense.  The former Penn State All-American is the best defensive lineman.  He came off an injury his rookie year to become the team’s leading tackler in 2008.  He had 110 tackles last year, ranking him 24th in the league.  He is a very positive, capable athlete.  Unfortunately he is the only Bills linebacker of note.  The team has done little on defense for several seasons.  The Bills have been unable to stop the ball, as evidenced by their losing record.  That is why the odds of the Bills winning the Super Bowl this year are 30 - 1 according to Sportsbook.com.

This year the Bills are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary.  To commemorate this milestone, the team has posted a special anniversary web page.  It provides interactive opportunities for fans to vote for all time great players and post photos and tailgate recipes.  The team needs to do more than this to make the birthday meaningful.  The organization must make a commitment to turning things around.  The Bills have disappointed for a decade with bad to mediocre football.  This will probably be their last anniversary in Buffalo.  The team will reunite in Toronto for their fifty-fifth celebration with new management and coaches.

The Bills receiving corps has the talent to make things happen.  Veteran wide receiver Lee Evans may have a 1,000 yard season.  He will be playing alongside sensation Terrell Owens, who has had 1,000 yard seasons in 8 of the last 9 years.  Josh Reed is a contender.  Rounding out the receivers are James Hardy and Steve Johnson.  It all comes down to whether quarterback Trent Edwards can hit his mark consistently.  There will be great pressure on Edwards to connect with his receivers.  Otherwise he will be replaced along with much of the coaching staff.  The Bills have a history of failing to maximize player talent.  We suspect that it will be business as usual.

Bills player Marshawn Lynch, in a gesture of community outreach, will sponsor this weekend’s Gus Macker basketball tournament in downtown Buffalo.  He will be joined by Terrence McGee in signing autographs and promoting goodwill.  The amateur tournament attracts thousands of spectators and 3,800 players.  Proceeds benefit the Police Athletic League and Kids Escaping Drugs.  This event is part of Lynch’s effort to rehabilitate his image after multiple run-ins with the law.  He has the potential to be one of the truly great players in the NFL.  The Bills Toronto Series will give him a new start in a new town where he can prove himself.