With the Bills' win over the Redskins in Toronto yesterday, the city had its first "real NFL Sunday," according to Steve Simmons of the TORONTO SUN. The day "felt like football, looked like football, had something that so many Toronto sporting events lack: Atmosphere." Bills CB George Wilson said, "I have a whole new respect for Toronto. That's the loudest it's been in the games we've played here. It was night and day different from other games. I know I was very critical of the environment. But from the very beginning, they were making noise." Simmons notes the Rogers Centre crowd of 51,579 "was the largest of the four regular season" games the Bills have played there (TORONTO SUN, 10/31). The NATIONAL POST's Bruce Arthur noted while the crowd at the Rogers Centre was not the same as a crowd at the Bills' Ralph Wilson Stadium, "there was at least evidence of progress." There were "abundant avenues to purchasing a ticket, and there were still empty seats, with an announced crowd that was about 2,400 short of capacity." Rogers Centre "managed to suck some of the life out of the game." The crowd was "at least unequivocally on Buffalo's side, as opposed to, say, last year's 50-50 split with fans" of the Bears. Arthur: "This town and this team have been so ill-matched from the beginning, but this was the first year that you could imagine that the affair isn't doomed" (NATIONALPOST.com, 10/30). In Buffalo, Jerry Sullivan notes it was the "best home crowd they've had in four games north of the border." The Rogers Centre "was nearly full," and the crowd "did more cheering for the Bills." Bills WR David Nelson said, "It was a better turnout than we expected. It got loud and the guys had fun today" (BUFFALO NEWS, 10/31).
PREGAME ATMOSPHERE: In Toronto, Raju Mudhar notes the TV broadcast "featured what looked like a mostly full Rogers Centre, although it really did feel like the fans were far away from the field." Doing a "walkthrough of the tailgate area, there actually was a bit of a buzz before the game, which was bigger and an improvement on previous years’ events." Followed up by a "fairly dominant performance by the 'home team,' it is clear that winning does cure most ills." Mudhar writes, "In reality, it was only around the Rogers Centre that I felt any excitement about the game. The biggest problem is that the Bills in Toronto have become just another sporting event in this city. The majority of Toronto sports fans were likely more focused on the evening’s" Maple Leafs-Senators tilt (TORONTO STAR, 10/31).
STAYING PUT? In Buffalo, Mark Gaughan cited sources as saying that the Bills "would be willing to sign a restrictive lease tying the team to Western New York -- if they get a satisfactory agreement with New York State and Erie County." Serious negotiations to extend the current lease, which runs through July '13, "have not yet begun." The Bills want "significant upgrades to Ralph Wilson Stadium, paid for by New York State and Erie County, in order to sign an extension." The current lease, "signed in 1997, cost the state roughly $120 million." Gaughan: "It's safe to say the Bills are likely to seek considerably more this time" (BUFFALO NEWS, 10/30).
