Sunday's Jets-Bills game scheduled for Ralph Wilson Stadium has been moved to Detroit's Ford Field and will be played Monday night, and Bills President & CEO Russ Brandon "left open the possibility that The Ralph wouldn’t be ready Nov. 30" for the scheduled game against the Browns, according to Jay Skurski of the BUFFALO NEWS. Brandon said, "It’s going to be a full-on effort by our stadium operations crew and everyone involved here at One Bills Drive to get the facility ready for next week. There’s an enormous amount of snow to be removed and there’s a lot of work to be done." Skurski reports it is possible the Bills "could be forced to move their entire operations next week to a facility where they could practice." The team has yet to practice this week as record snow fall has paralyzed the Buffalo area. Talks were held about pushing the Jets game back as late as Tuesday in order to keep it at Ralph Wilson Stadium, but Brandon said it "really wasn’t an option ... based on what the forecast is." He added, "All the focus needs to be on the safety of not only the fans, but of the community. Everyone needs to be focused on helping our neighbors." He noted that fans who purchased tickets through the Bills for Sunday's game -- "be it at the team box office, through Ticketmaster or through the NFL Ticket Exchange -- would get refunds" (BUFFALO NEWS, 11/21). In N.Y., Matt Higgins notes the Bills and NFL in recent days have been "criticized for not deciding to move the game sooner." Bills coach Doug Marrone during the blizzard "has been living" at team HQ, where he and his staff "have been sending game video to players electronically" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/21).
WHERE TO TUNE IN: CBS will air the Jets-Bills game on Monday night at 7:00pm in the home markets, as well as locally in Erie, Pa., and the New York markets of Syracuse, Rochester, Albany, Elmira, Binghamton and Watertown (CBS). DirecTV today also announced that Monday's game will be available for NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers (TWITTER.com, 11/21). When a Giants-Vikings game was moved from Sunday to Monday in '10 due to the roof collapse at the Metrodome, that game aired in local markets and DirecTV had a similar policy for Sunday Ticket subscribers (THE DAILY).
BETWEEN ROCK CITY & A HARD PLACE: In Detroit, Paul & Katzenstein note in addition to Detroit, Toronto, Pittsburgh and DC "were reported as candidates to host the game, but there were issues with all scenarios." Toronto "posed a potential passport issue" and FedExField "has turf concerns." Heinz Field will be "resodding its surface after three high-school games and a college game" this weekend. Given the "volume of upcoming activity at Ford Field," moving Jets-Bills there "posed more challenges" than the Giants-Vikings game. However, because Ford Field "has artificial turf, it can handle the extreme load, unlike some other stadiums" (DETROIT NEWS, 11/21). In Rochester, Sal Maiorana notes Detroit "was likely the choice because Ford Field is a dome, and it is believed that the Bills will be able to conduct their practices inside the stadium." It would also mean the operations staff "would have less gear to pack for the trip because it won't have to be concerned with cold weather for practice" (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 11/21). FS1's Mike Garafolo noted Ford Field "could have hosted the game on Sunday, but the NFL wanted the Bills to have ample time to practice in Detroit" ("Fox Sports Live," FS1, 11/20). In Syracuse, Mark Weiner cited a source as saying that the NFL "offered no explanation for ruling out" the Carrier Dome as a possible venue. A separate source said that Bills execs contacted Syracuse Univ. late Thursday afternoon to "discuss the possibility of using the Carrier Dome," but those talks "never advanced beyond the preliminary inquiries." ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the league wanted the game to "be played in an NFL stadium with wiring and technology that meet NFL standards" (Syracuse POST-STANDARD, 11/21).
SABE & SOUND: The NHL on Thursday afternoon announced that it postponed Friday night's Rangers-Sabres at First Niagara Center due to what it said were "the continuing weather-related difficulties in the Greater Buffalo area and out of respect for the fans of the Sabres." In Buffalo, Mike Harrington notes no makeup date "has been announced and fans should hold their tickets for the new date." But Harrington wonders why was Friday's game off when Tuesday’s game against the Sharks "went on?" Sabres VP/Public & Community Relations Michael Gilbert said that the decisions "were made by the league in consultation with the teams in both cases." Gilbert added that the fact Tuesday’s game "was a national telecast on the NBC Sports Network was not a factor." Harrington notes Tuesday’s game "was a heavy lift, even with only 6,200 fans in the house." Sabres President Ted Black "served a stint as an usher, many full-time employees joined him or worked as ticket-takers, and many concession stands were not open." The team "was likely concerned about the potential for more people in the house for a Friday game." Gilbert said that the arena also "was fully stocked Tuesday but some concession items and supplies are now running low because deliveries have been interrupted by the closure" of the New York State Thruway (BUFFALO NEWS, 11/21).
