Bills President & CEO Russ Brandon prior to kickoff of Jets-Bills at Ford Field in Detroit last night said that "barring another act of God this week, Ralph Wilson Stadium will be ready to go for Sunday's game" against the Browns, according to Sal Maiorana of the ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE. Brandon said, "We've had over 500 shovelers on site over the last two days and we've made tons of progress." Maiorana noted as for the parking lots, "there's still much work to be done." Brandon said that he "wasn't sure what percentage of spaces would be unavailable on game day." A team official said that with the fast melting of the snow, there was "minor water damage" to some of the suites at the stadium, but he "expects them to be operational by game day" (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 11/25). Brandon: "The gates, the lots, the stadium grounds, the stands are in very good shape. We don’t anticipate any parking concerns either. It’s all a go for the Browns on Sunday. We’ve had structural engineers in all week. We’ve had no structural damage which we feel compromises the building in any way. We’ve had pipes and some things that have had issues, but right now everything is being worked through. All indications lead to a full game-day experience on Sunday.” Brandon added that the ADPRO Sports Training Center "is in good shape and available for a normal practice schedule" (BUFFALO NEWS, 11/25).
HOME AWAY FROM HOME: In Detroit, Chris McCosky reports of the 67,000 free tickets distributed for last night's game, 56,044 "were redeemed," and "easily the largest and biggest contingent" were Bills fans (DETROIT NEWS, 11/25). In N.Y., Seth Walder notes Ford Field was "mostly filled by the end of the first quarter and during warmups, the crowd booed whenever Jets players walked on the field." Fans "rushed into the stadium as soon as the gates opened as a rare free NFL game provided an opportunity for many to grab front row or prime seats they might not otherwise have been able to land" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/25).
THE LION'S SHARE: ESPN.com's Mike Rodak reported the crowd -- "filled with jerseys from just about every NFL team -- was sparse during warm-ups." But by kickoff, the entire lower bowl "was full." By halftime nearly the entire stadium "was packed -- and there was no mistaking which team had the fans' support." The Lions "went out of their way to make their place feel like home for the Bills, painting Buffalo's logos on the field, playing the Bills' signature 'Shout' song after touchdowns and even serving Buffalo wings in the press box" (ESPN.com, 11/25). In N.Y., Joanne Gerstner writes, "The crisis in Buffalo was not forgotten, with messages on the video boards encouraging donations to the Western New York and Buffalo Red Cross." A prerecorded video, of fans "shoveling out Ralph Wilson Stadium, drew a cheer from the Bills assemblage" at Ford Field (N.Y. TIMES, 11/25).
