The Bills are "considering a cap on season ticket sales for the first time in club history," according to Tim Graham of the BUFFALO NEWS. A team source indicated that season tickets "have surpassed 55,000" and officials are "virtually certain they will break their record of 57,132" set in '92. That was in the middle of the team's run of four straight Super Bowl appearances. The Bills have not made the postseason since '99, but Graham notes interest in the team "has soared to unprecedented levels" following a winning record in '14, the hiring of coach Rex Ryan and several marquee offseason acquisitions. A season-ticket cap would "protect fans who want to buy single-game tickets." Meanwhile, the source said that suites also are "nearly sold out" (BUFFALO NEWS, 4/24).
NEXT STOP: In Buffalo, Robert McCarthy in a front-page piece notes a "short Metro Rail extension" in downtown near South Park Avenue "could provide service to a new Buffalo Bills stadium that now appears on conceptual maps." Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Exec Dir Kimberley Minkel said that "millions of dollars would be needed, and Metro Rail extension optimistically lies three to five years ahead." Minkel added that the "possibility of a new Bills stadium in the area did not precipitate the new study as much as the accelerated pace of development at Canalside and the Cobblestone District." But she noted that the NFTA "was included in stadium studies commissioned by New York State." A public transportation component of any downtown stadium "is considered crucial" (BUFFALO NEWS, 4/24).
IT'S ALL A GUESSING GAME: ESPN.com's Darren Rovell noted none of the more than 15,000 entries in a Bills promotion were able to "predict the team's schedule from scratch including the bye week" before it was announced Tuesday night. The team said that one fan "predicted 10 of 17 weeks correctly, including whether each game would be at home or on the road." This year's winner "will get a pair of season tickets." A perfect entry "would have resulted in a fan winning $100,000 cash" (ESPN.com, 4/22).
