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 Verfasst am: 13.12.2017, 04:04 Titel:
Football Writer Barry Wilner and Sports Writers Rachel Cohen |
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| The Buffalo Bills wont be coming north this season. Matthew Stafford Jersey . The NFL club and Rogers Communications announced Wednesday theyve put the beleaguered Bills Toronto Series -- which features Buffalo playing exhibition and regular-season games at Rogers Centre -- on hold for at least a year. That means the team will play eight home games at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., for the first time since 2007. "The plan is to postpone it for one year, regroup and determine whats the next best step," said Keith Pelley, the president of Rogers Communications media division. "Its not nullified right now, we have an agreement in place. "Anything is possible but thats not the plan. The plan is to take a step back and say, OK, the Series is having some challenges, the NFL is still big in Toronto, its still important to the Bills so whats the best way to move forward?" The decision comes a little more than a year after the Bills and Rogers agreed to renew the series for five years, though 2017 after the original five-year deal expired. A series-low gathering of 38,969 watched the Atlanta Falcons nip Buffalo 34-31 in overtime Dec. 1 at Rogers Centre, which can seat 54,000 spectators for football. The loss dropped the Bills regular-season record in Toronto to a dismal 1-5 -- and 0-4 in December -- since the start of the series in 08. Buffalo also sports the NFLs longest active post-season drought at 14 straight seasons. Bills president Russ Brandon said the atmosphere at Rogers Centre versus Atlanta figured in the clubs decision to take a step back. "I think thats a fair comment," Brandon told reporters in Orchard Park. "Obviously were trying to build a fan base north of the border and this year I would say it was a neutral crowd. "Some of that had to do with how we played over the last six years, (that) has really not been conducive to building a lot of fans that were NFL fans, but were trying to make them Bills fans. Were going to continue to try to do that through a variety of initiatives that we will be working with Rogers over the next year in a very robust sponsorship and partnership that we will have that will cater to fans above the border." Following the loss to Atlanta, Brandon publicly questioned whether his club loses its competitive edge playing in Toronto. Buffalo has often battled neutral crowds at its home away from home. Bills games at Rogers Centre routinely attract a mix of NFL fans who proudly don their team colours and cheer as loudly -- or sometimes louder -- for Buffalos opponent than the home team. In fact, several Falcons players were surprised at the support they received at Rogers Centre. "It didnt feel like we were in Canada," said Atlanta safety William Moore. "I even saw a No. 25 jersey (Moores number) out there." Whats more, playing in a domed facility robs the Bills of their biggest home advantage: The cold, windy conditions that are the norm in December at Ralph Wilson Stadium. "Were going to go through a detailed full analysis," Brandon said. "Were going to look at every aspect that if we do come back we have a more robust fan experience and try to create more of a home field advantage for us. "Right now that was not the situation. That was one of the reasons we want to get in to a lot of detail with our partners up there and see if that is viable moving forward." Brandons statement "if we do come back," prompted a followup question regarding whether the Bills mightve played their final game in Toronto. "What I said is that were going through a full evaluation process and well work with our partners," Brandon responded. The Bills Toronto Series was unveiled as an attempt to showcase Toronto as a viable NFL city. Rogers Communications Inc. paid US$78 million to stage eight games -- five regular season, three exhibition -- expecting southern Ontario fans to flock to Rogers Centre. But high-priced tickets -- initially averaging over $180 each, compared to roughly US$51 at Orchard Park --and struggling Bills teams combined to make it a tough sell. Tickets were reduced to roughly an average price of $99 to make the game more affordable but even that didnt result in a sellout. "Its always very difficult to change public opinion midway through a project," Pelley said. "Theres no hiding the fact the series did not get off to a rosy start. "It tough midway through to change that perception, hence the reason why we thought it would be a best to take a year off then re-launch it once weve thought that through." Series organizers have also struggled to find the right formula to re-create the NFL experience here. A huge attraction for many American football fans is arriving at the stadium hours before kickoff, setting up the barbecue to cook a variety of foods while throwing a football around in the parking lot or breaking down the upcoming game with friends over a cold beer. However, provincial laws make that impossible in Toronto. The creation of the series also fuelled speculation Toronto would be the landing spot for the Bills upon the death of Ralph Wilson Jr., the clubs 95-year-old owner. However, Brandon routinely stated the NFL club was merely broadening its regional base to include Canadas largest city and generate additional revenue. Brandon said the Bills must take ownership for their role in the series struggles. "I think its been a roller-coaster from the standpoint of just the losses," he said. "Thats on us. "Some of the initiatives Rogers has worked through on their end have improved, but obviously this past year was disappointing with that neutral crowd that we had there, to say the least. I think there have been positives. As I mentioned earlier, the biggest positive has been the influx of fans back here at Ralph Wilson Stadium." Now the question remains whether the Bills can sell out eight home games in 2014. "Obviously last year we had to really work for our sellouts, understandably so," Brandon said. "Thats something that were willing to take on, that challenge. "We have very passionate fans and tremendous fans, but we have to really work to sell tickets here as weve discussed in the past. Were not satisfied until every seat in this building is sold. Thats always the No. 1 initiative and really the foundation of how we run our business." Theo Riddick Jersey .C. -- The RBC Cups semifinal participants were decided by a pair of overtime games. Graham Glasgow Jersey . -- Derek Jeter says the New York Yankees have no choice but to move forward now that Alex Rodriguez has accepted his suspension for the 2014 season. http://www.lionsfanspro.com/Black-Travis-Swanson-Lions-Jersey.html?cat=896 . - Ronda Rousey realizes shes finishing up one of the biggest years for any fighter in the young history of mixed martial arts at UFC 168, and the UFCs bantamweight champion intends to go out on top.NEW YORK -- If Commissioner Roger Goodell gets his way, change could be coming to the NFL. Adding playoff teams. Monitoring instant replay from league headquarters. Possibly creating a set of guidelines to prevent locker-room bullying. Short on details or precise timetables, and acknowledging hell need approval from team owners for action, Goodell painted the picture of an ever-evolving league during his annual pre-Super Bowl news conference, held Friday in a theatre in midtown Manhattan. Goodell said "theres a lot of benefits" to increasing the post-season field from 12 to 14 clubs. "We think we can make the league more competitive. We think we can make the matchups more competitive toward the end of the season. There will be more excitement, more memorable moments for our fans. And thats something that attracts us," Goodell said. "We think we can do it properly from a competitive standpoint. So this will continue to get very serious consideration by the competition committee." That sort of proposal would require "Yes" votes from 24 of the 32 owners. At least one who attended Goodells speech, Jeffrey Lurie of the Philadelphia Eagles, sounded in favour of the idea, with a couple of caveats: He wouldnt want to let too many teams into the post-season, and hed like to hear more about scheduling. "We dont want to become like some other sports, where its too easy to make the playoffs," Lurie said. "Adding one team would not put us in a counterproductive situation. But when you would play the games, I think, is very important, so that the following games, you have virtually an equal time to prepare." Making a not-so-subtle reference to mistakes by game officials this season, Goodell said that committee also will make recommendations to the 32 owners about having replays from all games overseen by the league office. Major League Baseball recently joined the NHL as sports that have centralized replay systems. "We think theres plenty of room for us to improve the game of football, and officiating in particular. What we all want is consistency and fairness in our officiating," Goodell said. "I do believe there is a possibility that some version of that will occur -- where our office can at least be involved with the decision. It may not make the decision," he added, "but at least can provide some input that would be helpful to the officials on the field to make sure theyre seeing every angle." Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney said he needs more information before deciding whether hed be in favour. "Our situation is different than hockey. But I think we should look at everything," Rooney said. "Maybe we want to expand the numbeer of incidents that you look at. Sam Martin Jersey. . A lot of times theyll say, Thats not reviewable. Look into that, for example." New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft likes the suggestion. "Games should be standardized and have the same people making the calls," Kraft said. "I dont want to ever lose a game based on poor interpretation of rules by (different) officials." Another focal point, according to Goodell, will be preventing the kind of alleged bullying that rocked the Miami Dolphins this season. "Ive already begun discussions with outside parties. Ive discussed it with the union, Ive also met with several groups of players, individually and collectively, to talk about the circumstances. What needs to be done?" Goodell said. "Some of it will be education. Some of it possibly could be policy change." Speaking two days before the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks play in East Rutherford, N.J., Goodell did not respond directly to questions whether other cold-weather cities with outdoor stadiums could host NFL championship games. During his opening remarks, Goodell said: "One unique aspect about the focus for this years Super Bowl has been on the weather. Of course, we cannot control the weather. I told you we were going to embrace the weather. Here we go." And with that, flakes of fake snow fell from the ceiling above the stage, drawing laughter. Among other topics addressed by Goodell: --The NFL is working to convince a federal judge in Philadelphia that the tentative $765 million settlement reached with former players who sued the league about concussions "can provide the kind of benefits that we intended, and were confident that well get there"; --The difficulty in selling out wild-card playoff games resulted from "mistakes that were made by us, the NFL, and our clubs," and not fans fault, and that improving stadium safety "is a critical component"; --The NFL is "not actively considering" allowing players to use marijuana for medical reasons, but "thats something we would never take off the table, if it can benefit our players"; --Selling out all three of next seasons games in London is "just another indication that the more we give fans in the U.K. of NFL football, the more they want" and that the possibility of placing a franchise in that country is closer to reality than a year ago; --He deflected a question about whether hed call a Native American a "Redskin" face-to-face, saying, "Lets not forget this is the name of a football team." ------ AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner and Sports Writers Rachel Cohen, Tim Booth and Tom Canavan contributed to this report. 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