When this regionalization plan went into effect last season, many Bills fans felt it was merely the first step at permanently moving the team to Toronto. I, too, was somewhat skeptical at the motive behind the idea of sacrificing a regular season home game in Orchard Park, NY for the larger market in Canada. But Bills owner Ralph Wilson assured fans the plan was part of a bigger picture to introduce the team to a wider audience, not move the team. NFL Chief Marketing Officer Mark Waller concurred, saying the goal was to “grow the NFL, not move the franchise.”

The Bills Toronto Series has been described as a way to strengthen the organization by expanding its fan base, similar to when the team moved its training camp to Rochester, NY back in 2000. But, I wonder. If the venture is deemed a success when all is said and done, is it just the beginning of the end for the Bills in Buffalo?

One thing’s for sure, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell already considers the Toronto Series a success:

“The two games up at Toronto (last) year were tremendously successful for us. We said that the objective was to regionalize the Buffalo Bills, and it achieved those objectives. We were able to increase our season ticket sales in the Toronto area significantly—over 40 percent. And I think from that standpoint, we achieved what our initial goal was. The other issue is that it’s a building process. When we first got in, we wanted to make sure it was a good experience for the two teams, that they were successful and that they could do it without any negative competitive consequences, and we achieved that objective ….. I’m very confident that (this) year’s game is going to be bigger and better. I think we’ll evaluate every aspect of the game, including pricing, and I think they’ll do a terrific job and it’ll be a great game.”

It’s yet to be seen whether the game will be great. Neither the Bills nor Jets are serious playoff contenders. But there will be plenty of fans there to see it. Monday, the game was officially announced as a sellout, further confirming that introducing the National Football League to Canada was a good idea.

Sources: NFL Media, NYTimes.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Buffalo Bills Toronto Series Continues

Dick Jauron fired by Buffalo Bills / Image: Zuma Press

Bills owner Ralph Wilson made the following statement today:

“I am announcing today that I am relieving Dick Jauron from his duties as our head coach, effective immediately. I have tremendous respect for Dick and thank him for all of his efforts during these past four years. While this was a very difficult decision, I felt that it is one that needed to be made at this time for the best interest of our team. We will now focus on moving forward and preparing for our game this week in Jacksonville.”

No word was immediately given as to who the interim coach would be (although I suspect defensive coordinator Perry Fewell). But you can bet the Bills will look outside the organization (at least one hopes) for a new head coach next season. Names like Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan come to mind, but there will be a long list of worthy candidates trying to help the Bills return to their glory years.

Source: BuffaloBills.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Buffalo Bills Fire Head Coach Dick Jauron

Dick Jauron, Buffalo Bills / Image: Zuma Press

But according to Bills owner Ralph Wilson, no decision will be made right now to replace coach Jauron:

“Yesterday was so bad that it’s hard to make a decision right now. I’m not going to make any decisions during the middle of the season right now. At least right now ….. I’ll tell you what—whatever I say now is going to be twisted around. If I say exactly what I think, whether it’s right or wrong, it’s going to be twisted around, so I just don’t want to talk about it.”

One thing he has to be thinking is that his offense stinks. In fact, following yesterday’s 6-3 loss to the aforementioned Browns, it’s clear the Bills offense can’t get much worse. They are currently ranked 25th in the league overall and no other team has committed more penalties.

I can’t say I’m surprised when the foundation of the team (the O-line) includes new faces at every position (including two rookies). So, I’m not sure whether replacing the head coach is going to make a lot of difference at this point. I definitely think the team needs to go in a new direction with the leadership of the organization. But to begin that overhaul five games into this 2009 season might not make much sense. It really should’ve started nine months ago.

Source: Buffalo News

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Bills Stay With Dick Jauron as Head Coach

Ralph Wilson, Buffalo Bills / Photo: Newscom

But Mr. Wilson does anticipate the interest in more games:

“I’m sure they want another game. And who knows? I don’t know whether they’ll get another game or not. We’ll have to see how it works out up there.”

So far it hasn’t worked out very well. Therefore, I couldn’t even imagine adding more games. There were thousands of empty seats in last year’s games against the Steelers and Dolphins. So, to help combat the lack of interest, organizers dropped ticket prices 17% and are obviously hoping for a better turnout as a result.

I was never really in favor of the concept in the first place. I mean, I understood the reasoning in trying to attract more fans from Canada, but at the expense of a city who desperately needs the home games “at home,” I’m not sure it made sense. Time will tell if things get better, but I have my doubts.

Source: Washington Post

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Ralph Wilson Happy With Toronto Agreement

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

The Buffalo Bills held an introductory press conference for newly acquired receiver Terrell Owens yesterday. Terrell was all smiles (six and a half million will do that to you) — he was polite, funny, and very convincing that he has put his questionable past behind him and is ready to move on to a new chapter in his life. He seemed genuinely excited to be with the Bills and to help them get back to the playoffs — from which they have been absent for a decade. On the surface — on paper, if you will — it all sounds very nice.

So, I want to believe T.O. I want to give him the benefit of so many doubts. Yet watching him today I had to wonder if this guy does, in fact, have a split personality? Because I’ve seen this side of him before, when things are going well and there are six and a half million reasons to smile. But as we all know, you can’t really figure out the character of a man until you see how he reacts under adversity. And Terrell’s boorish behavior during times of difficulty throughout his career speaks volumes.

T.O. is not a monster. He’s not out pillaging the community and breaking the law. He seems like a genuinely good guy when things are going well (i.e. signing big money contracts, catching a lot of passes, scoring touchdowns). But I will be watching closely if the Bills are losing games and quarterback Trent Edwards is struggling to get T.O. the ball. How will T.O. react then? Will he behave like the mature veteran he should be or will he fuss and complain and create turmoil like he always has in the past? Anyway, I will be shocked if this whole Buffalo Bills/Terrell Owens experiment works, but you know what? I hope it does. I will be very happy to see Terrell Owens prove me wrong.

Opening statement:

“Thanks for having me and I’m very excited to be here, but first I want to thank God for the opportunity. God is good. I know I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. I want to thank the Buffalo Bills organization, Mr. Ralph Wilson, I just got off of the phone with him, talked with him briefly, and this is an opportunity for me to kind of, the story will kind of write itself. I don’t really have a whole lot to say. It’s been a pretty interesting couple of days for myself. I know a lot of my teammates back in Dallas, I’ve had a lot of support from those guys. It’s very unfortunate, but now, I must move on. This is another new beginning for me, so I’m just looking forward to this opportunity. I know I’ll help this organization out, and I’m looking forward to getting with Trent (Edwards), Lee (Evans), and the guys, putting some points on the board, that’s what I’ve done everywhere I’ve been and it’s going to continue. I’m looking forward to the opportunities.”

On when the deal came together:

“You’ll have to talk to Drew (Rosenhaus). I’ve just kind of been at home, relaxing and once he and I met with Jerry Jones and Steven Jones, and we parted ways, the next day, he got busy, so once he told me that these guys were interested, I was looking for a home.”

On what made him decide to sign with the Bills:

“You never know. God has a place for me. He has a plan for me. This may not be the most ideal place for a lot of people, but I’m the guy. I beat to my own beat sometimes, my own thinking, my own intuition. Well, for me, this is an opportunity. It’s an interesting situation, no matter what uniform, I put on, I perform, so it’s not a matter of what tipped the scale. It could be money, it could be this, you never know. I will say that it’s an opportunity. I saw how the Bills started last year and they made some eyes open last year, so if I can be that extra added piece to the puzzle to get them to the playoffs and make something happen, then that’s what I’m here for. At this point in time in the league you can’t really just sit and say, ‘ok, this team is going to get to the Super Bowl.’ When I was in Dallas, we were picked to be in the Super Bowl and we didn’t make the playoffs. Nobody would have thought that the Arizona Cardinals would have been in the playoffs. At this point of time in my career, it doesn’t really matter about the team that you think is going to make it to the playoffs and go to the Super Bowl. It’s all about X’s and O’s, going out and making plays and I looked at the defensive side of the ball, and I looked at the offensive side of the ball. These guys have all of those pieces, you know? If I can add to that we’ll get where we need to be.”

On his previous divisiveness and selfishness with his former teams:

“That’s all hearsay. If you look at all of the comments that have come from all of my teammates with the Cowboys, it’s all been positive. Prior to that, I can’t really… I don’t really want to get into it. I’ll let my teammates speak highly and I think they have done that. They’ve spoken and they speak loudly as to what transpired.”

On what role he hopes to play in the locker room:

“I’m going to be the same person that I was the last three years with the Cowboys. When I’m on the football field, I’m a passionate guy. I demand a lot from myself and from the guys around me. I’m sure those guys and some of the guys around the league and in the locker room that I was with for three years all know that whatever is being said out there, it’s not accurate.”

On Buffalo Bills QB Trent Edwards:

“Trent has tremendous upside. As I said earlier, as a player, you kind of watch games, you watch highlights, and I think Buffalo gave themselves a buzz. They were hot at the beginning of the season, they didn’t finish well, but with someone like myself, I can come in, I can add that extra piece, and we can get over the hump. With Trent, I saw tremendous upside. I saw he was an accurate passer, one of the things I asked my receiving coach was how many times has he been sacked last year? And with that being said, that means he’s getting protection, and if he’s getting protection, we’re going to get open.”

On how much longer he would like to play:

“Right now, I’m focusing on the 2009 season, that’s about it. I feel like I can still play. I can still run and as long as I’m healthy, I’ll continue to play. People have asked me that the past couple of years and I’ve always told them, as long as God keeps me healthy and I’m able to be productive, I’ll play.”

On if there were other teams interested in signing him:

“There was interest. To get into it doesn’t make any sense right now. I’m here with the Buffalo Bills. I’m a Buffalo Bill right now and right now I’m just going to start with that.”

On meshing with WR Lee Evans:

“I haven’t talked to Lee personally, but he was on the phone with Coach (Tyke) Tolbert. He was very excited about it, excited about the opportunity to have a threat on the other side. I’m sure he’ll be excited as well. That’s what we tried to do in Dallas with bringing Roy (Williams) there. For whatever reason, midway during the season, that didn’t work out. That doesn’t bother me. I feel like my play kind of speaks for itself. The opportunity kind of presents itself. I make those plays, we make things happen, and as I know, and as everyone knows, Lee’s been doing that since he’s been here. I think we’ll compliment each other.”

Larger market to smaller market adjustment:

“No, not at all. I just have to create my own following up here in North America. I’m leaving America’s team to come to North America’s team. I’m looking forward to the opportunity, and I’m excited about it.”

On switching to a more wide-open conference:

“Being a wide receiver, that’s music to my ears. The thing is we’re going to get to work real soon, as soon as we can get on the field. I’m going to get myself from Coach Tolbert the plays down, get the system down, the routes, the system, all of that stuff. The sooner we can get that done, the better we’ll be. It’s all about communication when you’re out there on the football field, anyway. I’m looking forward to the opportunity. Get ready.”

Source: BuffaloBills.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Terrell Owens Presser Quotes

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced their Class of 2009 today in Tampa (site of tomorrow’s Super Bowl XLIII, of course). Wide receiver Bob Hayes, guard Randall McDaniel, defensive end Bruce Smith, linebacker Derrick Thomas, owner Ralph Wilson Jr., and defensive back Rod Woodson make up the Class of 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees.

The six-man class was elected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee. The newest members of the Hall were selected from a list of 17 finalists that had been determined earlier by the committee. I was somewhat surprised to see that Cris Carter came up short again. I was also kind of surprised to see that Shannon Sharpe, Andre Reed and former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue didn’t make this year’s class despite being among the finalists. But as always, there are so many deserving names and only so many spots, so it’s really just a matter of time for these gentlemen.

• Bob Hayes, a gold medalist track star in the 1964 Summer Olympics, combined his world class speed with great hands. “Bullet Bob,” a three-time All-Pro pick, caught 371 career passes for 7,414 yards and 71 touchdowns. Because Bob passed away back in 2002 at the age of 59, his sister read a letter at today’s presser that he had previously written for just this occasion — if it ever happened. It was a tearful moment. Bob sure seemed like a great person. I wish I had been able to see him play more (he retired when I was eight-years-old) because his highlight reel is something to see.
• Randall McDaniel was named All-Pro nine straight seasons and voted to a record 12 consecutive AFC-NFC Pro Bowls during his 14-season career with the Minnesota Vikings (1988-1999) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2000-01). I remember him as a monument on the Vikings offensive line (and what an ugly stance he had) and truly one of the best to ever play his position.
• Bruce Smith, the first overall pick in the 1985 draft by the Buffalo Bills, is the NFL’s all-time sack leader with 200 career sacks. A member of both the NFL’s All-Decade Teams of the 1980s and 1990s, Bruce was named first-team All-Pro nine times and voted to 11 Pro Bowls. Enough said right there. Bruce was a no-brainer, first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. And a true gentleman.
• It’s going to be a big year for the Buffalo Bills at the Pro Football Hall of Fame because owner Ralph Wilson Jr. was also elected. Mr. Wilson founded the Bills in 1959 and watched his team win back-to-back AFL titles in the mid-1960s and become the only team ever to advance to four consecutive Super Bowls. He was an integral part of the AFL’s success and has also served on a number of important NFL committees over the years. Despite economic hardships here in Western New York, Mr. Wilson has managed to keep the Bills in Buffalo.
• Derrick Thomas amassed more sacks during the 1990s than any other player. He was selected to nine Pro Bowls, named All-NFL three times, and was All-AFC seven times in an eight-year stretch. He was relentless. I remember a game against Seattle where he had eight sacks. Yes, in one game! What is even more impressive was his work off the field. Did you know Derrick was the first NFL player to ever start his own charitable foundation, something that’s rather commonplace these days? Sadly, Derrick is also no longer with us. He died nine years ago from severe injuries sustained in an auto accident.
• Rod Woodson, a member of the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team in 1994 and selected to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s, intercepted 71 passes which he returned for an NFL record 1,483 yards and a record 12 touchdowns. He was named All-Pro six times and voted to 11 Pro Bowls. As good as Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed is today, he hasn’t reached the level of play of Rod Woodson, one of the best safeties of all-time. Rod is a class act.

The 2009 class will increase to 253 the number of all-time greats permanently honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Enshrinement of the Class of 2009 will take place at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, on Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 7 p.m. ET. The Enshrinement Ceremony will be televised live by both ESPN and the NFL Network. I’m very impressed with this year’s class and I plan to attend and cover the ceremony for my 6th straight season.

Source: NFL Media, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Pro Football HOF Class of 2009

And then there were 17. There are four first-year eligible players — John Randle, Shannon Sharpe, Bruce Smith, and Rod Woodson — among the 17 finalists who will be considered for election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The HOF’s Board of Selectors meets in Tampa on Saturday, January 31, the day before Super Bowl XLIII. There are nine modern-era players, two contributors and two players nominated earlier by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee. The nine modern-era players are Cris Carter; Dermontti Dawson; Richard Dent; Russ Grimm; Cortez Kennedy; Bob Kuechenberg; Randall McDaniel; Andre Reed; and Derrick Thomas. The contributors are former National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Buffalo Bills founder/owner Ralph Wilson, Jr. And the Senior Committee nominees are former Dallas Cowboys receiver Bob Hayes and former Atlanta Falcons defensive end Claude Humphrey.

This is a very interesting and diverse group. The first-year eligibility players alone are impressive enough to have a spot in the Hall. Rod Woodson is the NFL’s all-time leader in interceptions returned for touchdowns. Bruce Smith is the NFL’s all-time leader in sacks with 200. When Shannon Sharpe retired he was the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions for tight ends. He also went to eight Pro Bowls. And John Randle had 137.5 sacks and was a seven-time All-Pro. I can’t wait for the announcement. The Class of 2009 can be no more than seven and no fewer than four.

Source: ProFootballHOF.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

17 Finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron still has a job. After several days of meetings with owner Ralph Wilson, it was decided that coach Jauron will return for a 4th season. Mr. Wilson issued the following statement today:

“It is well known that I share many of the fans’ dissatisfaction with our offensive game management. That being said, I believe that this team, at this time, is better served by continuity in the coaching staff rather than a disruptive overhaul. The team played hard all year long and there are many positives to build on. This is not to say that we will be complacent. In my discussions with Dick and our senior football people the issues are recognized and I am confident they will be addressed. I believe in the last few years we have gotten close personnel wise and look forward to another strong draft, more assertive veteran leadership and continued improvement from our young quarterback.”

I’m a little surprised by this decision. As much as I like coach Jauron as a person, three straight losing seasons doesn’t usually equal ongoing employment in the National Football League. I thought coach Jauron sealed his own fate with an unbelievably bad call against the Jets in a December 14 loss. The Bills had all but won the game and were moving the ball successfully on the ground to run out the clock until coach allowed an ill-advised pass play that resulted in a J.P. Losman fumble and subsequent score by the Jets defense to secure the win over the Bills. Of course, one play does not a season make, but there were other instances of unusual decision-making.

The Bills started the 2008 season impressively — 4-0 and then 5-1 — before collapsing and finishing with a miserable 2-8 record to close at 7-9. In coach Jauron’s defense, the team did show statistical improvement this season, but not improvement where it counts the most — in wins and losses.

Source: BuffaloBills.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Bills Keep Head Coach Dick Jauron

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Four first-year eligible players — John Randle, Shannon Sharpe, Bruce Smith, and Rod Woodson — are among the 25 semifinalists being considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2009. The Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors announced the 25 semifinalists today from the recently revealed list of 133 preliminary nominees. Even though he has been eligible since 1999, this is first time that Roger Craig has been a semifinalist. Each of the remaining 20 nominees has been on the semifinalist list at least once prior to this year. And while no coaches are among the semifinalists, the list includes three contributors — Art Modell, Paul Tagliabue and Ralph Wilson.

The complete list of 25 modern-era semifinalists is as follows:

• Cris Carter, WR
• Roger Craig, RB
• Terrell Davis, RB
• Dermontti Dawson, C
• Richard Dent, DE
• Chris Doleman, DE/LB
• Kevin Greene, LB/DE
• Russ Grimm, G
• Ray Guy, P
• Charles Haley, DE/LB
• Lester Hayes, CB
• Cortez Kennedy, DT
• Bob Kuechenberg, G
• Randall McDaniel, G
• Art Modell, Owner
• John Randle, DT
• Andre Reed, WR
• Shannon Sharpe, TE
• Bruce Smith, DE
• Ken Stabler, QB
• Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner
• Steve Tasker, Special Teams/WR
• Derrick Thomas, LB
• Ralph Wilson, Owner
• Rod Woodson, CB/S

The list of 25 semifinalists will be reduced by mail ballot to 15 modern-era candidates. That list increases to 17 finalist nominees with the inclusion of the two recommended candidates of the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee. The Seniors Committee nominees, who were announced in August, are Bob Hayes and Claude Humphrey. Bob Hayes is a three-time All-NFL pick spent 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (1965-1974) and one season with the San Francisco 49ers (1975). Claude Humphrey is a five-time, first-team All-Pro defensive end who played with the Atlanta Falcons (1968-1978) and Philadelphia Eagles (1979-1981). The results of the modern-era reduction vote to 15 finalists will be announced in early January.

To be considered for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a nominated player or coach must have been retired at least five years. A contributor, who is a nominee who has made outstanding contributions to pro football in capacities other than playing and coaching, may still be active in his career.

Although there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s current ground rules do stipulate that between four and seven new members will be selected each year. No more than five modern-era nominees can be elected in a given year and a class of seven enshrinees can only be achieved if both senior nominees are elected.

The Class of 2009 will be determined at the Selection Committee’s annual meeting on Saturday, January 31, 2009, in Tampa, Florida the day before Super Bowl XLIII. The election results are announced immediately following the meeting at a press conference at the Super Bowl media headquarters.

Source: NFL Media, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Pro Football HOF Modern-Era Semifinalists

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was at Buffalo Bills training camp in Rochester today to meet with Bills owner Ralph Wilson and New York State Senator Chuck Schumer. The Commissioner discussed a number of topics including the Bills in Toronto this season, Marshawn Lynch’s offseason traffic incident and Brett Favre’s “unretirement” situation. Here’s the transcript:

On status of small market teams and conversation with the Senator:
The nature of the conversation was to find out how the Bills are doing and fortunately that’s good news. The effort here to regionalize the team further into southern Ontario and into Toronto has been a very big success for the team and I think that’s something we’re all proud of, the fact that we can now make the team stronger here in western New York. That’s good for the team and it’s good for the fans.

On Toronto ticket status:
The game hasn’t been played yet so I think at this stage right now this is the way that they’re marketing the games — the whole series and the individual games — and I’m confident that the game’s going to be well received there.

On Brett Favre and his involvement:
I was asked to get involved. We had a charge as it relates to tampering, which is a very important rule from our standpoint. And then I was asked to be involved with some various discussions between the parties, which is an issue that is important for the Green Bay Packers. They have rights here. It’s important for Brett Favre. He has rights also. And I’m glad to see that they’re all productive discussions and they’re talking directly to one another. They’re both important to the league going forward and hopefully they’ll reach a proper resolution.

On having any input in Brett’s decision to hold off for a couple of days:
I didn’t, and from my standpoint these are decisions that the team and Brett are going to have to make individually based on what their desires are. The most important thing is that they’re communicating properly and they both understand what’s important to one another.

On stance of tampering investigation:
We’re in the middle of the investigation. Hopefully we can finish it up quickly, but as soon as we get to a conclusion we’ll announce it.

On the concerns of the allegation:
We take every tampering charge seriously. As you know, we did discipline a club earlier this year for a violation of the tampering policy. It’s been an important policy so we will enforce it.

On importance of Brett Favre if he decides to come back:
Brett Favre’s a great player, a great competitor, and I think it’s been a great reflection on the Packers and the NFL. So if Brett Favre wants to return and play, I think that would be a great thing for the fans and for the league.

On any indication that Favre has made a commitment to coming back:
I’ll let Brett Favre speak for himself. I think Brett is very capable of doing that. He doesn’t need a spokesman.

On Marshawn Lynch and his incident being a league issue:
I spoke to Marshawn this morning. I met with Marshawn and he understands his responsibilities as an NFL player. I think the facts are clear on the case at this point in time and I don’t plan on any discipline.

On Marshawn’s response:
He understands the responsibility. He understands what it means to be an NFL player and how he has to represent himself, his teammates, and the Buffalo Bills, and he knows how important that is.

On talks with the Senator and Mr. Wilson on future with the Bills:
We’re talking about the future of the Bills and what we can continue to do to make sure that the Bills continue to be successful here in Western New York. And we did discuss that. We’ve talked about the initial steps here as far as regionalizing to southern Ontario and the Toronto series. And that has been a very positive step for the Bills in western New York.

On decision for no punishment for Lynch:
Because it was reduced to a traffic violation and I think when you look at the facts and understand exactly what happened after some of the initial reports, I think that it’s not a violation of our personal conduct policy. On the other hand, Marshawn understands that these things are important to the league and that he will avoid those types of situations in the future.

On NFL personal conduct policy:
I think the players are getting enough of a reminder on this issue. I speak about it frequently. We send documentation to the players. I think they understand the responsibility. And I think that of our players in general, I’m very proud of what they do. We have great representatives in our community. In reality, you have a few players that do things that are inconsistent with those policies. Unfortunately, they get a lot of attention but that’s the reality of our world.

On advice to Lynch:
I think you have to balance that with what his legal rights are and what was being done. He was cooperative. The district attorney has indicated that, so I think you have to balance your legal rights and what you have to do to protect yourself individually. And I want our players to make sure that they do that properly, and they have good counsel and that’s important to have.

On this being his first training camp visit:
I do a series of training camp visits every year; I’ll be doing roughly eight to 10 this season. And I haven’t been here to Rochester and I wanted to be here, and the Senator was available so it was a good opportunity for us all to be here.

On attending Toronto game:
I don’t know yet. Not the preseason game. I know I have a conflict on that.

On Toronto series:
I think it’s been very successful in making the Bills stronger in western New York, which is our effort here to make sure the Bills stay here successfully in western New York by expanding the region in which they draw fans. It’s bringing more people down from Toronto. They’re spending more money in western New York. It’s good for western New York; it’s good for the Bills; and so far it’s been a great success.

On Kemp and Cuomo’s interests to buy:
I’m aware they have a special fund that’s created for investments in to NFL and other sports teams. We have a very strong policy that we want a principal owner that speaks for the team, speaks to the community but also is a representative on the league level. They’re aware of those policies if they want to own an NFL team, that those opportunities exist, but it’s very important for us to have a principal owner like Mr. Wilson that will not only represent the team and the community, but also participate in league level matters.

On if he’s heard from Kemp or Cuomo:
I’ve talked to them about their concept many times. We have others that have had very similar concepts and that were interested in ownership throughout the league.

Source: NFL Media

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Attends Buffalo Bills Training Camp, Takes Questions