The billboard: Throwback uniforms debut
Published: July 31, 2009, 12:42 am
Story tools:
Share this story:
PITTSFORD — The Bills unveiled their new white throwback jerseys at the end of Thursday's practice. The new edition is modeled after their road jerseys worn in the 1965 season. Trent Edwards, Lee Evans, Chris Kelsay, Brian Moorman, Terrell Owens, Paul Posluszny and Donte Whitner sported the duds.
For the record, the striping on the sleeves is not identical to the striping on the jerseys of the '60s, whereas the sleeve striping on the blue throwbacks is the same as in the old days. Regardless, they looked great.
The Bills will wear their white throwbacks for the Hall of Fame game against Tennessee on Aug. 9 as well as road games at New England (Sept. 14) and Tennessee (Nov. 15). They will wear their home, blue throwback jersey for the home game against Miami (Nov. 29).
Help from Hoss
Bills tight end Jonathan Stupar is a nephew of former NFL quarterback Jeff Hostetler, and Stupar is acutely aware of the special, painful place his uncle holds in Bills history. Hostetler, of course, quarterbacked the New York Giants over the Bills in Super Bowl XXV.
"I've watched that game on tape," Stupar said. "Oh my gosh, it's one of the best Super Bowls ever, maybe the best up until the Giants' Super Bowl a couple years ago [against New England]."
Hostetler, who went 55-33 as an NFL starter, now lives in West Virginia.
"That season [1990] was the first time he really played, and that was going into his sixth or seventh season with the Giants," Stupar said. "It just goes to show you to be patient, wait for your opportunities and take advantage of them when you get them. He's been great with me. I talk to him all the time, and he gives me bits of information about being in the NFL."
Stupar, currently the Bills' fourth string TE, spent 12 weeks last year on the Bills' practice squad and the last four on the active roster. He has a good shot to make the practice squad again if he doesn't make the 53-man cut.
Sideline views
A full house of more than 4,000 watched Thursday night's practice. Terrell Owens had a leaping grab over Leodis McKelvin on a long pass to the end zone in seven-on-seven drills. Bryan Scott had an interception. NASCAR star Greg Biffle was in the house. So were some NFL officials. Rian Lindell booted a 50-yard field goal with teammates and the crowd razzing him.
Directions
From Buffalo take the Thruway to Exit 47. Take Route 490 East for 25 miles to Exit 25 (Fairport Road … 31F). Follow signs to fan parking and shuttle bus lots.
Schedule
The Bills practice from 2:15 to 4:20 p.m. today and 10:10 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. Saturday. The team is off Sunday. Complimentary tickets for the night practices Aug. 11 and 13 are available starting today at the Rochester-area Verizon Wireless store locations. There's one at the Eastview Mall, near St. John Fisher.
Quote of the Day
"Trust me. Trust me when I say this: It's not gonna be an easy game for New England. Trust me."
— Terrell Owens, asked by a fan if the Bills would beat the Patriots in the season opener..
Reader comments
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Comments have been disabled.
Due to a high volume of submissions that violate The News’ guidelines, commenting is no longer available on this story. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this story, click here to get information on contributing to The News’ opinion pages.