‘It’s not Buffalo. It never will be.’
Bills' Toronto debut goes smoothly, but it isn't The Ralph
First of eight Bills games in Toronto marks a symbolic beginning
TORONTO — The Toronto Bills — ouch! — played their first game in their north-of-the-border digs Thursday night, and the expatriates from Buffalo seemed to prosper with their change of venue.
The Bills beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-21.
The event went off smoothly, and the 100-yard American field fit beautifully into the Blue Jays’ and Argonauts’ playpen — running from the first-base line behind one end zone to left field behind the other.
The venue also offered a majestic view of the magnificent CN Tower — until the Rogers Centre roof was closed half an hour before kickoff.
“It seems to be going really smoothly,” Bills TV broadcaster Steve Tasker said at halftime. “It’s a well-attended game, for a preseason game, the stadium looks great, and the Bills organization did a great job with the field. It looks first class, and it is first class.”
Historians will note that placekicker Rian Lindell kicked off the Bills-in-Toronto experiment at 7:37 p. m., as dozens — maybe hundreds — of camera flashes recorded the moment.
The Bills looked sharp, especially early, riding Trent Edwards’ two touchdown passes to Robert Royal to a 14-0 lead halfway into the second quarter.
For all the hype and debate surrounding the event, the first of eight Bills games in Toronto over the next five years, this was still a preseason game, lacking the intensity and gritty feel of a game in Ralph Wilson Stadium.
“It’s not Buffalo. It never will be. It can’t be,” said Bill Leaman, 50, an Oshawa, Ont., businessman who goes to about three games in Buffalo every year. “It doesn’t give you the same atmosphere, the chills or the goose-bumps you feel in Buffalo.”
“It’s not The Ralph,” Tasker agreed. “Every stadium has a different feel. It’s going to evolve into its own feel up here.”
Maybe it was the astronomically high ticket prices that gave the game more the feel of a Super Bowl crowd. Or maybe it was the knowledge that even though the event kicked off the Toronto experiment, fans still knew they were watching a game that didn’t count.
Ticket scalpers were the biggest losers of the night, and the culprit was the ticket prices, ranging from $70 and $105 on the cheap end to $350 and $575 for VIP seats.
“You’re lucky to get half price for a ticket,” said a ticket “broker” outside the stadium two hours before kickoff.
“They’re overpriced,” he complained. “Are you going to spend $500 for two tickets in the 500 Level? I didn’t think so. It’s outrageous.”
The symbolism of this game — the tale of two cities that could help solidify one franchise and help land an NFL team for the other city — seemed to outweigh the game itself.
The pregame atmosphere outside the Rogers Centre left Bills fans longing for the Ralph Wilson Stadium experience.
“I’d rather see the Bills in Buffalo,” said Jason Cousins, 32, of Stratford, Ont., wearing his Marshawn Lynch jersey. “You’ve got your tailgating, your barbecuing and your throwing the football around in the parking lot, with the music going. Here you’re in the middle of a big city.”
“We’re still going to go to one game a year in Buffalo, just for the experience,” added his buddy, Peter Brickman.
The tailgating was limited to the Budweiser-sponsored tailgate party, held in a large fenced-off city block, one block north of the Rogers Centre.
Bills fans panned this attempt at tailgating, with most people sitting at round tables, sipping from Budweiser cans. There were a few entertaining moments, like contestants going on stage to do push-ups with someone on their back, to win free tickets to the game.
“As a tailgate party, this is weak, really weak,” said Ed Nicholson, 49, a Bills season-ticket holder from Monroeville, Pa., in Steelers country. “This isn’t The Ralph. Nobody’s tailgating in the parking lot, hooting and hollering and having a good time.”
Kimberly Kaliszewski, 39, a teacher from Buffalo who was wearing an old Tasker jersey, also missed the Ralph Wilson Stadium atmosphere.
“People are dressed in suits and ties, and we had to park underground,” she said with disgust.
Bills fans from Ontario, who love to see their heroes on both sides of the border, were quick to defend fellow Canadian fans.
“I didn’t expect a great atmosphere today,” said Nathan Doherty, 28, a Bills season-ticket holder from Kingston, Ont. “When the Dolphins come in on Dec. 7, guaranteed it will be sold out and it will be electric. When there’s a game on the line that means something, they’re going to come, and they’re going to care.”
How big a hit could a Toronto NFL team be in this huge market of more than 5 million people?
“Compared to the Maple Leafs, I don’t think the NFL will ever touch that market,” Doherty said.
“But this is bigger than the Jays,” added his friend, Will Wong, 29, from Toronto.
While Buffalo and Toronto fans continue to ponder the future NFL fates of both cities, Bills Hall-of-Fame quarterback Jim Kelly suggested a bit of a compromise before Wednesday’s pep rally here for the Bills.
“I think in the near future, we have to build a stadium closer [to Toronto], maybe in Niagara Falls,” Kelly told reporters.
“Why not Niagara Falls?” Kelly asked. “They definitely have the land to do it. It makes sense not only with the tourism — one of the wonders of the world — and it’s 45 minutes closer for Canadians.”
So are we talking about the Buffalo-Toronto Bills or even the Niagara Bills?
“No,” Kelly categorically stated. “It’s the Buffalo Bills. It’s not going to change. It won’t change as long as I’m part of it.”
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