From the first NFL regular-season game in Canada to another home date on Monday Night Football, the Buffalo Bills’ 2008 schedule has a little bit of everything.
The highlight of the 16-game slate is the Dec. 7 matchup against the Miami Dolphins at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. The 4:05 p.m. contest is the first of five regular-season “home” games the Bills will play in Toronto through 2012.
Buffalo also will play three preseason games up north, starting with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 14.
“We’re excited about the first ever regular-season game to be played in Canada,” Russ Brandon, Bills’ chief operating officer, said Tuesday. “It’s a part of our regionalization process that is also now a reality with both a pre and regular season game being announced in the Buffalo Bills-Toronto Series.”
Dolphins President and COO Bryan Wiedmeier said the franchise is behind the Bills’ regionalization efforts and is glad to play another game outside the United States. Miami met the New York Giants in London last season.
“We’re excited to be part of this game. It’s historic,” Wiedmeier said during a conference call with the Toronto media. “The Bills-Dolphins rivalry is one of the storied rivalries in the NFL and the game reflects the NFL’s commitment to this initiative. I know our players and coaches are going to be very excited to be on this stage.”
There are some Bills fans disappointed that a home game against a traditional AFC East rival is being played away from Ralph Wilson Stadium, where the Bills would have a distinct cold-weather advantage. The Rogers Centre has a tractable roof that is likely to be closed for the game if the weather is bad.
The Bills had no say in their Toronto opponent, Brandon said. In fact, the Bills have struggled to sell out Dolphins games in recent years. They needed corporate buyers to purchase the remaining tickets to avoid a television blackout. That won’t be a problem at 54,000-seat Rogers Centre. Game organizers report they already have more than 100,000 ticket requests.
“The schedule is determined by the National Football League,” Brandon said. “We learned of our schedule late [Tuesday] morning with the rest of the member clubs. We’re excited to play up in the Toronto marketplace and we’re looking forward to continuing that rivalry up north.”
Bills coach Dick Jauron has no problem giving up a key division game at The Ralph late in the season even though Buffalo has a four-game home winning streak against the Dolphins.
“The bottom line is no matter where we play we’ve got to perform well and do everything we can to win the game,” Jauron said. “I’ve been in the National Football League long enough as a player and coach to understand a couple of things very well. One of them is I have no control over the schedule, where we play the game and when we play it. It’s a great privilege to play it anywhere.”
Defensive end Chris Kelsay doesn’t mind the 90- minute trek to Toronto and looks forward to playing before a Canadian audience.
“We have a lot of followers from Canada and the Toronto area,“ he said. “It will be a home atmosphere for us.”
Monday Night Football returns to Buffalo when the Cleveland Browns visit on Nov. 17. This will be their first Monday night matchup since 1995 (a 22-19 Bills win in Cleveland).
The Bills hadn’t made a MNF appearance since 2000 and none at home since 1994 before playing the Dallas Cowboys in one of the NFL’s most thrilling games of 2007.
“Obviously our fans and the people who came to our game last year made it a special event,” Kelsay said. “The league recognized that, and thought it would be a great venue to host another game. As a player you love playing in prime time, a nationally televised game. I’m excited about it.”
Here are some other highlights of the Bills schedule:
The Bills open at home for the eighth time in nine years when the Seattle Seahawks come to town on Sept 7. That is one of four games against the NFC West. The Bills also face teams in the AFC West, with Oakland and San Diego coming to Buffalo on Sept. 21 and Oct. 19, respectively. Bills right tackle Langston Walker began his career in Oakland.
The Bills begin AFC East play at Miami (Oct. 26) and New England (Nov. 9). They are sandwiched around a home game with the New York Jets (Nov. 1). The Patriots come to Buffalo for a Dec. 28 finale that could become a flex game if it means something.
After playing the Raiders, the Bills won’t have another home game for the next three weeks. Visits to St. Louis and Arizona are followed by a bye week. The Bills haven’t been to St. Louis since 1995 and last played in Arizona in 1999. Buffalo will play its first game at the Cardinals’ University of Phoenix Stadium, site of Super Bowl XLII.
The Bills will be tested on the road early as their Sept. 14 trip to Jacksonville is the first of three away games in a four-week stretch. The Jacksonville game will be a homecoming for defensive tackle Marcus Stroud, who spent his first six seasons with the Jaguars.
Buffalo has two sets of back-to-back road games, but play two straight home games once. The meeting with Miami in Toronto is paired with a Nov. 30 game against San Francisco that features the return of former Bills cornerback Nate Clements.
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Originally Posted by dasaybz
