First step taken in process for new Bills stadium

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

It's taken more than a year, but New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has finally made a move in fulfilling his promise to the Buffalo Bills faithful.

The governor announced the first steps toward the possibility of new stadium in Buffalo Monday, an idea he said he'd consider when the team signed a 10-year lease and decided to Band-Aid the Ralph with a $130 million renovation project back in December of 2012.

Those steps include the announcement of five members to a potentially 21-person committee that will "explore options or development and construction of a new stadium in Western New York to serve as a home for the Bills," according to one of Cuomo's advisers and reported by The Buffalo News.

Bills announce details of renovations at Ralph Wilson

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Since the Buffalo Bills agreed to a new lease agreement with the state and county back in December, fans haven’t been crazy about the idea of Band-Aiding Ralph Wilson Stadium back to vitality.

Perhaps action, and some pictures, will speak louder than words. (photo: Eammon, Flickr)

The organization officially announced Populous as its selection for the $130 million renovation project that is slated to take place over the next three years, according to buffalobills.com. The architecture firm is well known around the world for its work on various stadium designs and renovations, having worked with 30 other NFL teams in the past.

Bills slated for 7 true home games a year through '17

Photo: Giovanni Variottinelli, Flickr 

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

With the Bills' trips north to Toronto continuing until at least 2017, their home-field advantage and fan support of the schedule continues to go south.

The NFL’s International Committee approved the extension of the Bills Toronto Series in May, which means Buffalo will continue to lose one home game at Ralph Wilson for the next five years.

“The International Committee’s decision to approve the continuation of our games in Toronto is a crucial step in our ongoing efforts to regionalize our franchise,” Buffalo CEO Russ Brandon said in a statement. “As we have stated on many occasions, the regionalization process remains vital to keeping our franchise strong in Western New York.”

The change may not be so much a regionalization effort as it is a capitalization move. According to the Buffalo News, the team will clear a little more than $11 million from the deal, and ticket sales have been insanely high since the start, although efforts have been made to knock them down.