From Bills Mafia: Commissioner Goodell, use common sense
By Cam Boon
The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets are scheduled to kick off their Week 12 matchup on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Ralph Wilson Stadium. But if they do indeed tee up the pigskin and kick it, I, along with much of the Bills Mafia and the country, will be very disappointed in the NFL.
I don’t care if they clear this stadium and its parking lots and everything is clear for kickoff, the city of Buffalo is in a much more dire situation. There are buildings collapsing, doors of houses being blown in, and snow in some places standing as tall as my 13-year old sister at five feet! I agree with Governor Andrew Cuomo here.
“I’m sorry Buffalo Bills, we have a major emergency in this community.That’s more important than a football game,” he rightfully stated.
Anybody who has seen pictures (Click here if you haven’t) knows how bad this snow is and it’s only going to get worse, with weather being projected to keep snowing into Saturday.
So with all of these facts, Mr. Goodell, I say this to you: use your head. The city of Buffalo has had snow, and we’ve seen games in a foot of snow before in Western New York, but nothing like this. There are houses of nursing homes coming down, people cannot travel on the roads of Buffalo, and you expect to hold a football game?
Do the right thing for yourselves, the fans, and the city of Buffalo
I know the NFL is all about revenue, and I know that if there is a game on Sunday, Buffalo will at least try to show up in full force with their fans and the Ralph will be howling, and I’m not talking about the gusting winds. But think about it this way, how many fans are going to be stranded on their way to the game on Sunday? How many fans will get hurt, or even worse killed, on their way because their car slipped on the road?
Doug Marrone, Jim Schwartz, and Pepper Johnson all got stranded on Tuesday on their way to the stadium, with Marrone helping nearby motorists get to the hospital. That’s how serious this storm is. People cannot even get to the hospital safely.
Also, if you move the game, how are fans supposed to get there? The three sites right now are Pittsburgh, Detroit, or NJ. Okay, so you expect the city of Detroit to show up to a 1:00 kickoff when their Lions are playing at the same time? How about in Pittsburgh when they’re on a bye? They’re going to freeze their butts off when they could sit inside and watch a much better game on the slate for 1:00 (see DET-NE)?
Or, the worst idea I’ve heard, you’re going to move the game to New Jersey, where Jets fans will flock to the game, taking away a home game from Buffalo. That would make zero sense, and there’d be no way to make up for it. You could try to give the Bills both home games against the Jets next year, but how fair is that to Jet fans or even the Bills fans on Long Island who go to that one game every season?
The quality of the game is also at risk here because the Bills have not been able to practice because of the travel ban in Buffalo. So does the NFL really want a crappy game with a team that’s out of shape?
Sep 19, 2014; New York, NY, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addresses the media at a press conference at New York Hilton. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
These are all theoretical questions that Goodell has to deal with in figuring out this game, and I don’t blame the NFL for taking their time here. But at the same time, they have to make the right decision. They have to give the city enough time to clear the roads so that it’s safe enough to have fans flock to the game, sporting their jerseys and tailgating.
In my opinion, the game should be played in Buffalo, but should not be played on Sunday. Make it a Monday or Tuesday game so that everybody can get what they want. The NFL can save its face from another stupid decision, the fans can get a game to watch and enjoy, and both teams can play a quality game.
Commish, Mother Nature has dealt you a giant problem. Do the right thing for yourselves, the fans, and the city of Buffalo.