Tagged: Buffalo Bills

You've heard of Flutie Flakes and T.O.'s -- now there are MariO's. 

Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams is the latest local sports star to have his own breakfast cereal.  Tops Markets is now selling the limited edition, honey nut toasted oat cereal.

All of the proceeds from the cereal will go to Roswell Park's Carly's Club.  Williams, appearing at the Tops store on Orchard Park Road in West Seneca Tuesday to launch the new cereal, talked about how cancer has touched his life.

The Buffalo Bills are facing the prospect of four local blackouts this season.

Following last week's lackluster performance in the season opener, tickets sales for games against Miami, Jacksonville, St. Louis and the New York Jets have been slow. Three of those games are in December, and the Miami game is a Thursday night affair, conditions that lend to lower ticket sales.

Earlier this year, the Bills opted out of a new NFL policy that would have lifted blackouts with fewer tickets sold.
 

The Buffalo Bills and Erie County have agreed to extend their current stadium lease through July 2014.

The one-year extension was announced Wednesday morning by Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

Talks over lease negotiations for the Bills lease at Ralph Wilson Stadium have been stalled.

Poloncarz said the last meeting between the Bills, the County and the State was June 29th. But Poloncarz insists this weekend's game will not be the Bills last home opener in Orchard Park. He says the Bills have agreed to extend their current lease through July 2014. 

Bills owner Ralph Wilson, Jr. is in the hospital.

A team spokesman says the 93-year-old Wilson is in "good" condition.  It is unclear why he has been hospitalized or what hospital he is in.

WBFO & AM-970 news reached out to the Bills. Bils spokes Scott Berchtold said "Wilson is in the hospital in good condition." No other details were provided, but reports claim he has an infection.

Wilson suffered a broken hip last year.

Saturday's Buffalo Bills-Pittsburgh Steelers pre-season game at Ralph Wilson Stadium will be shown locally on Channel 7.

It's more good news at the gate for the Bills, who announced that three regular season games have already sold-out, meaning the local television blackout will be lifted on those dates.

The home opener on September 16th against Kansas City, September 30th against New Enegland and the Tennessee Titans' game on October 21st have sold-out.

Season ticket sales have risen to over 43,000 for the upcoming season, a 16 percent increase.

Little information has been made available to the public during the quiet lease negotiations between the Buffalo Bills and Erie County, but it's clear that a new stadium is not in the immediate future.

County Executive Mark Poloncarz says there are really three reasons for keeping the team where it is: the county can't afford a billion dollars for a new facility, the Bills aren't asking for one and, there is no room downtown.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer is requesting a change to a National Football League's matching loan program to free up $25 million in league revenue to help with renovations to Ralph Wilson Stadium, without a penalty to the community if the team is sold.

Currently, what is known as the G-4 loan program would help the Bills pay for stadium upgrades, but it would have to be paid back immediately if the team is sold. That would permit a new owner to liquidate assets and relocate the franchise.

Fans attending Thursday's NFL pre-season game between the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins are encouraged to arrive at stadium gates one hour prior to kickoff.

Bills officials are hopeful the early arrivals will alleviate delays while security officials enact new procedures.

Gate personnel will no longer "pat down" team customers; instead hand-held metal detectors will be used to conduct personal searches.

Lease negotiations between Erie County and the Buffalo Bills aren't moving along as planned.

According to the Buffalo News, County Executive Mark Poloncarz says the parties are behind his timeline, including the hope that a memorandum of understanding would have been accomplished by the start of training camp on July 26th.

Though the Bills are asking for over $200 million in improvements at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Poloncarz believes a new lease will be signed by the end of the year.

While Buffalo Bills fans may be miffed over the team not easing its television blackout policy, Jim Fink of Business First believes the faithful may be encouraged by the progress of lease negotiations that could keep the club here for many years.

In WBFO and AM970's Press Pass conversation, Fink also discusses development prospects in downtown Buffalo.

He hears that Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, which has had great success in Syracuse and Rochester, may be opening in Buffalo.

It is expected that the basic framework of a new lease deal between Erie County and the Buffalo Bills could be structured within the next few weeks.

The Buffalo Bills will buck a new league trend by continuing to mandate that Ralph Wilson Stadium be sold out before allowing the region to watch broadcasts of home games.

The NFL is now allowing its franchises to follow an eased blackout policy requiring at least 85 percent of stadium seats to be sold to lift the blackout. But the Bills say the change doesn't make financial sense for the small-market team.