Jim Kelly be Crazy

by Ryan

Somehow I missed this, which is amazing considering how much I've read about the Bills in Toronto. This one goes along the usual line until the end, which you will conveniently see below. It's like I'm setting you up for a post or something.

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.”

Wow. Why not Niagara Falls, eh? Well for starters, Erie County would have a conniption fit.

The taxpayers of Erie have put millions into the Bills' infrastructure, and there is no way in hell the Bills move a few miles down the road and out of the sales tax pool.

Larry Quinn will be mayor of Buffalo before the Bills leave Orchard Park for anywhere but downtown Buffalo or downtown Toronto. Or Los Angeles. Or maybe Oklahoma. Whatever, they aren't going to the Falls.

As a resident of the city, I can lovingly say that even if there was an interest in building a state of the art football stadium within city limits, someone would f#%k it up. Really, I say that with the most affection geo-political stalemate can offer you.

Another logical flaw in Kelly's idea is that Niagara Falls just isn't prepared to handle the kind of traffic a football stadium would bring. Even if space is found, bridges to Canada, roads surrounding the stadium, and major highways would need expansion and redevelopment. Orchard Park is clearly a traffic mess, and it would at the very least be just as bad in the Falls.

The fact of the matter is that the only real answer to solidifying the Bills in Buffalo is a new stadium, most likely placed within city limits. The area is slowly growing, the waterfront space is there, and maybe this Bills in Toronto gimmick is exactly what is needed to pump some urgency into the situation.

Hey, I'm just a blogger, but if our Hall of Fame quarterback is allowed to say crazy things, why can't I?