|
Snowbound
Bills
head to
Detroit
to
‘host’
Jets
BY JOHN
WAWROW
By
Associated
Press
BUFFALO,
N.Y. -
Whether
by
plane,
snowmobile
or sled
dog, the
Bills
are
leaving
snowbound
Buffalo
behind
for
Detroit
to play
their
"home"
game
against
the New
York
Jets on
Monday
night.
And
there's
no
telling
when
they
will be
back.
The
Bills'
schedule
is
suddenly
in
upheaval
because
of a
lake-effect
storm
that
dumped
more
than 5
feet of
snow on
the
Buffalo
region
since
Monday.
Another
1 to 3
feet was
projected
to fall
by
Friday.
The
storm
that
paralyzed
much of
the
community
surrounding
the
Bills'
home at
Orchard
Park led
to the
NFL's
decision
on
Thursday
to
relocate
the
game,
which
will be
played
at the
Lions'
downtown
Detroit
home,
Ford
Field.
"It
really
wasn't
an
option
to try
to play
the game
(in
Buffalo)
at any
point
Sunday,
Monday
or even
potentially
Tuesday
based on
what the
forecast
is,"
Bills
president
Russ
Brandon
said.
"All the
focus
needs to
be on
the
safety
of not
only the
fans but
the
community.
And
everyone
needs to
be
focused
on
helping
our
neighbors."
Given
the
cleanup
job,
Brandon
said the
team is
considering
spending
next
week
practicing
out of
town.
And he
wasn't
sure if
Ralph
Wilson
Stadium
will be
ready
for the
Bills'
next
home
game
against
the
Cleveland
Browns
on Nov.
30.
"That's
a good
question,"
Brandon
said.
"It's
going to
be a
full-on
effort
by our
stadium
operations
crew and
everyone
involved
here to
get that
facility
ready
for next
week.
There's
an
enormous
amount
of snow
to be
removed."
Preparing
for the
Jets is
the
Bills'
first
priority
after
the team
canceled
its past
two days
of
practice
because
of
impassible
roads
and
numerous
driving
bans in
the
community.
The team
intends
to
travel
to
Detroit
on
Friday
and
practice
at the
Lions'
facility.
The
Lions
are at
New
England
on
Sunday.
This
marks
the
second
time the
Bills
will
play at
Ford
Field
this
season
following
a 17-14
win over
the
Lions on
Oct. 5.
It also
is the
second
time in
four
years
the
facility
has
hosted a
neutral
site
game.
The last
time an
NFL game
was
moved to
Ford
Field
unexpectedly,
the fans
who did
show up
witnessed
a bit of
history.
Brett
Favre's
streak
of 297
regular-season
starts
came to
an end
that
night -
on Dec.
13, 2010
- when
the
Minnesota
Vikings
lost to
the New
York
Giants
21-3.
Favre
was
sidelined
by
shoulder
and hand
issues.
That
game was
moved to
Detroit
because
the
Metrodome
roof
collapsed.
"We are
pleased
to be
hosting
the
Bills
and Jets
for
their
game
Monday
night,"
Lions
president
Tom
Lewand
said.
"While
our
thoughts
are with
the
people
of the
Buffalo
area
during
this
difficult
time,
our team
at Ford
Field
will do
everything
we can
to be
good
hosts to
their
team
this
weekend."
The
Bills
also get
an extra
day to
prepare,
with the
game
pushed
back
from
Sunday.
"A big
part of
preparation
is
practice
and
lifting
and
nutrition,
and
that's
been
compromised,"
Bills
president
Russ
Brandon
said
before
the
location
of the
game was
announced.
"And
it's
certainly
something
we're
looking
into and
trying
to do
the best
as we
try to
prepare
to play
the Jets
whenever
that may
be."
Bills
coach
Doug
Marrone
and his
staff
have
been
living
at the
Bills'
headquarters
since
Tuesday.
They've
been
going
over the
game
plan and
consulting
with the
team by
phone
and
computer
because
a
majority
of the
players
have
been
snowed
in. And
those
who can
get out
are
unable
to
travel
to the
facility.
The next
step is
devising
a way to
get all
the
players
and
staff to
the
airport,
which
has
remained
open
because
it is
north of
where
much of
the
storm
hit.
The
Bills
(5-5)
are
already
coming
off an
extended
break.
They had
last
weekend
off
following
a 22-9
loss at
Miami on
Nov. 13.
The Jets
(2-8)
are
coming
out of
their
bye
week,
and
haven't
played
since a
20-13
win
against
Pittsburgh
on Nov.
9.
Jets
coach
Rex Ryan
said his
team
wouldn't
be
hampered
by a
change
of
venue.
"It
wouldn't
affect
us,"
Ryan
said.
"We'd
just aim
our
plane in
a
different
direction,
I
guess."
---
AP
Sports
Writers
Dennis
Waszak
Jr., in
Florham
Park,
New
Jersey,
and Noah
Trister
in
Detroit
contributed
to this
report. |