Rams' Bradford Appears to Reinjure Left Knee
Clad in a faux-buffalo fur vest with matching shorts and a wool hat, Buffalo Bills season-ticket holder Tom Socash surveyed the scene at a renovated Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Saturday night.
'The whole change starting from last year is now in full swing,' said Socash, an Old Forge, N.Y., resident, of the stadium and team.
'As you can tell by this, I'm anticipating some January games,' he said of his outfit.
Optimism was catching among Bills fans as the team unveiled $130 million in renovations to Ralph Wilson Stadium at a sold-out preseason home opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
'I think it's pretty cool,' said Bob Kuroski, of West Seneca, N.Y. 'Little more variety, different food. They moved the Bills store up front. It's nice.'
The upgrades include new fan-friendly amenities such as larger concessions stands, a sports bar, easier access to the stadium and wider concourses.
'The goal with that is to get the fans to the concessions and improve the efficiency,' said the Bills' vice president for marketing, Marc Honan.
'A lot of it was that we weren't wired correctly,' Honan said, adding, ' It might seem a little antiquated that we weren't there, but we're caught up.'
While not entirely completed, the key renovations include 3 million feet of linear cable to improve communications and technology in the stadium. There are also two new video boards, and entering the stadium is easier.
'We've gone from 167 points of entry to 220,' Honan said. 'We've put those at strategic locations, eliminating less-used entries and expanding the most-used spots.'
The renovations began shortly after the season ended in January, and the Bills had an extra week of training camp because the facility was not yet ready.
Bills officials credit the renovations and overall team optimism with an uptick is season-ticket sales.
Heather Seifert, of Lake View, N.Y., admits as much.
'I became more likely to show up and see what it's all about,' she said. 'So far, so good. It looks really great.'
BUCCANEERS 27, BILLS 14 Josh McCown directed two first-half touchdown drives, and defensive tackle Clinton McDonald returned a fumble for a score in Tampa Bay's preseason win over slow-starting Buffalo.
First-round pick Mike Evans caught McCown's 24-yard fade pass in the right corner in helping the Buccaneers (1-2) build a 24-0 halftime lead.
Doug Martin scored on a 1-yard run, and the Buccaneers' starting defense limited the Bills to 82 yards and six first downs in the first half.
The Bills (1-3) finally scored in the third quarter against the Bucs' second-stringers. E J Manuel hit the former Buccaneers receiver Mike Williams for a 14-yard touchdown, and Fred Jackson scored on an 8-yard run.
The touchdowns were the first by the Bills' starting offense after they were limited to four field goals on their first 18 preseason possessions.
MYSTERIOUS MALADY Detroit Lions linebacker Kyle Van Noy says it is hard to pinpoint the injury that kept him out of Friday night's preseason win over Jacksonville.
Van Noy says he is waiting on further evaluation of the injury, which the team said was an abdominal problem. The Lions drafted the rookie out of Brigham Young in the second round this year.
Detroit put wide receiver T J Jones on the reserve-physically unable to perform list. The Lions also released guards Alex Bullard and A. J. Dalton, defensive tackle Greg Hickman, running back Steven Miller, defensive end Kris Redding and wide receiver Conner Vernon.
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