In sports, a rivalry has the unique ability to add an extra dimension to a game. Meaningless match-ups somehow gain meaning, diehard fans show their teeth, and the end result is almost always a good game. Sadly, the recent showing of the Bills in Toronto was an exception to the rule: a low scoring game, shoddy play by the Bills, and a largely indifferent crowd combined to make the event a snoozer.
As the first NFL regular season game played outside of the United States, the match already had importance. It also added another chapter to the long and storied rivalry between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills. Since 1966, 86 games have been played between the two teams. Yet the rivalry existed before they played a single match. Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson was not allowed to found an AFL team in Miami, so he took the idea—and his money—to Buffalo. The saga has a strong supporting cast that includes Hall of Fame quarterbacks Jim Kelly and Dan Marino, and legendary coaches Marv Levy and Don Shula.
Lately, both franchises have struggled to put together strong teams, with the Dolphins losing almost every game last year, going 1-15. After acquiring displaced (and possibly bitter) quarterback Chad Pennington from the New York Jets, the Dolphins made a dramatic turnaround, helped in no small part by their unpredictable “wildcat” offence. The Bills haven’t made the playoffs since 1999, but the long-suffering faithful had reason to be hopeful after a 5-1 start to the season. With Tom Brady out for the year with a knee injury, both the Fish and the Bills had a serious shot at taking the AFC East. In a pre-game press conference, Jim Kelly explained the importance of the Dolphins-Bills game.
“It doesn’t matter where it’s at, this is a game where it’s very important for both teams. They’re seven and five, we’re six and six. Both teams have struggled. We’ve lost five or six games a piece, but the thing is when it comes down to the end of the year, you have to win those AFC East games,” said Kelly.
For the Buffalo Bills, home is an important place. The roaring, frigid winds and borderline insane fans of Ralph Wilson stadium—named after the near-immortal, 90-year-old owner—play an important role. The weather conditions are especially important against teams used to playing in warmer weather, like the rival Dolphins. Much was made of the Rogers Centre’s closed roof and the effect it could have on the Bills’ supposed home field advantage.
The classic AFC East match-up had playoff implications for both teams. For the hometown Bills, having lost six of their last seven games, it was a must-win situation.
Ronnie Brown made the difference for the Dolphins, running for 70 yards on 16 attempts. The typical freight-train force of Marshawn Lynch was effectively contained by the Dolphins’ linebackers, held to only 31 yards on 13 carries. Pennington was his reliable, unassuming self, throwing for 181 yards with a 79 per cent completion rate. Losman was an unimpressive foil to Pennington’s effort, going 13-for-27 with a fumble and a costly interception in the Dolphins end zone in the third quarter. The frustration felt by the Bills’ offence became evident later in the game when they tried their own version of the “wildcat formation.” After watching it work against their reeling linebackers all game, the Bills were desperate to spark their running game in any way possible. On the defensive side of the ball, Joey Porter made two sacks on what has been a surprisingly good season for him.
The game was promoted heavily with the rivalry between the two teams used as a selling point. Considering that tickets ranged from 90 dollars for nosebleeds to hundreds of dollars for decent seats, pricing may have been the main factor as to why the game did not sell out. Theoretically, the game promised to be an exciting match-up.
“I think that the reason [the NFL] did it was because they realize how big of a rivalry it was and they knew that Bills fans would travel to come up here and watch this game. It’s a big game and to be honest with you, for Canadians this is the best game on our schedule they could have picked for this particular weekend,” said Kelly.
At kickoff, the environment felt like anything but a home game. Gold and green jerseys—most featuring Marino’s 13 on the back—were in abundance in the stands. Although many of the Buffalo faithful made the trip up the QEW, the non-capacity crowd did not provide the play-off like experience fans were hoping for. To make matters worse, JP Losman had the start for Buffalo, as starting quarterback Trent Edwards couldn’t play due to a groin injury.
“A groin pull for a quarterback is not real good because you can’t follow through, you tend to throw off your back foot, you don’t want to push off it too much,” explained Kelly. “I just hope he gets to the point where he’s healthy for a whole season and we’ll really see the real Trent Edwards. He started out hot, you know, the NFL’s all about your quarterback. You see any team out there that really doesn’t have a great quarterback, they’re not doing well.”
Both Kelly and Marino admitted that the rivalry has lost steam in recent years.
“I’m sure Dan would be next in line to tell you that that rivalry, you want to continue to see it because it means so much. It’s not quite the rivalry it used to be back when Dan and I played but hopefully we can get it back to that standpoint,” said Kelly.
At the very least, Ontario’s NFL fans can rest assured that more Bills In Toronto games are on the way, with regular season and pre-season match-ups slated for the 2009-2010 season at the Rogers Centre. The financial success of the series could pave the way for more NFL games abroad in the future.
“I foresee more games internationally in the future, I just think that’s the way the league’s going,” said Marino.
Let’s just hope that the sequels live up to the hype.
