Ralph Wilson to Bills Fans: 'Don't Worry. Don't Worry Right Now'

You have to give it to the Buffalo Bills' owner Ralph Wilson ... one way or another. At the news conference to announce that the Bills will play eight home games in Toronto over the next five years, he tried his best to keep the citizens of Buffalo from fretting that this is the beginning of an eventual relocation:

"What am I going to say to the fans of Buffalo?" Wilson asked in response to a question. "I'm going to say, 'Hey, I can't speculate. I can't speculate what's going to happen in the future. But don't worry. Don't worry right now.'"

Well, that should put everyone at ease. When Wilson was asked if this move was leading to the relocation of the team to Toronto, he rationalized, "Buffalo is dwindling in population, in jobs. People don't have jobs, and they move out of Buffalo, they move out of Western New York" (you can read the long, rambling statement here).

I see what he's trying to convey to fans. Buffalo is getting smaller and it has gotten harder to be economically viable in today's NFL. Bringing in the Toronto and southern Ontario market does make sense and it isn't like the NFL hasn't seen a team split home sites during a season. The Green Bay Packers played some home games in Milwaukee until 1994.

Still, the writing is on the wall. Wilson has long been one of the so-called "small market" owners who tends to object to most of the league's business, since he feels it prices him out. It doesn't help that the Toronto side of this deal is hungry for an NFL team and that Wilson thinks it's ready:

"I can answer that in the affirmative," Wilson said. "Just driving in from the airport and seeing all the buildings, all the construction that's going on here in Toronto. I guess I've been told it's the fifth-largest town in North America. It reminds me of my trip to Dallas a few months ago. There's building in Dallas, Texas, everywhere. Cranes, brand-new structures, and I see the same thing here in Toronto. I'm going to answer that in the affirmative."