November 11, 1990. Bills v. Phoenix Cardinals. This is considered the windiest game ever played at the now almost 50-year-old football stadium in Orchard Park. Cold with bitter wind gusts and snow squalls literally blew the Cardinals away as the Bills improved to 8-1 on their way to their first of four Superbowls. I was there. In the upper deck.
Last night was windy but not as bad as that Cardinals game. The Patriots were able to run the ball very effectively and the Bills were not. Simple as that as I see it. Now that the Bills have taken the long and much more difficult road to the NFL playoffs by practically ceding the division title last night to the Patriots, the high expectations with which they entered this season have now been officially grounded. A wildcard spot and a road playoff game are probably the best the team can hope for now and that will be difficult too with the logjam that is the AFC playoff race.
The game was close. Two trips to the red zone in the 4th quarter, into the wind, and they came away with no points. As with any close game, there were a few plays made (and not made) which could have changed the outcome but if I had to pick one, it would be the Damien Harris 64 yard touchdown run into the wind in the first quarter - followed by a two-point convert. Matt Jones threw the ball only three times. THREE TIMES! The Bills also tried the ground game which the weather conditions called for but abandoned it in the fourth quarter and came quite close to getting what could have been the winning touchdown but the Patriots strong redzone defence prevailed. For the 1990 Cardinals game, I'm glad I was there. For this one, I'm quite happy to have watched the game in comfort while tending my woodstove.
We're now down to the final game of three-down football with the 108th Grey Cup set for Tim Horton's Field in Hamilton on Sunday. The game is expected to be a sell-out but, with the stadium having a seating capacity of only 23,000, that isn't saying much. State Championship high school games in the US regularly draw more than that. But the East and West championship games were relatively well attended. I had to dig to find the attendance numbers but finally did. The Argos, with plenty of help from fans coming up the QEW from Hamilton, broke the 20,000 mark (attendance was 21,492) for the first time this season after averaging just 8,600 in the regular season. In Winnipeg, the Bombers drew just over 31,000 which was about 2,000 short of a sell-out. Not bad overall considering that the league did not play a single down in 2020. In Laval, the Vanier Cup drew only 5,600 in minus 11 weather. Not too surprising that few in the Montreal area would come out to see the Western Mustangs, a team from London, ON, play against the Regina-based Saskatchewan Huskies. Western won its 8th Championship which is second only to the Laval Rouge et Or with 10.
A recent survey of Canadian sports fans asked them, among other things, how they viewed the possibility of the NFL coming to Canada. 55% did not feel strongly about it either way but a surprising percentage (to me anyway) were in favour of it only if the CFL survived as well. Nationally, about 21% of us say that we follow the CFL - almost exactly the same number as those who say that they follow the NFL. The main point of differentiation (not surprisingly) is that CFL fans skew considerably to the 55+ age group. Hockey and the NHL lead the way with 38% saying that they follow it. The Grey Cup has always been a big television draw in Canada with audiences often topping four million. This year's game will probably fall short of that number but I'll be tuning in for at least some of it. Kick-off is at 6pm but the Bills play at Tampa at 4.25pm so I'll likely not see much of the first half. I continue to feel a sentimental attachment to the CFL which is largely based on my dad's life-long interest in it and his support of the Argos. Before he died, on any summer or fall afternoon, if I turned on the television and told him that there was a CFL game on, he would sit down and watch it with me. Because of my keen interest, he became a Bills fan of sorts but he never cared much for American football. He loved the joke about the "Argo play book" which consisted of only three plays: a first down run for two yards, a second down incomplete pass and a third down punt.
Having attended one game at the Big House in 2003 (along with 112,000 others), I have since been a casual to semi-serious fan of the Michigan Wolverines. With 24 years having passed since its last National Championship, the Jim Harbaugh coached team has made it to the four-team playoff for the first time since the format began in 2014. They will face the Georgia Bulldogs on New Year's Eve in the Orange Bowl with a chance to face the winner of the Alabama v. Cincinnati game which is this year's Cotton Bowl. The National Championship game will be played in Indianapolis on Monday January 10th.
The Bills now travel to Tampa on a short week where at least they should be able to pass the ball the way they want to but they will face the defending champs who look fully capable of winning another title. At some point, the Bills will need to figure out a running game.
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