Blame Canada

Rumors are circulating that Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the National Football League, will announce plans on February 1st that the Buffalo Bills will play eight games in Toronto's Rogers Centre over the next five years, starting in 2008.

O, Canada.

Don't get me wrong; I've respected the decisions made by Goodell on punishment for players who were out of line. I've respected his stance on dismantling NFL Europe. This new move, on the other hand, makes me want to rip the hair out of my head.

The Buffalo Bills are a staple of the City of Buffalo. Since their inception on October 28, 1959, Buffalonians have embraced the team in their arms. Through the glory days of their two AFL Championships to the horror of "wide-right," Buffalo loves this team.

So why are we playing in Toronto, eh?

I don't want to hear the garbage from anyone that the Bills need a fan base boost, because that's a bunch of Mularkey. In the 2007 season, all eight home games in Buffalo were sold out. If Canadian fans wanted to see the Bills, it's not that difficult, with Buffalo being right across Lake Erie. The Bills, while not necessary, even offer "Canada Day" at one regular season home game every year where the Canadian Bills fans come and terrorize Ralph Wilson Stadium.

So what's the problem?

While Roger Goodell's intentions are to make the rest of the world love the NFL like it embraces soccer, he's going about it the wrong way. While Toronto would be a fantastic market to milk, why do that to a team that is supported by a city every year, no matter how sub-par the team might be?

Granted, it's not officially being said that the Bills are moving to Toronto, but like any normal person, I can read between the lines. Like the many that believe the Minnesota Vikings might move to Los Angeles, I truly feel in my gut that the Buffalo Bills are going to be packing up overnight like the Cleveland Browns and leave Orchard Park for the great north once Ralph Wilson passes away.

So what can be done to stop this?

Ralph doesn't need to sell the team to anyone with interests with moving the team. Hopefully billionaires around Buffalo will join together, along with Bills favorites like Jim Kelly, and purchase the team and keep them here. If NFL rules would change and allow the Bills to be owned by the fans like the Green Bay Packers are, I can guarantee that the City of Buffalo would pay to keep the team here.

If the Bills end up in Toronto, it will be poison to the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, and possibly the CFL as a whole. The long-term survival of the league would diminish as its big brother moved into town and was put into the spotlight.

If Roger Goodell is seriously considering having a market in Toronto, why not work on having the CFL merge with the NFL? The eight-team league could easily blend into the current eight divisions in which the NFL consists. While realignment could occur to make the divisions more sensible, I believe it would be a win-win situation for both the CFL and the NFL. The CFL is actually starting to grow and gain attention in Canada, and if the NFL could jump onboard, it would make the NFL even more of a superpower than it already is.

Commissioner Goodell, I beg of you, keep the Bills in Buffalo. While you might make some of the five million people in the Toronto metro area happy campers, you will destroy many of the 1.25 million people in Western New York who have devoted their hearts, souls, and wallets to this franchise. We've gone through this scare before with the Sabres and we came out winners. We can hope for the best for our Buffalo Bills. It's our team -- let's keep it that way.

When all is said and done, can you honestly stand hearing Chris Berman say, "Nobody circles the wagons like the Toronto Bills!?" I can't.