Hello all,

Quiet off-season so far. The Bills are rounding out their coaching staff and yesterday hired Sam Wyche as QB coach. We all remember that Wyche was the head coach of the Bengals team that beat us in the AFC championship game back before our Super Bowl run. He has coached the likes of Joe Montana and Boomer Esiason, so he should work wonders for Drew Bledsoe.

When I had my meetings at One Bills Drive over Christmas, the Bills said that they were very impressed with our group and how big it has grown in just two years. They have decided that the Backers around the country are a resource that needs to be tapped, and NYCBBB is going to be the test subject for what they do with the rest of the country’s Bills fans.

We have put together a survey which I will send in 2 parts over the next few weeks. The first will be from the Bills main office, the second will be from us. I know, you’re all yelling at your screen right now because we all hate surveys, but I assure you it will do wonders for us if you answer them. Just hit reply and write your answers under the questions, or just write me a few lines summarizing your answers. I will send the first one after this email.

Brooklyn
I am moving from Manhattan to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn this week. I will miss the 5-minute commute to work, but will enjoy the 5-minute commute to the golf course!

— Matt ‘talkin proud and becoming a Brooklyn Boy” Kabel

How do you feel about a weekend trip to Buffalo for a Bills game? Would you prefer a: a) A weekend bus trip and b) a weekend airplane trip

Would you prefer a a) one day – to the extent that you could fly in the early AM and fly out after the game or B) two day – Sat – Sun. or C) three day- whole weekend.

How would you like to communicate with the Buffalo Bills – as part of the Bills Backers Chapter membership, what else would you like to receive from the Bills?

Would you be interested in buying Bills Backers merchandise? If so, what kind of items would you like?

How do you get information on the Bills?
Newspapers websites TV/radio

Do you visit buffalobills.com on a regular basis?
Not much sometimes regularly

How do you rate the Bills Backers section?
Not good good very good excellent

Have you seen the Bills Digest newspaper?
Yes no

Would you subscribe to Bills Digest to get your team news?
Yes no

— Matt ‘talkin proud and survey #1 is all over with’ Kabel

Hello NYC Bills fans!

Happy New Year to you all, I hope everybody had a wonderful holiday season! Are you enjoying this cold burst of air? Looks like 6 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow! I HATE hearing these wimpy New Yorkers talk about the snow and cold like its Alaska!

New Head Coach
All broadcast reports say that the Bills will name Mike Mularkey (fun name huh?) the new head coach of the team. He had been the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers and is considered one of the brighter offensive minds in the league. He was reportedly offered the job late last night after an all day interview in Detroit with Ralph Wilson. He won out over Charlie Weis and Dick Jauron as Tom Donahoe chose a familiar face after an exhaustive search. Mularkey got the job based on his offensive views. Not sure how I feel about this hire, we AGAIN have to go through the learning curve of a rookie coach, and the Steelers offense wasn’t too impressive this past year. Rumors say Mularkey will bring in Offensive Line coach Jim McNally, who is supposed to be the best in the league, and also a Buffalo native! Dick LeBeau is rumored to be named Defensive Coordinator, and Pitt QB coach Tom Clements to be named Offensive Coordinator. We’ll be sure to keep you updated!

Please check www.billsdaily.com for news throughout the day/week!

Save-the-Date
The NFL draft will occur on April 24th at Madison Square Garden. NYCBBB will hold its 3rd Annual Draft Party at McFadden’s, so please mark the date on your calendar!

Vote for a member
One of our members, Ryan Shepard, who lives in Rochester but will be moving here in July, has been selected as a finalist in Coca-Cola’s NFL Deputy Commissioner of NFL Tailgating.

How is everybody doing out there? I was upstate for New Years and went to a beer distributor. They actually had 6-pack bottles of Genny Light! It was great!

— Matt “talkin proud and think this new head coach may smell of mularkey!” Kabel

Hello all!!!

GREAT NEWS!!! GREGG WILLIAMS HAS BEEN RELEASED AS HEAD COACH OF THE BUFFALO BILLS!!! It was announced yesterday in a press conference and Bills GM Tom Donahoe has said money is not an issue in hiring the best possible new head coach. We will keep you updated throughout the off-season. Please visit www.BillsDaily.com for complete coverage.

Buffalo
So I went to the Bills-Dolphins game last week which was ugly and I won’t talk about. However, the Bills invited me to attend the 2003 Bills Awards Ceremony the following day at the Sheraton Hotel. Players such as Travis Henry, Pat Williams, Coy Wire and Brian Moorman were in attendance, as well as Tom Donahoe and owner Ralph Wilson. At the start of the program they made me stand up and they talked about our club to the 2-300 people in attendance, which officially put us on the map with the organization and got a loud applause. I also got to meet Tom Donahoe and he congratulated us on starting such a great group here in NYC.

Afterwards, the Bills invited me back to the stadium (after I stopped by the new Duffs in Orchard Park and tried their wings which were really good!) and I got a tour of the facility, including the weight room, locker room, media room, and the practice facility. I even had them take a picture of me in front of Travis Henry and Willis McGahee’s lockers, which were ironically next to each other. It was funny walking around and seeing players walk by like it was a regular office. I never realized how big Drew Bledsoe is, he’s a monster!

Anyways, the Bills and I discussed building a better relationship between the team and our group, which is now the biggest in the world and still growing! One idea is organizing a trip for us to Buffalo and doing a weekend there, incuding a tour similar to what I got, which was really cool! We will keep you updated, and feel free to give us your suggestions.

Drew Bledsoe Special
Well, Matt Soreco said the Drew Bledsoe special aired on CBS, but didn’t include us. I’m speechless. What can I say?

Garbage Plate
My brother-in-law in Rochester took me out for my first garbage plate the other night. Those of you from Rochester should know exactly what this is. I can say that after several drinks, it tasted like heaven. How would you guys feel about having a garbage plate at McFadden’s?

OK….I am back in the office for 2 days then out again, so I am still in vacation mode with not much to do. Send me some emails…tell me about garbage plates, your Christmas experiences, how much you love McFadden’s on Sundays, what you’d like to see us do! ENTERTAIN ME!!!

— Matt “talkin proud and returned to NYC with plenty of Chivettas BBQ Marinade” Kabel

Hello Bills fans!

Sorry, couldn’t get rid of me just yet!

It looks like Pat Williams is going to receive the Tops Bills Game Ball of the Week for his performance in yesterday’s game.

I remembered last year that he and Coy Wire came in second place when we were picking players to interview (Josh Reed won), so I contacted the Bills and asked if our members could ask Pat some questions this week. They said yes!

So, please email me your questions for Pat with your name and where you are emailing from and I’ll forward them onto him and he’ll answer them by the end of the week!

— Matt “talkin proud and going to ask Big Pat some questions!” Kabel

Hello all 650 NYC Bills fans,

Well, what can I say? A season that had so much promise is now over, as the Bills were eliminated from the playoff race by 2 points. Len Pasquarelli of ESPN just reported that Gregg Williams will be fired after the New England game. Looks like some more big changes will be occurring within our organization in two weeks and the list of candidates for Gregg’s job is being built. Looks like Tom Coughlin and Jim Haslett are front runners.

Jevon Kearse, Terrell Owens, Ty Law, Champ Baily…these are some free agents who could be wearing red, white and blue next season. We should also expect to see Willis McGhee get some playing time the next two weeks. Its going to be another long, but hopefully exciting off-season!

All I want for Christmas is to knock the Dolphins out of the playoffs, and I’ll sleep better through the off-season.

Due Praise
I must offer due praise to the over 220 Bills fans who showed up to McFadden’s yesterday, it was great to see most of the regulars there and a lot of new faces. Thanks to all who showed up!

Matt Soreco, in charge
Well, I will be on a plane to Western New York this Saturday. I’ll be attending the Dolphins/Bills game and then remaining in WNY for the Pats game. This means good ol’ Matt Soreco will be leading the charge at McFadden’s for the rest of the season while I am re-visiting my roots in Orchard Park and spending time with my nephew and other family members in Rochester.

So long…

So, thank you Bills fans for making McFadden’s such a great place to hang out at to watch Bills games this season, what a roller coaster ride of emotions. And thanks to the 300 new members that signed up this fall. It wouldn’t be possible without all of you. I’ll see you guys at McFadden’s for the draft party!

— Matt “Talkin proud and will love the Bills and Buffalo til the day I die” Kabel

Hello all,

Just another reminder, the Bills play the Titans in a must-win game on Sunday at 1pm and it is NOT on local television.

I am rather excited for this as some members of the Galvin family will be there. They are the family I grew up next to in Orchard Park, and are 100% responsible for making me a Bills fan as I used to watch every game at their house and tailgate with them. I must offer them this due praise as Sundays at McFadden’s is basically a model of their family room!

Vincent Gallo
Well, I’ve traded some emails with Vincent Gallo about his Page 6 comments in the NY Post (sorry!) yesterday. It seems the root of his anger is from Buffalo trashing his hit movie “Buffalo 66” and the unfair treatment his sister has received from the Buffalo Court system, among other things although he won’t admit it out-right. I hold no bad feelings for Mr. Gallo as he is from Buffalo, so he has every right to criticize it. He’s somebody who is bitter towards the city, but if turned around could have a great positive impact on Buffalo.

Well, today is the HSS Holiday Party! As always, I have brought in egg nog and brandy and will be distributing it to my fellow Christmas drunks around the hospital!

— Matt “talkin proud and going to chug egg nog and brandy” Kabel

Hello all,

Well, the Daily News is nothing but BAD news for us Buffalonians. Member Paplo deRosas just sent me this article in today’s Daily News about Vincent Gallo, our native director (Buffalo ’66), trashing Buffalo.

DIRECTOR RAGES AT HOME TOWN
VINCENT Gallo has no kind words for his snow-swept hometown of Buffalo, N.Y. – which he immortalized in the 1998 movie “Buffalo 66.”

“It’s ridiculous, inbred, like ‘Deliverance’ with smokestacks,” said the indie icon. “I take a [bleep] on the city.” He has reason to be angry. Gallo’s sister Janine, a local convenience store owner, is serving six months in jail – merely for trying to help a minor who asked her for protection against an abusive father, she claims.

When the girl visited Janine at her store and complained of severe physical abuse, she found a sympathetic ear. Others in the neighborhood corroborated the allegations, claiming that the girl had been spotted numerous times barefoot and crying in Buffalo’s freezing weather.

Janine filed a report with social services – which backfired. The youth’s family took out a restraining order against Janine, barring her from talking to their daughter and launched a smear campaign insinuating she was interested sexually in the teen. The girl continued to phone Janine, who eventually took her calls, thus violating the restraining order. She was charged with contempt and with trespassing after she visited the girl’s high school on an unrelated errand. Janine pleaded guilty to three counts of misdemeanors and received the maximum jail sentence.

Said Vincent, “My sister is an incredibly likable and popular and generous person. What’s she supposed to do when the girl calls her hysterically crying?”

A group of locals picketed, vandalized and destroyed her store, while others in the community rallied around her in support. Though jail time is generally shortened for first-time nonviolent offenses, Judge Frank Caruso was not lenient with Janine; she remains behind bars.

Said her brother, who has done extensive volunteer work with prison inmates, “I’ve never heard anybody having this rough a time. They’re treating her especially badly because of these completely false allegations that she is a sexual predator. If you reach out to abused children in America, be careful.”

The embittered actor has hired a lawyer, but, “Nothing is reasonable in Buffalo. I’m used to doing business in New York and Los Angeles – it’s coming back to me why I put my thumb up on the Interstate when I was 15.”

— Matt “takin proud even if Vincent Gallo isn’t” Kabel

Hello all,

Well well well…the Bills are on a two game winning streak for the first time since the start of the season. 3 more wins and there is a chance we’ll see our boys in the post-season! The Bills head to Nashville this weekend to take on the Titans, Sunday at 1pm.

Now, as the other Matt said, turnout was very low last weekend, lower than last season’s finale against the Bengals. We’re Buffalonians, so snow is not an excuse. Also, there were several Jets fans in attendance for the game, who expressed interest in making McFadden’s a Jets bar because “we are on their turf.” I think you see where I am going with this. Don’t be fair-weathered fans (like Jets and Dolphin fans). This will also be my last weekend at McFadden’s for the regular season, I will be in WNY for the last two games, so swing by and say good-bye!

Coaching
There is a good article on BillsDaily about the probability that Gregg Williams will be back next year.
http://www.billsdaily.com/articles/chenelly/musing.shtml

Revenge
So Matt Soreco enjoys sending my High School picture out to 650 people. All I can say is payback’s a bitch. You’re going down Soreco!

— Matt “talkin proud and hoping my fellow fans aren’t fair weathered!” Kabel

Hello all 650 Bills fans!

Repeat after me – THE BILLS ARE STILL IN THIS….THE BILLS….ARE STILL IN THIS. Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills. We’ll be taking on the New Jersey Jets, and we owe them a little payback for the blowout most of us saw in person a few weeks ago. We also owe them for Chad Morton’s kickoff return that lost us the game last year. Ha, we only had 20 members in NYCBBB when that happened! The game starts at 4:15 and the special starts at 2 and ends after the game.

Everybody ready for a snow storm today?? I can’t wait for it to start snowing!!

Lazy Man’s Christmas
Coy Wire’s father, Rick, was at NYCBBB’s tailgate last weekend. Ends up that Coy is throwing a fundraiser in Buffalo that sounds like its going to be a blast! The event is called “Lazy Man’s Christmas” and will be held on Monday, December 22nd at Callahans in Hamburg. Ruben Brown is going to do his WGR55 show live from the bar and Coy, Jim Kelly, Rob Ray, the Buffalo Jills, and other sports celebrities will be there. The event will run from 6-9pm with an auction taking place. There will be a cover charge (around $10?) with a cash bar. Sounds like a blast and yours truly will probably make the attempt to be there. I’ll get more details for you soon.

Joe Mesi
Well, Joe Mesi will be boxing at MSG tomorrow. I have placed many calls to his people, but they have done a poor job at returning my calls and have made little effort to get us fans to the match. I hear $54 tix remain, but I’m not sure if I’ll be going or not. Feel free to post on our message board (which has been increasing in traffic!) if you want to meet up with other Buffalonians.

Bills Daily
I’d like to announce that www.BillsDaily.com is now the OFFICIAL Buffalo Bills news source of NYCBBB. Steve Saslow, who runs the site, is a member who lives in the area and runs a great Bills news site. Please check it out! We hope to work out a way to give you breaking Bills news in the off-season. Details to come.

Christmas music on the radio, decorations up in the city, people are happier…GOD I LOVE THIS TIME OF THE YEAR!!!

J…E…T…S
SUCK SUCK SUCK!!!!!!!!

— Matt “talkin proud and…oh my god….IT JUST STARTED SNOWING!!!!!!!!!! WHAT GREAT TIMING!!! THIS IS GREAT!!!!” Kabel