Buffalo Bills, Rogers Communications schedule Toronto series meeting

The Buffalo Bills and Rogers Communications will meet this month to discuss the future of the Bills in Toronto Series, per John Kryk of the Toronto Sun. While it isn't surprising that the two sides would have ongoing meetings set up on a regular basis, Kryk believes something else is afoot after Bills President Russ Brandon's comments over the last month.

"While the source would not say who called the meeting and why, nor what is on the agenda, it is more than possible -- probably likely -- that the purpose is to discuss the future of the disappointing series, which sees the Bills annually relocate one of their eight regular-season home games to Toronto's Rogers Centre," wrote Kryk on Friday.

Further complicating the report, a spokesman from the Bills denied a meeting was taking place. Brandon has spoken about the Toronto series twice in the last month. At the team's year-end press conference, Brandon said nothing had changed since his comments to a local radio station in early December.

"Look at it from the standpoint of where we've been this year on the ticket side. We've taken a game out of the market, which essentially is taking 70,000 seats out of the market, and have truly only sold out two of our home games," Brandon told WGR 550 in Buffalo December 3. "We've manufactured sellouts in the other four. We're trying to find ways to obviously keep this team viable, which we've done a very good job at, and this series has obviously contributed to that. With that being said, nothing comes above winning, to your point. When I took over the reins on January 1, I said that is the number one focus, and that will be the number one focus. And that's one of the reasons that this will be reviewed in a grand manner."

The series has five games - four annual regular season games and an unscheduled preseason game - remaining in the current deal signed just a year ago. It's an annual financial boon for the Bills, who make far more in one game in Toronto than in Buffalo and reduce their season-long ticket inventory. Ralph Wilson Stadium had many problems selling out in recent seasons, even with only seven home games.

In 2011, we wrote that the series needed to add another game - to the series to instill more ownership in the Toronto fans - or scrap the partnership all together. Now it looks like the majority of Bills fans might get their wish.