On the latest episode of Billieve: A Buffalo Bills Fan Podcast, host John Boccacino offers his take on whether the Buffalo Bills should pursue a new stadium or renovate New Era Field, breaks down several key positional battles heading into mandatory minicamp, and discusses who can fill the leadership void created by Kyle Williams’s retirement.
Our podcast starts off talking about the billion-dollar question: do the Buffalo Bills build a new stadium when their lease with Erie County for New Era Field expires in 2023, or should the team renovate New Era Field instead?
Completed in time for the start of the 1973 season, the facility now known as New Era Field—previously it was called Rich Stadium and Ralph Wilson Stadium—is currently the sixth oldest stadium in the league.
Only the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles Rams, 1923), Soldier Field (Chicago Bears, 1924), Lambeau Field (Green Bay Packers, 1957), the Oakland Coliseum (Oakland Raiders, 1966), and Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Chiefs, 1972) are older than New Era Field.
As much as fans love the ability to tailgate at New Era Field, and as affordable as it is to attend a Bills game (Buffalo ranks in the bottom five of the league with an average price of $68.18 for a season ticket), the rest of the league’s owners are clamoring for a new stadium to be built for the Bills.
So far, owners Kim and Terry Pegula have not been adamant about the need for a new stadium for the Bills. New stadiums for the Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, and Atlanta Falcons are running in excess of $2 billion, which would conservatively put the price tag on a new Bills stadium at $1 billion.
It’s clear the other NFL owners want Terry and Kim Pegula to go the new stadium route, which would mean added revenue for the franchise and for the other 31 owners, at the expense of costing average fans more money to cheer on the Bills.
Switching gears, with mandatory minicamp set to open Tuesday and run through Thursday, our podcast examined key positional battles that will unfold during the first mandatory practices and into training camp. Among the positions we explored: the No. 2 cornerback battle between Levi Wallace, Kevin Johnson, and E.J. Gaines; the No. 2 wide receiver battle between Zay Jones, Robert Foster, and Cole Beasley; the fight for the starting tight end job, which is now open thanks to another broken foot suffered by Tyler Kroft; and the jockeying for position along the rebuilt offensive line.
The podcast also identified several players who would be good candidates to step in and shoulder the leadership responsibilities previously held by Williams, who retired at the end of the 2018 season following a successful 13-year career in Buffalo.
What do you think, Bills fans? Do you want to see a new stadium, or would you prefer the Pegulas renovate New Era Field? What positional battles are you most excited to see unfold during mandatory minicamp? Who else will step up and fill the leadership void created by Kyle Williams’s retirement? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section, and check out our podcast for thoughts on these topics and more on the latest Billieve: A Buffalo Bills Fan Podcast.
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