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Takeo Nuts About Buffalo / Good Article
from the USAToday 4/1/2003
Buffalo takes a shine to Spikes
By Erik Brady, USA TODAY
When Drew Bledsoe arrived in Buffalo a year ago, he was welcomed with much fanfare and genuine warmth. It's easy to love a quarterback. When Takeo Spikes arrived in Buffalo last month, he did not get a marching band the way Bledsoe had. But Spikes has been astounded at the sustained greeting he has gotten in the weeks since he was signed as a free agent. Not every city loves its linebackers.
"It seems like everybody knows me," Spikes says. "The guy behind the ticket counter at the airlines. Baggage handlers. The people at Children's Hospital."
Spikes says it wasn't like that in five seasons in Cincinnati. "There is no comparison as far as which city has a bigger interest in football," Spikes says. "It's like comparing a peanut to a walnut."
Bills fans were nuts about Spikes even when he came to town as an opponent and soon-to-be free agent last December. "I saw all these people with No. 51 jerseys and they were saying, 'We love you. We need you.' "
The Bills need Takeo (tuh-KEE-oh) Spikes to upgrade their anemic run defense. His jersey has become the Bills' biggest seller in recent weeks; 85 are on back order. Which makes Buffalo a place where many people know your name — and some wear it on their backs.
"Buffalo is a pro football city with a college atmosphere," Spikes says.
Buffalo takes a shine to Spikes
By Erik Brady, USA TODAY
When Drew Bledsoe arrived in Buffalo a year ago, he was welcomed with much fanfare and genuine warmth. It's easy to love a quarterback. When Takeo Spikes arrived in Buffalo last month, he did not get a marching band the way Bledsoe had. But Spikes has been astounded at the sustained greeting he has gotten in the weeks since he was signed as a free agent. Not every city loves its linebackers.
"It seems like everybody knows me," Spikes says. "The guy behind the ticket counter at the airlines. Baggage handlers. The people at Children's Hospital."
Spikes says it wasn't like that in five seasons in Cincinnati. "There is no comparison as far as which city has a bigger interest in football," Spikes says. "It's like comparing a peanut to a walnut."
Bills fans were nuts about Spikes even when he came to town as an opponent and soon-to-be free agent last December. "I saw all these people with No. 51 jerseys and they were saying, 'We love you. We need you.' "
The Bills need Takeo (tuh-KEE-oh) Spikes to upgrade their anemic run defense. His jersey has become the Bills' biggest seller in recent weeks; 85 are on back order. Which makes Buffalo a place where many people know your name — and some wear it on their backs.
"Buffalo is a pro football city with a college atmosphere," Spikes says.
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