December 1- Todd Ricotta is the latest person to be interviewed by FrontPage staff. We sat down with Todd hours after his team won the 2008 Lorne Sundby Cup. The pride on his face was never more evident then when we brought up the subject of how Randy Williamson and Jeff Allen performed in the playoffs.

What an incredible year for the Bills. Everything seemed to click with Williamson and Allen. They have always been a great tandem, but 2008 was something special. Are you irritated at all that neither of them won the Bing Bennett MVP Award? I hear that one of the SportsWriters didn't even give Allen a 2nd nor a third place vote, possibly costing Allen the MVP.

I'm just as happy for Randy really as I am for Jeff, if not more so. You have to think back 4 years to when Randy took alot of criticism after getting an $11+ million contract during the 2005 off-season. He had a less than spectacular year in 2005, his first in Buffalo, throwing just one more touchdown than interceptions that year and completing less than half of his passes. The team struggled too that year missing the playoffs for the first time in several years. But Randy got through a difficult offseason and really responded well, leading the league in QB rating during 2006. Randy threw the ball 475 times in 2007, quite a few attempts considering most of our games were put away early that year, and we had a very strong offensive year. So, we decided to give Randy complete control of the offense this year. Not surprisingly, he threw the ball 522 times and had a great season. As for Jeff, I felt for him because he didn't get the individual recognition we in the Bills organization believe he deserved, and I think he felt snubbed a bit too. He made his "point" though by coming up big in the playoffs, and I think if he had it to do over again he'd seek the same outcome.


What does losing Jeff Allen to retirement mean to you guys. What he did last season was simply amazing. I highly doubt we will ever again see a WR come close to 3,000 all-purpose yards.

Jeff doesn't realize it but we were within inches of trading him before last season started in exchange for a future draft pick. Mark and I spent some time reviewing our WR situation and believed we might have been ok had we given Corey (Price) a shot at the #3 spot this past season. But we noticed something special starting to take root during the 2007 season when Jeff had 80 grabs for over 1,300 yards to lead the league, and we decided to see if Randy and Jeff could build upon that this past season. Perhaps what is most impressive about Jeff's season, beyond the return yards he amassed, was that Jeff only caught 7 more balls this year than last, yet he gained nearly 2,000 yards in receiving. He worked hard on his agility during the offseason and it freed him up a bit more to get some yards after the catch. He had a very special year and decided to leave on top...I can respect that. A huge loss indeed, but I'm not going to say the season he had will never be duplicated. We pay special attention to young WR talent, and we have a solid group of receivers in this organization who are anxious to make their mark. I heard Troy (Clark) tell Corey the other day that he was going to eclipse 2,000 yards in 2009. I looked at Rafael (Gann) and he just shook his head. It will be a fun season coming up.


You've been in the USAFL for so long, tell us about how the league has changed over the years and what you think about the current version.

Man has it ever changed...first thing that comes to mind is the quality of the League's website and promotional activities. Mr. Lewis has done a terrific job selling the game, and everything you see and hear about the league validates my point. I do miss the stadium management and revenue sharing, and often times miss the scouting combine the league used to run each off-season, but to be frank...this version is the best version of the league as I've known it. It's truly remarkable when you look back at the almost 40 seasons of growth and prosperity. There is just something about the USAFL....we have the formula and we just keep evolving it.


You mentioned the new Offensive and Defensive schemes (hopefully LOL) that we will be implementing in 2010. You did an outstanding job designing that exclusively for the USAFL. Tell us how you think this will effect the league.

I really believe the play sets will take the league to the next level. GMs will actually be able to make personnel decisions in accordance with their system, and vice versa. It will be interesting to watch how GMs react to having 6 offensive and 3 defensive systems that are essentially equal in effectiveness. Will the fiscal constraints in affording a solid defensive line give teams pause to consider running a historically less-than-popular 3-4 scheme? Will teams air it out given the recent success of the Bills' high-powered attack and find favor in the Spread and K-Gun offenses? These are questions that will in time be answered, and in time add to the mystique of the USAFL. I'm looking forward to it.


In your opinion, what has been your three greatest moments in the USAFL. To either you personally or to the whole league in general.

That's an easy one... :)

3. Getting an e-mail on July 24, 1998 letting me know that the League had an opening for me with the Bills
2. Getting the e-mail on April 15, 1999 that the league was making a comeback for a 2nd run to greatness
1. Getting the e-mail on May 16, 2001 that the league was making a comeback for a 3rd run to greatness


Two seasons ago, Commissioner Andrew Lewis approached you about becoming the Off-Season Commissioner, replacing the then retiring Mike Breeden. Take us back to that time. What was that like for you, after being a General Manager in this league for so many years, to be finally called upon to take over a prominent leadership position.

An incredible feeling...I've admired the vision of this league for so long, and to now be a part of the league's rich history and have a chance to play a role in shaping its bright future is such an honor. Having been identified as a candidate from the current leadership is the most gratifying of all.


Alot has been said about your FBPRO expertise. Just how many leagues have you been in. Are you currently involved in any other leagues?

I've been in probably about 15 different leagues and I'm entering my 7th year of on-line FBPRO gaming. I started back on CompuServe using FBPRO95 shortly after it was released, having already used and abused the first 2 Dynamix versions of the game. I'm currently in the USAFL, PNFL (Buffalo Bills), CSFL (Tokyo Dragons) and CFA (Miami Hurricanes). With the exception of the USAFL and the PNFL, which is a commissioner-sim VPNFL league, all of my league experience has been in custom play leagues. I've kept track of my records in these leagues and I'm approaching the 300 win mark - something I'm rather proud of honestly. Not counting this recent championship, I've won league titles 7 times and just wrapped up a 58 game winning streak in the CFA with a tough loss on the road. I got back on track the next week and then lost again the week after! I suppose you really are as good as your last game, huh?


How did you first come upon the USAFL? Did you find it through a search engine, or were you refered by a friend? (I forgot)

Actually, I came across it using a league search engine that the USAFL registered with on FBPRO.COM. Mike Manuel was the Director of GM Facilitation at the time and after contacting the league he sent me an e-mail on July 1, 1998 asking if I wanted to be placed on the league waiting list...I still have that e-mail! Then, after the longest 3 weeks of my life passed by I got the "call" from Mike letting me know Buffalo was mine if I wanted it - been the GM of the Bills ever since. Growing up in Niagara Falls, NY and being a Bills fan for so long makes it extra special to be the team's GM.


Here's some trivia for you - do you remember the name of your Stadium, back when we built stadiums in the USAFL?

Too much trivia for me, maybe the naming of stadiums was before my time?

Wrong Answer Todd. You were in the league we had stadiums, revenue, and attendance figures. Your stadium was called Stampede Stadium - it seated 36,525.


You are sitting with a friend at a restaurant and he asks you about the USAFL, how do you describe it?

ADDICTING!