TORONTO - Israel Idonije will be looking to exorcise a few demons when he visits the Rogers Centre in November.
Idonije is expected to make just his second career appearance in Toronto when the Chicago Bears face the Buffalo Bills on Nov. 7. It will be Buffalo's third regular-season game at Rogers Centre in as many years and fifth of eight contests -- five regular season, three exhibition -- the NFL team will play in southern Ontario through the 2012 season.
Idonije can't wait for the opportunity to not only play an NFL game on Canadian soil but also do so in front of friends and family. And then there's the matter of trying to secure a win at Rogers Centre.
The six-foot-six, 270-pound defensive lineman, who grew up in Brandon, Man., made his only other Rogers Centre appearance in 2001 in the Vanier Cup with the Manitoba Bisons. But the Saint Mary's Huskies spoiled that visit, capturing the Canadian university football title with a lopsided 42-16 victory.
Still, Idonije, entering his eighth season with Chicago, says he has many positive memories of the venue.
"It was larger than life," he said during a conference call Wednesday. "It was an opportunity for us to play that game, it was for a national championship.
"Unfortunately we lost but the whole week of preparation for the Vanier Cup was an incredible experience."
But as excited as Idonije is about the prospect of playing an NFL game in Canada, he's expecting to be flooded with ticket requests from friends and family for the Bears' first-ever regular-season appearance on Canadian soil.
"Oh man, I'm going to have to cap it somewhere," he said with a chuckle.
Buffalo will make two appearances in Toronto this year, hosting the Indianapolis Colts in an exhibition game Aug. 19.
The contest versus Chicago will mark the first time an NFL regular-season contest will be played in Canada before the end of the CFL regular season. The 2010 CFL campaign ends that day with the Toronto Argonauts in Montreal to face the Alouettes.
The previous two years Buffalo played regular-season games in Toronto in December following the Grey Cup game so as to not conflict with the CFL.
Since the Rogers Centre roof is sealed for the winter by December, having an afternoon game in November means the Bills and Bears could meet under open skies.
"If it's a beautiful day, I'd love to have it (roof) open," said Bills first-year coach Chan Gailey. "If it's nasty, I hope it's closed."
But Rogers Centre hasn't exactly felt like home for Buffalo, which has dropped its previous two home games there. The club lost a 16-3 decision to Miami in December 2008 before losing 19-13 to the New York Jets in December 2009.
Gailey says the club wants to change that trend and he's not concerned about playing one less game before Buffalo's rabid football fans and at a venue that's often been called antiseptic and could sometimes be termed a neutral site.
"It probably is neutral a little bit at this point but we're hoping to change that, we're hoping to not make it neutral as time goes on," Gailey said. "I would like to see Toronto become as horrible a place to play in as Ralph Wilson Stadium is for visiting teams."
Adding insult to injury, neither game was a sellout as last year's contest drew just 51,567 fans after the '08 game versus Miami attracted 52,000-plus spectators in a facility with a seating capacity of 54,000 for football.
None of the three games -- Buffalo hosted Pittsburgh in a 2008 exhibition game -- in the series thus far has sold out.
And that's been a major disappointment for Rogers Communications, which paid $78 million to have Buffalo play the eight games here in an attempt to showcase Toronto as a viable home for a full-time NFL franchise.
When the Bills Toronto Series was first unveiled, it was done so with the expectation that southern Ontario football fans would clamour to Rogers Centre to watch Buffalo and pay just about any price to do so. But that hasn't been the case as fans have complained about extraordinarily high ticket prices -- especially for exhibition games when big-name players are on the field sparingly.
However, event organizers will offer a new combined pricing plan and new seating plan this year as well as reduce ticket prices in certain sections of Rogers Centre, including a $65 area.
Having Buffalo play games in Toronto did prompt much speculation the series was the first step in the franchise eventually relocating to southern Ontario. But Buffalo officials have vehemently stated the contests in Canada are part of the club's plan to expand its regional fanbase and tap into the lucrative Toronto marketplace.
Gailey said the NFL is all about strengthening its brand globally.
"We're in the business of continuing to expand our viewership and our fanbase and we're trying to do that all over the world," he said. "That's why they play a game in Europe once a year it seems like now.
"I think that's all part of what we're trying to do with the game and the game is so popular that we can do that. I'm old ... but I'm not so old-schooled that I don't realize the game is wildy popular and expanding the fan base is good."
Both the Bills and Bears are looking to end playoff droughts this year. Buffalo hasn't made the NFL post-season since 1999 while Chicago's last appearance came during the 2006 season, when it reached the Super Bowl before losing 29-17 to the Indianapolis Colts.
It's been a busy off-season for Chicago, which made a big splash early in free agency by signing defensive end Julius Peppers (six years, US$91.5 million), running back Chester Taylor (four years, $12.5 million) and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna (five years, $15 million. The Bears also signed Mike Martz as offensive co-ordinator while releasing veteran cornerback Nathan Vasher and tackle Orlando Pace.
The winds of change are also affecting Idonije, who will move to defensive end this season from tackle, a move Idonije isn't overly concerned about.
"I'm fortunate that I've had a taste of playing end in my career," he said. "I've pretty much played all the positions along the defensive line and I think I'm more naturally suited to the end spot so I'm excited."
