Archives for February 2004

‘Bills general manager Tom Donahoe said he spoke at least twice with Houston officials about Henson at the NFL’s Indianapolis Scouting Combine, which concludes today. Donahoe said he’d like to either bring Henson to Buffalo for more evaluation or go to him with the Texans’ permission.’

‘Suggestion to Bills general manager Tom Donahoe: Trade the No. 13 overall pick for a package of later picks, including one late in the first round. Send that pick to the Redskins for Ramsey, immediately name him starting QB and release Bledsoe (if he can’t be traded for at least a middle-round pick, and I wouldn’t count on that).’

The Buffalo Bills, seeking an eventual successor to Drew Bledsoe, would love to have Ramsey on board.

‘A quarterback to eventually replace Drew Bledsoe? A speed receiver or game-breaking tight end to give an offense that didn’t score a touchdown in seven games some firepower? A top-shelf center or guard to fortify the middle of a line that gave up an NFL-worst 51 sacks? A pass-rushing defensive end? A cornerback if free agent Antoine Winfield moves on? Fill any one of those needs and Buffalo’s a better team.’

‘”He hasn’t played in three years and it’s going to take him some time to get back in the swing,” Donahoe said. “But he’s big and he’s a good athlete and his arm was good enough. But it was a workout.”‘

‘It appears the Bills weren’t provided any third-party warranty by SRI. AstroPlay, comprised of synthetic blades of grass and crushed tires, has a lifespan of about eight years in extreme weather conditions like Buffalo’s and the surface needs a once-a-year grooming by a ride-on broom machine. The Bills selected AstroPlay over several similar systems, including industry leader FieldTurf. “We felt this was the best surface for us and we’re not second guessing our decision,” Donahoe said. “It might just cause some problems maintenance wise, but we’ll solve those. Our (maintenance) people can handle probably most of the jobs, but if something major were to happen, we’d probably have to go outside.”‘

‘Swinging a deal for Henson, who hasn’t played football in three years, will be tricky. As a draft pick last year by the Houston Texans, he’d have to be convinced to sign for sixth round money with some fancy contract inflating footwork, or face being returned to the draft.’

‘Donahoe made it clear that a trade is not imminent, but a deal is a definite possibility.’

‘Buffalo wants to develop a young quarterback behind Drew Bledsoe and general manager Tom Donahoe thinks Drew Henson could be the right one. But he still isn’t sure. Neither is anyone else.’

‘”We feel pretty good about where we stand in terms of the cap,” Bills President and General Manager Tom Donahoe said. “We did so much digging out the past several years, and it’s nice to be in position going into the offseason to have some flexibility in terms of the decisions we can make on our roster.”‘

‘Brown is due to receive a $1.8 million bonus if he’s on the roster the first day of the new NFL fiscal year, which is March 3. That would bring his total salary cap cost to the Bills to $5.8 million. That also includes a base salary of $2.7 million and past bonuses he received that are amortized over the life of his contract and count $1.33 million in 2004.’

‘If Henson’s rights can be obtained from the Houston Texans for a second-round choice, either this year or in 2005, then it may be worth the risk.’

‘That’s why the Bills can’t afford to trade for Henson, whose college career consisted of eight starts for the University of Michigan. It’s too risky. What they need to do is draft a quarterback in the second or third round and spend two years developing him for the post-Bledsoe seasons. It would be nice if he could also step in and hold the fort for four or five games in case of injury.’

‘Mularkey, who became head coach of the Buffalo Bills last month, wanted to hire Whisenhunt as his offensive coordinator in Buffalo this year. But Bills president Tom Donahoe pressed him to hire Tom Clements instead…’.

‘”It would be great,” Rivers said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Jim Ritcher was a great center up there, his son was my teammate at N.C. State, so I’ve heard some good things about the place. There’s really not a team that I don’t want to go to. But certainly Buffalo would be a great place, and you’ve got a great franchise and a great bunch of guys surrounding you.”‘