Archives for April 2004

‘For weekly gatherings Labatts Brewing Company has been a regular sponsor. They have provided the group with a live band for the Broncos pre-game party, tons of free hats, t-shirts, jerseys, bar mirrors, and other items that they use for weekly raffles and trivia contests.’

‘In a business where a 40 percent success rate is excellent, Modrak is noted for holding his own. In nine years as the Steelers college scouting director in the 1990s, Modrak helped select eight Pro Bowl players, including linebackers Levon Kirkland and Chad Brown, defensive tackle Joel Steed and offensive tackle Leon Searcy.’

‘We’ve been over what the Bills are likely looking for on draft day, but what about the rest of the division?’

‘”If it’s to our advantage to trade up, we’ll look at that,” Donahoe. “If it’s to our advantage to trade back, we’ll look at that as well. I don’t know that we ever go into a draft and say, ‘this is the plan’, other than the fact that we want to add some good football players to our team.”‘

‘The Bills retained Brown’s rights by tendering him a contract in February, but the player was free to negotiate with other teams until April 16.’

‘The Bills today announced that quarterback Travis Brown, a restricted free agent, has accepted his tender offer from the team. In accordance with club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.’

‘Donahoe emphasized, “I don’t think you can ever underestimate the adjustment a player has to make and that’s why we have to be more patient than you (media) do. We can be more patient because we live with these guys and we know the potential that they can get better.”‘

‘The Bills were bad enough last season to acquire a favorable draft position, but not bad enough to take the historically ill-advised gamble of selecting a QB from their spot on the board.’

‘Generally, Clements has been very good, Williams has been disappointing, and McGahee is a mystery. However, because of similar character descriptions between Flowers and McGahee, I will apply what I know about Flowers to McGahee.’

‘Mike Mularkey and Tom Donahoe are keeping an eye on the QB situation with Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers to develop behind Drew Bledsoe. At the same time, the Bills are interested in also building more talent around Bledsoe. Roy Williams would be very attractive at wide receiver if he remains on the board. On the defensive side of the ball, defensive ends Kenechi Udeze and Will Smith remain possibilities to upgrade their front four.’

‘The re-launch will take place this Thursday and feature vastly improved content, functionality, design, and exclusive contests. Visitors to the site will notice multiple top stories each day, more photos, audio and video of players, coaches and personnel, an interactive "view from your seat" map and a virtual tour of the stadium, and an improved message board for individuals to interact with Bills fans worldwide. The enhanced site will continue to serve as the best source for official team merchandise and tickets.’

‘WR Lee Evans – Washington

WR Rashaun Woods – Oklahoma State

QB Phillip Rivers – N.C. State’

‘It’s well known the Bills are looking to get a quarterback at some point in the draft. They probably would select one with the 13th pick if one of the Big Three – Eli Manning of Mississippi, Philip Rivers of North Carolina State and Ben Roethlisberger – falls to them. Assuming the San Diego Chargers don’t trade out of the No. 1 slot, they are expected to take Manning. After that, it’s anyone’s guess where Rivers and Roethlisberger will end up.’

‘”For me, personally, this is a lot more difficult than playing,” he said. “When I was playing, I could rely a lot on my natural athletic skills. This is all mental. You aren’t just measuring a guy’s strength and speed and intelligence, you’re also trying to measure his heart and project whether he will be able to contribute to your team down the road.”‘

”’What you think is a franchise (quarterback), we may not think is a franchise,” Donahoe said to reporters.’