Archives for February 2005

‘Hunter Kelly has defied the expectations. There’s little doubt that the extremely high level of care he receives has helped him live a longer and fuller life. “I stand in awe that he’s going to be 8,” said his mother, Jill Kelly. “He wasn’t supposed to be 8. He wasn’t supposed to even be 2. He wasn’t supposed to hold his head up by himself. He wasn’t supposed to be able to blink for yes.’

‘According to several league sources, the Bills want to hand J.P. Losman, their first-round pick in 2004, the starting QB job. Bledsoe, 33, would not be interested in the backup role, two sources close to him were reported to have said.’

‘There are a few skeptics in the locker room about whether second-year QB J.P. Losman is ready to replace Drew Bledsoe as the leader of the offense. Players don’t question Losman’s talent. They just wonder if Losman’s feel for reading defenses and decision-making can match his physical skills in his first year as a starter.’

‘Buffalo’s four Pro Bowl representatives played a large role in AFC’s 38-27 victory over the NFC on Sunday.’

‘According to a source in Bills management, Bledsoe was informed last week that he was out as the starting quarterback for 2005. General manager Terry Donahoe told Bledsoe that J.P. Losman, who will enter his second season in the fall, would be the No. 1 quarterback. Bledsoe was offered the opportunity to remain with the team as a backup, which would have meant forgoing a $1 million bonus in March and cutting his salary from $3.3 million to about $1.5 million. Bledsoe refused the request, saying he wanted to be a starter. He asked the Bills to cut him soon and allow him to become a free agent. The Bills said they would honor his request and probably release him in the next two weeks.’

‘The Buffalo Bills are likely to part ways with quarterback Drew Bledsoe by the end of the month.’

‘April’s units ranked among the top five in three of the four main special teams categories. The Bills were second in kickoff return average and fifth in punt return average. The kickoff coverage unit ranked second in average yards allowed. The punt coverage unit ranked 13th in net punting average.’

”’We could’ve packed it in after that first loss,” Reed said. ”But we came to camp the next year with the same goal. And after every Super Bowl loss that followed, we did the same thing. It really speaks to the kind of team we were and the kind of coaching we had. We never gave up on that dream.”’

‘If you want to know the secret of the New England Patriots, consider safety Lawyer Milloy and linebacker Tedy Bruschi.’

‘According to the report, Moulds, who signed the richest contract in team history in 2001, was scheduled to get a $5.5 million base salary and $1 million bonus next season. Under his new deal, the nine-year veteran will get the the same amount in 2005 – except $1.5 million will be in salary and $5 million will be part of the bonus. Since the bonus can be spread out over the life of the deal, Moulds’ cap number is expected to drop from $8.6 million to $5.16 million in 2005.’

‘The agreement is for three years and keeps Moulds under contract through 2007. His old pact was to run out in 2006, but his salary cap numbers were going to be costly in 2005 and exorbitant in 2006.’

‘Wide receiver Eric Moulds agreed to restructure his contract – the details are expected to be finalized in the next few days – and that maneuver should create an extra $2 million in salary cap room, meaning the Bills would be approximately $12 million under the cap.’

‘The decision has essentially already been made by Bills officials, several sources told ESPN.com, that Losman, who missed much of his rookie season recovering from a broken leg suffered in training camp, will be the starter in 2005. In fact, it is believed that Buffalo officials have apprised Drew Bledsoe of the plan to elevate the former Tulane star to the top of the depth chart and are giving the 12-year veteran some time to consider the ramifications of the move, and to determine if he wants to return to the Bills as the backup.’

‘Defensive end Bruce Smith was selected for the Pro Bowl 11 times with the Bills, the most by any player in team history.’

‘There are too many teams in dire need of Bledsoe’s veteran play, and unlike many people think he can turn around a team. He still has the tendency to hold onto the football too long, but when he is playing his game he is one of the top ten quarterbacks in the league. His deep ball is still there, and we all saw that in the second half of the season for the Bills, when rookie receiver Josh Reed started filling up the stat column.’