Archives for April 2005

‘The Bills don’t comment on undrafted free agents who haven’t signed contracts yet. The players the Bills have agreed in principle on contracts with will sign when they get to town.’

‘It was Donahoe’s job to get a deal done. He overplayed his hand. The draft is done and the market for running backs has been significantly weakened. At least for the time being, the Bills are stuck with Henry, a diminished asset who has demanded a trade and says he will not play in Buffalo again.’

‘”We’ve got to be careful with numbers because we can only sign so many guys. We might be talking to five receivers knowing we can only sign two so we say to all five, ‘Look, it’s really first-come, first served.’ As soon as we get a guy, we might be out of the market for a receiver. So it’s a hectic time, but it’s a fun time.”‘

‘At this juncture, it may be in Buffalo’s best interest to wait until summer when teams suffer training camp injuries and may be forced to find another back. That could give the Bills some negotiating leverage in a league now crawling with running backs.’

‘The Titans entered the picture over the weekend and were willing to give up a draft pick for Henry, but the Bills didn’t think it was a high enough pick. Fisher wouldn’t go into specifics about the talks.’

”’Usually, young quarterbacks get thrown in on bad teams and it complicates their adjustment period,” Donahoe said, following the draft. ”But J.P. has some good people around him. And hopefully, he won’t feel and the coaches won’t feel it’s all on his shoulders.”’

‘”I’m going to have to work hard to get a spot,” Ezekiel said Monday. “It’s pretty much a tryout for me. I have to prove myself all over again, which is fine with me.”‘

‘On selecting Preston in a large pool of potential centers: This is a guy that we’ve liked for a long time. We brought him in here to meet with our coaches after the combine and his personality and intelligence really impressed them.’

‘The Dallas Cowboys signed three former Bulldogs, kicker Brett Visintainer, tight end Duncan Reid and defensive end Claude Sanders. Tight end Stephen Spach joined the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles and cornerback Therrian Fontenot signed with the Buffalo Bills.’

‘Everett fits in with the latest trend in the NFL, a sleek, fast, pass catcher who can get open down field. Some scouts even compare him to Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers.’

‘"I think he has the ability to make big plays anytime he touches the ball," said Bills Head Coach Mike Mularkey. "It’s a rare thing when you can find a guy that has that kind of speed with the quicks."’

‘"The Bills made it real easy," Goldsberry said. "The situation to compete was better and they offered me significantly more money. It worked out that the Lord took care of me today."’

‘Tight end Brad Cieslak was picked up by the Buffalo Bills immediately after the draft. There was a chance to be drafted in the fifth round. "It worked out perfectly," said Cieslak. "They told me if that I was still available after the draft they would go after me. They told me that they were in need of a physical tight end who loves to play in the trenches." Cieslak won’t be alone in his journey to Buffalo as cornerback Rob Lee also signed with the team.’

‘A young quarterback needs to get the ball out of his hands quickly. With their first two picks, the Bills gave Losman a slot receiver and a tight end they think will be instant targets.’

‘Maybe, but it’s more likely the defense will fall off a bit and allow more yards and points. An improved offense will have to score more to compensate, which might be exactly what they have in mind.’