Archives for July 17, 2005

‘How refreshing that somehow, someway, the Bills have steered clear of trouble, avoided the courts, done their home city proud. Just look around the league. Upstanding behavior isn’t something that should be taken for granted.’

‘The Bills hit their bye week and midseason with a 5-3 record, which includes a 2-2 road mark. They won only one of three AFC East games, but the playoffs seem well within reach.’

‘But a league source said Jacksonville hadn’t heard from the Bills in days despite repeated attempts to contact them. Jacksonville wanted Henry so badly it might have given up a second-rounder if given a chance to make a counter offer, the source said.’

‘Wilson, who went undrafted after a solid career at Arkansas, already has seen that dark side of his fledgling career. So given another opportunity to stick with an NFL franchise, he understands what’s at stake when he reports to the Buffalo Bills training camp later this month. “You don’t know if or when the next opportunity is going to come,” Wilson said. “You work out with the hopes of another opportunity, even though the opportunity may never come. So you just try to find your niche and find a home.”‘

‘In making the deal for Henry, Tennessee not only will strengthen its own lineup but also will keep a division rival from doing the same. According to the ESPN.com report, Jacksonville already had agreed to terms on a contract extension with Henry, who is scheduled to make a base salary of $1.25 million in this, the last of a five-year contract he signed with the Bills. The Jaguars, however, were slower to meet Buffalo’s asking price of a third-round draft pick, and it’s possible that the Bills gambled that Tennessee, which overhauled its roster this offseason, will finish with a worse record than Jacksonville and, therefore, the Titans’ third-round pick will be a better overall choice.’

‘Tennessee and Seattle remain in the picture for Henry but no team has done as much work on a deal than Jacksonville. The big hurdle remained signing Henry, who has one year left at $1.25 million, to a long-term extension. The Bills remain adamant about getting a third-round pick in exchange, and could be holding out for a provision where by that pick becomes a second-rounder were Henry to reach specified statistical marks.’

‘The Bills linebacker corps is very deep, but the club is interested in how free agent rookie Liam Ezekiel performs in camp. Ezekiel, 6-0, 249, played Division I-AA ball at Northeastern but dominated his competition and is incredibly strong, doing 33 reps of 225 pounds during his workouts.’

‘Henry, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, is expected to be in Nashville tomorrow to be introduced as a Titan.’

‘Let’s be clear about one thing: The arrival of Travis Henry does not make the Titans a playoff team. Far from it. With or without Henry, this team is still closer to 5-11 than it is 11-5.’

‘Without citing a source, ESPN.com also reported that Buffalo would send Henry to the Titans for a third-round draft pick. The network said trade papers already have been forwarded to the NFL and that the deal is likely to be completed early next week. That was news to the Jaguars, who already had worked out a long-term contract extension with Henry and — like the Titans — were offering the Bills a third-round pick. The Jaguars even were willing to up that offer to a second-round choice but could not do so because the Bills did not return their phone calls Saturday.’

‘Losman was a first-round draft pick out of Tulane in 2004, but missed all of last season with a broken leg. When Buffalo’s starting QB from last year, Drew Bledsoe, signed with Dallas in the offseason, Losman ascended to the starting position. “He’s looked good at times and like a rookie at times,” Matthews said of Losman’s work during the offseason. “If he plays well, we have a chance to have a very good year. This is the most-talented team that I have played on in my career.”‘

‘The 26-year old Henry rushed for nearly four-thousand yards and 27 touchdowns in four seasons with the Bills, but lost his starting job to Willis McGahee following four games into the 2004 regular season. Since being relegated to back-up role, Henry demanded to be traded in the off-season.’

‘Henry was a starter since his rookie season and was coming off consecutive 1,300-yard rushing seasons before being relegated to a backup last October. But he has only one year left on his original contract and wants a contract extension wherever he lands.’