Archives for April 2006

‘"You have a decent feeling about what might happen, but I can’t say we have a great feeling," Jauron admitted. "People have guesses, but you never know how it’s going to play out. People try to come up into the Top 10 and people try to come down. I know we’ll get a good player there, and we’ve got to. We can’t afford not to. Sometimes you can overcome those misses, but not often."’

‘Rather than considering moving up in the draft, in which the Bills already have 10 picks, Levy isn’t ruling out trading down should the right deal present itself. “Now we’re not looking at going in to wheel and deal on the trade market, but we’re sure not going to close it off,” Levy said. “In fact, the guy we sort of like right now, my strong guess would be that he’ll be there four spaces below.”‘

"You’re a little more conservative with the small school guys because of the level of competition that they play at," said Bills scout Shawn Heinlen. "You see them doing all these things and making plays, and a corner may be shutting down every receiver he faces, but you’re also leery of the fact that the fastest guy he may cover is a guy who runs a 4.6 (40-time)."’

‘Kelso, director of development at a suburban Buffalo high school, spent all of his eight NFL years with the Bills before retiring following the 1993 season. A starter on all four AFC championship-winning teams, he still ranks third on the Bills with 30 career interceptions.’

‘Buffalobills.com has searched the internet and flipped through numerous draft publications to compile a list of mock draft picks for the Buffalo Bills.’

‘The Buffalo Bills announced today that former Bills defensive back Mark Kelso will return to the team as the color analyst for the Buffalo Bills Radio Network. Kelso replaces former analyst Alex Van Pelt, who joined the Bills coaching staff as the offensive quality control coach in the offseason.’

‘It wasn’t an open secret on the scale of Katie Couric’s move to CBS, but the Buffalo Bills announcement today that Mark Kelso will replace Alex Van Pelt as the team’s radio analyst on 97 Rock was hardly a shocker. Kelso, who played safety for the Bills during their Super Bowl glory years, had done an audition with play-by-play man John Murphy that sold 97 Rock and Bills officials.’

‘Sen. Charles E. Schumer, the New York Democrat who announced the members of the panel, praised the choices the NFL has made so far. "It appears that the overall makeup of the committee will be sympathetic to small markets," Schumer said. "This is another big step forward in our crusade to keep the Bills in Buffalo."’

‘They have made their roster younger by spending their money on twenty-somethings, not aging veterans. “That’s the kind of players we targeted,” said coach Dick Jauron. “There’s no law that says we can’t or won’t bring in older players here. But we were looking for guys who, if we’re right about them, will be with us for three to five to seven years.”‘

‘Robert Royal, TE: Strong run blocker signed for starter money.’

‘Unlike recent seasons, the blocking talent is sparse, especially at the coveted tackle position where Virginia’s D’Brickashaw Ferguson is regarded as a future All-Pro and Top 10 pick, but nobody else is. “The offensive tackle group just hasn’t materialized like we thought back in August,” draft guru and ESPN analyst Mel Kiper said.’

‘At No. 8 overall, the Buffalo Bills will find themselves a very good player, as long as they play their cards right. The only way they won’t is if Levy goes in and completely tanks, much like former GM Tom Donahoe did in 2002 when he selected offensive tackle Mike Williams No. 4 overall. Horrible first round picks happen to even the best GM’s, but Levy has too much at stake to flub this pick. Bills fans can rest easy because the 80-year-old rookie will get it done.’

‘Tagliabue appointed Houston, Green Bay, Cleveland, Detroit and St. Louis to the committee in a memo issued around the NFL on Monday, league spokesman Greg Aiello said Tuesday. Aiello said two more teams, representing the league’s lower-revenue franchises, will be added soon to complete the eight-member committee. Buffalo was the first team appointed last week after Bills owner Ralph Wilson complained the new collective bargaining agreement reached last month, which added a new revenue sharing model, threatens the financial viability of his and other small-market teams.’

‘Often times a scout has just two seasons of tape to make a judgment on the player because many don’t see much playing time as true freshmen or even redshirt freshmen.’

‘It’s undoubtedly the Buffalo Bills’ most crucial draft in recent memory; the organization has faced a lot of insult and scrutiny of late, and the best balm to silence the critics is success. When’s the last time success was a word to describe the Buffalo Bills? It’s been a while.’