Archives for May 1, 2006

‘Just about every expert is going to call the Bills a draft loser. The truth is we won’t know for a couple of years. But it’s my opinion that they will had had a good or bad draft based on who they did take, not on who they did not.’

‘Neill, a two-time all-Big East selection who also served as Rutgers’ long snapper, signed with the Buffalo Bills, while wide receivers Tres Moses and Chris Baker signed with the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, respectively. Neill made 21.5 tackles for loss in 2005, ranking him second in the conference and eighth overall in Division 1-A. He also tied for second in the Big East with 10 sacks and was a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, which is presented to the nation’s top collegiate defensive end.’

‘"We definitely had needs there," said Jauron of the defensive side of the ball. "But I don’t feel like we’re a need-based drafting team. We drafted by the skill of the player and the grade on the player. When there was a tie (between players) we had to consider needs. And early in the draft clearly the needs went to the defensive side of the ball. As we went through those first five picks we thought we went with quality."’

‘After turning in one of the best seasons ever for a freshman defensive player at South Carolina in 2004, Simpson came back in 2005 to earn first-team All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America and consensus all-SEC recognition. Simpson ranked third in the SEC and led all SEC defensive backs with 103 tackles, 72 of which were unassisted. His 13 pass breakups tied for the second-highest total in the SEC. Simpson was honored as the SEC Defensive Player of the Week after making 13 tackles (nine of which were unassisted), picking off a pass and recovering a fumble that he returned 19 yards for a touchdown in the Gamecocks’ win over Kentucky. Prior to the season, he was ranked as the top safety in the country and was a first-team All-America honoree from The Sporting News.’

‘The 6-7, 325-pound tackle was a two-year starter for the Lobos and averaged a career-high 6.5 knockdown blocks per game as senior.’

‘"Buffalo. Buffalo. Buffalo,” screamed family friend Edward Gaither, a die-hard Dallas Cowboys’ fan who spent the entire day Saturday at the Simpson home watching the draft, before throwing himself to the living room floor. "That’s my brother-in-law’s team, but the important thing is that Ko was picked. He’ll go up there and knock their socks off, make other teams question why they passed on him the first day.”’

‘Simpson and Williams (6-1, 295), along with Ohio State strong safety Donte Whitner and North Carolina State defensive tackle John McCargo (6-2, 301), Buffalo’s two first-round picks on Saturday, represent a serious influx of talent between the hash marks where the Bills lost many a physical battle last season in falling to 5-11. All four are expected to contribute as rookies with Whitner and McCargo expected to start in Buffalo’s new attack-style scheme being improvised by coach Dick Jauron.’

‘If Matt Leinart becomes a Pro Bowl quarterback, and J.P. Losman fails to develop, the Buffalo Bills are going to look very foolish for passing up Leinart in Saturday’s draft in favor of a strong safety (Donte Whitner) most analysts projected as a late first-rounder. Sure, Buffalo has many needs, but quarterback happens to be among them – unless you’re excited about the three-man competition between Losman, Craig Nall and Kelly Holcomb.’

‘Sure, Matt Leinart might also fail to live up to the unprecedented hype that surrounds him, but the Buffalo Bills will never know. That’s because with the eighth overall pick in the first round of Saturday’s NFL Draft, the Bills took … (yawn) Dante Whitner, a strong safety from The Ohio State University.’

‘”It’s a done deal,” Nance said Sunday night from his home in St. Louis. “I’m headed to Buffalo on Thursday. That’s when they’ll have their mini-camp.”‘

‘Simpson’s agent, Jason Chayut, said he was surprised the former Gamecocks rover still was waiting for a phone call during the draft’s second day. “I’m disappointed he was even there,” Chayut said. “It’s pretty shocking the evaluators felt a certain way. I’m sure he’s relieved but disappointed, too.”‘

‘Ryan Neill, a defensive end who was named Rutgers most valuable player for the 2005 season, was among three Scarlet Knights who signed free agent contracts with NFL teams on Sunday. Neill, a two-time all-Big East selection who also served as Rutgers’ long snapper, signed with the Buffalo Bills…’

‘Jason Hall will join former Vols Jabari Greer and Rashad Baker in Buffalo. The Bills a have a need at defensive end, and this could be a nice fit for Hall.’

‘Not only were all of their free-agent signings players 30 years old or younger, their first four draft picks were underclassmen.’

‘Reyes, 28, has started the past two seasons for the Carolina Panthers on a very good line. Though he was seen as a marginal player on an 11-5 Carolina club, he’s likely to start for the 5-11 Bills. “He’s a young yet experienced offensive lineman who functioned in an offense that worked well last year,” Bills general manager Marv Levy said.’