Archives for June 2006

‘Since the era of Kent Hull ended a decade ago, the Bills have been looking for a good center to protect the quarterback and keep opposing defenders at bay. Fowler will likely never match up to Hull, a potential Hall of Famer, but he could certainly be a solid stopgap for the Bills. Whether or not Fowler will get the job done is one of Buffalo’s $64,000 questions going into 2006. We’ll all find out sooner, rather than later.’

‘Simply put, the guy can catch.’

‘”It gets me away from football and when you start drawing you really can’t stop. When I start drawing it’s like six o’clock and before you know it it’s 12 o’clock and I need to be in bed. You can kind of get in a zone and it kind of takes you away from all that. So, that’s why I really do it,” McGee explained.’

‘And anybody who saw McGahee on Monday during the first of a three-day mandatory mini-camp conceded the slimmed-down running back looked fit and trim. But, to me, his previous absences were about attitude.’

‘”My first day of camp in Miami,” Vincent explained. “I lined up across Mark Clayton with Dan Marino under center. They played with me like a toy. I was like Marino’s ATM card. He was just using me whenever he wanted to. I knew at that point I was chasing a ghost. They moved me from Clayton to Mark Duper to Tony Martin. All of them made me look foolish.”‘

‘"Coming in this time I had all that base stuff down and when I came in (last) Friday they gave me all the blitz packages and everything," said Whitner. "After looking at that all last weekend and going through three days of it on the practice field I feel very caught up."’

‘The weight problems that prompted Buffalo to cut offensive lineman Mike Williams have followed him to Jacksonville, even threatening his chances to make the team. Williams, a former first-round pick who received a $1.4 million signing bonus from the Jaguars in March, missed practice Wednesday because of back pain that coach Jack Del Rio attributed in part to excess weight.’

‘”We did wrestle with the idea that maybe we’re hurting a guy or two with a lack of reps, but I think we can make it work,” offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild said. “I like the way those guys are reacting to each other. Kelly has obviously played a lot. You can tell he’s very experienced and has seen a lot. J.P. has got some real raw ability in terms of arm strength and athletic ability. Craig is an intriguing guy. When he’s been given a chance to play he has played well. He has some size and strength to him. They each bring something to the table, but I don’t want to rush to any conclusion.”‘

‘”It’s not just you, it’s the people around you,” Vincent said. “It’s just unfortunate. As players you have to be smart. [Roethlisberger] had been warned I think many times by family members and teammates and coaches. You’re human, you’re young. Sometimes we believe that won’t happen to us. It happened [Monday].”‘

‘McGee will unveil a line of posters and T-shirts bearing his artwork and be available for autographs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Bills Store at Eastview Mall. Each poster and T-shirt bears a reprint of a self-portrait drawn in charcoal that McGee has titled "Inside."’

‘Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Melvin Fowler (No. 67) will be at the Fredonia McDonald’s this Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. as part of its grand opening celebration.’

‘Green Bay was among several other teams that pursued Anderson, who agreed to a two-year contract after visiting Dolphins headquarters on Tuesday.’

‘Anderson has started in 70 of 79 career games, and last year played for the Bills under coach Mike Mularkey, now the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator. “That was one of the major reasons he chose the Dolphins over Green Bay,” Lewis said. “[Mularkey] and that the Dolphins wanted a guard.”‘

‘Anderson started 14 games for the Bills last season, and he is expected to vie for the Dolphins’ job with Seth McKinney. McKinney, who played center last season, swapped positions with Rex Hadnot this off-season.’

‘Undoubtedly, 2006 will be a telling year for McGahee. There will be a continued belief that he lacks the character to play for Marv Levy’s Buffalo Bills, unless he can be a model teammate and gain big yardage, which he’s supposed to do. However, there is a downside to a big season in Buffalo for McGahee. Huge numbers will lead to a likely contract holdout from the three-year veteran next offseason, who is represented by the league’s most infamously money-hungry agent, Drew Rosenhaus. For Bills fans, that may end up being a good problem to have.’