Archives for March 2007

‘According to Football Prospectus author Aaron Schatz’s blog on FoxSports.com, Buffalo’s 1,076 tackles last season were the most in the NFL. That’s not something to be proud of. “It’s pretty clear that high tackle totals are partially the result of an inept defense,” Schatz writes.’

‘”Buffalo really is a nice town, it’s just really cold,” Ellison said with a laugh. “Even though it rains a lot here, it doesn’t quite get down to 10 degrees like it does in Buffalo.”‘

‘The question is, would the Bengals be interested in Spikes now? The answer: Only if they could get him for a song.’

‘Last season ended and McGahee left Buffalo, N.Y., immediately. “I couldn’t wait to get out of there,” the running back says. He rushed home to Miami and left his visiting mother in Buffalo to tie up loose ends. McGahee had no doubt that his time with the Bills was over, even though another year remained on his contract. Ten weeks later, his agent called and told McGahee a trade to Baltimore was complete. “I was yelling and [stuff], running through the whole house, screaming, ‘Yes! Yes!'” he says. “It was such a relief.”‘

‘”A hole is a hole and if somebody can hit it, they can hit it,” he said. “I have confidence in Anthony (Thomas). He did a great job when he was in there last year. I really think that Shaud Williams can hit the hole. And then there are options with the draft and we’ll see how things go.”‘

‘With picks 12, 43, 74 and 92, the Bills are in good position to address their needs at running back defensive tackle, linebacker and cornerback. If Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson were to drop to Buffalo with the 12th pick, he’d be impossible to pass on, although Louisville DT Amobi Okoye will provide plenty of food for thought.’

‘Free agent LG Derrick Dockery, who started 61 consecutive games for the Redskins, knows the pressure is on after signing a seven-year, $49 million contract, richest in Bills’ history. “I think there’s a lot of expectations with that size of a contract,” he said. “They expect you to come in and be a leader. And I welcome it.”‘

‘”I want to cut some more body fat and turn it into lean muscle mass,” said Whitner. “Right now I’m at about 10 percent body fat and I want to get down to five (percent). I’ve changed my diet and everything so we’ll see how I do. I’m eating a lot more chicken and turkey and fat free Canadian bacon. Almost fat free everything.”‘

‘”I’m excited – for the first time here I get to start the season as the starting quarterback with the same offense and basically the same players,” he said. “It’s exciting times. We get to critique some things instead of trying to learn this huge mass offense. Now we get to critique what we did wrong and amplify what we did right.”‘

‘Afterward, Thomas spent time in the Sabres’ dressing room, chatting with the players. He found them to be an unusually tight-knit group, similar to the Bills in his day. Thomas said he would invite the entire Sabres team to his Hall of Fame induction on Aug. 5.’

‘”This is an opportunity for a lot of guys to really show that they are leaders of this team, leaders of our defense, and you do that by working hard, leading by example and then really encouraging and being positive,” Kelsay said. “Be a London Fletcher. Speak your mind, put the team first and never expect something out of someone else that you aren’t willing to do yourself and that’s what London did.”‘

‘”I wasn’t really surprised,” Thomas said. “I just think Marv (Levy), and the fans, and some of the people in the organization just had had it with his attitude. As a former player I would never say something like the team should move to Toronto, or say I’m the best running back in the league no matter what. I just think Marv wants character guys and he said that from day one.”‘

‘Now, Davis stands ready to prove it again. He’s a shade under 5-10 and five pounds lighter than Fletcher. But he shares the former Bills’ star’s reflexes and instincts. Chances are Davis won’t go in the first round, certainly not to Buffalo. The Bills’ primary needs, at this point, are at running back and the defensive line.’

‘”I went there in January for two weeks,” said Losman. “My cousin came with me and he speaks Spanish fluently and that was a help because there were some areas where we got lost where you really wanted to know Spanish. So I was learning that and picking it up well. I started with the basics of ordering food and where to go. I got to learn the culture there a little bit.”‘

‘”They’re huge. They’re enormous,” said Losman, who met his new teammates for the first time this week when the Bills opened their offseason conditioning program. “It makes a quarterback happy.”‘