Archives for March 2007

‘C Melvin Fowler is intelligent, technically sound and has a good feel for the game. He’s an athletic center with good footwork and lateral mobility to pull and trap effectively. He has the quickness to get to the second level and hit moving targets. Because of his lack of bulk, the 6-3, 295-pound Fowler can be overpowered by bull-rushing interior defensive linemen and has trouble at times getting a push off the line in short-yardage situations. However, the team believes he has the physical tools to anchor the offensive line for years to come.’

‘As the action slows down prior to the draft April 27-28 in New York, we take a look back at the highlights of the offseason and a look forward to what may lay ahead.’

‘”The greatest part of this job is that people have a real passion about the Buffalo Bills. The worst part of this job is that people have a real passion about the Buffalo Bills,” he said.’

‘Were they right? I’ve talked to a couple of NFL general managers over the past year who are in total agreement with the Bills and think McGahee is good but far from great. I also know a couple of personnel men who think McGahee is worth what the Ravens paid. Baltimore’s Ozzie Newsome obviously thinks Willis is special. Newsome’s track record as a general manager is far better than the Bills’ front-office track record this decade.’

‘The rebuilt offensive line should make Buffalo a winning team again, but Dillon may be right. The Bills seem to have too many repair projects to be taken seriously as a contender before 2008.’

‘”I’ve seen their itinerary,” Deveglio said. “They’ve only got a few hours to themselves each day. Knowing the dangers involved, it’s awesome that they volunteered to come over here, just to show us a good time.”‘

‘Smaller centres like Buffalo need good relations with their fans, especially when they’re working on a string of losing seasons. McGahee, a product of the University of Miami football factory, has always seemed out of step with the ways of Western New York. It appears now the Bills had decided late in the past season that they’d be better off dealing McGahee this off-season, rather than lose him for nothing a year later. His performance the past two seasons was good, but not great, and he’d gained a reputation for putting his own interests ahead of the team’s.’

‘The third-round, ideally, should produce two starters. And if two starters are the reward for an underachieving, disruptive running back of marginal skills with drastically reduced value … great.’

‘The Bills currently are committed to spending about $103 million in real dollars in 2007, according to figures compiled by The Buffalo News. That’s money the team will pay players in base salaries, signing bonuses and other roster bonuses this year. The Bills’ salary cap for 2007 is $112 million. The team has said it will not spend over the salary cap limit in real cash, even though it could do so under the NFL’s salary cap accounting rules.’

‘Other backs still on the market include Ron Dayne and Correll Buckhalter. There is no indication that the Bills are interested in either.’

‘The comments from Baltimore’s brass after the deal was announced Thursday made it sound as if McGahee is the second coming of Jim Brown. But based on his body of work for Buffalo, and assuming he was giving the Bills 100 percent effort, I don’t expect that he’ll ever be a 1,600-yard, Pro Bowl-type running back for the Ravens or any other NFL team.’

‘Assuming McGahee would’ve agreed to play out his contract with the Bills — and play hard for them — he would’ve left as a free agent and Buffalo would have gotten nothing in return. And had the Bills franchise tagged him in 2008, they’d have been paying him a Top Five salary in the end anyway. “You weigh everything,” Jauron said. “I’m not saying money wasn’t a factor, but it wasn’t the deciding factor.”‘

‘A fifth-year pro that started 61 of 64 games for the Redskins, Dockery was among the Top 20 free agents available regardless of position and Buffalo’s pronounced “cash to cap” game plan didn’t seem suitable for accommodating a big-name free agent. But Dockery was handed a seven-year, $49 million deal with $18.5 million in guaranteed money.’

‘Before free agency began, the Bills said they would be spending “cash to cap.” That is, they would account for all of the money given players this year inside the $109 million salary cap and not amortize bonus money into future seasons. So much for that plan. The Bills had about $30 million in room and quickly went over that by about $15 million in re-signing DE Chris Kelsay and signing OL Derrick Dockery, Langston Walker and Jason Whittle. They will continue to be active in the market, searching for RBs, CBs, and LBs. Somewhere along the way, somebody in Buffalo’s front office realized spending “cash to cap” would put the team in a non-competitive situation, hurt the team and turn off fans, killing their bottom line in the long run.’

‘How do the Bears feel about their compensation for Thomas Jones now that Baltimore has sent three draft picks to Buffalo for Willis McGahee?’