Archives for April 2007

‘Both players accepted Buffalo’s tender offers on Tuesday for the upcoming season.’

‘"It started off with coach McNally and then I talked with coach (Dick) Jauron to see if it was okay for our staff to come and spend some time with their coaches," said Gill. "And coach was okay with that so we appreciate what the Buffalo Bills have done for us. So our coaches met with their coaches and we plan to continue that relationship. We have an open door policy to communicate with one another."’

‘Tasker was an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and during his playing days with the Houston Oilers and Buffalo, Tasker said he relied on his faith to handle the stressful and demanding world of professional football. “Your faith equips you for handling the difficulties that come to all of us,” he said.’

‘Even though we’ve lived through heartbreaking finishes, controversial calls and just plain embarrassing seasons, we’ve never given up hope – and we never will.’

‘Despite the recent string of poor prime-time showings, this game is an opportunity for the Bills to demonstrate that they’ve actually built on last year’s progress. This season will hopefully be one where they exit perpetual reconstruction mode and finally improve, and the nation can share in that. Unfortunately, fans won’t get to see the benched/released/retired Drew Bledsoe get outplayed by J.P. Losman. However, they will get to see a team the NFL has enough faith in that it’s willing to put them in a showcase game.’

‘Who they will have to settle for: "Settle" being a relative term, the Bills could find themselves sitting at the No. 12 spot with Paul Posluszny available. With Posluszny’s experience at playing both outside and inside linebacker, he could replace Fletcher-Baker as the heart of the defense and keep Crowell outside, where the Bills are better off.’

‘G.M. Marv Levy has the final say on all picks, but he believes in reaching a consensus with his scouts and coaches. He focuses on high-character, self-motivated players.’

‘”The Bills could easily fill a need and take Marshawn Lynch to replace Willis McGahee, but linebacker is also a critical need, following the Takeo Spikes trade,” the report reads.’

‘He never gelled with the offense or quarterback J.P. Losman. In a universe where Fate is a Bills fan, Davis would have resurrected his game and aided the passing attack by stretching the field, thus making Evans’ life a little less arduous. Call me negative, but it didn’t really work out that way. That brings up the more pressing task: Davis didn’t contribute, so are there guys on the current roster other than Evans who can?’

‘Kelly, who hosts the event, supported Goodell’s position. He said the NFL’s reputation has taken a hit over the years, and he believes the new commissioner is on the right track.’

‘”As I sit back and think about it, I had a lot of good times in Buffalo and a lot of great moments,” Spikes said recently. “But the No. 1 moment that I had, even before I had thought about being a Bill, was the time I walked in that stadium when I played for Cincinnati. I’ll always hold that close to me. It was a special moment.”‘

‘Bottom line: the schedule doesn’t sell, a winning team sells and it’s up to the Bills — who haven’t made the playoffs in seven seasons — to put a better product on the field.’

‘LB Joe Odom was a top special teams player and key reserve for coach Dick Jauron in Chicago but was slowed by an injury last year; could provide veteran depth after Bills muddled linebacker picture shakes out.’

‘The Bills would prefer to swing a trade for Turner that wouldn’t involve giving up their first-round pick. But Chargers GM A.J. Smith — who mentored under Marv Levy — is reportedly more inclined to keep Turner as solid insurance on a Super Bowl contending team than give him away to his old boss.’

‘For all his success, though — he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002 — Kelly did not deliver the city what it wanted most. I asked him if he will be bothered if the Sabres beat the Bills to the city’s first major championship. He sounded earnest. “I don’t think of it as ‘I wish we were the first team to do it,’ but I do wish we would have done it,” he says. “I look at the New England Patriots, how they won two Super Bowls by kicking field goals by the same distance as ours. I wish we would have won a long time ago. I don’t care if the Sabres beat the Bills. Let’s just win a championship.”‘