Archives for April 28, 2008

‘The Bills went out and got the job done. About the only surprise is that the team was honest about the process. It identified two needs, for a defensive back and wide receiver with size, and then went out and addressed them as best they could.’

‘You want to give grades to the 2007 draft? Okay. That is a start. You can come up with a much more telling view of the 2006 or 2005. Those guys have actually PLAYED in a game (or got cut). The guys they just selected? College stars. They smile when they stand next to Ralph. But no one made a better first impression than Big old Mike Williams a few years back. The Bills got a lot of A’s for that draft. So how did that work out?’

‘Just a few hours after the draft wrapped up, Brockington agreed to a three-year free-agent contract with the Buffalo Bills. He will leave for Buffalo on Thursday to take part in the Bills’ rookie minicamp this weekend and begin the process of trying to make the team as a backup linebacker and special teams contributor.’

‘Fine, who goes 6-foot-3 and weighs 250 pounds, said that one of the things that the Bills liked about him was his versatility. “They said that they liked how I was such a versatile player, whether it was receiving or playing special teams,” he said. “I think it’s what you can see from my films and my special teams play; I think that speaks for itself. They can see that I’m a tough, gritty, hard-nosed player, and I’m not going to finesse anyone. They look at my ability to play fullback or tight end or playing special teams. They drafted me to be a tight end but at the same time, they’re looking at me to do something different.”‘

‘Omon said he’s honored the Bills were willing to give him an opportunity. “Now, I get to go play for them and prove the 31 teams wrong that didn’t pick me and give me that opportunity,” Omon said.’

‘McKelvin’s athletic ability is off the charts. He can turn and run with just about any receiver and has the leaping ability to compete for balls with taller wideouts. What I like is his willingness to support the run, and his return ability is a bonus.’

‘Without question, Hardy will serve as Buffalo’s red-zone dynamo — which will be ideal for second-year quarterback Trent Edwards — and Evans, meanwhile, ought to be extremely effective as the team’s explosive vertical target downfield.’

‘”We did what we thought we were going to do,” Tom Modrak, the Bills’ vice president of college scouting, said during the post-draft news conference. “Some of it broke very well. Some of it we wished it would have broken differently. We like where we are; we like what we did.”‘

‘”My oldest brother was very caring,” Omon said. “There were four boys and one girl, and being the oldest one he was always looking out after us. He was a man before he was supposed to be because he was the oldest, taking care of us, helping my mom out. And my other brother was another one who was just very caring. He struggled with the death of my older brother, that’s why he ended up committing suicide. I always have good memories of them growing up and I’ll never forget that.”‘

‘”Off the field, I stay out of trouble,” McKelvin said during a news conference at the Bills’ practice facility. “I do the right thing for my coaches and who I’m representing as an organization. But on the field, I’m very competitive and another side of me is going to come out. It’s just a thing you got to switch on and off to. On the field, I’m going to be a warrior because we’re fighting out there.”‘

‘”We did what we thought we were going to do. Some of it broke very well for us, some of it you wish would have broken a little differently. But I know it’s going to take a little time for all of that to show up on the field. On paper we did what we wanted to do, but it has to show up in the play.”’

‘Stopping short of saying he’s willing to give the disappointing 2004 first-round pick, who has failed repeatedly to hang on to the starting job, a contract extension beyond this season, Brandon said he did not actively shop Losman during the draft, a time when teams are very eager to deal as they shape their rosters.’

‘Hope springs eternal with each draft, a drug of blind optimism. Let’s hope Brandon does a better job than his predecessors when it comes to keeping this young roster together. Now that the Toronto market has been opened up as a cash cow waiting to be milked, there should be no excuses.’

‘Can Trent Edwards and J.P. Losman provide the skill and leadership to win the 10 games that probably would end an eight-year playoff drought this season?’

‘The draft is a lottery, by definition a gamble. The Bills say they are confident, for instance, that they’ll have no “character” issues with their second-round choice, 6-foot-6 Indiana wideout James Hardy.’