Archives for May 2008

‘"With his friends surrounding him he didn’t have the best environment. He wasn’t behaving the way he was supposed to and I felt he was giving my mom too much of a headache," Bowen recalled. "Due to the fact that I had a light course load my senior year I figured I would take the headache for her."’

‘The undrafted rookie free agent agreed to terms with Buffalo following the close of the draft and signed with the team last Thursday.’

‘Linebacker Joe Brockington was released by the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday, less than a week after signing with the team as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Notre Dame.’

‘But, with Lee Evans and Hardy likely to start and handle the bulk of the receiving corp’s major responsibilities, the pressure is no longer on Reed. At this point in his career, it’s fair to say the Lafayette, La., native is never going to turn into the Hines Ward-type receiver many were hoping for. The big-play ability and sure-handedness simply aren’t in Reed’s repertoire. That doesn’t mean he can’t be of use as a No. 3, though, a position where he should be able to catch between 40 to 50 passes from Edwards in 2008 and supply Buffalo with another capable aerial weapon who can complement the better ones in front of him.’

‘”Obviously the draft didn’t go the way I wanted it, but in a way it did because I’m where I wanted to be – in the NFL,” Felton said during the Bills’ weekend rookie minicamp. “This is my chance. I’m here and I’m trying to make the best of it.”‘

‘Since being drafted 11th by the Bills in draft April 26, McKelvin said he has been taking it easy and just enjoying being in the NFL, but he can’t wait to get to work. "I can’t wait to get to training camp," he said. "It will be a lot of hard work, but I know it will be great to be up there with all the veterans."’

‘Former Missouri running back Tony Temple did not make the Cleveland Browns roster after last weekend’s tryout. The Browns kept just seven of the 54 players brought to last weekend’s camp, and only one of those was a running back. But Temple didn’t stay on the market long. The Buffalo Bills invited him to their rookie camp for another tryout later this month.’

‘"The only guy we ever based our defensive coverages around was him," said Whitner of Hardy. "We didn’t game plan for a lot of receivers, but we did game plan for him."’

‘Of course, that would be unwelcome news for Wright, who went from No. 3 runner for the Bills to in jeopardy of making the 2008 roster during draft weekend. Professional athletes — particularly those who have never proven anything — fall out of favor quickly, which means a prodigious summer from Omon and a so-so performance from Wright will lead to the former as Buffalo’s second reserve next season and the latter looking for a new employer.’

‘"We were happy with the way it all went," coach Dick Jauron said after the final session Sunday. "We weren’t disappointed with the way anybody looked, any of the invited free agents and certainly any of our draft picks. Now we have to get them back as quickly as we can when they can officially come back, get them into our OTAs [offseason team activities] and into our classroom and into our offseason program. The sooner we can do that, the better for us and for them."’

‘”This is why we never listen to the media or what the experts might say,” Bills tight end coach Charlie Coiner said. “Sometimes a guy can get on a roll publicitywise and all of a sudden they’ve got six or seven names that keep coming up over and over. Maybe a guy like Derek slips through the cracks. But we’re very happy to have him. I think we’ve got a really good football player.”‘

‘"Yes, on paper," Fewell said during the Bills three-day rookie minicamp this weekend. "On paper, we’ve done some things to enhance the defense. Now, can we execute it when the pads go on? That’ll be the big thing."’

‘"We weren’t disappointed with the way anybody looked be it the invited free agents and certainly not our draft picks," said Jauron. "Now we just have to get them back as quickly as we can when they can officially come back and get them into our OTAs, our classroom and our offseason program. The quicker we can do that the better for us and for them."’

‘”It’s still a difficult adjustment for a corner because of the speed of the game and more coverages they’re doing,” said Tom Modrak, Bills vice president of college scouting. “However, they know in advance pretty much what the coverage is going to be and where they’re going. Whereas on the other side of the ball [at receiver], you may be adjusting on the move a little bit more. So there are just more variables in the receiver’s progress.”‘

‘So if they plan to reach the cap, as Wilson promises, they have a lot of work to do. For starters, they need to sign receiver Lee Evans to an extension. Evans can be a free agent after this season. Linebacker Angelo Crowell, too. Jason Peters signed a five-year extension last year, but his value soared when he made the Pro Bowl. He won’t be content to be the third-highest paid member of the offensive line for long.’