Archives for July 24, 2008

‘Entering his fifth NFL season, Peters has three years left on his current deal and is scheduled to make a base salary of $3.25 million this season, which is considered low for someone playing such a prominent position. His deal ranks third among Bills offensive linemen, behind left guard Derrick Dockery and right tackle Langston Walker, both acquired in free agency last year.’

‘"We hope so," Brandon said. "Jim Overdorf and the entire football operations staff are working really hard trying to get these things done."’

‘"It’s difficult to have discussions with someone that’s not here and has not elected to participate in what we’re trying to do," said Brandon. "We feel we have something special going on here. We play the ultimate team sport. It’s not about individuals, it’s about the team. We expect Jason to be here and honor his commitment to the organization. We made a substantial commitment to Jason two years ago."’

‘The signings came on the day Bills players reported to camp and leaves the team with two rookies without contracts: first-round cornerback Leodis McKelvin and second-round receiver James Hardy.’

‘"It was hard to go to sleep last night," Ellis told Buffalobills.com while en route to the Pittsford, New York campus. "But I took care of the paperwork this morning. I didn’t really want to hold out and I knew it was coming down to the wire and you get pulled by your agent and pulled by your team and I’m glad we could just find a common ground and take care of business and just play football."’

‘"Each year we go through the process and we are coming along with our picks," said Bills COO Russ Brandon. "Jim and the football operations staff are working hard in an effort to get everyone here."’

‘It seemed as if the Bills were ready to go with a pair of rookies as their chief running backs in 2007, but the second of the two wasn’t ready. Of course, the upside for Wright is that this will only be his second year, although he is already 25; this is his chance to show that he can use his strength to bash for playing time and climb to at least the level of his mid-round draft status.’

‘The pace of signings for first-rounders this summer is typically slow, with most negotiations for top picks expected to drag on to the final hours before training camps open.’

‘Aside from wondering if and when left tackle Jason Peters will report to camp and when top draft pick Leodis McKelvin will agree to contract terms, here are 10 things to consider as the Bills, who have not qualified for the postseason since 1999, prepare for their Sept. 7 regular-season opener against the Seattle Seahawks…’

‘”Anything else would be a disappointing season,” Crowell said of making the playoffs. “That’s the push we’re making. We have a lot of work to do, but we feel we have the pieces in place to get it done.”‘

‘”I really have a lot of respect for what he’s done in the offseason,” Jauron said. “He’s gotten bigger and stronger, I don’t think he missed a day in the offseason workouts. He’s worked hard and I think it will show up for us.”‘

‘”The day they called me to draft me they told me they need me to get into the end zone. I feel everything happens for a reason, so this is a perfect situation for me and the organization, for us to come together and make history.”‘

‘”It has been tough not performing the way you want to perform and stop teams the way we wanted to,” said linebacker Angelo Crowell, who led the Bills in 2007 with 93 tackles. “But bringing in the guys they did, and they’ve done well in the draft, it feels a lot better this year.”’

‘”What they hoped they got, and what the guy has shown in the past, is that he’s a big, physical run stopper,” said former Redskins and Texans general manager Charlie Casserly who now works as an analyst for CBS. “This was a guy who did a terrific job at Jacksonville of altering a game plan. And that’s what (Buffalo) really needed, that kind of a presence inside because he makes everybody better around him.”‘

‘Selected 147th overall out of Iowa State, Bowen was a three-year starter and an All-Big 12 Conference first-team selection in both his junior and senior seasons. He led the nation with 155 tackles in 2006 and finished with nine sacks in 46 career games.’