Archives for April 29, 2009

‘It’s the opportunity he’s been waiting for. The guy that never played in high school … the guy that had to walk on at a small NAIA school … the guy that wasn’t drafted … is getting a chance to beat the odds again.’

‘”We went into the draft having discussed that after the trade of Jason (Peters),” said Bills head coach Dick Jauron. “Do we feel like we have to have a tackle? And I think we all agreed, that we’re not going to stray far from our grades just to take a tackle. We felt we have guys that can play there so there’s no sense in passing up a player we think is significantly better at another position just to feel like we’ve plugged a number in. We weren’t going to do that.”‘

‘Peter Ginsberg, the attorney representing the Williamses in their lawsuit, said during a hearing last week that StarCaps were “freely distributed” in the Bills locker room and that “a number” of Buffalo players used StarCaps. Pat Williams played for the Bills from 1997 to 2003. Ginsberg did not say who allegedly dispensed the supplement and to which players.’

‘Wood had a great impression of Buffalo well before the draft, thanks to Kragthorpe. "He loves the city, he loves the team," Wood said of his college coach. "He talked to me just about every day about his experience in Buffalo – the way guys handle their business, trying to give me insight to get to this level. I’m sure Coach K was ringing the phones off the hook to try to get me up here. … It’s really neat to play somewhere that I’ve heard so many good things about, and I hear all the time about his relationship with the players that he coached and how he continues the relationships."’

‘”We’ve addressed our needs, no doubt about that, and we did it by staying true to our (draft) board,” coach Dick Jauron said.’

‘Motivation isn’t an issue with Rhodes, who rushed for 538 yards and six TDs last year while adding 45 catches for 306 yards and three more scores. At 5-9, 203 pounds, he has had to prove critics wrong his entire seven-year career. “For me, every time I get on the field, I’m an angry little dude,” he said.’

‘”All I can do and all I plan on doing is coming in and working as hard as possible and let my play speak for itself. I’m a guy who likes to keep his mouth shut and let his play do the talking on the field. I’m going to come in with a humble mind set, ready to get the work done.” — Bills No. 1 pick Aaron Maybin on critics who say he was a one-year wonder at Penn State with 12 sacks.’

‘”(Former KU tight end) Derek Fine is up there now, and he put in a good word for me,” said Mortensen, when reached by phone. “It runs Friday and I’ll be back Sunday, so I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited.”‘