Archives for April 2009

‘Contestants were required to shake silver pompoms and bounce through hip flips and high kicks, then roll into a split on the nightclub stage, all while smiling for the judges, including the Bills’ Terrance McGee, Chris Kelsay and James Hardy.’

‘Meanwhile, I checked out his living room and den. They were filled with Bills memorabilia, pillows, blankets, plaques, awards, letters. In his heart Lou was forever a Buffalo guy.’

‘Signing Owens to a one-year deal lessens Buffalo’s risk, but make no mistake about it: Jauron’s future is now clearly tied to No. 81, who caught 10 TD passes last year in a down season.’

‘The Bills are hopeful that free-agent center Geoff Hangartner can handle the wave of tough 3-4 nose tackles in the AFC East. That job no longer belongs to Melvin Fowler or Duke Preston, who split duties at center last season as the Bills finished 7-9 and ranked 25th in offense.’

‘"I don’t know anybody who likes to be disciplined," Goodell said. "I don’t like issuing discipline. (But) the reality is very clear that there are consequences for your actions, and when those actions reflect negatively on the NFL, we’re going to make sure there are negative consequences in hopes they don’t happen again. … We’ve tried to do things to help our players make better decisions. Our coaches and everyone else in the NFL, we’re all held to a higher standard in the NFL, and Marshawn Lynch is included in that."’

‘There’s no off-season for strength and conditioning coach John Allaire, who oversees the team’s off-season program. When testing players, Allaire said defensive backs and wide receivers typically have the lowest body-fat levels of all players. "Some are down to 4 percent," he said. "A typical NFL cornerback is somewhere around 8 to 10 percent. Four is low. Four, you’re talking body-builder type. I mean really ripped and lean, but we have those." A typical average American male’s body fat? "I’d say 20-23, somewhere in there," Allaire said.’

‘”I came out of high school and I didn’t get any offers by any big schools,” said Johnson. “I was always an Alabama fan, and I wanted to go there and play. I went to my mom and my dad and I told them the dream that I had. They said that they would sacrifice and let me go in and chase that dream. I went in with a mindset of I’m coming in here to play; I’m doing whatever I can to help and contribute to the team.”‘

‘Mitchell wore jersey number 55 in his only season with the Giants in 2007, and decided he would prefer to have it on his back again.’

‘”When they signed T.O., I thought of James Lofton,” said Jim Kelly. “When he came in I already had Andre Reed, but I needed that other guy so we could run that three wide receiver offense. Lofton came in and we went to Super Bowls and looking at T.O. hopefully he’s the guy that will get them to that next level.”‘

‘The breakfast, held at the Hyatt Regency in Buffalo, was hosted by former Bills quarterback Frank Reich as a way of thanking Western New York for their support during the team’s Super Bowl years. Reich engineered the greatest comeback in NFL history when he led the Bills to a 41-38 playoff victory over the Houston Oilers in 1993 after trailing 35-3, and he is now the quarterbacks coach for the Indianapolis Colts.’

‘”This league likes to compare,” said ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper. “It’s a copycat league. A certain kid with a certain physical ability does well. Another kid comes out with the same stature, they think he’s the next one of those guys. Being 6’6” and 250 and the Flacco success and the arm and the ability that he has to throw the football to any point on the field conjures up visions of Joe Flacco and what he did in Baltimore.”‘

‘The thing that struck me about Lou, from the moment I met him, was that he was what I had envisioned as a pro football coach. A tough, no-nonsense guy with a gruff voice he seemed to be somebody you’d want to play for.’