Archives for July 25, 2009

‘Fans in the distance were screaming his name. He’d just spent 30 minutes signing autographs for anyone who’d descended on little St. John Fisher College outside Rochester to watch the T.O. Show in person, but they wanted more.’

‘DiGiorgio had surgery two weeks ago in Vail, Colo., his agent, Chris Murray, told The Associated Press on Saturday. Murray said the surgery went well, but that DiGiorgio isn’t expected to be fully healthy until January.’

‘”That’s what we expect from the fans so the reception felt good when I came out,” said Owens. “I’m used to it. Everywhere that I’ve been there has always been that type of reception. Every time I touched the ball there was an eruption. I don’t know why it happens, just a T.O. following I guess.”‘

‘The DiGiorgio move came as a bit of a surprise. A valued member of Buffalo’s special teams and linebacking corps the past three seasons, DiGiorgio’s surgically repaired knee apparently has not responded as well as had been hoped.’

‘”Yes, the expectations are very high. I know with bringing in Terrell (Owens), with bringing in the rookies, a couple of other free agents Dominic(Rhodes) and with Fred (Jackson) and Marshawn (Lynch) in the backfield, I feel like there is a lot of potential there,” Edwards said. “We have the same coaches coming back on offense so I know the expectations are very high. There is a lot of reason to be expecting big things.”‘

‘Nelson’s deal was for four years. Terms were not available, but based on the deals of other players taken after him, his contract is likely to be worth about $2.2 million with a signing bonus of about $460,000.’

‘Sure, the show is a joke. But at least it’s often a funny joke and the joke isn’t at the expense of our area.’

‘”I feel like a lot of people have to go on what happened last year,” said middle linebacker Paul Posluszny. “That’s fine. But we have a lot of confidence in what we can do and the type of players we have. We know what we can do on the field. We have to go out and make the plays to win games.”‘

‘"I don’t think it’s a distraction," said center Geoff Hangartner, who joined the team as a free agent to much less fanfare than Owens back in March. "Maybe we’ll have some more media here than we normally would, but I don’t think that that’s necessarily a distraction."’

‘”He is a dynamic weapon,” Bills running back Fred Jackson said of Owens. “He has always been a playmaker and he has always made plays wherever he’s been, so he’s going to take a lot of pressure off of the other guys on the field that are on offence for us. We are excited about what he brings to the table and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to play with him.”‘

‘"I know I will learn a lot, and I will see a lot of high-tech rehabilitation equipment and stuff that I wouldn’t see at Lander," said McDevitt, who is majoring in athletic training and exercise studies at Lander. "Just all the different aspects of the NFL and working with professional football players. I know I will learn a lot and see a lot of very interesting things."’

‘”Jim Overdorf and our negotiating teams have continual dialogue going on with all the parties,” said Bills COO/GM Russ Brandon. “We’re hopeful that everyone gets here on time, but we’ll have to wait and see. There will be continual dialogue. As we all know, it takes two to get deals done and we’ll keep working on it.”‘

‘The Bills are somewhat handcuffed in reaching deals with their players because so few first- and second-round draft picks have been signed around the NFL. Historically, the Bills have been among the teams who prefer to base their contract offers on the deals signed by players selected near the same draft position as their prospects.’

‘The tight end’s agent, Joel Segal, told The Associated Press on Friday that his client had agreed to the deal and was on his way to St. John Fisher College in suburban Rochester, where the Bills will hold their first practice on Saturday morning. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Nelson had 47 starts in 52 career games at Southern Mississippi, where he finished with 157 receptions for 2,054 yards and 16 touchdowns.’

‘The risky, but buzz-creating signing of veteran wide receiver Terrell Owens has fans curious, at very least. And a potentially productive draft is seen by optimists as the key to the three more wins the Bills figure to need for a playoff spot though even that might not be enough.’