Archives for July 2009

‘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.’

‘Here’s my list of things to watch out for…’.

‘”There’s no doubt it’s a challenge, but I believe we have the right group of guys for it,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “They work well together, they enjoy working together. They’re a bright group, football smarts, they think the game and talk the game a lot. That gives us a chance, but it won’t be easy.”‘

‘Everybody is excited about what he can do on a football field. But if Owens wants to be a real hero in this town, he might want to think less about looking good, and more about doing some good.’

‘"I like the fact that it’s far enough away from Buffalo that it is a little secluded a bit, but close enough that we can get back and forth and people can get back and forth and watch us," Jauron said.’

‘You can love him or hate him, but you cannot ignore him.’