Archives for March 2010

‘In short, when asking DeLamielleure a question, the questioner should be prepared for quite the response, regardless of the subject matter.’

‘Gailey’s career specialty has been to groom quarterbacks of all talent level.’

‘Edwards, who is 6-3, 290, is a proven commodity in the 3-4 scheme. He played in 18 games for the Ravens’ stellar defense last season after recovering from neck surgery. He’ll fit into a rotation at end with Spencer Johnson and Marcus Stroud and gives the Bills some insurance should Aaron Schobel retire.’

‘Buffalo’s cautious approach to free agency isn’t unlike that of most teams in the NFL as an uncapped season approaches. Many experts predicated fiscal responsibility would be the norm. "Because you’re not making splashes doesn’t mean we’re not taking every person that’s out there seriously and checking them out and finding if they fit our football team," coach Chan Gailey said. "We’re trying to be very smart and make good decisions about the type of people we bring in."’

‘Will Buffalo’s smaller, more conservative approach to free agency this year pay off on the field? That depends largely upon who else the Bills can coax to Orchard Park over the coming weeks and months. Creating depth has to be a priority of the new regime.’

‘He had visited the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos, but didn’t get offers because he didn’t pass their physicals. Edwards told the Times that the Ravens wanted him to have neck surgery after undergoing spinal fusion surgery two years ago where his C3 and C4 vertebrae were fused and his disc was removed with another surgically inserted from a cadaver. However, he insists that he’s healthy enough to play without a major risk. He said the Ravens wound up withdrawing an offer to him during the free agency process.’

‘"They talked me off the plane going back to Baltimore [Tuesday]," Edwards said after signing the deal Wednesday. "And between then and working out the details of the contract, I stayed the night and flew my wife and kids up this morning and it was a done deal. That’s pretty much it. [The Bills] showed a lot of interest in me and that’s what I was looking for."’

‘”The hardest thing (about it) is projecting the players,” he said. “It’s also difficult see how tough the players are and will be and how they will react to their contracts and all that money.”‘

‘QB: When you have three quarterbacks and haven’t named a starter by now it tells me you really don’t have a starting quarterback. Trent Edwards is the incumbent, but there’s a feeling that he missed his window of opportunity. Maybe, and if that’s the case then he missed it because he wouldn’t throw the ball downfield. Or he was hurt too often. Or he lost his confidence. Or all of the above. Backup Ryan Fitzpatrick is a solid No. 2, and that is where he should stay.’

‘”I was about ready to get on a plane and started having a conversation with my agent and things were starting to move and he recommended that I not get on the plane," Edwards told Buffalobills.com. "And it went from there and here I am.”‘

‘"I’m very excited," Davis told reporters on a conference call before flying back to Denver. "It’s definitely a great feeling. I’m happy to be here. What closed the deal was the fact that I felt very welcome. It’s a blessing and I’m happy this whole situation is over with. Now I’m focused on helping the team achieve the next step."’

‘”To me, unless something different happens between now and post-draft, to me it’s an open competition for the job; see what happens,” Gailey said. “We’ve got some guys that obviously have played well at times and some guys that are unproven that we don’t know, but were well-regarded coming out. To me we’ve got to see who can rise to the top. So it’ll be an open competition, if it stays status quo. If it changes, if we see something that changes our mind or gets us to another point, then we would go there.”‘

‘According to Edwards, Bannan is one of the reasons he considered Buffalo. Bannan played four years for the Bills before joining the Ravens.’

‘His contract includes escalator clauses that can boost the maximum value to more than $18 million.’

‘Edwards becomes the second probable starter to be signed by the Bills on Tuesday for their new 3-4 defensive scheme. Earlier on Tuesday, the Bills announced they’d signed former Denver Broncos starting inside linebacker Andra Davis.’