Archives for April 2010

‘”If he would’ve had more production he wouldn’t have been here at this pick,” said Bills scout Tom Roth. “He has a lot of upside, but as a player he’s big, fast and strong. He’s very good underneath on drags and vertically. He has strong hands to make the catch. He’s not a juker like Roscoe, but he has the strength to break tackles.”‘

‘”We did discuss one or two, but we just didn’t think it was best for us at this time,” rookie general manager Buddy Nix said. “Never batted an eye … just went right on.”‘

‘He’s a home-run hitter too. A big-play guy — 21 of his 51 career TDs at Clemson were on runs of 50 yards or more.’

‘The Bills have ranked in the bottom 11 in the league in run defense the past five years and finished 30th out of 32 against the run last season.’

‘"Pressure is when you’re unprepared, and I know I’ve prepared myself in the best way to give this organization everything that I have," he said Friday during his introductory news conference at the Bills’ practice facility. "I know a lot of people are expecting a lot of things and my main thing is to go out there and just work hard. Go out there and get ready for a season."’

‘"This is a fact," Wilson said. "He’s a good player, but we had no intention of taking Tebow. We weren’t moving up to take Tebow."’

‘But you have to wonder if the organization would have done things differently had it known Clausen would be available in the second round. They could have addressed a true need with their opening pick. Once Spiller was in the fold, could they really afford to spend another choice on a skill position given all their other holes to fill and positions to fortify?’

‘"It’s a great feeling," Troup said during a conference call with the Buffalo media. "I don’t get much publicity. I don’t play a glory position, so sometimes guys at my position get overlooked. But for the Bills to jump up and grab me at the beginning of the second round is a great feeling. That tells me that somebody is paying attention to all the hard work I’m putting in. I’m really excited."’

‘”It’s a great feeling, I don’t get much publicity,” Troup said by phone shortly after being selected. “I don’t play a glory position, so guys at my position do get overlooked. For the Bills to grab me at the beginning of the second round, that’s a great feeling and lets me know that someone paid attention to the hard work that I put in.”‘

‘”We all can watch the film and see how talented the guy is, but one of the reasons the guy is where he is, not just as a football player but as a person, is because of the man he is, the perseverance he shows, the character he has, the hard work he displays year round,” coach Chan Gailey said. “That’s what makes him a special football player and a special young man.”‘

‘The fact of the matter is, the Bills have had no more than two reliable quarterbacks in the 14 seasons since Jim Kelly has retired, and even that’s a stretch. Doug Flutie got the Bills to the playoffs the last time they went in 1999, and Drew Bledsoe almost got them in in his first year under center. Both were quarterbacks who had varrying success for the Bills, but neither was what you would call great. Which is apparently something Bills’ owner Ralph Wilson is hell bent on keeping out of Buffalo.’

‘”Denver panicked,” Wilson said. “He’s a good player but we had no interest in taking Tebow. We were not moving up to take Tebow.”‘

‘He wasn’t a high-publicity guy but impressed the Bills. “It’s a great feeling. I don’t get much publicity,” he said. “I don’t play a glory position. So sometimes guys at my position get overlooked and I feel like I was a bit overlooked this year. For the Bills to grab me at the beginning of the second round is a great feeling and that tells me that somebody is paying attention to all the hard work that I’m putting in and my great work ethic.”‘

‘”I think he’s got a great future ahead of him, and for several reasons,” Roberts said. “Number one, the quality of person that he is – you can’t say enough about his character, his work ethic and his care and concern for others. Number two, he has the physical ability to be successful at that level – the size, speed and strength and just his overall will to win.”‘