Archives for May 2011

‘He is very athletic. He is very passionate about football. He has the ability to make plays at a number of different positions. He can play outside on the edge. He is physical. He is able to play inside in the nickel and safety in my opinion. He has tremendous position flexibility not only athletically but mentally. There are a lot of kids that can play a number of different positions athletically but cannot quite do it mentally. Aaron is able to do both.’

‘”Bob was somewhat of a threat long term,” said Hall of Fame guard Billy Shaw. “He was one of the first players drafted that I thought could come in and play and eventually take my spot. We were all about the same size. Bob was around 6’3” and 240 pounds and had really good speed and fit the guard position of the day. We were predominantly a running team back in the 60’s. Long sweeps and long pulls and Bob had all of those attributes as far as playing that position.”‘

‘If there is a pot hole in the camaraderie, it’s that the coaches, like all NFL coaches, are barred from participating in these players-only get-togethers. So the Buffalo team, which barely got to know each other a season ago, will have to acquire new colleagues on the fly and absorb their coaches’ teaching in warp time.’

‘”He has the respect and the confidence of everybody on the team,” said wide receiver Lee Evans. “He’s the type of quarterback you can communicate with, on and off the field. And he leads by example, not just by what he says. He’s smart enough to be able to handle certain situations, and guys trust him and believe him. The way he plays, regardless of whatever happens, you know he’s going to play hard and he has your back.”

‘Since arriving in Buffalo as a free agent in 2009, the 301-pound Hangartner has stabilized the center position, which had been a long-term problem the previous decade. He has been stout enough and brings great intelligence to the job of making line calls and adjustments. Hangartner scored 47 out of 50 on the Wonderlic intelligence test before the draft in 2005. That’s believed to be the highest score of any offensive lineman ever.’

‘Gundlach’s net worth isn’t known, but he earned tens of millions of dollars in his 24-year tenure at TCW.’

‘”I work for the Bills and I got a letter from (owner) Mr. (Ralph) Wilson saying ‘We have to cut 30 percent of your pay,’ ” Thomas said. “Hey, you’ve got to get (a deal) done. I’ve got to use that other 30 percent.”‘

‘Chandler drove 12 hours to arrive in time for Tuesday’s workout. He stayed for two-thirds of Wednesday’s session, long enough to catch throws from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in the passing portion of the workout. Then he turned around and drove back to Iowa to get home in time for his daughter’s birthday party.’

‘Almeter, driving a Ford Focus, was heading south and attempted to get around the left-turning car by driving onto the partially paved shoulder of the two-lane road when he collided with Torbor. The right front corner of Torbor’s vehicle struck the left front corner of the Focus. Almeter was ticketed for passing on the right. Both cars were towed.’

‘High-profile bond-fund manager Jeffrey Gundlach says he’s in the early stages of attempting to acquire the Buffalo Bills.’

‘Torbor says there was a car stopped in the oncoming lane, when he began making his left turn into the sports complex’s entrance. Torbor says the Focus drove onto the partially paved shoulder of the two-lane road to get around the stopped car, when the two collided. The right front corner of Torbor’s vehicle struck the left front corner of the Focus.’

‘He is one of the hardest working guys I have ever been around. He is one of the favorite guys among his teammates. He would do anything to help the program. He played a lot of different positions. Pound for pound, perhaps the strongest man on our team, and is awfully explosive. He is a good receiver, a good blocker and an exceptional runner. He is a really strong special teams player. That is where some of our guys realized that that may be the ticket to not only make a team, but to get yourself to Sunday.’

‘"It’s important for the camaraderie just getting the players together, and jell together," Dareus said after the practice, during most of which he just stood on the sidelines watching and talking to other players about what was happening on the field.’

‘"It’s nothing," Dareus said Wednesday about his presence at the two-hour workout. "There was not a doubt in my mind I’m coming. My agent was like, ‘Marcell, you’ve got to do the insurance thing, you’re not covered with them [the Bills] yet.’ I said, ‘You know Todd, I still want to go out there and show my face. I’m the first pick. The [Bills’ players] were kind of like, ‘We want him out here.’ I’m not going to turn them down, because I’ve got to show some kind of support because I do want to be out here. I’m kind of excited. They wanted me out here, so I’m here."’

‘The opportunity to start bonding with players was just as important to Dareus as the limited amount of work the defensive lineman out of Alabama was allowed to do Wednesday.’