Archives for August 1, 2011

‘”If the players come in, it definitely helps the business,” Delaney said. “We get a lot of our customers who go to see it every year.”‘

‘What worries Easley is that the latest setback could affect his chances of making the team, a year after he was in contention to win the No. 2 spot.’

‘”We feel like he was a good fit for our team in a lot of ways, not just ability but the type of person he is, the type of leader that he is and the winner that he is,” Bills coach Chan Gailey said. “You always like to bring in people who understand winning and what it takes from a practice standpoint and work ethic.”‘

‘It’s not that easy. Nor is it particularly prudent to start writing check after check in free agency when the franchise remains — and will for now remain, no matter who it might sign out of the available pool — no better than third best in the AFC East. Their roster is replete with just too many unknowns.’

‘”For the most part offensively, I feel like Chan was able to put us in the right place,” Thigpen said of playing under Gailey. “We had our running backs making plays for us. For the most part, when you put up so many points on offense and the defense can’t stop the opposing team, what good is that going to do at the end of the day? We go back and forth and that one time they stop you on offense, but our defense can’t stop them that one time, they’re going to outscore you.” He said his game grew after working with Gailey.”‘

‘”I respect him 100 percent,” Sheppard said. “He has been willing to work with me, coming out to Atlanta and training with me for two weeks, trying to get the playbook with me and those are things that you just don’t see with guys you are competing with.”‘

‘Sure, Poz was a nice player and someone the Bills would have liked to have retained, but there was no way they were going to get into a bidding war for his services, especially when he ultimately signed for a reported $42 million over six years. So they wished the former second-round pick well, set their sights on finding his replacement, and did a very nice job in that endeavor, as Barnett brings talent, experience, and a Super Bowl ring into the Buffalo locker room.’

‘”I told (General Manager) Buddy Nix I was going to take this year as if I had played and I was going to use the knowledge toward this year,” Batten said. “This year it’s a night and day difference from where I was last year.”‘

‘I’m not saying the Jets should have backed up the Brinks truck, but they sure owed Brad Smith a better offer than the one they gave him, which was nothing.’

‘A person familiar with negotiations has told The Associated Press that linebacker Nick Barnett has agreed to a three-year deal with the Buffalo Bills two days after being cut by the Green Bay Packers.’

‘The question remains whether bigger will translate into playing better for the Bills, who haven’t made the playoffs in 11 seasons. Gailey thinks so, believing that additional size should help Buffalo compete in the tough AFC East, where the Bills have finished third or worse in eight of the past nine years since the NFL went to four-team divisions in 2002.’

‘Easley had the knee surgically repaired, which led to the fourth-round draft pick missing his entire rookie season.’

‘In Barnett, the Bills may actually be getting a better player, one who has vastly more experience, particularly in big games, and will cost a fraction of what Posluszny is now making in Jacksonville as the contract was reportedly worth around $12 million for three years. Posluszny signed a six-year deal for more than $42 million.’

‘One of the most interesting camp battles will be at cornerback where the Bills believe they have three starters vying for two spots — Drayton Florence, Terrence McGee and Leodis McKelvin. Florence was just signed to a new contract, and McKelvin is a 2008 first-round pick who began to make strides last year playing in place of the injured McGee. If rookie Aaron Williams emerges, the oft-injured McGee could be a candidate to get cut.’

‘Newly-acquired Brad Smith is being listed as a quarterback, not a receiver. He will give the Bills flexibility on game days because they will dress two QBs, and have Smith on hand if need be, and he’s fine with that. “I’m looking at plays as a quarterback, I’m also working on receiver stuff like route combos, techniques and the different nuances of the position,” he said. “It’s something I’m used to. I just have to get the terminology down. I play whatever it takes to win. That’s what I do.”‘