Archives for May 2012

‘The NFL’s new rookie wage scale, part of last summer’s collective bargaining agreement, is making the signing of draft picks seem effortless compared to the past. As of May 17, the Bills had seven of their nine picks done, including No. 1 pick Stephon Gilmore.’

‘Progress is being made toward a renewal of the Bills agreement with Rogers Communications to play games in Toronto. The NFL’s International Committee is expected to take up the topic as part of its May agenda. The five-year deal expires in 2012. “Discussions are ongoing with the Buffalo Bills about extending the Bills Toronto Series deal,” Rogers Media president Keith Pelley said in a statement. “While I am cautiously optimistic, we have nothing to announce at this time.” The new deal is expected to be less than the $78 million the Bills reaped originally. Games have been difficult to sell out in Toronto, in part because of the poor on-field product.’

‘The total money in the contract is guaranteed over the four-year span. The Bills also have the option for a fifth year of the contract, like any first round pick signed in the past two off-seasons.’

‘”It’s great,” Sanders said. “Just after the first day of practice me and Nigel were kinda laughing because it’s a pro practice and at the same time still talking to people back at Florida State. Just trying to keep that tradition so it’s good, it’s cool.”‘

‘”It feels good to get it over with and I’m just ready to get back to work now,” Gilmore told Buffalobills.com.’

‘”I pretty much just want to show how fast I can learn,” said Bradham. “Hopefully I can help in any kind of way to contribute to the team. Pretty much just show them from special teams to defense. Doing whatever they need me to do, being a role player or anything I need to do to work on to get better as a player and just earn my respect from teammates and coaches.”‘

‘"From before you wake up in the morning, until after you eat your dinner at night, I am in a classroom with my fellow teammates," Wilson said. "Instead of a teacher I have a coach, instead of textbooks I have playbooks, my tests aren’t on paper they are on the field Sunday nights and if I fail I don’t lose marks, they replace me."’

‘"I mean you would think that not playing would make you want to change schools but, for me it was a fight and I wanted to be the best at what I did," said the 124th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. "At LSU, [they’re] known for having great DBs, so I know I had to come out there and work. Those guys pushed me, got me to the point where I’m at now."’

‘"What I was basically saying is just the respect of the players. Just like we have here, we have a lot of respectable players on this team as well," Young said. "From Fitz, from Jax [Fred Jackson], it’s a long list of guys. I definitely won’t make that comment again because it was definitely blown out of proportion. It’s just to show you that it’s the respect I have for the players that were around in that locker room."’

‘”My whole thing is that I use it as motivation to silence my doubters,” he said. “I have a huge doubter base. I used to feed into that but my biggest thing is not feeding into that. You can’t make everybody happy. The only people you can make happy is your family members, your coaching staff and your teammates. The ones you do love. Those are the ones I focus on, everything else I just put too much focus on. I don’t really watch it and I don’t get to hear it until someone texts it to me or someone tells me. I kind of use that as fuel.”‘

‘”I’d take a look at it,” he said. “You never say never in this business but it would have to be an absolutely ideal situation and it would have to be something the family was comfortable with.”‘

‘”My whole thing is that I use it as motivation to silence my doubters,” he said. “I have a huge doubter base. I used to feed into that, but my biggest thing is not feeding into that. The biggest thing is I just want to go out and play football, help out in any way I can.”‘

‘Young said all the right things during his introductory news conference Tuesday after signing a one-year contract with Buffalo.’

‘League spokesman Michael Signora wrote in an email that the Toronto series will be on the NFL International Committee’s agenda for its next meeting. The meeting is scheduled to take place this month, but no date has been set.’

‘”All you can do is come in and work,” Young said when he spoke to the media on Tuesday afternoon. “This league is crazy injury-wise. I’m not wishing that on him, he’s our starting quarterback and I’m behind him 100 percent so the biggest thing is not just at my position, at every position on the football field you have to be always ready because you never know what’s going to happen.”‘