Archives for April 26, 2013

‘Manuel became the first quarterback selected on Thursday, and filled a big need for a Bills team that’s rebuilding under new coach Doug Marrone. Manuel was the most accurate passer at Florida State, where he completed nearly 67 percent of his passes.’

”’I love having a chip on my shoulder,” he said.’

‘”As you know, we did a lot of work on these guys and we felt we knew him as well as you could from a distance,” Nix said. “This guy, to us, has the upside to be whatever you want him to be. They all had good qualities but this is a guy who can do both (run and pass). It’s up to Coach Marrone and his staff how they use him, but this guy can do both � and he’s a winner.”‘

‘Smart, huh? Maybe. We’ll know in a couple of years. In the meantime, it’s up to Manuel to prove the Bills right.’

‘”It’s been tough. As a football player you want to just focus on football. But when your mother is sick, she’s doing better now, but it’s just you think about the journey. This moment comes, you get that call, it’s amazing.”‘

‘Time will tell if Miami and Buffalo get the needed results from the risks they saw fit to take. But it’s clear the Dolphins and Bills couldn’t afford to play it safe in this 2013 draft. In certain pockets of the NFL, there’s desperation in the air. You might not be able to see it, but you can sure feel it.’

‘”Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m shocked by that,” the executive said. “I mean, he’s a nice player and I could see him going in the first round. But Buffalo wasn’t the team I thought would take him, and he’s the only one? Yeah, I’m shocked.”‘

‘On Thursday, Nix got his man, taking Florida State QB E.J. Manuel with the 16th overall pick.’

‘”Obviously we did (like him most),” said Nix. “We think this guy has got a chance. We researched him every way we can and we really like his upside.”‘

‘The Rams parted with one of their two first round picks at 16 along with their second round pick at 46 and a seventh round at 222 overall to move up to Buffalo’s spot at eighth overall. The Bills and Rams also swapped third round picks, with Buffalo moving down from pick 71 to pick 78.’

‘Yeah, we calculated that as best we could. You never know what is going to happen in the Draft. There are surprises all the time. Normally I do not get nervous, but I might have gotten a little nervous towards the end there.’

‘Bruce (Smith) gave me a lot of advice moving forward from high school to college. Now that I am a Buffalo Bill…he actually called me about Buffalo. Not saying I was going to go there, but just giving me some facts and some background on the team before I went up and met with those guys. I know Bruce is extremely excited and he sounded just as excited as I am.”‘

‘”I’m really excited,” said Kelsay on the John Murphy Show. “It’s an honor. It’s a blessing. It was totally unexpected. I was kind of floored when it first was brought to my attention. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I’m really looking forward to it.”‘