Archives for April 2013

‘”Doug is a vital cog to the process, but when it comes to football decisions in this organization, one person and one person only makes those decisions, and that’s Buddy Nix.”‘

‘He understood you. And because he did, because he bled Buffalo, his connection to people was far easier to understand than it was to define. You knew what he meant when he said Western New York was an attitude more than anything else. He knew what people were thinking in the steel mills and corporate offices and school cafeterias and dinner tables.’

‘”He made such a profound impact on me first as a person and second as a journalist. I used Larry as the model for how you should be in this business. A man’s man, a friend to so many. I always knew that Larry was in my corner and that he cared about me as a person and did everything he could to make you better. He would challenge you and advise you in ways that if you took that advice, you couldn’t miss.”‘

‘Tasker and Kelly had some really good chemistry in the opening episode, which bodes well for “No Huddle.”‘

‘But I do know this: the Buffalo Bills just got a lot more entertaining with the potential to be better with the selection of a big, fast quarterback, two really fast wide receivers, a linebacker and two safeties to fortify the middle of their defense and a couple guys with a rap sheet to assist with any attitude adjustment new coach Doug Marrone has in mind.’

‘What the team did well, though, was putting itself in a position to draft targeted players. Obviously, Manuel was Buffalo’s guy. But by trading down and picking up an additional second-round pick, management was able to fill three needs.’

‘Is it fair to write off anyone for a dumb thing, or things, they might have done at age 19 or 20 or 21? There is no one-word answer. All depends on the circumstances, and, as Bills GM Buddy Nix once told me, your “gut feeling.”‘

‘”I met with them twice,” he said. “My first time meeting with the Bills was at the East-West Shrine Game. I had an interview with the scout. He was real impressed with my film. He loved me as a player. That was the first time I met with them. I think I had a brief sit-down with the Bills also. It was one of the teams that they told me if I’m up on the board they were going to take a chance on me, so they did.”‘

‘”Nothing was ever given to me,” Meeks said. “No five stars. No red carpet. No true freshman starting role. I always worked. So, coming into this same process, I was like, ‘Here we go again.'”‘

‘”I was trying to be proactive,” Chibane said. “Every time a pick was made, I was making notes. It kept my mind off things. It was a long day, sitting there from noon to 6:30. I want to burn them now.”‘

‘”Obviously, he’s got to make the team,” said his agent, JR Rickert of Niskayuna. “But they’re giving him a signing bonus. He’s signing a contract. He’s going to be on the 80-man roster and now he’s going to have to try to make either the 53 (man regular-season roster) or make practice squad.”‘

‘Projected as a fourth-round pick by ESPN analyst Mel Kiper, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Rogers was All-SEC as a Tennessee sophomore in 2011, but failed drug tests and other disciplinary problems ultimately led to his dismissal. He caught 61 passes for 893 yards and 10 touchdowns last season for Tech.’

‘But Rogers was suspended before the start of this past season and later admitted it was due to repeatedly failing drug tests. (He was also arrested in 2010 and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest following a brawl in a Knoxville bar. The charges were later dropped when Rogers completed 16 hours of community service.)’

‘Buffalo selected safeties with back-to-back picks on Saturday, selecting Nevada’s Michael ‘Duke’ Williams 105th overall and Clemson’s Jonathan Meeks 143rd overall. The Bills had a need for help on the back end due to the departure of veteran safety George Wilson, who joined the Tennessee Titans, and the uncertain future of standout Jairus Byrd. Byrd, one of Buffalo’s top defenders, is unsigned after receiving the franchise tag on March 1.’