Archives for April 2013

‘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.”‘

‘”Larry was basically the voice of sports in Buffalo for a generation,” said Howard Smith, former executive sports editor at The News. “He interpreted what went on, and his opinion really helped color the opinions of a whole generation of sports readers.”‘

‘Let’s take a look at the options…’.

‘So if Buffalo stays there, my gut says they go for Smith’s favorite target at West Virginia, wideout Tavon Austin, and grab their QB at No. 41 in the second round … or even trade up to get him.’

‘The day after his retirement dinner a dozen years ago, one of the easiest columns I ever wrote was recounting the tremendous impact he had on my career. In hindsight, I couldn’t have picked a better mentor … and am proud he so willingly shared his wisdom with me. I’ll miss you old friend.’

‘In the previous draft, the Bills passed over quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick based on the misguided belief Fitzpatrick could be the franchise quarterback. Dalton and Kaepernick were taken with the next two selections after Buffalo drafted cornerback Aaron Williams 34th overall in the second round in 2011.’