Lori Posted April 27, 2008 Posted April 27, 2008 Checking in on the media workroom out at One Bills Drive. After the first day, Sal Maiorana is giving Sully a run for his money in the sardonic one-liner department... BB.com: Chris BrownTime: 5:11 PM ET LEODIS SPEAKS TO THE FANS: On his conference call with the WNY media Leodis McKelvin was asked what he thought about coming to Buffalo and he offered the following. “Coming to Buffalo is cool," he said. "I grew up a Dallas Cowboys fan, but now I get to play for the team they played against in the Super Bowls. I’m going to go there and Buffalo has a great city. I’m going to come there and give the fans what they’re looking for a great player.” Time: 7:51 PM ET HARDY WILDLY PRODUCTIVE: Hardy had 36 touchdowns in 36 games in his college career. Obviously the NFL is a different level of football, but finally the Bills have a big target to throw at other teams instead of the other way around. BuffNews: Sully On Sports3:46 p.m. -- Just one hour, 44 minutes left until Bills feed the media. I'm counting down on my personal clock. I tried to move dinner up a half hour, to no avail. 3:48 p.m. -- I know I'm biased, but I think Tom Donahoe is having a miserable draft. 3:49 p.m. -- Pats are on the clock. What they heck are they doing picking this high? Cue up my annual column on the Bills losing ground to New England in the division. ... 4:19 p.m. -- Bills take Leodis McKelvin, cornerback from Troy. He was the best player on the board, according to Mark's mock. This doesn't surprise me. Dick Jauron is a defensive mind, a former defensive back, and he believes you can't have too many solid guys in the secondary. Now the question is, which receiver do they like? Did they not think Devin Thomas was worth this pick? Do they have a surprisingly high grade on one of the other wideouts? They'd better have a plan, because they need receiver help if they intend to be a playoff team this year. ... 6:20 p.m. -- Still no receivers. Maybe there won't be one taken in the entire draft. You're telling me there's not a single draft-eligible wide receiver worthy of being taken in Round One? I'm starting to wear down. I think I've had too much coffee. Then again, coffee is like defensive players who rush the quarterback. You can't have enough. It's either coffee or a run to the Big Tree. Maybe Ruben Brown is over there. Ruben spent so much time in the Tree in his heyday, they should have given him Rewards points. ... 6:35 p.m. -- Three and a half hours in and still no comments from you people out there? What do I have to do, dredge up the memory of Drury and Briere? Campbell? Stu Barnes? Take a cheap shot at Tiny Tim Connolly? Still no return call from Tom Golisano, by the way. BuffNews.com: BillBoardThe Baltimore Ravens' move out of the top 10 greased the skids for the Bills' pick of Leodis McKelvin. Once Matt Ryan went off the board, it was expected the Ravens would fill their cornerback need and take McKelvin. New Orleans also had a need at corner and could have taken him at No. 10. But the Saints made a shrewd move up the board to No. 7 to take Sedrick Ellis. That trumped Cincinnati, which wanted Ellis badly. The Bengals settled for Keith Rivers, who also filled a need for them. While the Bills had both the top WR and the top CB on the board, there is little doubt every team in the league had McKelvin rated ahead of Devin Thomas. ... Now we wait to see how the Bills will fill their receiver need. ---Mark Gaughan The Bills wanted to land a big WR and got one in James Hardy. At 6-foot-6, 226-pounds Hardy has great size to beat smaller CBs, runs a 4.5 in the 40 and has soft hands. He scored 36 TDs in college and should be a force in the red zone. But some of the Big Ten's more physical CBs held him in check and he lacks strength. Still, the Bills picked up two players with their first two picks who should help immediately. ---Rodney McKissic Rochester D&C: Three-Point Stance (Sal Maiorana)4:19 - And there you have it. CB Leodis McKelvin is your newest member of the Buffalo Bills. He was considered the top cornerback in this draft by most media outlets, and it was thought that he would be gone inside the the top 10, so his slipping to the Bills is somewhat of a surprise. It’s a solid pick. As I have been saying recently whenever I’ve been asked, receiver is an obvious need, but none of the guys in this draft are worthy of the No. 11 pick, and that has proven to be the case as none of them have been picked yet. I think the Bills can address their wide receiver need in the second round, because there’s a very good chance that guys like Malcolm Kelly, James Hardy and Limas Sweed will still be available. ... 6:30 - How’d you like that, Jets fans? They trade up into the first round to pick a tight end named Dustin Keller. The kid looks like a running back, and The Sporting News wrote this about him: “His blocking is just plain poor, and his hands are so-so. In our book, those are two meatball concerns.” Nice pick by the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets! Aren’t you glad they’re in the Bills division? ... 7:10 - One pick away from the Bills’ second choice. Who’s it going to be? It has to be a receiver, right. I’m guessing they go with Malcolm Kelly. ... 7:18 - Wrong! But thank you very much for playing and enjoy your parting gifts. The Bills go with wide receiver James Hardy out of Indiana, and this is a player who certainly fits their need for a big target. Hardy stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 217 pounds. He makes Roscoe Parrish look like a smurf. What sets Hardy apart is the vertical nature of his game. Not only is he tall, but he has long arms, and he can jump, so all that bodes well in the red zone where the Bills have been simply abysmal the last few years. Not blogging tonight, but for future reference (I'll eventually have all these links on a page somewhere)... Buffalo Main Event: Brad Riter WGR: Nick Mendola RochD&C: Bob Matthews RochD&C: Scott Pitoniak
Phil Indablanc Posted April 27, 2008 Posted April 27, 2008 You have just made it official. I spoke with my wife a few minutes ago and we are going to do the divorce. I can be in WNY in about three days and then I will make you my bride. I'm not sure if I am the perfect man for you but you are clearly the perfect woman for me. Kidding aside I thank you for your work, diligence and commitment to our common cause. You're the best Lori.
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