Two Bills Drive

‘As for Volek, who has a three-year offer on the table from the Falcons, agent Ken Staninger told The City Paper that only Tennessee and Atlanta had made proposals to his client.’

‘Vincent’s agent Linda Bodley told The Associated Press her free-agent client agreed to a six-year deal, choosing Buffalo ahead of two other teams — Cincinnati and Kansas City — that had courted him. “He’s relieved that he’s finally made a decision,” Bodley said. “And with any of the three teams he couldn’t go wrong. He’s very pleased.”’

‘Barring an offseason move, Teague will continue centering a line that is bookended by emerging tackles Mike Williams and Jonas Jennings. The Bills bolstered their right guard position by signing Chris Villarrial earlier this month.’

‘Vincent, a five-time Pro Bowl player and until Monday arguably the premier defender still available in free agency, chose the Bills over proposals made by the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs. He considered the offers during the weekend and after visiting with the Chiefs coaches and officials last week, and had promised all a decision by Monday.’

The Bills picked up the two-year option on center Trey Teague, giving him a $2 million option bonus. Teague is now signed through the 2005 season. By picking up the option, the Bills are retaining the final two years and $5.75 million of his contract.

‘He stopped into town as part of his free agency tour, but left early Monday.’

‘The deal, expected to be for six years and $20 million, including a $3.6 million bonus, should be announced shortly.’

‘Once a starter over a younger David Carr at Fresno State, Volek has indicated that he would like to land a starting job or be in position to take over as a starter at some point in the future. He has reportedly visited the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos and the Green Bay Packers in addition to talking with the Titans about staying in Tennessee.’

‘Volek did not make himself available to the media following his visit, and the Bills did not comment other than to say that he arrived in Buffalo on Sunday and met with the team’s coaches and management.’

The Titans signed Volek as an undrafted free agent on April 18, 2000

‘”Since the day I watched Bryant McKinnie make mincemeat out of Dwight Freeney in a Miami-Syracuse game last fall, I thought McKinnie was the type of franchise tackle any team would love. I don’t think Mike Williams is as good, though he’s certainly a good player. But to get Bledsoe for next year’s No. 1 — that makes the weekend worthwhile. It’s true that Bledsoe over the past four seasons has morphed into an everyday quarterback, but that’s better than the Bills had. Now, with Bledsoe and Alex Van Pelt under center, the Bills should be at least a 9-7 team this fall.”‘

“The acquisition of Lawyer was a shock at first,” Wire said. “I was really looking forward to the season because I felt I really improved from my first season playing defensive back.”

‘Despite all of the positive comments coming out of Henson’s workout-audition for 20 NFL teams, the best the Houston Texans could get for him was a third-round pick in the 2005 draft from the Dallas Cowboys. That means Buffalo could have had him for the No. 43 pick in next month’s draft but decided he wasn’t worth it.’

‘Buffalo would love to land Vincent, a five-time Pro Bowler who at age 32 hasn’t lost much. He’d replace Winfield and add tons of leadership. However, the Cincinnati Bengals, after clearing $4-5 million in cap space after releasing ex-Bill Jeff Burris, were in the driver’s seat for Vincent as the weekend approached. Vincent played for Bengals defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier in Philadelphia. Carolina and Kansas City are also in the running for Vincent.’

‘Defensive end – Bills pass rush was spotty, despite Aaron Schobel’s 11.5 sacks, helping to explain their NFL-low 18 takeaways. Team has spent second-round picks on Ryan Denney and Chris Kelsay the past two seasons with very little return so far.’