NFL Films Video: Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly remembers the hardest hit he ever took.
BillsBeat - May 28, 2002
Peter King predicts the Bills will make the playoffs this season
“7. I think I like a lot about what I’m seeing in Buffalo. The Bills will be a wild-card team.”
Bills Off-Season Camp Photo Gallery
The best photos of the week (Part I) – Mike Williams, Drew Bledsoe, London Fletcher, etc.
Donahoe faces some tough decisions
‘Figure on at least one, and possibly as many as three, former starters hitting the bricks on Saturday or soon after.’
BillsBeat - May 27, 2002
NFLE Europe players on the rise - Curtis Alexander
Alexander has accomplished nearly as much as Jamal Robertson on the ground, but he has more total yards from scrimmage because he has been a bigger factor in the passing game. Alexander was a fourth-round draft pick of the Broncos in 1998, but failed to make it through his first training camp. He has generated enough interest that if the Bills waive him, another team with less depth will bring him in for a tryout.
Inside Dish: Fina drawing interest
In several situations, impending cap casualties already have been contacted and deals are in the works with potential suitors. For example, OT John Fina’s agent already has received several calls from teams considering the “former” Bill.
Fantasy Football, NFL Head Coach style
Head coaches were asked: Pick one player to build an expansion team around?
Faulk, a defensive coordinator’s worst nightmare, garnered just two votes. One came from Bills coach Gregg Williams, a former defensive coordinator who knows a thing or two about trying to contain offensive firepower. “He presents too many match-up problems,” said Williams. “And he causes these problems against every defense run in the league.”
Bledsoe costing Patriots $6.666 Million in cap space
The final cap hits for Bledsoe and Terry Glenn are now on the books. According to the latest NFL documents obtained by the Globe, the Bledsoe cap hit for the Patriots was $6.666 million, and on Glenn it was $945,000. Bledsoe’s number includes the $6 million in pro-rated bonus from his newest contract, plus $666,000 pro-rated from his old contract. As for Glenn, it’s unclear why there was such a large hit. There was a "secret" settlement between the Patriots and Glenn and it has been kept under wraps by the team and the league. Bledsoe’s cap hit will be the second-highest on the roster this season.
Some choose country over football
‘At a time when it was acceptable for professional athletes to defer military service, Kalsu felt obligated to honor the ROTC pledge that had been as much a part of his life at the University of Oklahoma as had his All-American role on the football team. And so Kalsu left his pregnant wife and young daughter to fulfill what he deemed to be a responsibility he could not ignore.’
BillsBeat - May 26, 2002
New depth of talent turns Bills minicamp into scramble for jobs
‘A year ago, the mystery was whether the team had enough viable players to fill out a complete lineup. Now it’s a question of who pushes whom, or how much playing time some very good talents will get.’
Mini-camps are a major deal
‘In other words, if a coach says jump in the off-season, players today are inclined to ask "How high?" not "How come?"’
BillsBeat - May 25, 2002
AFC East race should be thrilling, as usual
I already thought the Bills would be much better this year after the way they finished up, giving the Dolphins and Patriots fits while also costing the Jets the division. They have a very good receiving corps and a new QB (Drew Bledsoe) who will help turn a mediocre offense into a good one, but the key will be the ground game. Bledsoe needs Travis Henry and Shawn Bryson to take some pressure off him. On defense, the Bills have some good, young talent and should improve in the second year of a new system. Overall, they will be much more competitive but not good enough to secure a wild-card berth.’
Search for cover corners becoming endless
If teams have two good corners as their starters, it does give them a huge edge. Take the Buffalo Bills. They start Nate Clements and Antoine Winfield, two former first-round picks who are on their way to becoming one of the league’s best tandems.
BillsBeat - May 24, 2002
Video footage of Training Camp - Bledsoe to Moulds
For Bills WR Eric Moulds, this is his 7th season in the NFL. And Drew Bledsoe is the 8th QB he’s worked with. The two have been working out their timing during the May "minicamp" at One Bills Drive. View the video for the full story as Bledsoe talks about learning to read body language.
Donahoe/Williams Era Taking Shape
The Buffalo Bills starting lineup will look much different than the 24 guys (including the kicker and punter) than started on opening last season. As of the recent mini-camp 14, or possibly 15, of the 24 positions will change from last year’s opening day starters. Furthermore, only eight of those positions will be manned by players from the pre-Gregg Williams/Tom Donahoe era.