Archives for April 11, 2001

‘One look at the Buffalo Bills’ roster should tell you what they are looking for in the NFL draft on April 21-22. Salary cap cuts and free agent defections have created glaring needs at defensive line, offensive line and cornerback.’

‘Wright did speak with Pittsburgh after talking with Cincinnati and Seattle. However, the Steelers lacked upfront money under the salary cap.’

‘There’s a risk to signing a 33-year-old, 350-pound defensive tackle with 10 years of NFL wear-and-tear on him–even one as good as three-time Pro Bowl player Ted Washington. But the Bears figured the price was right to take the chance.’

‘Adams also mentioned Florida Gators quarterback Jesse Palmer, an Ottawa-native whose stock rose with a strong showing in the Senior Bowl. "We’ve looked at (Palmer), he’s a good, big guy," Adams said.’

‘"The style I like to play is to keep those guards or keep that center off the linebackers and let them flow (to the ball). If you saw the film with Buffalo, Sam Cowart rarely got touched. He went to the Pro Bowl. I’m not taking full credit for that, but that’s my job.’

‘In a move that could foreshadow a major domino effect on their defense, the Bears agreed Tuesday to a three-year contract potentially worth $7.5 million, including a $2.5 million signing bonus, with ex-Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ted Washington.’

‘Because the Bills are desperate to rebuild their depth yet are still functioning with little salary cap room, general manager and president Tom Donahoe said yesterday that he will explore ways to obtain even more picks for his debut draft in Buffalo.’

‘We started yesterday, and the whole process will take us about the next 10 days. This is the most important phase of our preparation. Most of the work has been done, but now it’s a matter of sharing information, trying to figure out what we think about these players as potential Buffalo Bills players and setting up the board.’

‘Washington, who turns 33 on Friday, spent the last six seasons with the Buffalo Bills before becoming a salary-cap casualty this offseason.’

‘Financial terms were not disclosed.’