Archives for June 5, 2002

Riemersma said he is going to play under his current contract. Tom Donahoe said that Riemersma’s agent Jack Wirth stated to him, "There is nothing to talk about." Donahoe seemed a bit put-off by the negotiations. Buffalo does not need more cap space to sign its rookies, but the manner in which Donahoe explained the situation tells me that if the team wants to bring in an additional free agent sometime, it might not have any qualms about cutting the veteran tight end at this point.

The move came as a surprise to many Bills fans. With a young backfield that includes second-year man Travis Henry, NFL Europe star Curtis Alexander, late season starter Shawn Bryson, special teams specialist Sammy Morris, and rookie Joe Burns, the addition of Huntley, who is in his seventh season in the NFL, has been questioned.

‘But when asked if Huntley’s signing would make a trade more likely, Bills president Tom Donahoe said, "Not really. Names come up in conversations, and most of it is just conversation."’

Gates will open on June 8 at 12:30 PM and the event will begin at 1:30 PM. Players will be available afterwards for kids 14 and under and a ticket stub will be required to receive autographs. The event will feature a live performance by a national recording act, which will be announced later.

Bledsoe On Huntley: "I'm just glad to have him in the mix with us and how we use him we'll just have to wait and see. But he is a guy that we are happy to have in the mix with us."

One need look no further than at four recent members of June free-agent classes to see that teams looking for key pieces can occasionally find them among the raft of released players.

‘This is a make-or-break year for the former first-round draft pick, who is battling second-year pro Kendrick Office and second-round draft pick Ryan Denney for Hansen’s left end spot. If Flowers doesn’t produce, he’ll be forever labeled as a bust.’

‘The 5-foot-11, 225-pound Huntley is a big, physical back with good speed and elusiveness. He’s been hampered by hamstring injuries but has been productive when healthy.’

‘Jim Dunaway played for the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins and was married to Nonniel Dunaway for 35 years.’

By any measure, it had already been a remarkable offseason for the Bills.

Fresh from a 3-13 disaster, they had lost LB Cowart to Jets via free agency, and injury-plagued QB RJ was exposed to Houston and then waived.

But before Bills’ fans could slip into depression, Tom Donahoe delivered a

megadose of hope. He signed eight modestly priced, but decidedly valuable veterans. Second he had a solid draft. And finally they traded for a starting QB Drew Bledsoe.

Huntley likes the situation in Buffalo because of past relationships with Tom Donahoe and Kevin Gilbride while with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After his visit to Buffalo in April, Huntley was "sky high" about the possibility of playing in Western New York. He will now have that opportunity but it will likely mean the end of Bryson’s career with the team.

Empire Sports Network will provide live coverage of the Buffalo Bills uniform unveiling on Saturday, June 8 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. It will be replayed at 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 8. ESN is available outside western New York through Direct TV (ch.626) and EchoStar (ch.432) home satellite systems.

At first glance, the Richard Huntley acquisition seems to make little sense, particularly because Buffalo is in real need of a proven under tackle and left end, and it already has two decent backup running backs in Sammy Morris and Shawn Bryson. But the more you look at it, the more it adds up. I just don’t know if it adds up more than their need at under tackle and left end.

During the Bills’ May mini-camp, their offense looked ahead of the defense. But when the June mini-camp opened Tuesday, the defense clearly had the upper hand.

‘"For the most part, Eric had no idea (of the policy) and to be honest, none of us did either," said Greg Johnson, one of Moulds’ agents. "But we’re going to find out the extent of what he can and can’t endorse and once we find out, we’ll talk with the company. We’ve had a good relationship with them and we’re just trying to make sense of it all, so it’s not something that turns into a big deal."’