Archives for July 2002

‘Bledsoe was popular for his personality and community involvement in New England, but Patriots fans had grown tired of his game on the field.’

‘Ch. 2 Sports has learned that Reed and Denny are close to agreements and should be reporting with the rest of the rookies on Wednesday at St. John Fisher College in Rochester for training camp. Negotiations with Williams might take a little longer, although #3 overall pick, quarterback Joey Harrington, did sign with the Detroit Lions on Tuesday. Williams, at #4 overall, is now the highest unsigned first round pick.’

‘The signs of camp are everywhere in Pittsford. The team is being welcomed to town by merchants and customers alike–all eager to get their hands on Bills’ products.’

‘In the time-honored NFL way, they played copycat, except rather than emulate a successful offensive style or defensive alignment, they duplicated the rebuilding formula of the San Francisco 49ers.’

‘The new Bills quarterback arrives today and will be on the field Thursday morning at St. John Fisher College for the first workout involving rookies, free agents and select veterans.’

Buffalo Bills signed draft picks Kevin Thomas and Rodney Wright, and free agent Delrico Fletcher on Tuesday. The Bills also waived rookie LB John Duckett.

TBD is sponsoring a trip to Canton with reserved seating for parade and enshrinement ceremony. Check out the Jim Kelly Wall of Fame Induction board.

The Bills today announced that the team has signed two more of their 2002 draft picks – cornerback Kevin Thomas and wide receiver Rodney Wright. As is club policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

‘The Bills need two starters to come out of relative nowhere – unless they sign a veteran free agent off the street.’

‘Still, nobody can knock the Bills for gambling on an infusion of a dozen veterans to float them from the depths of 3-13. There are foolish gambles and then there is necessity.’

‘In addition, fewer than 1,000 tickets are still available for the team’s scrimmage with the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, Aug. 3.’

‘"We all became better coaches the moment that trade went down," coach Gregg Williams says.’

‘Much is expected from the 6-foot-6, 375-pound behemoth who makes former Bills offensive tackle Howard "House" Ballard look more like a cottage. He plans on living up to those lofty expectations.’

‘"You don’t do it by talking about it, by looking at the roster and looking at the stats on guys. You do it by going out and hitting a guy in the mouth every single play to win a game. That’s how you win games and have successful seasons."’

‘On Draft Day 1998, 241 players were selected, including 34 linebackers. None of them was named London Fletcher.’