Archives for March 11, 2004

‘”I don’t think there was any one that was better timed than that one and it wasn’t due to my skill of trying to time the tackle,” Stratton said. “I think it was due to my fear that Lincoln was going to catch the ball and his feet were going to hit the ground before I got to him and then I might miss him. So I was driven more by fear than anything else. It was a good collision. I felt it and I knew that he felt it. I didn’t know what would happen. I was happy in some ways that he was not coming back into the game because he had already given us fits, but I was also happy that he didn’t seem to be that badly hurt. So it sort of worked out well.”‘

I met Winfield in April 1999 after Buffalo drafted him 23rd overall. I wrote for the independent Bills publication Shout!, and was assigned to ghostwrite an ongoing diary chronicling a player’s rookie year. We chose Winfield, figuring there wouldn’t be any better subject than the team’s first pick. As it turned out, there probably weren’t many better subjects in the NFL.

‘The Bills are fully committed to Drew Bledsoe for the 2004 season and are not expected to be eager to bring in a quarterback who would be considered a serious threat to their starter. Volek, given his apprenticeship in the Titans’ system, would be more of a threat than Henson. Bledsoe is due to receive a contract bonus in November and his future with the team beyond this year depends on his performance.’

‘Sunday, the Bills are scheduled to meet with Volek in Nashville.’

‘The Dolphins and free-agent fullback Sammy Morris started contract negotiations Wednesday but didn’t reach an agreement. The Dolphins want Morris, who played with Buffalo the past four seasons, as a backup to Rob Konrad after Femi Ayanbadejo signed last Saturday with Arizona.’