Archives for April 2005

‘After four excruciating hours and one romp through the buffet line, the media was desperate for a legitimate bit of news. Please, trade Travis Henry. Trade him for a backup long snapper, a blocking sled or a fax machine, but make a move. Give us something to analyze.’

‘"They told me they wanted a tight end who can block and catch the ball. I can do that," he said. "It’s a great opportunity and I’m very excited about it. I don’t know much about them, other than they are going with a young quarterback named J.P. Losman."’

‘Donahoe said the Bills worked the phones all day but were not presented with much to consider for Henry and will try again today, probably to land a future pick. They would’ve taken a third-rounder for the former Pro Bowler but nobody offered it.’

‘But taking Parrish wasn’t the biggest surprise of this endless day. More stunning was the inactivity of Donahoe and assistant GM Modrak. The Bills’ wheelers and dealers weren’t able to make any bold moves to get into the first round. They stayed put at 55th. The waiting game tested their patience, too. "It did take a while," Modrak said. "I’ve never been in that situation before."’

‘Remember, it was only three years ago that the Bills were singing the praises of wide receiver Josh Reed, who was selected in the first round. Now Reed’s job could be in jeopardy with the selection of Parrish.’

‘"We kept our communication open with Buffalo right up to the time of the pick," said Rod Graves, the team’s vice president for football operations. "We also felt it wasn’t going to work. And we had an opportunity at a player like J.J. Arrington."’

”’I didn’t know who I was going to, but I felt good about the Bills,” said Parrish, who celebrated with a throng of family members and friends in his living room. “I talked to their receiver coach on the phone for about 30 minutes on Friday and he talked to me about coming in and playing the slot receiver and returning kicks for them. I’m ready right now.”’

‘The diminutive Parrish will have to prove he can withstand the rigors of the NFL.’

”’We’ve been very aggressive trying to see if we could find something that made sense,” Bills president Tom Donahoe said. ”But we weren’t really presented with anything that did make sense. We weren’t presented with very much to be honest with you. … We’ll see what happens tomorrow.” Donahoe said he would’ve been willing to trade Henry for a third-round pick.’

‘Buffalo tabbed Miami’s second leading receiver with its next selection. Tight end Kevin Everett went to the Bills in the third round with the 86th overall pick. Everett caught 23 passes for 310 yards in 2004.’

‘Parrish has the quick burst and isn’t afraid to go over the middle and has shown the ability to hang onto the ball after taking the big hit. Has great speed and shows a second gear when tracking the ball downfield. Parrish does lack size, being only 5’9", and 168 pounds.’

‘The Eagles and Titans remain possible destinations for Henry, but the options are clearly evaporating. He has sworn that he will not play for the Bills again, so something has to give. Stay tuned.’

‘The 5-10 Parrish declared for the draft following his junior season. He has 4.43 speed and is a dynamic returner, averaging 16.2 yards on punt returns last season.’

‘A junior out of Miami, Parrish is regarded as having explosive speed and led the Hurricanes with 43 catches for 693 yards and led the ACC with eight touchdowns last season. He was drafted 55th overall after the Bills traded this year’s first-round pick to Dallas to select quarterback J.P. Losman 22nd overall last year.’

‘Thomas was the Bills’ 6th round draft pick in 2002. He played in all 16 of teams’ games last season, registering 45 tackles, one sack and no interceptions.’