Archives for July 2005

‘”I certainly want to thank Travis Henry for what he did while he was here in Buffalo,” Donahoe said. “He was a warrior and an outstanding player for us. It became obvious to us toward the end of last season and at the conclusion of the season that Travis just did not want to be here. We really are not interested in having players here who do not want to be here. It just creates a distraction.”‘

‘With the Titans, Henry will likely start the season as a backup to Chris Brown, who has had injury problems of his own.’

‘The Buffalo Bills have officially announced that the team has acquired a third round draft pick from the Titans in exchange for running back Travis Henry.’

‘Henry threatened to sit out this season, the final year of his contract, if he wasn’t traded. He already missed three minicamp sessions this spring — including a mandatory three-day camp last month.’

‘Losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ second- and third-stringers 29-24 last January forced the Bills’ front office to do some soul-searching. The conclusion? While Buffalo’s defense and special teams were playoff-caliber, the offense was not. And while it looks like a giant leap of faith turning the keys over to an untested quarterback in Losman, the feeling on the staff is that he can do no worse than the tired warhorse Bledsoe. And he has the potential to do much better, particularly when plays break down, because of his superior mobility. Buffalo was literally a play or two from making the playoffs in 2004. If Losman makes one or two more than Bledsoe, he and his strong supporting cast will crash the party in ’05.’

‘The Buffalo Bills announced Monday that the team has acquired an undisclosed draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft from the Tennessee Titans for veteran running back Travis Henry.’

‘There are reports the Jaguars attempted to sweeten the deal with an 11th-hour offer of a second-round pick, but those reports remain unsubstantiated and it’s possible a second-rounder wouldn’t have gotten the deal done either. Go back to reason number one. It’s the overbearing consideration in all of this. Buffalo didn’t want to trade Henry to the Jaguars. That’s the bottom line.’

‘Wild-card playoff…Drew Brees answers the Euhus TD with a scoring pass to Eric Parker, and the Chargers have enough to prevail, 27-24.’

‘The Titans could still try work on a deal that goes beyond the remaining year of Henry’s contract – which calls for a $1.25 million base salary. But if the Titans don’t manage an extension, they’ll play this season with two solid running backs in Henry and Chris Brown and sort the rest out later.’

‘”I haven’t gotten a chance to meet Chris Brown, but as far us co-existing, I think it’ll be great. Everybody’s just got to know their role,” he said in the TV phone interview. “Whatever role the coaches give me or give him, it’s a team sport first. I’ve been in a situation a couple of different times where there’s more than one back on the team, and competition makes you better overall. I feel like if both we both understand that and the coaches let us know what both our roles are, then things should go good.”‘

‘However, Titans’ general manager Floyd Reese said through a spokesman Sunday, “It is still an ongoing process.” He said no terms have been reached for a trade or for a contract extension.’

How did Henry slip through the fingers of the Jaguars? If indeed, as is being reported, he has, by agreeing to contract terms with Tennessee. What happened? Was it money? Bad breath? Did Fred Taylor have a Henry voodoo doll?’

‘”I know I need to come in and be a more consistent corner,” he said. “Already having one year under my belt, more people our counting on me more to make plays and be more of a consistent corner.”‘

‘”As you know, we finished at number two,” said linebacker Jeff Posey. “So, that’s not number one. That shows there’s room for improvement because we want to be the number one defense.”‘

‘How refreshing that somehow, someway, the Bills have steered clear of trouble, avoided the courts, done their home city proud. Just look around the league. Upstanding behavior isn’t something that should be taken for granted.’