Archives for August 2005

‘”He was unbelievable, really,” special teams coach Bobby April said. “You come out of nowhere to go to the Pro Bowl, that’s a great achievement. That says a lot about him.”‘

‘But the cuts that got my attention were in Atlanta and Denver. That’s where, to the amusement of Bills’ fans, the Falcons waived wide receiver Peerless Price and, for good measure, the Broncos dropped rookie running back Maurice Clarett.’

‘”It’s huge for the team and comforting for the coaches,” said Bills President and General Manager Tom Donahoe. “If there is a situation where J.P. got shook up or maybe in a game where he’s struggling and (coach) Mike (Mularkey) is looking for a spark, you can get that with Kelly, and he doesn’t need a lot of reps during the week to understand the game plan. Kelly has the right approach and the right attitude to handle all of it.”‘

‘”Based on the figures that we had heard from his agent it just didn’t sound realistic for us to be involved with it,” Donahoe said. “At this stage, where people are trying to get down to the final roster, he may not get what he thinks he’s going to get.”‘

‘Losman doesn’t have to win games so much as he has to avoid losing them. In reserve are two veterans, Holcomb, who started 12 games in four seasons for the Browns and could take over if Losman falters, and Shane Matthews, who, at age 35, is a perfect No. 3. Grade: C-plus.’

‘”With the naked (bootlegs) and all those things with me getting out of the pocket, the tight end slanting and getting open will benefit our team,” said Losman. “Having a couple of guys like that – tall guys, big targets – any time you can get a pop over the middle you have to take advantage of those things.”‘

‘Therrian Fontenot was a free agent signee out of Fresno State. He was converted from running back while with the Bulldogs, but the first year cornerback was Buffalo’s only cut to get down to the roster limit.’

‘After finishing strong in ’04, a team with savvy veterans puts its fate in the hands of a 24-year-old quarterback who has thrown five NFL passes.’

‘The release of Price, acquired from Buffalo in 2003 for a first-round draft choice, has been the subject of considerable speculation here since the end of the ’04 season. Team sources confirmed the jettisoning of Price who, in two seasons with the Falcons, caught just 109 passes for 1,413 yards and six touchdowns.’

‘Lee, waived by Buffalo this weekend, rushed 27 times for 128 yards for Dallas last year. He was supposed to compete for the Bills’ backup spot behind Willis McGahee, but had a disappointing preseason.’

‘Thomas, entering his fourth year with the Bills, has been bothered by a right knee injury since spring minicamps. "I’m disappointed for [Kevin] because he’s worked as hard as anybody," said head coach Mike Mularkey. "He’s got six more weeks when the regular season starts to get that thing right and I feel like he will."’

‘They actually have 67 because QB Kevin Thompson and CB Lawrence Richardson are NFL Europe exemptions.’

‘Thomas and Everett will not be eligible to practice with the team until after the conclusion of Week 6. At that time, the players will have a three-week window of opportunity to start practicing to determine whether they’re healthy to be activated or be placed on the season-ending injured-reserve list.’

‘The Bills today announced that the team has waived DB Therrian Fontenot and has placed TE Kevin Everett and DB Kevin Thomas on Reserve/PUP.’