Archives for March 20, 2006

‘Agent Robb Nelson said Monday he is completing terms of the deal that his client agreed to Sunday. Nall, an unrestricted free agent, also was being pursued by Green Bay and Minnesota, Nelson said.’

‘”The Bills, they want me to be there and be part of that organization. They’ve got a great organization and they’re going in the right direction. It’s a great situation. They’re young and they’re right there. Chicago, everybody knows how I feel about that city. It’s a great place, the fans are great. I’ve been there for three years. The ball is in their court for them to match, so we’ll see what happens.”‘

“I feel it was a very positive meeting,” concluded Graves (Cardinals Vice President of Football Operations). “We’ll evaluate our decision today and expect to have an announcement soon in respect to us matching the offer he received in Buffalo.”

‘The Seahawks might try to argue that such guarantees are no longer allowed under a 1994 CBA revision sparked by Wolford’s move from Buffalo to Indianapolis. Wolford, the Bills’ transition player, signed a three-year, $7.65 million offer sheet with the Colts. The deal included a clause that Wolford must be the team’s highest-paid offensive player. He qualified for that distinction in Indianapolis, but in Buffalo, quarterback Jim Kelly was earning more. In order to match, Buffalo would have had to raise the overall value of Wolford’s offer sheet. The Bills lost the case in arbitration and did not match Wolford’s contract. Afterward, the NFL and the union agreed that offer sheets for transition players no longer could require the matching team to raise the overall value.’

‘The departure of the free agent fuels speculation about Brett Favre’s future. Nall recently went on a fishing trip with Favre and if he thought the team’s star No. 1 quarterback was going to retire, he might have been reluctant to find another job.’

‘Nall, 26, is expected to compete with Buffalo holdovers Kelly Holcomb and J.P. Losman for the starting spot. Losman was the team’s first-round choice in the 2004 draft, but there is a new staff and a revamped football structure in Buffalo, and general manager Marv Levy and coach Dick Jauron don’t have the same loyalties to him as their predecessors did.’

‘The arrival of Nall could signal the end for one of the Bills’ current QBs. According to a report in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Bills may cut Kelly Holcomb or J.P. Losman and let Nall compete for the starting job with which ever QB remains.’

‘Nall, who will be 27 next month, is 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds. He was a fifth-round draft choice out of Northwestern (La.) State in 2002. Nall has thrown only 33 passes in six game appearances over the past four years. He was the No. 3 QB for the Pack in 2002, 2003 and 2005. He spent most of 2004 as the No. 2.’

‘On Sunday night, Nall reached terms with the Buffalo Bills on a free-agent contract, ending his four-year run with the Green Bay Packers. If Nall, who is close friends with Favre and recently went on a hunting trip with him, thought Favre was going to retire he might not have been so eager to find a job somewhere else.’

‘I think my greatest strength is my speed. Just being able to get off the ball and being able to run, because the defensive scheme we are going to have here in Buffalo, you have to be able to run to take down those tackles and the ball carrier.’

‘New defensive line coach Bill Kollar was a nice addition to Dick Jauron’s staff. Kollar was a tough, intense and high-motor NFL defensive lineman for nine years, and he brings that same approach to coaching. He’s a good teacher of technique and he’ll push his players to perform at a maximum effort. Kollar believes in a rotation system that keeps the linemen fresh and allows them to go hard for however long they are on the field. The defensive line depth chart is incomplete for now. The team has added DT Larry Tripplett and is looking at free agency and the draft to fill out the depth. The defensive linemen who are on the team can expect to work harder than they have before because Kollar won’t accept anything less.’