Archives for April 13, 2006

‘Fairchild has stated already that he’s not looking to emulate what he and Martz did in St. Louis, however, there are certainly some elements of that offense that he likes and has incorporated into Buffalo’s new attack. "He’s built some of those things from the St. Louis passing game into this system," said Bills offensive quality control coach Alex Van Pelt. "You won’t see the same conservative ball control passing game that you saw here last year." "I think we’ll be aggressive," said quarterback Kelly Holcomb. "I think we’ll go down the field more. If we get the running game going that’ll help the play action pass. I certainly think you’ll see some more down the field stuff."’

‘Bills’ Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly was in Rochester on Wednesday and weighed in on the possibility of the team leaving Buffalo.’

‘Even if the Buffalo Bills could acquire a high second-rounder and a mid-round pick for Clements a deal would be worthwhile. Why? Because the Bills need to stockpile on picks to help in their rebuilding effort, and they will have some difficulty retaining Clements past this season anyway, unless they franchise him for a second straight season.’

‘One prominent businessman said he became concerned three or four years ago that the Bills would leave town should something happen to Wilson. "Nobody would talk about it, so you could only draw one conclusion," said the businessman, who did not want to be identified.’

‘The Buffalo Bills made a profit last year, but less than $10 million, team officials say. This year, under the National Football League’s new labor agreement, they expect to lose money, somewhere between $5 million and $10 million. And Bills officials fear their financial situation may only get worse in the coming years.’

‘One potential trading partner for the Bills could be Minnesota. The Vikings reportedly want quarterback Jay Cutler but they have the No. 17 overall pick and he’d probably be gone by then. If Buffalo isn’t completely sold on Bunkley or Ngata, and if Minnesota really wants Cutler, a possible reasonable swap would be the No. 8 pick for the 17th, 48th and 51st picks.’

‘Slowly, perhaps inexorably, the NFL appears to be shifting toward Major League Baseball’s model. And that’s scary news for markets such as ours.’

‘Tasker returns to his roots to speak in the community where he lived with his parents, Kiowa Methodist Church Pastor Gordon Tasker and JoAnn. The Taskers served the church in Kiowa from 1968 to 1974. The public is invited to hear Tasker, an active inspirational and motivational speaker. He’ll be at South Barber High School in Kiowa Monday night, April 17, to speak at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but a love offering will be taken as a token of appreciation.’

Bills’ Teague replaces Mawae (Newsday)

Ex-Bills center signs with Jets (Newark Star Ledger)

Jets Sign OL Trey Teague (NewYorkJets.com)

‘”Trey is a physical, tough, smart and determined veteran who provides our offensive line with flexibility and experience,” Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said in a release. “He is a consistent player with a physical presence and we look forward to integrating him into our program.”‘