Archives for April 13, 2007

‘For all his success, though — he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002 — Kelly did not deliver the city what it wanted most. I asked him if he will be bothered if the Sabres beat the Bills to the city’s first major championship. He sounded earnest. “I don’t think of it as ‘I wish we were the first team to do it,’ but I do wish we would have done it,” he says. “I look at the New England Patriots, how they won two Super Bowls by kicking field goals by the same distance as ours. I wish we would have won a long time ago. I don’t care if the Sabres beat the Bills. Let’s just win a championship.”‘

‘Frank Kalil played center at Arkansas (1978) and Arizona State (1980-82) and was an 11th-round draft choice of the Buffalo Bills in 1982. But Kalil wound up playing professionally in the USFL.’

‘Throughout the years Thomas has been friends with many of the Sabres. “I’ve known a lot of them including guys like Pat Lafontaine, Dominik Hasek, Michael Peca and Dale Hawerchuk,” said Thomas, who was the NFL’s MVP in 1991 when he rushed for 1,407 yards, had 62 receptions for 631 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. “In fact, Dixon Ward was one of my best friends while I lived and played in Buffalo."’

‘The 6-foot-1, 242-pound Willis is not only fast, he’s a big-time playmaker with toughness, instincts and range. He excels at fighting through blocks and delivering big hits on the ball carrier. He’s also versatile with the size to play the middle and the speed to play outside.’

‘Mike Mayock, a contributor to the NFL Network and NFL.com who’s draftnik stock rises each spring, has Miami (Fla.) linebacker Jon Beason ranked higher than Willis in his latest player rankings.’

‘The point is that Bills fans shouldn’t necessarily expect an obvious choice in the draft’s first round. If it’s Willis, Buffalo will be in good shape. At the same time, though, it might not even be a linebacker. Bottom line: Prepare for a curveball. In over a year as the Bills’ G.M., Levy has thrown plenty.’