Archives for April 1, 2008

‘"I feel like I’m a little further ahead than the last time I had the surgery so that’s the good thing," Reed said. "I feel like I’m in better shape than I was at that time. I’m a lot more active, so I feel the healing process is quicker this time."’

‘From March 31st to April 26th, fans can visit buffalobills.com/mtbdraftcontest to make their prediction.’

‘If the Bills have a productive draft for the third consecutive year, missing the postseason yet again shouldn’t be an option. With two more picks come greater expectations for Buffalo’s head draft guru, vice president of college scouting Tom Modrak, whose above-average eye for young talent will need to come to the forefront later this month.’

‘Football fans, beginning Tuesday, can go to the team Website, www.buffalobills.com, and register to win in one of several contests. One involves the team’s partnership with M&T Bank, who will reward a fan who accurately predicts who the Bills are going to pick in this year’s draft. The draft is set for the weekend of April 26 in New York City. In addition, fans can win tickets, airfare and overnight stay in a New York hotel for this year’s draft, courtesy of JetBlue Airways. Fans can register for the JetBlue giveaway through April 18.’

‘Wilson refuses to gloat over the issue, and he says he wasn’t surprised he was portrayed as clueless. “That’s understandable because the vote was 30-2, and people thought, ‘Wilson must be out there by himself on a canoe,’ ” Wilson said Monday from his office in Detroit. (He’s letting his team executives handle league business this week.) “When the proposal was passed out to us it was rushed out,” Wilson said. “We had about 45 minutes to consider it. There was a lot more to it that we never saw and we didn’t realize at the time. In sum and substance, we voted on the thing, and I didn’t think we should.”‘

‘The picks came as a bit of a surprise in part because the formula for determining compensatory picks is complex and not public knowledge. The formula takes into consideration salary, playing time and postseason honors for unrestricted free agents signed the previous year.’

‘The Bills will now have 10 selections, starting with the 11th overall pick, after being awarded a fourth-round pick (132nd overall) and a seventh-rounder (251st) on Monday. Under a complex formula developed by the league, the NFL determined the Bills had a net loss of two free agents last year.’