Archives for January 16, 2009

‘”He managed the game for me as a coach unbelievably this year,” Fewell said. “There were a number of calls this season that he had to get out of because they weren’t good situations and he put us in the better situation of the two calls. And so, he has corrected some things on the field from a game management standpoint.”‘

‘Their faceless offense might be part of the reason why the defense in turn is relatively obscure; still, the other side is caught in a no-man’s land between functioning as an aggressive unit and as a stifling coverage-focused ensemble. While they were good at times last season, they rarely rose to greatness and importantly didn’t make themselves uncommonly distinct.’

‘Edwards saw several doctors after the Bills’ season ended to get an evaluation on his shoulder, which caused him some soreness later in the season. Those evaluations determined that the shoulder is not a serious problem.’

‘Where Jackson’s case gets peculiar is the combination of his age and the ramifications of the collective-bargaining agreement. NFL owners are opting out two years early, creating an uncapped season in 2010 and setting into motion rules that will keep Jackson an exclusive-rights free agent an extra year. His tender for 2010 would be $545,000. The thing is, Jackson will turn 28 next month. That means he wouldn’t become a restricted free agent — never mind unrestricted — for the first time until he’s 29, an unappealing age for a running back, regardless of his odometer readout. Most players become eligible for restricted free agency when they’re 24 or 25.’