Archives for September 2009

‘”I feel comfortable with him in there,” said offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. “He’s a great athlete, a great talent. The only thing he’s lacking right now is experience and he’ll get tons of that coming up real quick. We like him a lot as a player, obviously, and I have the ultimate faith that he’ll get the job done for us.”‘

‘”No, not really, but I gotta deal with it,” the receiver said Wednesday in a conference call with members of the Patriots media.’

‘Yet, to date, Owens has been a model citizen. Other than the toe injury that allowed him to play just one series during the pre-season, he has been pretty low key. But how long can that last, especially with the on-and off-field problems experienced by the Bills heading into their 2009 regular-season opener against the New England Patriots in prime time on Monday?’

‘Bell was used with the starting lineup for a series during an Aug. 22 preseason game at Green Bay. He played well in the game, which might have given him his starting spot.’

‘”It’ll be a similar voice that we hear in our room all week and we talk the same language and Ryan will pass it on to Trent,” said Van Pelt. “That will allow me to go upstairs and remove myself from the sideline and focus on the field.”‘

‘"Growing up in Alabama, I wasn’t part of the poorest of the poor. But I knew what it took, watching my mom be the sole provider for the family. It was a no-brainer to do this," Owens said inside the Food Bank warehouse on Holt Street.’

Regardless of how I feel about Dick Jauron, Trent Edwards or Alex Van Pelt, I’m happy that Schonert is no longer a member of the Bills offense. After a non-descript playing career as a back-up signal caller, Schonert has struggled to make an impact with any of the offenses he’s coached.

‘Two Bills Drive has teamed up with site sponsor BetABuddy.com to provide this season’s football pool services. They have been supporting our website for the past year and for that we are very grateful. Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place! The season starts tomorrow, so don’t delay!’

‘The total value of all of the contracts of all 80 players the Bills took to training camp this summer was $487.88 million. That ranked 25th out of 32 in the NFL this year, based on league documents obtained by The Buffalo News.’

‘Look. Walker’s a marginal tackle. At best. He was marginal in Oakland before the Bills lured him from the clutches of imaginary competition for $25 million over five years. Just like Derrick Dockery was a marginal guard before the Bills tugged him away from phantom suitors with $49 million over seven years. Just like center Melvin Fowler was nothing special before he came aboard in free agency and … Detecting a trend here?’

‘But it appears Chambers won’t start in Walker’s left tackle spot because the Bills are reportedly going with second-year player Demetrius Bell. A seventh-round draft pick in 2008, Bell has never played a down in the NFL, just like rookies and starting guards, Eric Wood and Andy Levitre. That’s right: Three rookies starting at New England on the big stage of Monday Night Football.’

‘"I was ecstatic," said Hennessey, the only offensive lineman designated for Buffalo’s practice squad. "It was a long walk through those doors to Mr. Guy’s office, but what he told me – ‘We feel you have a decent chance to develop’ – excited me to no end. It means I’m a Buffalo Bill. I can’t tell you how great I felt at that moment."’

‘If Schonert were a highly-respected offensive guru with years of experience and success, you could say he got a raw deal. For someone with one full season as a coordinator under his belt, one in which his offense’s production sank like a stone after a hot start, he should accept his part of the blame and move on.’

‘Rhodes was more expensive, but you had the idea he’d have survived at least until Lynch finished his suspension.’

‘Chambers, who had been waived by the Bills over the weekend, is expected to fit back into the swing tackle role he’s filled with the team over the last two years.’