Archives for February 2010

‘The team also announced it will not offer contracts to two of the longest-tenured veterans on the team … receiver Josh Reed and defensive end Ryan Denney.’

‘"I’ve met coach [Gailey] before," Clausen said. "He’s a great guy. We were in there just talking, talking ball, having a lot of fun. I’ve met him before and it was good to see him again."’

‘”We wanted to inform all three players ahead of the start of the free agency period so they could begin making their plans,” general manager Buddy Nix said.’

‘”I would like to thank the great fans in Buffalo, Ralph Wilson & the Bills organization for all their supports this past season,” Owens said on Twitter.’

‘Buffalo had signed Owens last offseason after he was released by the Dallas Cowboys, but the Bills’ passing game did not get off the ground after injuries forced them to play with several different quarterbacks.’

‘Gailey admitted this week that he doesn’t have the find a quarterback to fit his scheme, but will mold a scheme to fit his quarterback. Clausen said this about the subject, “I’ve obviously been in Coach Weis’ system for the past three years. I’m a little familiar with the West Coast system. I don’t know what coach’s system is going to be with the Bills, but I’ve played under center for the past three years under Coach Weis.”‘

‘Reed and Denney were among the longest tenured players on Buffalo’s roster this past year. Both were drafted in 2002 and lasted through multiple regimes.’

‘”All three have represented our organization with class and we thank them for their dedication and hard work.”‘

‘”Some people say I’m cocky, I’m arrogant and I’m not a good leader, I’m not a good teammate. I think the people that are out there saying those things don’t know me as a person,” said Clausen. “That’s why I was so excited to come here and talk to all the coaches and the GMs and the owners so they get a feel for me as a person.”‘

‘”We’re interested in T.O.,” Harbaugh said. “We’re interested in all the guys that can make our team better.”‘

‘Even if the Bills wanted to take a quarterback with the ninth overall pick in the draft, there is no guarantee they would get a shot at one. There only are two quarterbacks rated as strong first-round candidates – Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen and Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford – and both might be gone before No. 9.’

‘But besides Buffalo’s pick at nine, seeing three of his former Georgia Tech players get drafted sooner rather than later in late April will be as special as it gets.’

‘For the Bills, the good news is that four of their key players who would’ve been unrestricted free agents are now restricted and very likely to return to the team: linebacker Keith Ellison, strong safety George Wilson and guard Richie Incognito, each a starter, and cornerback Ashton Youboty, a key backup. The bad news for Buffalo is that some very good players on other teams that could help them fall under the same category and are now a lot less likely to join them.’

‘New coach Chan Gailey calls the NFL a quarterback-driven league and yet the Bills haven’t had a 300-yard passer in 54 games. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Trent Edwards and Brian Brohm are his problem now. Or maybe not.’

‘The need to find offensive tackles became an even bigger priority for the Bills this offseason after the sudden retirement of four-year veteran Brad Butler. Buffalo allowed 46 sacks last season and ranked last in the NFL in sacks allowed per play.’