Archives for April 25, 2010

‘Bell will join fellow rookie C.J. Spiller in Buffalo. The Bills made the Clemson standout the first running back chosen in the draft, picking him ninth overall. "We complement each other," Bell said. "He’s a fast, speedy back. I can go up the middle and get the tough three or four yards. We can go in and both make an impact."’

‘The school announced the signing late Saturday night following the conclusion of the three-day NFL draft. Johnson was a two-year starter, who finished with 107 career tackles and three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown.’

‘"I’m with a team that I can go out and prove myself with, and as long as I have a foot in the door, that’s all I wanted in the first place," Bell told The Detroit News on Saturday.’

‘”Everybody that walks on that football field has a chance,” Gailey said during the Bills’ post-draft news conference. “I don’t care if it’s one of those guys we’re trying to sign as free agents. If you don’t go by that philosophy, then to me you’re short-changing the guys you’re signing and drafting. You have to give them an opportunity to win the job.”‘

‘"To have an opportunity to play with Buffalo is a dream come true," Roosevelt said.’

‘So in the end, they didn’t do much to address the most important position in the sport. Get ready for another year of Trent Edwards under center – assuming that Edwards regains enough of his skill and swagger to hold off Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Brohm and Brown for the right to check down to C.J. Spiller eight times a game.’

‘Most of the astute drafters I’ve known through the years had the philosophy of "sticking to our board," meaning remaining true to their team’s ranking of the best players available. That’s what the choice of Spiller represented.’

‘Running back Marshawn Lynch is still a Buffalo Bill, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change any time soon.’

‘Turned out it was a whole lot of wasted time wondering what the Bills might do. They didn’t make a trade or sign a free agent (yet), and they didn’t address that position of glaring need until the seventh round of the NFL Draft Saturday afternoon when they chose Levi Brown from Troy University.’

‘But now that it’s set in stone that Edwards, Fitzpatrick and Brohm will be slugging it out for the starting quarterback job this summer, it just got harder to drink from their Kool-Aid stand.’

‘Last year, my projection was 5-11. The Bills won the final game of the season against the uninspired, playoff-bound Indianapolis Colts to finish 6-10.’

‘”It was a little shocking, I guess, that they picked me,” Easley said. “I didn’t work out for them or interview with them but if you understand the business and the process, especially if you went to the NFL combine and all the teams are there, you know there’s a chance this could happen. Somebody took me and is giving me an opportunity to play professional football. Whether it was yesterday, today or another day, I’m grateful.”‘

‘”I had an informal interview with them at the combine and they told me they were interested,” Easley said. “But that was pretty much all I heard from them.”‘

‘”I was disappointed after (Friday) night but still kind of anxious,” Easley said Saturday. “I woke up (Saturday) morning at 9 and turned on the TV starting at 10. Nine picks in, I got the phone call right before the Bills picked. “They told me I would be their pick. I’ve been celebrating ever since.”‘

‘Wang, whose parents were both Chinese Olympians in the 1970s, wasn’t oblivious to the fact that he’s a pioneer. ”It’s really important to me,” Wang said. ”It means a lot to me to be able to be the first one to do it. I take a lot of pride in that.”’