Archives for May 2010

‘April had decided to leave the Buffalo Bills after not being considered for their head-coaching vacancy. April is a high-profile coach, and after watching the first minicamp this past weekend, it sure seems special teams are going to have a higher profile with the Eagles.’

‘Unfortunately, the latter seems to be the fate of third-round choice Chris Ellis, the defensive end from Virginia Tech. Ellis, in two seasons, has played nine games, starting none. Four games he was on injured reserve, but in 18 others, as they say in hockey, he was a healthy scratch. It would be stunning if he’s on the Bills’ final 53 this fall.’

‘Players who retired after 1993, the year of the landmark CBA that brought the salary cap, have wonderful benefits. Retired players who bowed out before 1993, and particularly before 1982, have benefits that aren’t nearly as good as one might expect from the most popular sport in North America.’

‘This young man is on his way to the big time, and his Clemson “family” couldn’t be prouder or happier than his real family in Lake Butler, Fla. For Spiller did it right. He resisted the lure of NFL riches to return to Clemson for his final year of eligibility and graduated with a degree in sociology last December. The Clemson trustee board gave him a standing ovation at graduation.’

‘Buffalo’s decision makers are hardly looking at Wang like a consolation prize, however, and the 6-5, 314-pound former tight end has a better-than-average chance to win the starting left tackle job once training camp rolls around.’

‘Finding hybrid defensive end/outside linebackers continues to be a point of emphasis for the Bills as they build their roster with an eye toward training camp in July. Among the team’s college free agents is Auburn’s Antonio Coleman, who had an extremely productive college career, earned back-to-back SEC first-team honors, and still went undrafted. At 6-2, 255 with some injury issues, Coleman was a pass-rushing end at Auburn and finished with 24 1/2 career sacks. As a senior, he had 10 sacks, 16 1/2 tackles for loss, five batted passes and two blocked kicks. But his "tweener" size scared teams off. Still, in Buffalo’s new 3-4 scheme he has a chance to make an impact, along with Danny Batten, the team’s sixth-round pick out South Dakota State.’

‘General manager Buddy Nix was true to his word. He added a fourth quarterback to Buffalo’s muddied quarterback pool, only it wasn’t the big-name player fans had clamored for.’