Archives for April 30, 2011

‘”When I look back on my Mom, her whole drive was never give up,” Dareus said Friday during his introductory news conference at the Bills’ headquarters. “When she was on her deathbed, and she was on her deathbed a couple of times growing up, but one time I asked her, ‘Mom, why are you still fighting?’ I was in middle school and it was just a crazy question. She looked at me and said, ‘I have seven kids. Would you want me to be gone now, or do you want me to keep fighting?’ I said, ‘Mom, keep fighting.’ She said, ‘Alright then. You go over there and sit down.’ She rolled over and went to sleep.””

‘Even if the Bills had taken a franchise QB in the draft, it was a near-certainty that Fitzpatrick would go into the 2011 season as the starter after throwing for 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns last year. Still, those first three picks were a resounding endorsement of Fitz as the No. 1 guy.’

‘”I think he’s a heckuva guy. He’s an engaging guy. I told him we’re drafting for character as well as ability. I told him we have passionate fans here, and you’re going to get a lot of people asking to take your picture with them.””

‘”But we’re to the point, and I think I’ve said this a lot of times, but with the first pick we wanted a franchise guy,” Nix said. “If he wasn’t there then we were going to get better on defence and work on needs if the right guy was there. We are still going to go to camp with probably four quarterbacks, so that’s not to say we won’t take one in the draft, but it’s also not to say we wouldn’t go after a veteran to be a back-up for us and then take another arm to camp. He might be a college free agent.”‘

‘”They want to turn this thing around and get it to another level,” Dareus, the run-stuffing answer to Buddy Nix’s prayers said. “I guess I’m a starting piece to it.”‘

‘Buffalo’s starting cornerbacks, Terrence McGee and Leodis McKelvin, stand only 5-9 and 5-10. Another corner, Drayton Florence, is an unrestricted free agent while backup corner Ashton Youboty is a free agent.’

‘”Just that contact, the good feeling, the good vibe I got on the visit, all the arrows pointed at the Buffalo Bills,” Sheppard said. “But you never know how the draft goes. I’m just very thankful for the opportunity.”‘

‘Sheppard said he had an inkling the Bills might select him, especially after he traveled to Buffalo for a pre-draft visit. “I kind of felt like I was coming back home,” Sheppard said. “Once, I stepped into the door, everyone was like, ‘Shepp, what’s up, man?'””

‘”She was on her death bed a couple of times when I was growing up. And the one time, I said, ‘Mom, why are you still fighting?'” Dareus said. “She looked at me and said, ‘I have seven kids. Do you want me to be gone now or do you want me to keep fighting?'” Dareus’ answer was simple: “Keep fighting.”‘

‘If they liked Ryan Mallett, they would have taken Ryan Mallett. End of story.’

‘”He’s got good speed, he’s got good very good quickness and short area burst, he’s a good tackler, he’s a tough guy, smart but now if you put him on an elite receiver every time and they get 30, 40 yards down the field you’ll see some separation probably.”‘

‘The Bills still hold 6 more picks in the Draft, with 2 in the 4th round (100th and 122nd overall), the 2nd pick of the 5th round (133rd overall), the 4th selection in the 6th round (169th overall), and 2 more in the 7th round (206th and 245th overall). The 4th-7th round get underway at noon on Saturday.’

‘This isn’t another Mike Williams or Aaron Maybin. Nix and head coach Chan Gailey hit an obvious home run with the Dareus selection. They considered QB Blaine Gabbert, but the scenario couldn’t have been more perfect and the team got the exact player they envisioned.’

‘”He’s got good speed, he’s got good very good quickness and short area burst, he’s a good tackler, he’s a tough guy, smart but now if you put him on an elite receiver every time and they get 30, 40 yards down the field you’ll see some separation probably.”‘

‘”Everything goes in cycles in football and it’s gotten now where you’ve got big receivers and you need big corners and they’re hard to find,” said Bills GM Buddy Nix. “This guy is talented. He’s really a good athlete. He’s got some versatility. He can play corner obviously. He can play in the slot in nickel. We think he can also play safety.”‘