Archives for May 4, 2011

‘Buffalo’s draft may not have made the biggest splash in the headlines, but its ho-hum weekend might just go a long way towards creating some exciting Sunday’s at Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘Modrak had been criticized for the team’s inconsistent drafting history in the past. However, he had the backing of team owner Ralph Wilson.’

‘”On the field, you come through a lot of adversity and then you just have to capitalize on it,” he said. “You can’t let it get away from you. Same way you go in life. You come to obstacles you have to overcome … you get knocked down on the field and you have to bounce back.”‘

‘”This is the time of year when we evaluate every element of our football operation and with the Draft now completed, we have decided to reorganize our personnel department,” said Bills GM Buddy Nix. “We have begun that process and made a decision to head in a different direction. We thank Tom for his 10 years of dedication to our organization and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”‘

‘”This is an amazing kid, now,” Nix said. “He vertical jumps 32 inches and he long jumps like 9-5 and he dunks a basketball with both hands. His body fat is not real high. He’s an exceptional athlete. We would’ve signed him as a free agent so we just drafted him and didn’t have to go after him, and we’re going to see if he can play.”‘

‘Baltimore was the only other club to pull down an A from Gosselin, but what’s new? The Ravens annually are among the best and brightest at circling the draft board. The Bills are not. At least not until now, and I’m not sure how they did it. Buffalo general manager Buddy Nix does know how, and he’s here to explain what just happened.’

‘"We really didn’t think he’d be there," Nix said. "I know everybody says that. But we’re excited."’

‘PLAYERS LOST — DT Marcus Stroud (released, failed physical).’

‘The Bills took CB Aaron Williams, one of the top-rated corners in the draft, with the second overall pick in Round 2 (34th overall), passing on DE Da’Quan Bowers of Clemson, one of the draft’s more intriguing players. Bowers, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, at one point was talked about being the No. 1 overall pick until serious concerns about his knee began to surface. The Bills looked at Bowers hard, general manager Buddy Nix said. "We (were) concerned about the injury to be honest," Nix said. "But I guess, maybe, the fit wasn’t real good for us either." Nix went on to say that the Bills viewed Bowers as a true 4-3 defensive end who would be underutilized in Buffalo’s scheme that also uses 3-4 looks. Bowers went to Tampa Bay at No. 51.’