Archives for July 26, 2011

‘”We’d like to,” he said. “Obviously we hope they want to be here; they’ll have other offers, I’m sure but our goal is we would like to keep both of those guys.”‘

‘On a day where teams could begin courting free agents, the small-market team isn’t expected to make a big splash, general manager Buddy Nix said Tuesday morning. That’s even with a new supplemental revenue sharing plan that should help benefit the Bills.’

‘"We won’t scale back the playbook," said Bills coach Chan Gailey. "We’ll scale back the speed of installation."’

‘"We’re looking forward to this season," said safety George Wilson, the Bills’ lead player representative with the NFL Players Association. "We were able to get the proposal over the weekend, look it over, have questions and discussions and make an informed decision today. It wasn’t a hard decision as far as whether it was a good deal or a bad deal."’

‘”I’m excited and nervous,” Posluszny said. “I’m excited to know that we’re playing football. I’m a little nervous to know that I don’t have a team right now. I’ve always said I want to be back with the Bills. With free agency, I’m going to have to see what my true market value is and see what teams are interested and go from there. I’m a little nervous about that because I’d rather have it set in stone and know I’m reporting to camp on this date in this town.”‘

‘No one was home at the time. Neighbors said the home has been unoccupied since Peters left the Bills before the 2009 season. Peters, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, couldn’t be reached to comment Monday.’

‘”Absolutely, it’s a positive,” said Brent Coleman, the bar manager. “Obviously for us it’s great that they have come to their agreement. We benefit from having the Bills right here in Pittsford and we look forward to them coming back. We have been very fortunate and we’re happy to know it’s over.”‘

‘Cook converted from cornerback to safety in his senior year at UB and was a first-team all-Mid-American Conference selection. He ranked sixth in the country with six interceptions. He also forced three fumbles. He finished his career with 36 passes defended, third-most in UB history.’

‘”I think the coaches are going to want to see where we’re at, physically,” McIntyre said. “I just hope a lot of guys don’t get hurt. That’s always a concern. I hope the coaches don’t go crazy so no one gets hurt.”‘

‘”During the draft. one team called me and said they were looking topick me in a later round, but I never heard from them again,” Taua explained. “The next time I heard from a team was this morning when the Bills called.’

‘Joining several NFL teams, the Bills cut salaries by as much as 25 percent to all employees, including coaches. They also suspended 401(k) payments during the work stoppage as part of a policy of “shared sacrifice” to avoid layoffs.’

‘”To our fans, I say thank you for your patience and your understanding during these past four months,” Wilson said. “So with this great news today, it is time for all of us to focus on the 2011 season and look ahead to Training Camp. I’m excited about the direction our team is heading as we enter the upcoming season and I know our players and fans share in that excitement.”‘

‘The most popular quarterback being reported is Tyler Thigpen, who started 11 games in 2008 for coach Chan Gailey when Gailey was offensive coordinator for Kansas City Chiefs. Thigpen threw for 18 TDs for a bad Chiefs team and his mobility is appealing. Minnesota’s talented but erratic Travaris Jackson is another type of player Gailey finds appealing.’

‘”We appreciate their patience through the process and we’re excited to build upon what we started last year under Coach Gailey and Buddy Nix- that’s getting back to the playoffs and the job Coach and his staff did last year. We’re excited to get ready for football and we know our fans are as well.” — Bills CEO Russ Brandon.’

‘”We’re excited to start preparing on the field for the 2011 season,” said Bills CEO Russ Brandon. “We’ve been working hard as an organization throughout the process, but we’re looking forward to training camp at St. John Fisher to get the season underway.”‘