Archives for September 2011

‘”It’s a great honor to be a starter in the NFL now,” he said. “It took a lot of work to get here and there’s still a lot of work to be done. It’s hard to get here and it’s even harder to keep it so I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.”‘

‘”I think I am (ready),” said Merriman. “I’ve seen a lot of preseason games and I’ve been around long enough where I know how to prepare, so I don’t need to go out there and get 30 or 40 snaps in order to get ready for the season.”‘

‘"I was talking to my agent and all the signs pointed to the positive things," said Batten, who made the final cut on Saturday. "I started on special teams, I’d gotten a lot of preseason snaps, I started against the Jaguars with the injuries, all signs to positive but you never, ever in this business [can] be 100 percent sure about anything."’

‘WR Kamar Aiken, QB Levi Brown, TE Mike Caussin, DE Lionel Dotson, NT Michael Jasper, DB Joshua Nesbitt, C Michael Switzer.’

‘”You make decisions for a lot of different reasons,” Bills coach Chan Gailey said. “You all [the media] do your job with knowledge, insight and opinion. We make decisions the same way; knowledge, insight and opinion. We feel it’s best for the opportunity to beat Kansas City and for the future of our football team. Each individual decision is on its own merit. It’s tough every year.”‘

‘Due to NFL rules, which state that a player may not participate on the practice squad for more than three seasons, Caulcrick may not resign with another team unless he will be part of the 53-man roster.’

‘It’s also a curious move for the Bills to cut Hangartner. He was the most experienced offensive lineman on a team that general manager Buddy Nix two weeks ago acknowledged lacked experienced depth. Hangartner was also the team’s highest paid lineman, scheduled to make $2.55 million this year, and 5.35 million in base salary over the final two years of his contract.’

‘Among the notable players cut were cornerback Reggie Corner, center Geoff Hangartner, tight end Shawn Nelson and wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt.’

‘Chan Gailey liked Roosevelt, but he missed a few weeks with an ankle problem. Gailey may have wanted some experience at the position so that may be why he kept Ruvell Martin, who despite dropping some balls, he’s entering his 7th season. Gailey said, “First of all, he did a great job of picking up the offense quickly. He caught the ball when we threw it to him and he did well on special teams. It was a good combination to have coming in on short notice. It was a tough call at all of the receiver positions because there were some good players at that spot. We had a hard decision on those kinds of guys that had been here last year. All those guys that had been here last year and you develop a relationship with, it’s harder each time.” ‘

‘As I’ve said on the air often of late, I am starting to wonder if a sale is in the works. For years I read into Wilson’s occasional remarks that he intends for the team to stay here until he dies but after that all bets are off, something I’ve dubbed a “compromise with his legacy”. This way, you can never exactly blame him if they move, for they won’t have done so on his watch.’

‘On NT Michael Jasper: We knew he was a project coming him. He just hasn’t developed to the point where we think he is a viable candidate to make the team. We’d like to continue to develop him if it works out.’

‘Corner had appeared in 44 games for the Bills since he was drafted by the club in 2008, serving mainly as a subpackage cornerback in the slot. Nelson, another former fourth-round pick (2009), was a player that also looked long on potential, but was short on availability due to suspensions, injuries and a migraine condition the past two seasons.’

‘”Probably the most stressful time of my life to be honest with you,” said Batten. “I was real nervous. I went out to practice (Saturday) as if it were any other day and go as hard as I could. So practice wasn’t different, but there was definitely something in the back of my mind of the time to come. I’m thrilled and it’s the biggest relief ever.”‘

‘The ranking – fourth from the bottom – comes as no surprise. The Bills were 25th in total player contract value in both 2010 and 2009, according to News surveys, and Buffalo has one of the least star-studded rosters in the league. Star players get the huge deals, and the Bills have fallen far short in developing star players the past decade.’

‘”You’ve got probably your 48 that you know are going to go out there and play and be involved in the game this week against Kansas City, you know that. It’s those next six or seven guys that you have to make a decision on.”‘