Archives for April 26, 2012

‘When Philadelphia lost former Buffalo Pro Bowl left tackle, Jason Peters, to a ruptured Achilles tendon, the Eagles quickly signed free agent Denetrius Bell, the former Bill. That merely heightened the Buffalo’s concern at that position. Then, too, re-signing No. 1 wideout Stevie Johnson didn’t solve the hole at the No. 2 spot where, after Evans was traded, heirs apparent Marcus Easley (heart condition) and Donald Jones (ankle) missed all and part of last season, respectively, on injured reserve.’

‘GM Buddy Nix warns not to “connect the dots” based on need … which would be left offensive tackle, speed wide receiver and cornerback. The Bills love Kelvin Sheppard in the middle but there’s nobody behind him. Kuechly’s value increases because he also can play outside where the Bills might also have a need. He’s the highly-productive, high-character type of player new defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt would love to anchor his defense.’

‘The Bills need a left tackle, and the 10th spot isn’t an ideal place to get one.’

‘The Bills need a young, elite linebacker. They missed the boat three years ago, remember, reaching for Aaron Maybin when Brian Orakpo, Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews were still on the board. All three were instant stars.’

‘Nix was working as the director of player personnel in 2001 when they traded the first overall pick to Atlanta for the fifth pick, a third-rounder that year, a second-rounder in the 2002 draft and wide receiver Tim Dwight. The Falcons got Michael Vick, but the Chargers did just fine, coming away with running back LaDainian Tomlinson, cornerback Tay Cody, and wide receiver Reche Caldwell.’

‘There are at least two major wild cards in front of the Buffalo Bills in the 2012 NFL Draft.’

‘2004: Traded up with the Dallas Cowboys to the No. 22 pick in the first round, used on quarterback J.P. Losman. Dallas got Buffalo’s second-round pick, No. 43 (running back Julius Jones) and a fifth-round pick, No. 126 (St. Joe’s graduate tight end Sean Ryan).’

‘Sports Information Director Dallas Miller has resigned his position at St. Bonaventure University to accept a position with the Buffalo Bills, Director of Athletics Steve Watson announced Wednesday.’

‘The Bills have been linked to offensive tackles Riley Reiff of Iowa and Jonathan Martin of Stanford, cornerbacks Dre Kirkpatrick of Alabama and Stephon Gilmore of South Carolina, Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd and Alabama safety Mark Barron.’

‘Fuller, 35, will be joined by his 10-year-old daughter, Jada, on Saturday. The two will be flown down Friday, he said, and returning home Sunday, lodging and travel paid for. Aside from a Bills hat and T-shirt, Fuller also won $500 to spend in the Big Apple and will soon receive a Delta-Sonic prize pack.’

‘”You were going to get paid within the guidelines of the day,” he offered. “You could stand on your head and spit bowling balls and you weren’t going to get any more. Bob Woolf, my lawyer, was the man back then and I trusted him. And he told me that my contract made me the highest-paid defensive lineman in NFL history.”‘

‘The Bills, according to Casserly, are willing to part with their second-round pick — No. 41 overall — to pull off the deal.’

‘”The NFL has turned it into an event,” Hansen said. “When I was drafted, it was more like get it over as soon as you can and get into camp. They’re turning it into a production, which is pretty cool.”‘

‘As far as other spots on defense, its doubtful they will go defensive line right off the bat and they feel the middle rounds have some very good players up front. Buffalo could go linebacker with many fans hoping Luke Keuchly from Boston College is selected but Nix said cornerback is more important than linebacker. In fact, the Bills G-M said corner is the toughest position to learn how to play on the defensive side of the ball. Those are the reasons why I would take a corner over a safety if it comes down to that.’

‘”I was at Target and it was funny because everybody was coming up to me. One guy was shaking and said, ‘Mario, I just want you to know we’re on your back’. He was so nervous and all I could do was kind of laugh. It was funny, but not that way, to get that warm reception from everybody. I definitely understand that. That’s why like I said it’s a big deal for everybody being here for today and getting work done. We’ve got a long way to go. We definitely need every day to get after.”‘