Archives for May 2012

‘”I want to thank Drayton for all he’s done for our team during his three years in Buffalo,” said Bills GM Buddy Nix. “But we have some good, young talent at the cornerback position that has tremendous upside. They need to take as many of the reps at practice as they can to continue to develop that talent. Our defense has gone through a number of changes since the end of last season and we feel that it’s necessary to give these young corners the opportunity to be in the lineup.”‘

‘Buffalo’s special teams units aren’t necessarily in need of a major boost in talent. They did have the number one kick coverage unit in the league, ranked fourth in punt return average and 11th overall in the widely recognized special teams rankings compiled by Dallas Morning News columnist Rick Gosselin.’

‘Tyler Thigpen, who signed a three-year contract last July, is currently the primary backup with Brad Smith available for wildcat plays and dire emergencies. Thigpen, 28, is a former seventh-round pick with just 12 NFL starts in five years. Also added to the mix was rookie Aaron Crop, a free agent from Richmond who wasn’t drafted. Crop was a transfer from USC and a "sleeper" type prospect in pre-draft reports.’

‘The Bills sent second-year left tackle Chris Hairston a loud message with the selection of Cordy Glenn in the second round of last week’s NFL draft. The left tackle spot is wide open after the loss of Demetress Bell to the Eagles in free agency. Glenn was among the top college prospects available, and was taken with the 41st overall pick. Hairston was a fourth-round pick last year, 122nd overall.’

‘Numbers 90-99 are taken. No. 78, worn by Pro Football Hall of Famer Bruce Smith, hasn’t been retired by the team but the equipment men don’t hand it out anymore.’

‘"I wouldn’t be able to live with myself, knowing I left hurt," he said. "That’s how you left your career, how you left the NFL, was known as a guy that was hurt all the time?’

‘rk wrapped up his collegiate career by being named an American Football Coaches Association first team All-America after his senior season, when he had 108 tackles (nine for loss, three sacks), two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He registered 377 career tackles (51 for loss, 15.5 sacks), six interceptions and five forced fumbles. Clark also served as the Saxons’ short-yardage running back during his last three seasons and finished his career with 26 rushing touchdowns.’

‘One player can make that kind of difference to a defense, and the Bills haven’t had a player like “Super” Mario since Bruce Smith helped lead the Bills to four straight Super Bowls. That’s not to say Williams is, or will be, Smith, but his presence will certainly make everybody around him better.’

‘”I knew it would be tough, coming from Division III, to get drafted,” he said. “But I’m excited. I guess it’s just another step in my journey.”‘

‘Clark chose to accept the Bills invitation, in part because of the proximity to his home, but also because of the team’s prior evaluation of his abilities. “I ranked pretty highly on their pre-draft board,” Clark said.’

‘”We kind of scheduled that ahead of time that this is where we are going to be at. I know it is the biggest time of your life, but it is also a major impact on your sister’s life,” said T.J.’s father Trevor Graham. “We all need to be here as a family when the draft is going on and when your sister is accomplishing these things because you can still watch her compete and we can still answer the phone and we can still be together as a family. Rather than him being in one place and we are in another place it allowed him to be at the Penn Relays supporting his sister and his sister supporting him.”‘

‘The result: Half of those who responded said they want the Bills to share the costs with the state. Of the rest of the respondents, more people thought that the Bills should pay for the renovations than thought the state should pick up the whole tab.’

‘The Bills are looking to create more competition for the No. 2 quarterback job behind starter Ryan Fitzpatrick. Buffalo signed Tyler Thigpen to a three-year contract last July. Thigpen, 28, saw almost no action last season, entering only in mop-up duty in a loss at San Diego. Thigpen is a former seventh-round draft choice who has played five seasons and has 12 career starts. He went 1-10 with a Kansas City team that finished 2-14 in 2008. He has just one start since, for Miami in 2010.’

‘After completing a wildly-successful career as a walk-on point guard for the Bulls and graduating last year, Mulkey briefly played professionally in Morocco. Since then, he’s returned to UB to work on his master’s degree, which is when his attention turned to the pigskin.’

‘Young evidently flew out of town afterward. Don’t hold your breath, Bills fans.’