Archives for March 10, 2013

‘His new $5 million-a-year contract, which includes $7.5 million in guaranteed money, signals the Bills’ regard for him as a worthy starter in the secondary opposite cornerback Stephon Gilmore.’

‘”We will try to be active in free agency,” said Bills General Manager Buddy Nix. “I don’t know how that’ll work out. We’re not going to go crazy and overspend and get ourselves in a bind where we can’t keep some of our own, but we will be a player. We’ll attempt to make moves in free agency to plug some holes.”‘

‘Buffalo News sports columnist Larry Felser once wrote that Saimes was “the finest open-field tackler in the league.”‘

‘There are too many holes for free agency to patch.’

‘Lewis called Saimes “the best football player I played with in college” and MSU coach Mark Dantonio called him “one of the greatest two-way players in the history of Michigan State football.”‘

‘He then began a career that led to a reputation as one of the leading NFL scouts in America. His last job was as the director of college scouting for the Houston Texans after they were founded as an expansion team in 2002.’

‘A source told FOXSports.com that McKelvin has agreed to a four-year, $20 million contract with the Bills. Further financial details were not immediately available.’

‘McKelvin is Buffalo’s 2008 first-round draft pick, who was eligible to become a free agent on Tuesday.’

‘He was selected by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 1963 draft. He played seven seasons with the Bills before playing three more years with the Denver Broncos. Saimes stayed in football to work as an NFL scout, including a 15-year stint with the Washington Redskins.’

‘McKelvin has spent his entire five-year career in Buffalo after being taken by the Bills with the 11th overall selection in the 2008 draft. The 27-year-old is regarded as one of the league’s premier punt returners and led the NFL with an average of 18.7 yards per runback in that category this past season.’

‘In 2012, however, McKelvin re-invented himself as a return specialist, averaging a league-leading 18.7 yards per punt return on 23 chances. He took two of those opportunities back for touchdowns. McKelvin also averaged 28.3 yards per kick return on 18 tries.’

‘”I feel like I went out there and played to the best of my ability, I put everything out there for whatever I did,” said McKelvin. “I did everything, I played gunner, I did returns, I played corner, I played nickel, everything they asked me to do. I’m just striving to get better and better.”‘