Archives for April 2013

‘Well I think the first thing you have to do is you want to create a personalized type of effect. A lot of them can go on-line and figure out about me the same way I can go on-line and figure out about them. So I just try to tell them, ‘Hey, I was born and raised here. This is what I believe in. This is what is important. I love the game of football and respect the game more than anything else.’ And that I am looking forward to working with them. How honored I am to be up in front of them. To be coaching this football team with this organization and that I hope through our time together as we build this that they will have the same type of respect for me.’

‘”Free agency was really nerve wracking,” he said after signing his contract. “You don’t really know what your future entails. Seeing what this team brings, the defensive line, and all the new young coaches and all the energy, I feel like it’s the right place for me to be.”‘

‘E.J. Manuel is the Florida State quarterback who was the Most Outstanding Player at the Senior Bowl in late January. He ran for one touchdown and threw for another in his team’s victory in Mobile, Alabama.’

‘An anchor on the interior of the defensive line, Branch (6-6, 325) played each of the last two seasons in Seattle, starting all 31 games he played in while racking up 37 tackles and four sacks. Branch was originally drafted by Arizona in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played his first four NFL seasons with the Cardinals, seeing action in 47 career games with three starts.’

‘Gilkey is a 6-6, 318 pound lineman who played tackle at Division II Chadron State in Nebraska. That’s the same school that produced Bills WR Don Beebe, who was Buffalo’s first draft pick in 1989. Beebe played the first six years of his nine year NFL career with the Bills and he wound up playing in six Super Bowls overall.’

‘Barkley might be a first-round candidate in this month’s NFL Draft, although not all draft analysts are enthusiastic about his pro prospects. Southern California receiver Robert Woods, widely viewed as a second-round prospect, also was believed to be part of the workout.’

‘Any sales tax this generated by these purchases will be more than offset by millions of dollars in annual operating subsidies from taxpayers – even though the Bills are among the 10 most profitable franchises in the National Football League, according to Forbes magazine.’

‘Since Doug Marrone was hired as head coach, many have made the obvious connection between the Bills’ new coach and his former college quarterback. A three-year starter, Nassib threw for 9,190 yards, 70 touchdowns and 28 interceptions for the Orange under Marrone and Nathaniel Hackett’s direction.’

‘Barkley, who posted a solid performance at USC’s pro day last week, joins Geno Smith, Landry Jones and E.J. Manuel on the list of signal callers put through individual workouts with Buffalo.’

‘Bills head coach Doug Marrone and his staff will have their first opportunity to interact with players beginning Tuesday, April 2, as the Bills get their voluntary offseason conditioning program underway from One Bills Drive.’

‘Kolb’s insertion into the lineup could prompt the Bills to rely on a quick-rhythm passing game, featuring an assortment of slants, screens and crossing routes to get the ball into the hands of Johnson quickly on the perimeter. Additionally, the exceptional receiving skills of Spiller and Jackson could lead to a ton of passes to the running backs on swings, flats and option routes from the backfield. Remember, Reggie Bush was utilized primarily as a receiver during Marrone’s tenure with the Saints, catching 213 passes for 1,599 yards and eight touchdowns from 2006 to ’08.’

‘”I think it will help tremendously,” he said. “Being able to be out there on the field a lot and process plays and formations that the offense does and now being able to come back early it gives me more time to learn the playbook as fast as I can. With a whole new defense and the added time I feel like I’ll be able to pick it up pretty quick.”‘

‘When it comes to finding stable, long-term solutions at starting quarterback in recent years, few teams can rival the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals. Both have had their moments of brilliance with veterans (Kurt Warner for Arizona and Brett Favre with the Vikings), but neither has found THE guy who will man the position for the next decade. However, both franchises can proudly say this: They are not the Buffalo Bills.’