Punch

Chad Kelly's tweet may not mean a darn thing but it certainly got my attention. I'm running on fumes here!

Jim Kelly's nephew (and Clemson freshman QB) Chad Kelly: @chadkelly12 #GoBills #thankYouGod #thatisallimgonnasay

Lol, those are great images. And I sure as heck miss Carl Mauck... what a great character in Bills history!

I'm pretty sure that notion is pure speculation.

AKA, the 6th level of hell for a Buffalo sports fan.

Honestly, the fact that no other solid reports of specific team visits have emerged and that he's staying another night despite PFT's report suggesting otherwise really makes it sound like it's just a matter of ironing out the details and that a PC is going to happen tomorrow. If we reach noon and there's no hint of progress then I'll be nervous. Otherwise, I feel pretty good.

If the Titans sign him ESPN can just replay the clip of Adams giving the Bills the double bird salute. That's what it'll feel like anyhow.

Aaah, I misread that. Thanks.

According to the Buffalo News the Bills offered the same per year figure and more guaranteed money... San Diego offers him the chance to be the no. 1 plus, you know... Phillip Rivers and sunshine.

According to Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News: The Bills thought they had a deal for Robert Meachem late Tuesday. It was close. But San Diego swooped in and offered Meachem a per-year average equal to that of Johnson (without as much up-front money). That was an offer Meachem decided he had to take on the spot. Another factor to consider is the draft is deep in receivers this year.

It's definitely a selling point--- it also may be just as simple as having to do with the fact that the Bills play games in Toronto every year.

I like Manningham, but at 5'11" 178 lbs he's not quite the big physical receiver that can make plays and "get open even when he's not open", right?

I don't think so based on timeframe, but nothing official. It lends credence to an imminent signing, IMHO.

http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2012/03/14/mario-update/

Chris Brown has confirmed this. And also confirmed that Mario had a physical this morning, which is SOP for visiting FAs.

He did get in trouble for tweeting some sensitive Bills related info in the past and his twitter account did in fact temporarily disappear after that. The tweet was implied to be related to Bills ownership, and honestly, there was some news but it wasn't quite as big as expected. He's very close to his Uncle Jim, but it's possible he merely found out that Mario is still in town and would be visiting OBD this morning, not necessarily that a signing is imminent. I'm pretty optimistic, though.

FWIW, Jim Kelly's nephew tweeted this a few moments ago: @chadkelly12 Wow just found out something pretty impressive, looks like the Bills will be very good next year! I cant wait to watch the new team!

It links directly to Jason LaCanfora's NFL.com blog: http://blogs.nfl.com/2012/03/13/bears-expected-to-come-hard-after-mario-williams/ His specific quotes sound like pure speculation; that if the Bears are indeed his first visit they may not let him leave without a contract. Nothing concrete at all: The Bears could be the first team Williams visits, and it might be the only team. Its believed Chicago will go hard after him.

Remember, Tom Donahoe had Jeff Posey signed at 12:01am, way back when.

Interesting comments posted this morning in Chris Brown's blog at BB.com--- includes quotes from Buddy Nix regarding players actively recruiting FA: I think its a bigger part than anybody believes, said Bills GM Buddy Nix. They expect to hear the same thing from me and front office people when theyre in here because its like recruiting in college. Back when I was recruiting in college I always told the prospects all coaches are going to tell you basically the same thing. Theyre going to tell you what you want to hear. Theyre selling. Talk to the players when you go out with them at night or youre with them in the dressing room and theyll tell you the truth. For the most part thats what the Bills do during the free agency period. They encourage free agents to talk to the players on their roster. When these free agents come in here they listen, Nix said. They know somebody on every team and theyve normally got close buddies on every team. If those players say, You cant trust that guy. Hell lie to you, or he wont do that. Theyll tell him. They dont care. Theyd like to have them on their team, but theyre also not going to lie to their friends. I think youve got to treat everybody fair and have a good atmosphere in the building and that can translate to getting those guys to come. http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-2/Players-big-part-of-free-agent-recruiting/195cbc41-c17f-4874-8f05-078e0167768d

The article specifically refers to "Buffalo Bills All-Pro linebacker Shawne Merriman" and includes direct quotes from him as he is one of the many investors owed money by Laettner. The subject line says "OT" because the main story is about Laettner, a WNYer, and despite Merriman's involvement it is not nominally about Merriman. "OT" means Off-Topic, which is often used by message board posters to identify topics that fall outside the designated subjects associated with a particular message board. Although this article involves both a renowned professional athlete from WNY and a current Buffalo Bill I felt it should be distinguished from the usual topics regarding the upcoming draft, pending free agents, and Buddy Nix's naptimes. Thank you for your response and please enjoy the rest of my football blog. End sarcasm and Go BILLS!

Interesting story with multiple ties to WNY athletes: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/christian-laettner-owes-30-million-unpaid-loans-sports-215427065.html

I'm not questioning why bounties in the NFL are a story--- I'm wondering if Coy Wire is contradicting his original story in less than a week, to the point where he is denying Gregg Williams ever condoned or encouraged bounties of any kind, to draw attention to his forthcoming book. Did he not specifically state that there were monetary rewards for such hits in Tim Graham's original piece? And now he's backing off of that claim? If he now insists Gregg Williams was not involved then why did he come forward in the first place? I didn't click on the click in the OP, I only noted it is directed from ESPN.com. I'm not trying to deny the Associated Press it's credit. This is what I'm getting at.

It's called: "Change Your Mind: 10 Unconventional Secrets to Retrain Your Brain" It was referred to in Tim Graham's Buffalo News article a few days ago, in which he explicitly contradicts what is reported in the above ESPN article concerning whether or not Gregg Williams was involved in the bounty rewards: http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/article747663.ece

If Greg Williams wasn't responsible for the bounties--- according to him, only the players were--- then why is he bringing this up now at all? Coy Wire has a book coming out--- that's all this is about.