Two Bills Drive

Bills cornerback Troy Vincent was elected president of the NFL Players Association on Tuesday.

The personnel people I spoke to, almost to a man, echoed the same reasons for Bledsoe’s poor 2003 season – the loss of deep-threat weapon Price, the inconsistency of the offensive line, the stubbornness of the play-calling. These factors should all be rectified by the time the season begins in September.

‘General manager Tom Donahoe drafted the Notre Dame product in the fourth round in 1995 and was with the Steelers when head coach Mike Mularkey was on staff there. In Cincinnati, Gibson played for Bills defensive-line coach Tim Krumrie.’

‘The date and time of the Titans-Bills preseason game in Buffalo has been set: Aug. 21 at 6 p.m.’

‘Gibson has appeared in 133 games with 57 starts.’

‘The Bears also offered a three-year contract to guard Ruben Brown, an eight-time Pro Bowl player who was released by the Bills in a cost-cutting move. The Bears plan to start Mike Gandy at right guard but can’t resist the chance to add a player with the resume of Brown, 32, a first-round pick in 1985 who became a perennial Pro Bowl selection over his 10-year career. He was waived because he carried a $5.8 million salary-cap number for 2004. The Bills replaced him with former Bears right guard Chris Villarrial. Brown is likely to take the Bears’ offer and compare it to any other deals he receives. Brown is still talking to the Lions and Patriots.’

‘”I’m healthy and I’m going to go out there and give it all I’ve got,” said McGahee. “Everybody gets better as the season goes on. The more you work out the better it gets.”‘

‘He’ll sign a reported two year deal.’

"We’d never say because somebody is a safety that makes him less valuable," Bills general manager Tom Donahoe says. "It’s not inconceivable that a safety or tight end could be the first guy in the draft, because for us, it’s strictly a matter of evaluating the guy’s skill."

‘Joe DeLamielleure, Pat LaFontaine and Chris Spielman will be among 10 people inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday.’

‘A graduate of Notre Dame with a degree in economics, Gibson entered the League when he was drafted in the fourth round of the 1995 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers (120th overall). He played for the Steelers from 1995-98 before signing with the Bengals as an unrestricted free agent in March of 1999.’

‘The 32-year-old defensive tackle spent the last five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played in all 16 games last season, marking the eighth time in the last nine years he has appeared in every contest.’

‘Donahoe can, and should, cross “find a backup quarterback” off the to-do list immediately. He’s not going to find someone better suited to the job, or the situation, than Stewart.’

‘In 133 career games, Gibson has recorded 243 tackles and 17 1/2 sacks. He is expected to compete for a backup spot with Justin Bannan and Ron Edwards.’

‘After tearing his Achilles’ tendon in 2002, Gibson was used as a backup last year, and credited with 24 tackles and half a sack in 16 games. A fourth-round draft pick in 1995, he spent his first four seasons with the Steelers.’