Two Bills Drive

And I liked what the Bills had me do. They asked me to rate three aspects of NFL life in order: the Super Bowl, financial security, and the Pro Bowl. I put them in that exact order, with the Super Bowl being the most important. Financial security is nice, of course, but to be a champion would mean a lot to me. The Pro Bowl is nice too, but you have to fly over a lot of water to get there, and as you’ll read, I’m not a big fan of flying these days.

‘Bledsoe’s successor isn’t on the roster. He’s only 32 but has started since entering the league and has taken a tremendous beating over the last five seasons. The Bills need to start looking for a replacement but the pickings are slim in free agency. Billy Volek of Tennessee will likely have several suitors. On the offensive line, McNally has made a career of thriving with low-round picks that will play the style he teaches. Like almost every team the Bills could use help rushing the passer.’

‘”I’m the luckiest guy going,” Wyche said. “How many times can you call up and say, ‘I’m looking for the job. Oh, by the way, I have a heart disease … and I can’t talk very well, do you have a job for me?”‘

‘Schulz and his wife, Susan, have returned to Western New York and make their home in Clarence with their two sons; Patrick, 7, and Daniel, 5. Since last October, he has worked in Buffalo for Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor. “I love it, absolutely love it,” says Schulz. “One of the reasons that I wanted to get into this business is because I saw so many football players not succeed in managing their money. I guess I was maybe one of the ones that did because my background’s in accounting and I love this line of work. I love following financial markets and learning about it. Part of what I want to accomplish is to help out athletes and steer them in the right direction.”‘

‘Bills general manager Tom Donahoe said he spoke at least twice with Houston officials about Henson at the NFL’s Indianapolis Scouting Combine, which concludes today. Donahoe said he’d like to either bring Henson to Buffalo for more evaluation or go to him with the Texans’ permission.’

‘Suggestion to Bills general manager Tom Donahoe: Trade the No. 13 overall pick for a package of later picks, including one late in the first round. Send that pick to the Redskins for Ramsey, immediately name him starting QB and release Bledsoe (if he can’t be traded for at least a middle-round pick, and I wouldn’t count on that).’

The Buffalo Bills, seeking an eventual successor to Drew Bledsoe, would love to have Ramsey on board.

‘A quarterback to eventually replace Drew Bledsoe? A speed receiver or game-breaking tight end to give an offense that didn’t score a touchdown in seven games some firepower? A top-shelf center or guard to fortify the middle of a line that gave up an NFL-worst 51 sacks? A pass-rushing defensive end? A cornerback if free agent Antoine Winfield moves on? Fill any one of those needs and Buffalo’s a better team.’

‘”He hasn’t played in three years and it’s going to take him some time to get back in the swing,” Donahoe said. “But he’s big and he’s a good athlete and his arm was good enough. But it was a workout.”‘

‘It appears the Bills weren’t provided any third-party warranty by SRI. AstroPlay, comprised of synthetic blades of grass and crushed tires, has a lifespan of about eight years in extreme weather conditions like Buffalo’s and the surface needs a once-a-year grooming by a ride-on broom machine. The Bills selected AstroPlay over several similar systems, including industry leader FieldTurf. “We felt this was the best surface for us and we’re not second guessing our decision,” Donahoe said. “It might just cause some problems maintenance wise, but we’ll solve those. Our (maintenance) people can handle probably most of the jobs, but if something major were to happen, we’d probably have to go outside.”‘

‘Swinging a deal for Henson, who hasn’t played football in three years, will be tricky. As a draft pick last year by the Houston Texans, he’d have to be convinced to sign for sixth round money with some fancy contract inflating footwork, or face being returned to the draft.’

‘Donahoe made it clear that a trade is not imminent, but a deal is a definite possibility.’

‘Buffalo wants to develop a young quarterback behind Drew Bledsoe and general manager Tom Donahoe thinks Drew Henson could be the right one. But he still isn’t sure. Neither is anyone else.’

‘”We feel pretty good about where we stand in terms of the cap,” Bills President and General Manager Tom Donahoe said. “We did so much digging out the past several years, and it’s nice to be in position going into the offseason to have some flexibility in terms of the decisions we can make on our roster.”‘

‘Brown is due to receive a $1.8 million bonus if he’s on the roster the first day of the new NFL fiscal year, which is March 3. That would bring his total salary cap cost to the Bills to $5.8 million. That also includes a base salary of $2.7 million and past bonuses he received that are amortized over the life of his contract and count $1.33 million in 2004.’