Two Bills Drive

There is much speculation that Donahoe wants to trade down in the first round and acquire more picks, which he did last year. But his reputation as someone who always trades is unwarranted, Donahoe said.

“If it makes sense to sit there and take the pick, that’s what we’ll do,” he said, adding that his philosophy is to be open-minded and ready to audible if a wise trade offer surfaces.

As draft day nears, Buffalo continues to explore ways to upgrade its line through free agency, a tact that could change its draft-day game plan.

"Denver’s still in the mix but right now, I’m just trying to see what’s out there, maybe something that could be a good opportunity," Teague said. "I have a good feeling (about the Bills)."

Chris Mortensen: I bet Davis would love to get a shot at his Miami OT McKinnie but I’m not sure he would want to pay the price. I’m not ruling it out because I think the Bills (picking 4th) would be receptive to deal with the Browns (16th).

‘Van Pelt’s pick: Russell Crowe.’

‘The Redskins continued to wait yesterday for a resolution to their negotiations with free agent quarterback Jeff Blake. The Redskins seemed resigned to losing Blake when they were unable to complete a deal with him on Wednesday, but their hopes were boosted a bit when he did not immediately sign with the Buffalo Bills yesterday.’

@ One more item they looked into and didn’t act on. Of course, it came a result of a play involving Buffalo. Remember when David Patten fumbled after making a catch – the ball is in-bounds while his head was out of bounds but the leg was touching the ball. New England retained possession. Is it to tough to say, “If a ball is loose in bounds – it’s a free ball.”

@ If the Buffalo Bills don’t sign free-agent Jeff Blake and don’t draft Joey Harrington, they think they can win with Alex Van Pelt. Honest. If the team doesn’t sign a QG, look for it to draft one next month. That doesn’t mean it’ll be one who’s going to play; Williams and GM Tom Donahoe like what they have in third-stringer Travis Brown.

@ Wasn’t it just a decade ago that we were treated to the wonderful passing wizardry of John Elway, Steve Young and Jim Kelly?

Now we have players like Jay Fiedler and Jim Miller getting lucrative multiyear contracts. Those are two players who spent time in the last five years knocking on doors just to have a job.

The major problem is a lack of aggression on the offensive side of the ball. "I think a lot of us are defensive-minded coaches, which is why maybe there isn’t as much aggression," Bills coach Gregg Williams said.

‘Kelly, a native of East Brady, came to town with his wife, Jill, yesterday to speak at the Engineering Tissue Growth International Conference and Exposition at the Westin Convention Center Hotel. He explained what they go through with their son and the goals of their foundation, Hunter’s Hope.’

‘Van Pelt’s pick: Halle Berry.’

‘Yesterday, conference organizers used the event to put the spotlight on Krabbe disease, a rare, degenerative disorder of the central and peripheral nervous system. There is no cure for the disease and research at the University of Pittsburgh caught the attention of East Brady native and former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, whose 5-year-old son, Hunter, has the disease.’

The Washington Redskins were growing increasingly pessimistic yesterday about their chances of signing free agent quarterback Jeff Blake.

‘Keion Carpenter, who started 10 games at the free spot, and Raion Hill, a 13-game starter at strong safety, have both been waived, with Atlanta signing the former. That says all you need to know.’

@ Alex Van Pelt didn’t get most of the pay, but got most of the playing time in Buffalo last season. The league announced it will reward players for playing-time incentives. For the first time, minimum-salaried players will have the chance to take the biggest chunk of the money.

The idea is that if a player participates in the majority of his team’s plays, yet makes a minimum or low salary, he should be entitled to more compensation. Say a minimum-salary player beats out a high-priced veteran, then that player would be paid a certain amount of incentive money from a money pool for each team.

@ “I’m as much in favor of helping those two cities [New York City and Washington] as anyone here,” said Buffalo owner Ralph Wilson. “But if you’re going to New York, then I can make a case for Buffalo, too. Someone is going to have to be pretty persuasive to get me to commit to this.”