May

May 9, 2008   

Increase in season-ticket sales only Band-Aid for Bills' financial woes

With the Bills having already surpassed last year’s season-ticket sales of 48,236, many have seen the spike as a unified voice indicating that the Bills’ fans are “protesting” the relocation of eight games over a five-year span from Buffalo to Toronto. But according to a source close to the team, the increase in season-ticket sales is rooted in something far more obvious: The team is looking good. Coming off a 7-9 season while not losing any key players and bringing aboard a host of quality newcomers, the Bills are seen by many around Buffalo and the NFL as a legitimate playoff contender, rather than the also-ran they’ve been for so many years. According to the source, it’s purely coincidental that the ticket spike is coinciding with Year One of the move to Toronto, and that there’s no realistic chance that a groundswell of Buffalo support for the franchise to stay in its longtime home will have any tangible results. It’s seen as only a matter of time before the poor Buffalo economy will eventually prove too much of a liability for the team, and it’ll be forced to relocate permanently to Toronto.

April

April 25, 2008   

Bills looking to ride starting DT tandem hard

Given the physical toll that D-line play takes on players, most good defensive fronts have a healthy rotation of players coming in and out of the lineup. The way we hear it, the Bills will be looking to buck the theory that a steady rotation is the most effective method, particularly on the interior. According to a team insider, Buffalo envisions DTs John McCargo and ex-Jaguar Marcus Stroud assuming the heavy majority of minutes in 2008. Although technically a reserve in ’07 , McCargo showed enough glimpses of greatness to make coach Dick Jauron confident he’ll be the force the team believed he’d become when they plucked him in the first round of the 2006 draft. Stroud’s lack of consistency and health have some wondering whether he’s best-suited for a part-time role, but evidently that concern isn’t shared by Jauron. McCargo and Stroud are easily the best run-supporting and pass-rushing tackles the Bills boast, so there’s no need to give them any more rest than is needed to keep them operating at a high level.

April 18, 2008   

Don't buy the talk; Buffalo wants to trade Losman

Contrary to a report out of Buffalo this week that quoted Bills chief operating officer Russ Brandon as saying, “We anticipate (J.P. Losman) being on this team,” we hear that the Bills’ quarterback is very much on the trading block. Losman asked to be traded after last season following his demotion behind Trent Edwards, but thus far, the Bills haven’t received many inquiries from other teams. Still, the Bills hold out hope that they can work out a deal for him either over draft weekend or shortly thereafter. “Russ was simply giving the party-line answer,” said a source close to Brandon. “He’s just covering his bases in the event they don’t get a reasonable offer.” The general feeling is that a third- or fourth-round draft pick — either in next week’s draft if they get the deal done soon, or in the ’09 draft if it’s worked out later — is the least amount of compensation the Bills would be willing to accept. In the event Buffalo fails to see that kind of offer, Losman would remain with the club as the second-string passer rather than being cut. The Bills don’t have any other legitimate QB option behind Edwards and Losman, and the pickings for veteran quarterbacks still on the market are slim. With Losman’s contract set to expire after the season, there’s virtually no chance he’ll be on the team in ’09.

April 2, 2008   

Wilson's absence from the league meetings is no shock

Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. decided to stay home from the league meetings in Florida this week, although that didn’t come as any surprise to those who know him well. The 89-year-old Wilson has missed a number of the meetings over the last several years, in large part due to his age. But part of the reason is also due to Wilson’s belief that the NFL is only now starting to address issues that he tried to bring to the forefront of the league’s consciousness years ago. Most prominently, the league’s increasing debt — reportedly now at $9 billion — is expected to be a hot-button issue, and Wilson has been peeved that his voice on the matter has largely been ignored up until now. As one team source put it, Wilson’s absence from Florida is “like an ‘I told you so’ to the league.”

March

March 26, 2008   

Trade for Losman not expected to be completed before draft

So far, there’s a serious lack of suitors that have come knocking on the Bills' door inquiring about acquiring disgruntled QB J.P. Losman. Losman has asked for a trade following his demotion behind starter Trent Edwards, a request that the Bills would be happy to oblige should a reasonable offer come their way. Not surprisingly, Losman has been a no-show at “voluntary” workouts in Orchard Park, and it’s unlikely he’ll show up considering that he can’t be fined for not attending the sessions. That being said, the Bills continue to harbor the belief that they’ll work out an deal for the quarterback. We hear that it’s highly unlikely there will be any action until after the draft. Whichever teams come out of the late April selection meeting without a quality passer will go a long way in determining who will have interest in the former first-round pick.

March 21, 2008   

Bills looking forward to regaining Posluszny's services

The most eagerly anticipated new face in the Bills' defense isn’t massive DT Marcus Stroud. Nor is it free-agent acquisition WLB Kawika Mitchell. Rather, it’s MLB Paul Posluszny. Technically, he’s entering his second season in Buffalo, but after suffering a season-ending broken forearm in Week Three, he’s essentially a new addition. According to a Bills source, Posluszny was an active presence around the team facilities throughout the season, unlike many injured players who slink into the background. His hardnosed style fits in well with the Bills' mantra, and his heady play provides the team with what it believes will be the consummate defensive centerpiece. That being said, don’t expect him to alter, or provide flexibility, to the game plan. He won’t be asked to do much blitzing, and his primary importance is providing a physical, run-stuffing body to a unit that was undermanned in ’07. Mitchell, active coming off the edge on blitzes, is the addition that allows for the most defensive options.

March 14, 2008   

Bills upgrading TE corps

The competition is on to become the Bills’ starting tight end. In addition to incumbent starter Robert Royal, whose pedestrian numbers from 2007 included 25 receptions for 248 yards and three touchdowns, the team has brought on board a pair of massive targets to compete with him in 6-6, 270-pound Courtney Anderson and 6-6, 260-pound Teyo Johnson. Anderson and Johnson both got their NFL careers off the ground in Oakland but have struggled to make consistent contributions. Yet Johnson, in particular, is an intriguing prospect. A former wide receiver at Stanford, he boasts uncommon athleticism for a player his size, though there’s still much to be seen from him after he last suited up in the NFL in 2005 with Arizona. But don’t expect the TE additions to stop. It’s a good bet the team plucks one within the first three rounds of April’s draft, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see a rookie trot out with the starters in Week One.

March 5, 2008   

Stroud to significantly upgrade Bills D-line … if healthy

The Bills believe their acquisition of DT Marcus Stroud from the Jaguars in return for third- and fifth-round draft picks is quite a coup. When operating at 100 percent, Stroud is regarded as one of the premier interior defensive linemen in the league, a commanding combination of power and quickness who can knife into the backfield as well as clog running lanes. But a Jaguars source told us that there were serious concerns about his ankle, a problem which required microfracture surgery last offseason and eventually landed him on injured reserve. The Bills don’t share Jacksonville's doubts. Buffalo has a highly respected medical team that believes Stroud will make a full recovery. Following the release of Larry Tripplett, Stroud will combine with hardworking Kyle Williams and 2006 first-rounder John McCargo to form a DT rotation that will be vastly improved if Stroud is able to go full steam ahead.

February

Feb. 29, 2008   

OLB Colvin would be welcome addition to sack-starved Bills

After their defense finished the season 30th in the league in sack percentage, the Bills are placing a premium this offseason on obtaining players who can pressure the quarterback. One of the names that appears to make a lot of sense is OLB Rosevelt Colvin. Due to count $7.6 million against the cap next season, Colvin was recently released by the Patriots and is subsequently free to test the waters throughout the league. Bills coach Dick Jauron has seen firsthand the type of impact Colvin can have on a defensive game plan. Jauron coached Colvin from 1999-2002 in Chicago, and arguably the two best seasons of Colvin's career came in 2001 and '02, when he registered 21 sacks. Colvin doesn't come with as steep a price tag as the headlining linebackers in this free-agent class and should be affordable, seeing as how the Bills have ample salary-cap maneuverability. On the other hand, don't expect the Bills to make a play for Lance Briggs, another former Jauron disciple from Chicago. Briggs will cost considerably more money than Colvin, and while he's a finer all-around linebacker, he's a less proficient pass rusher.

Feb. 20, 2008   

Jauron not likely to punish Parrish following arrest

Although his wide receiver was arrested for driving under the influence, don’t expect Bills coach Dick Jauron to take disciplinary action against Roscoe Parrish. At 4:30 a.m. last Saturday in his native Miami, Parrish was pulled over in his 2005 Bentley by Miami Beach police, although it’s unclear as to what substance he was allegedly under the influence of. But a confluence of factors should enable Parrish to escape punishment from his coach. For starters, he’s the most explosive player the Bills have at their neediest position. Unless serious fortifications are provided at the position, the already stagnant passing game would be that much more flat without Parrish. More on point is the fact that Jauron demonstrated last year that he’s willing to allow criminal behavior to go unpunished on the football field if the player serves a valuable role. When DE Anthony Hargrove was arrested for assaulting a police officer outside a Rochester, N.Y., nightclub on an evening away from training camp, Jauron made a statement with his inaction. As it turns out, Hargrove would miss the first four games of the season for a second violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy, and last month he was suspended for the entire 2008 season following a third violation, but Jauron's silence after that incident set a precedent that bodes well for Parrish. Still, Parrish could face sanctions from commissioner Roger Goodell under the player conduct policy.

Feb. 13, 2008   

Bills can't afford to stay in Buffalo

Buffalo Sabres owner Tom Golisano quelled a lot of fears in Buffalo recently when he insinuated he would buy the Bills franchise and keep it in Buffalo whenever owner Ralph Wilson, 89, dies. For years there has been speculation that the Bills will be moved from small-market Buffalo upon Wilson's death, and the recent announcement that the team will be playing eight games in Toronto over the next five years has only added to the fire. But the way we hear it, Golisano's words carry little substance. “It's a bunch of hot air,” one Bills insider told PFW. “He's an owner who's been MIA with his own team (the Sabres). He just said that to score points in western New York.” According to the source, it's a foregone conclusion the Bills will move out of Buffalo upon Wilson's death, and Toronto is the overwhelming favorite to be their new home. It's not difficult to see why Buffalo is not a suitable home for an NFL franchise. Despite one of the league's most passionate fan bases — the Bills have sold out every game in three of the past five seasons, despite failing to make a single postseason appearance during that span — Buffalo's sagging economy has mandated the average ticket price rest at a reported $51.24, even following a recently announced price increase for 2008. The leaguewide average ticket price is $67. Only the Jaguars rival the Bills for such a low ticket cost. By comparison, tickets to see the Bills in Toronto's Rogers Centre are being sold at an average of $250 (Canadian).

Feb. 1, 2008   

Bills looking for more size in WR corps

While the Bills see new offensive coordinator Turk Schonert as an important step in getting more out of the passing attack, a receiver upgrade is sorely needed. With Lee Evans entrenched as the No. 1 receiver, the lack of a legitimate No. 2 option has kept the aerial attack shackled. The Bills love Roscoe Parrish, but at just 5-9, 171 pounds, he’s strictly a change-of-pace, deep-threat type who can’t handle the physical rigors of being an every-down receiver. Peerless Price has been a colossal disappointment and is a good candidate to be cut. Team insiders tell us that the need for a big receiver is of paramount importance. The Bills didn’t have the type of receiver to go up and grab the key third-down reception this past season, and they’re adamant about filling that void. They took the first step earlier in the week by signing 6-foot-7 TE-WR hybrid Teyo Johnson — a Stanford product, like Schonert and QB Trent Edwards — but he has yet to prove to be a capable receiver at the pro level. If either Texas’ Limas Sweed or Oklahoma’s Malcolm Kelly — the consensus top two big wide receivers in this year’s draft — are available when the Bills select at No. 11, expect Buffalo to choose one of them.