Buffalo
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.

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Miami
May 2, 2008   

Trade of Booker highlights Dolphins' emphasis on physicality

The Dolphins shocked many when they decided to trade RB Lorenzo Booker to the Eagles for a fourth-rounder over draft weekend. Although he didn't produce much in his rookie season, Booker was showered with compliments from the new regime, as his superb quickness and speed were seen as tools they could exploit in numerous ways. “I don't think he really fit our system that we're trying to put in place here,” GM Jeff Ireland explained after the first day of the draft. While Ireland wouldn't explicitly say what the “system” they're implementing is, it's pretty clear from the makeup of the coaching staff and the second-day selections of thumping RBs Jalen Parmele and Lex Hilliard that the Dolphins are adamant about forging ahead with a power running game. Although the rail-thin Booker has exceptional open-field ability — a good fit in the Eagles' spread offense — his slight build was ultimately seen as a liability for the hard-nosed brand of football the Dolphins are implementing. The physical nature of the club is not just an offensive issue. Six of the Dolphins' nine draft picks are offensive or defensive linemen, with Parmele, Hilliard and QB Chad Henne representing the three draftees not operating in the trenches.

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New England
May 2, 2008   

ILB Mayo expected to see rookie minutes immediately

Jerod Mayo

Coach Bill Belichick doesn’t like to play rookie linebackers. Believing that it takes a couple of years to learn the complexities of the position, he opts to let them learn on the practice field and watch from the sideline during games. Expect Belichick to make an exception with first-round pick Jerod Mayo. According to one team insider, Mayo is an odds-on favorite to win one of the two starting ILB jobs by the season opener. There was a school of thought that the 242-pound Mayo would flip outside and 270-pound Adalius Thomas would shift inside, considering that each has experience at both positions, but we hear that won’t be happening. For one thing, Thomas was far more effective a season ago when working on the edge. For another, the Pats see inside linebacker as Mayo’s long-term position, and to have him learn outside responsibilities, then throw him the ILB playbook a year or two later would stunt his development. That being said, we hear the Pats want him to gain about 15 pounds, even if it’s detrimental to his speed.

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NY Jets
May 9, 2008   

Jets hold all the leverage in Baker 'negotiations'

While most in the Jets' organization embraced the first-round selection of TE Dustin Keller, one who was notably annoyed — to put it mildly — was starting TE Chris Baker. Baker is entering the third year of a four-year, $6.6 million contract and has publicly stated his desire for a raise. The way we hear it, there's no realistic possibility of his demands being met. By drafting Keller and signing free agent Bubba Franks to a one-year deal, the Jets have effectively negated all leverage that Baker had in the situation. Despite improving his receiving totals in each of his six NFL seasons, Baker is viewed as nothing more than a solid, all-around tight end, not the stretch-the-seam variety in vogue throughout the league. Therefore, it's also unrealistic to think that Baker will be traded. His value isn't great enough to warrant another organization parting with a draft pick for a slightly above-average player who's already proved himself as a malcontent. Because of these factors, we hear that there's little reason to think that Baker would hold out in training camp, as he realizes he'd be fined and have little chance of receiving his ultimate objective — more money.

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