Sabres Resign a Prospect, Lose Another / Bills Finish Second Week of OTAs

The Apologist

There have been a couple of things worth mentioning going on with our beloved teams lately, so I thought I'd attempt to bring you all (but mostly me) up to speed.

In Sabres news, there has been a little action in the roster department as the team lost a player and resigned another.  The Sabres signed Paul Byron (left), a 5-9, 170-pound center from Montreal, Quebec, to a three-year entry-level deal.  Byron has been playing for the Gatineau Olympiques in the QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League).  In his last season with the Olympiques, he set career highs in assists (66) and points (99) as he finished fourth in league scoring.  On the flip side, the Sabres lost forward Marek Zagrapan to the Severstal Cherepovets of the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League).  He was a first-round draft pick in 2005, but spent the last three years in the minors.

[DGWUS Super Special Fun Fact: Paul Byron would later be part of the trade for Robyn Regehr. Way to go, Paul!]

---

Across the way in Canada, billionaire Jim Balsillie has made a bold move in his continued attempt to move the Phoenix Coyotes to Hamilton, Ontario.  He unveiled a $150 million plan to remodel Copps Coliseum to bring it up to code with the NHL's guidelines.  This move seems reminiscent of the Seattle Supersonics' move to Oklahoma, when the owner started work on a new building when he still had the city of Seattle in court debating whether he could move them or not.  Of course in that case, he already owned the team and the commissioner of the league was helping to grease the wheels of the move, not trying to stop him.  The debate continues amongst Sabres fans as to how much of an effect this would have on the team's fan base.  For my part, I welcome the challenge.  If anything the management of the Sabres' organization could use a good scare if it means they might wake up to the fact that WINNING is the best way to ensure a fan base.  Look at Detroit.  The city is hemorrhaging money and they pack Joe Louis Arena every night.  Does anyone think we'll have trouble selling season tickets if we get back to playing playoff-caliber hockey?  And does anyone really think that Phoenix needs a hockey team more than Hamilton (besides Gary Bettman)?!  I say, 'Good luck, Jim!'  Until you actually get the team, move them and start playing us ... then you can go to hell.

---

The most recent piece of news for the Bills is that a possible addition to the team has slipped through their inept fingers.  Former Rams linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears yesterday.  Some will write this off as not much of a loss, but then they'll remember that our linebacking corps consists of two guys named Ellison & DiGiorgio.  This was a swing and a miss by the Bills, in my opinion.  You can plunk down $6.5 mil to rent T.O., but not to upgrade the worst part of your extremely weak defense in a division regaining Tom Brady?  Good call, Russ.

Meanwhile, two weeks of OTAs are in the books and for the most part, all is quiet around 1 Bills Drive.  Terrell Owens, despite his tweeting and reality televising (coming up next, T.O. rents a condo ... WATCH OUT!), has been focused on getting acclimated with his new teammates and impressing some with his bursts of speed.  Second-year cornerback and aptly named Reggie Corner is starting to get comfortable as the starting nickleback in the Bills' defense while Ashton Youboty continues to recover from plantar fasciitis.  New offensive linemen and part-time private eyes Levitre & Wood are getting plenty of snaps at their respective guard spots.  Everyone is experiencing deja vu as top receiving prospect James Hardy, I mean, Shawn Nelson is struggling to adjust to his new surroundings.  And Aaron Schobel is still trying to convince everyone that he's healthy enough to play mediocre defensive end again.  But there have been some mutterings out of Bills camp that deserve a little more attention...

Running back Marshawn Lynch claims he has put on more than 10 lbs. of muscle this offseason.  He began last season at 215 and now says he's up to 230.  According to Chris Brown, he's still looked sharp and quick in his cuts, so all things being equal, this is a plus.  A healthy, stronger Marshawn in week 4 against the Dolphins (who no one will have film on at that point for the season, by the way) would be a nice ace up the Bills' sleeve in their first trip to Landshark Stadium.

---

In the second "DUH!" moment of the Bills' offseason, Perry Fewell is starting to mix in a more aggressive blitz package in practice.  Gee Perry, a blitz package!?  Welcome to the NFL circa 2000 ... everyone but you and Dick knows you need to blitz effectively to stop good offenses.  If you're wondering, the first "DUH!" moment was when the idea started bouncing around that maybe the Bills would try to mix in some no-huddle offense this year.  Raise your hand if you had multiple conversations with friends last season about why in God's name the Bills never use no-huddle when the K-Gun was easily the most effective offense ever used by any Bills team ever.  If your hand isn't raised right now, your name is Turk Schonert.

And finally, in spiteful Bills news, J.P. Losman is still looking for a job (most likely he's running around in circles, panicking at the lack of offers and fumbling his ability to handle a job interview) and this Ravens fan is annoyed with Willis McGahee (dead link).  He's your problem now, Baltimore!

That's all from me, for now.  I hope you learned something.  I know I did.