KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eric Berry has his own opinions about whether the Buffalo Bills were out to hurt him in last season’s opener, when a deliberately low block resulted in a season-ending knee injury.
The Chiefs’ safety knows better than to reveal what he’s really thinking, though, instead telling people to watch video of the block and “make your own opinion.”
Reuter: Impact WR/TE prospects
Berry was in the open field and running toward the ball Sept. 11 when wide receiver Stevie Johnson dove at his knee from the side. Berry was upended near the goal line and ultimately left the game, and the full extent of the injury was revealed a couple of days later.
Although the open-field block was legal, Berry tweeted last month: “Sometimes I sit n wonder if they had a bounty out on me … oh well … who cares. Either way u can’t hold me down.”
Berry said that the tweet, sent after revelations of bounties being paid out by the New Orleans Saints, was “pretty much a joke.” But pressed about whether he thought the hit was intentional, the Pro Bowl safety gave the impression that he still wonders about it.
“They got the tape out there, you can make your own opinion,” Berry said. “I mean, my opinion is my opinion. People are going to take it how they want to take it anyway.
“To me, that’s in the past,” he said. “It is what it is.”
Berry, who was at the Chiefs’ practice facility Tuesday to participate in the team’s offseason program, said his knee has mostly healed — he spent time rehabbing with tight end Tony Moeaki and running back Jamaal Charles, who sustained the same injury to the same knee in consecutive weeks. All three are expected to be ready by the start of training camp in July.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
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Chidi Ahanotu doesn’t know the Gregg Williams he heard in an audio tape last week urging New Orleans Saints defenders to go for head shots on players with a history of concussions and to target ACL’s.
Ahanotu played for the Buffalo Bills in 2002 when Gregg Williams was head coach and he didn’t recall anything like that when he played under the man.
“He was the softest coach I’ve been around,” Ahanotu told Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It was to the point, really, where I said, ‘Man, this guy’s really not made out to be a coach.’ Honestly, that’s what I always felt in Buffalo — this is not football. His approach was very cerebral.”
There have been reports of a bounty system in Buffalo but no hard evidence is surfaced, and Ahanotu certainly didn’t have anything to corroborate that. Players have spoken specifically about a bounty system when Williams was in Washington, including National Football Post columnist Matt Bowen, who played for the Redskins under Williams.
“He was very cerebral, almost to a fault,” Ahanotu said. “He always talked about these complex things. It was like, ‘Man, can we just line up and play football.’ That’s how I always felt with him. I was only there for one year with him and coaches always develop and change. Maybe this is what he changed to.”
Nothing Williams said really offended Ahanotu until he started referencing ACL’s. That’s when he went from motivating his players to a dark place he shouldn’t be.
“I played D-line and we tried to knock the quarterback out,” Ahanotu said.” We tried to knock him out. We wanted to knock him out of the game. This was before all of the concussion awareness and that. But regardless whether you knock him out with a concussion, you want to hurt the guy. We weren’t trying to maim people out there but we wanted to get them out of the game.
“Even in this day in age — as a defensive lineman — you’re trying to get him out of the game. (But) when he starts talking about ACLs and concussions, especially in this age, I understand. The commissioner is totally validated for what he did.”
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – The wife of the Buffalo Common Council’s majority leader has admitted to her role in a counterfeit check scheme while she worked for the Buffalo Bills.
The Buffalo News reports that 35-year-old Jayme Smith pleaded guilty Monday to federal bank fraud charges in connection with more than $560,000 in bogus checks.
She admitted creating the fraudulent checks and mailing them to individuals across the United States while working for the Bills last year.
Court documents didn’t mention of the case’s financial impact on the Bills. Team officials have declined to comment.
Smith faces up to 10 months in federal prison when she’s sentenced in June.
Smith is the wife of Common Council Majority Leader Demone Smith.
The Buffalo Bills are adding to the duties of Mary Owen, the team’s executive vice president of strategic planning, it was announced today. Owen will oversee the Bills’ Community Relations department. She will work closely with Gretchen Geitter, vice president of community relations, in the team’s efforts to support the region through its many community outreach programs and philanthropy.
Owen currently oversees the Bills Toronto initiative in addition to serving as a senior advisor to ownership. She is a member of the NFL’s International and Super Bowl Advisory committees. She also serves on the board of trustees for NFL Charities, along with her duties as the executive director of the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation and president of the Buffalo Bills Youth Foundation. Owen is in her 15th year with the Bills.
The Bills also promoted Preston Teague to senior manager of community relations and youth football, and Allison Hojnowski to manager of community relations. Teague enters his ninth season and Hojnowski her fifth season with the Bills.
Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey watchesfrom the Buffalo sideline during the Bills game against New England on January 1, 2012. (REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi)
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PALM BEACH, FLA. -
Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey might have one unhappy running back this season, or even two. And he knows it.
But it’s a good thing.
The Bills have two running backs — Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller — who impressed during their starting turns in 2011.
Jackson rushed for 934 yards and averaged 5.5 yards a carry before breaking a bone in his lower right leg in Game 10, then Spiller started the final six games, gaining 561 yards on a 5.2 average.
In 2012 they’ll both want the ball.
“That’s a great problem to have — to have two great players,” Gailey said Tuesday at the AFC coaches breakfast with the media at the NFL annual meeting.
“I know one thing. They’re both not going to be totally happy with the number of touches that they get. With only one football and several guys who can make plays, everybody’s not going to be happy. That’s part of it. So you do the best you can to use C.J. and Fred in different ways to get them the ball, because they’re both capable of making big plays.”
Gailey reiterated what he said last month at the scouting combine — that the Bills would find ways to get both players on the field at once. Each back made 39 catches in 2011.
“They’re going to be in there at the same time, somewhere,” Gailey said.
General manager Buddy Nix said he intends to extend Jackson’s contract. The 31-year-old has one year remaining on his deal.
“We’re going to make him an offer,” Nix told QMI Agency Tuesday. “The only thing that can keep us from getting anything done is if he doesn’t sign it.”
Orchard Park, N.Y. (WKBW release) The following is the Buffalo Bills daily charge for March 21.
DAILY REPORT
Free agent DE Mark Anderson met with members of the Bills coaching staff and front office last night and is scheduled to visit One Bills Drive today.
WR Stevie Johnson has a well-known reputation for his rap skills and recently collaborated with Grammy nominated rapper Game to record a rap called ‘Run it Back.’ Click here to see how the two of them worked together>>>
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Defensive Coordinator Dave Wannstedt
On the defensive line as a whole:
“As our defensive front goes so goes our defense,” Wannstedt told Buffalobills.com. “There’s no question Mario is someone we really needed desperately. When you can get a young player like him and fit him in with the group it’s a real positive, but he’s another piece to the puzzle.”
THIS DAY IN BILLS HISTORY
March 21, 1970 – JACK KEMP TO RUN FOR CONGRESS
Former Bills QB Jack Kemp, vowing to “be his own man,” announced his intentions to run for Congress in Erie County’s 39th district.
That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.
