Saturday, December 4, 2010

Former Buffalo Bill Andre Reed Unveils New Business Venture

Contact: Greg Tolver
(858) 829-1854
gtolver@pmmgllc.com


Buffalo Bills legend and Future Hall of Fame Receiver, Andre Reed, has launched a new
business aimed at raising money for the youth of his hometown, The Lehigh Valley.
For 15 seasons, he was known for being an all purpose Over the Middle receiver. Now, he
has taken this reputation off the field and into the marketplace creating a signature all
purpose sauce for sauce lovers everywhere.

Andre is pleased to announce and introduce Over the Middle, his very own signature all
purpose sauce, at a launch party Thursday, December 9, 2010, at Melt Restaurant in
Allentown, PA beginning at 6:00 PM. The event will feature a three course protein meal as well
as entertainment. Andre and his Over the Middle team will be present along with Primo
Produce and The Second Mile, his partners on this venture into the sauce category business.
Over the Middle is a signature all purpose sauce that comes in a 12.7oz bottle. Starting in
mid-December, fans can purchase a bottle of Andre’s signature sauce at Lehigh Valley-area
retailers. Retail grocers such as Weis Markets, Wegmans, Giant Food stores and Redners Rite
Aid have all shown interest in carrying Over the Middle on the shelves. Foodservice
customers, such as restaurants, caterers and institutional accounts can purchase
Over the Middle all purpose sauce delivered direct with their regular order from U.S.
Foodservice. Fifty cents from every bottle sold will benefit The Second Mile, a non-profit
organization dedicated to children who need additional support and who benefit from positive
role models.

In addition to retail purchase from stores, Over the Middle can also be found on the
company’s website www.andrereedotm.com. Purchases made on the company’s website will
also include a special opportunity for football fans to enter to win a chance to golf with Andre
Reed at his 2nd Annual Celebrity Golf Classic in Allentown, PA July 10th, 2011.

“My father, who passed away fifteen years ago, told me, ‘Son, if you have a chance to make a
difference, if you can have a voice, then you’ve got to take advantage of that and make a
difference,’” said Reed founder and owner of OTM. “My passion for giving back combined with
my father’s vision inspired the creation of OTM. I’m excited about entering the marketplace
and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the youth of The Lehigh Valley.”

A limited number of tickets to the launch party will be available for $69. For tickets to the
event, please contact Sarah Petryk at (610) 798-9000 or email spetryk@meltgrill.com.
The Second Mile, founded in 1977 in State College, Pennsylvania, is a statewide, non-profit
organization for children who need additional support and who would benefit from positive
role models. The Second Mile plans, organizes, and offers activities and programs
for children - and adults who work with them - to promote self-confidence as well
as physical, academic, and personal success. www.thesecondmile.org

For more information please call (858) 829-1854 or go to www.andrereedotm.com.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

The 12 Man Report

By Rick

While attempting , in vain I might add , to enjoy our Bills take on the visiting Jets , I found myself musing about what's gone so terribly wrong in the world of One Bills Drive . Most of the answers are so obvious to us fans that I'm almost embarrassed to pass along my own thoughts on the subject . It seems to me that we have five basic areas in urgent need of serious upgrade . As I see it , they are Offensive Line , Defensive Line , Linebackers , Quarterback and Tight End . See ....recognizing the needs isn't so very difficult , is it ? But " WHY " , is the question that I kept asking myself . If it's so easy to see the problem , why is it still a problem . The answer , of course , is that we're paying the price for the sins of ineptitude committed be the various General Managers of the Bills and anyone with input into our Draft process . In the decade since the year 2000 there have been eleven NFL Drafts . In those Drafts the Bills have selected a total of ninety three ( 93 ) players , Here are some examples listed by the position groups that I named earlier .

Offensive Line . An area of dire need that has screamed for help for the entire decade . In the face of that obvious need the Bills have selected only fourteen ( 14 ) Offensive Linemen , out of 93 total selections . Out of that fourteen , only three ( 3 ) were chosen before the Fifth Round . One of those was OT Mike Williams , and we all know his story . The other two high picks were Eric Wood and Andy Levitre , selected just last year . The other twelve were selected in Rounds # 5 through # 7 . By the way , of the fourteen linemen selected only four are currently with the team , Wood , Levitre , Demetrious Bell , and Ed Wang , picked just this spring .

Defensive Line . Just a tad more attention has been given to this group . In eleven Drafts we've selected eighteen ( 18 ) potential pass rushers and run stuffers . Of that number eight are still Buffalo Bills , three of which are from this year's draft alone . But , don't by any means think that maybe we're stocking up on Defensive linemen . No , no . Four out of those eight men have been converted to Linebacker , with varying degrees of success .

Linebacker . Yeah , let's talk about the LB's , shall we ? This Unit of the Buffalo Bills just plain stinks . There's no other , nicer , way to say it . They might be the worst group of LB's in the NFL . If you disagree , just think back to any of the first four games . In eleven drafts we've addressed that need by selecting a total of eleven ( 11 ) players . Seven ( 7 ) of them were chosen in later rounds # 5 through # 7 . Only three of them still remain Bills today .

Tight End . No wonder the Bills have no clue how to cover a Tight End . We haven't had one on our roster worthy of practicing against since Pete Metzelaars left in 1995 . The decision makers have endeavored to come up with a serviceable TE by drafting a total of six ( 6 ) over an eleven draft span . Only one was deemed worthy of being picked earlier than Round # 4 Just one of these men is still with the team . The bad news is that he's been serving a suspension for using banned substances .

Quarterback . We've searched high and low . We've wrung our hands and wailed . Why , oh why can't we find the next Jim Kelly . Why can't we come up with a Quarterback to lead our team out of the NFL wilderness and return us to football respectability ? I'll tell you why . It's because in spite of the glaring , screeching , dire need for a competent QB , the deep thinking football men at One Bills Drive have selected only three QB's in eleven drafts . The latest being a 7th Rounder just this past April . At this point I'm going to a bit of an apologist for the other two men who have tried and failed to be " the guy " . Personally , I believe that both J.P. Losman and Trent Edwards were intelligent , physically talented QB's who were victimized by the incompetence surrounding them . Granted , neither one is the second coming of Jim Kelly , but they could both have played if not for their shared inability to overcome the problem . Which problem you ask ? The one that comes from attempting to pass from behind our virtually non - existent offensive line . Compound that with what can only be described as a constantly chaotic coaching mess . Suffice to say that just one of the three " Chosen Ones " remains a Bill . And he's only a Bill because of being resigned upon the release of Trent Edwards . He had been cut before the start of the current season . Do you suppose that they brought him back only because they already had jerseys with his name on them ?

So , do you see what I mean about paying for our sins of incompetence ? An age old adage of how to build a football team is that you do it from the inside out . In other words , build those lines before you bother addressing the so called skill positions . And make no mistake , LB's are to be considered linemen . A succession of decision makers , namely John Butler , Tom Donahoe , Marv Levy , Russ Brandon and now Buddy Nix , have had the final say at the Draft table . They've brought in what seems a constant stream of Defensive Backs , Running Backs and Wide receivers . It's as though they all learned Drafting 101 at the knee of Matt Millen . Of the ninety three players selected in the past eleven drafts , there were fifty two at the position groups that I've discussed . A whopping seventeen ( 17 ) are Buffalo Bills today , and six of those came from this years' draft . That leaves a sum total of eleven players to show for eleven drafts . Only six of them are starters on this totally dysfunctional team .

Well , there it is . Granted it's only my opinion , but I suspect that a few of you agree . If not , I'd welcome your input . just write your thoughts to this site and I'm certain that they'll appear in the next newsletter . Like all Bills fans everywhere , I anguish over not just the losses on the field , but also the continuing sorry state of the team we love . Now , at least in terms of some numbers we can see why .

I hope to see all of you at AlliGators next Sunday for the 1:00 PM kickoff against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the return of Trent Edwards .

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Sunday, April 18, 2010

BUFFALO BILLS NFL DRAFT PARTY

BUFFALO BILLS NFL DRAFT PARTY
Beef O'Brady's (Corner of Sumter & Price Blvd, North Port, FL)
Thurs., April 22nd, at 7:30 PM
50/50 Raffle
Food & Drink Specials

The Bills draft 9th in this years NFL draft. Will the Bills trade away their #1 draft pick or select a new quarterback?

Come join us for a Buffalo Bills draft day party on Thursday, April 22nd at Beef O'Brady's (Sumter & Price Blvd in North Port).

John Downing from Niagara Falls, and his wife Glenda owners of Beef O'Brady's are going to have specials for food and drink items.

If you have never been to a Draft Party, this can be the best party of the off season. We will have a 50/50 drawing so get there early and get your tickets.

Please reply to this E-Mail so we can get a head count for reserved seating.

Hope to see you there.

Mark Maefs
President, Buffalo Bills Backers of North Port

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Post Season Report

By Rick

It's been several weeks since the end of our 2009 season of discontent , and as we all know , big changes were in store for our beloved Buffalo Bills . As the season was winding down , Ralph Wilson promised that no stone would remain unturned in their search for the best possible football minds in order to fulfill our quest for a championship . Great coaching names passed the lips of every fan with a great deal of anticipation . Mike Shanahan , Bill Cowher , John Gruden and Mike Holmgren to name a few . Ralph was even quoted as ready to offer megabucks , as much as $10 million a year , for the the services of one of these Super Bowl Champion coaches . Aah....the things that dreams are made of . First in the order of business was to appoint a new General Manager to oversee the entire football operation . It would then be his responsibility to conduct the coaching search . Ralph went all out in his quest . He actually interviewed and considered two people . Must have really tired him out . Afterward he said that on the list of potential interviewees , he knew only those two . What better reason to not go further ? Buddy Nix is our guru for the foreseeable future . This isn't meant as any knock on Buddy Nix . His credentials are , indeed impressive . A half century of involvement in the NFL is impressive in and of itself , but he's been intimately involved with the building of a pretty formidable team out in San Diego . He was also a integral part of the scouting apparatus that assembled the Bills Super Bowl teams of the early '90s . After his introduction as GM he embarked on an exhaustive search for just the right man to head up the new coaching staff . Given all of the available names . Impressive up and coming coordinators and recycled head coaching retreads , he finally found the best man for the task . Chan Gailey . Yep . Chan Gailey . I , for one , couldn't have been any more stunned if he had brought back Hank Bullough . Coach Gailey , in addressing questions about potential staff members , said that nobody would recognize most of the names he had in mind . He was so right . The FBI and Interpol wouldn't have recognized the names of most of these new assistants . To his credit he retained a few key members of the previous staff . George Catavolos for the DB's , DeMonte Cross handling the inside linebackers and the defensive line coach of last year , Bob Sanders , handling the outside linebackers . I feel that these coaches are particularly important in that they handled some of the most stout and cohesive units on the 2009 team . Bob Sanders in particular could prove to be invaluable in the conversion of Aaron Maybin to outside linebacker in the newly installed 3-4 alignment . Chris Ellis , the DE who has has languished on the fringes of our roster for two seasons is also being mentioned as a potential 3-4 outside linebacker . These players have a history and familiarity with Coach Sanders which might help in their transition . The new Offensive Coordinator is Curtis Modkins . Who ?? Not exactly a household name , just as Gailey indicated . Most of his credentials are college related , but he spent the past couple of seasons with the Arizona Cardinals . Not too shabby of an offense there , is it ? Oh , by the way , he'll also handle our running backs . As Quarterback Coach , Gailey tapped the Canadian Football League for arguably their best QB guru . Anyone who has ever seen Canadian football knows that they have to play a passing game , since they have only three downs , not four . George Cortez has been the man who has developed a good number of the best QB's north of the border for a good many years . The newly installed Defensive Coordinator is George Edwards , late of the hated Miami Dolphins . His promise is to install an aggressive , ball hawking , 3-4 defense . In the past I've not been a fan of the 3-4 , but things change , and it's about time to get on board with the trend . Being the only AFC East team not employing a 3-4 has hurt us immeasurably for several seasons . Coach Edwards comes to us with excellent credentials . I'm sure that every Bills fan feels that the Piece De Resistance of the coaching hires is the return of Bruce De Haven as the Special Teams Coach . Who better to follow Bobby April . That's a real tough act to follow and there's no one that I'd rather have than De Haven . Back to Front Office hires for a moment . When Ralph interviewed Buddy Nix , he also interviewed John Guy for the post of General Manager . Obviously he felt that these two men were the most eminently qualified to lead the Bills out of the wilderness . Two weeks later he fired John Guy . This step begs the question , why did he interview him in the first place ? Was it solely to satisfy the Rooney Rule ? If so , shame on you Ralph . That's bush league and should have been beneath you . Another hire that might seem to be under the radar , but could prove to be a real coup , is Doug Whaley as Assistant GM and Director of Pro Personnel . He comes to us from the Pittsburgh Steelers , where he was considered by league insiders to be a serious up and coming star in the field of talent evaluation . Boy , do we need some of that .
Like you , I'm sure , I had hoped to have one of the " big name " coaches and GM's in place to guide the Bills into the new decade . I had envisioned a Bill Parcells type of strongman at the helm to turn things around immediately . Was I disappointed with the selection of our new GM and Head Coach ? You bet ! BUT......now that we have our guys in place , I'm ready to settle back and let them see what they can do . As let down as we fans may feel at not having the " name" to rely on , I believe in giving people a chance to succeed on their merits . Gailey isn't the superstar we hoped for but he hasn't been a slug in his career either . He's generally regarded as an extremely bright offensive mind who gets a great deal of production out of the talent that he has at his disposal . Buddy Nix does know a football player when he sees one . Hey , he's no Russ Brandon , but a half century in the NFL scouting players counts for something .
Upcoming shortly we have the annual " meat market " of the Indianapolis Combine , Free Agency beginning on March 5th and the Draft in late April . Already , we've released nine on 2009's players with certainly more to come . The BIlls we saw are not the Bills we'll see , believe me . As much of a curmudgeon as I can be , I love the Buffalo Bills and I can't wait for the future to show itself for us . Stay tuned , you don't want to miss a single thing .

Friday, January 8, 2010

The 2009 Awards

The 2009 Pink Slip Awards go to...

1st Place Trent Edwards
2nd Place Terrill Owens
3rd Place Ralph Wilson

Honorable Mention: R. Parrish, C. Chambers, M. Lynch and the Coaching Staff ( who have already been served their pink slips)

The 2009 You're A Keeper Awards go to

1st Place F. Jackson
2nd Place J. Byrd
3rd Place P. Poz

Honorable Mention: B. Moorman, A Schobel,Terrill Owens, Rian Lindell, Lee Evans, R. Fitzpatrick.

Congrates to all this years award winners!