| Serving Bills Fans Since 1998 | Home |
| WEEK IN REVIEW - MAY 27TH - JUNE 2ND, 2002 | PREVIOUS WEEK |
Veterans Try To Survive June 1st Date
The Bills used the week off between mini-camps to evaluate players for the magic date of June 1st. Tow veterans are on the hot seat as John Fina is being let go and Jay Riemersma will likely be staying. Here's all the news from the past week complete with our take on the issues:
June 1st is considered a magical date in the NFL since players that are cut on that day will have the amortized portion of the signing bonus broken down over two years for cap purposes. Tom Donahoe has said that moves do not need to be made right away but the team needs to free up cap room to sign all their draft picks and any other free agents the team wants to bring in. The first round of cuts will include John Fina as the Bills will release him on the first day eligible to free up cap room. Fina offered to stay at the league minimum but the team thinks they have enough depth to do without him. Jay Riemersma is likely to survive despite the two sides not being able to come to terms on a new four year deal. The hold up is when Riemersma would take a pay cut this year, or next. The team has suggested a two tiered signing bonus in a new deal with the second portion payable after this season. Our Take: We think the team will keep Riemersma under his current contract like his agent thinks, or a new deal that will be worked out down the line. There is no rush to get rid of him, especially with the team clearing $3 Million by releasing Fina. The bad part about letting Fina go, is that he will have a monster cap hit next year ($5.68 Million). Eric Moulds is under investigation by the NFL for potential steroid policy violation. An endorsement he made of the body building supplement NITRO-Tech is a natural protein supplement free of any league banned substances. The company that makes it, MuscleTech Research and Development Inc., has three products that are banned by the league. League spokesman Greg Aiello says Moulds may not be aware of the policy that says a player can't endorse a product by a manufacturer that has other products banned by the league. If Moulds is in violation of league policy he will be asked to end is association with the product or face a league fine. Our Take: This sounds worse than it is. It is a minor issue, and Moulds will probably quietly end his association with the company and nothing else will come out of it. In NFL Europe news, Curtis Alexander starred for Frankfurt as he scored the winning touchdown in the final minutes of the game against Amsterdam. He had 88 yards on 20 carries in all and added 56 yards receiving on three receptions. He had two big plays, a 25 yard run and a 52 yard reception. David Dinkins continued his experiment at running back, carrying the ball four times for 14 yards. Alexander, along with Devonte Peterson and Reggie Allen are the three Bills on the ballot for the All-NFL Europe League Team. Our Take: Alexander may make Shawn Bryson expendable. Dinkins seems to be third on the depth chart at QB, which doesn't bode well for his future with the Bills. Take the time to vote for Alexander on the all-Europe team. Tickets were made available this past week for two big events, the Hall of Fame Ceremony and the uniform unveiling on June 8th. For the first time, the Hall will sell tickets in advance for $10 because of the great demand for them. You can order up to 10 tickets by requesting it from the Hall Attn: Enshrinement Tickets, 2121 George Halas Drive NW, Canton, Ohio 44708. There will be 7,138 sideline seats available in advance from the 10 to 40 yard lines. There is a $1 service charge for each order. There will still be 8,810 open general admission seats for free available on a first come, first serve basis on the day of the event. The unveiling ceremony tickets are now available at all Tops Friendly Markets locations. Our Take: This will be the biggest crowd ever for an induction ceremony, the interest is great around Jim Kelly and John Stallworth, there will be many crazed Steeler and Bills fans in attendance. The unveiling ceremony should be fun, it is in the stadium with a well known recording artist scheduled to appear. Two events for every Bills fan to see if possible! The Bills held a great community event on Sunday in conjunction with the Buffalo Zoo. Ruben Brown, Brian Moorman and Tony Driver were on hand along with the Jills, Billy the mascot, and several alumni at the event. Reports say that Thurman Thomas and Pete Metzelaars will receive the 2002 version of the Ralph C. Wilson Distinguished Service Award. Our Take: It's always nice to see the players getting involved in the community. Metzelaars and Thomas are well deserving of the prestigious award. Fred Jones became the latest exclusive rights free agent to sign his tender offer of $375,000. Jon Carman is the only exclusive or restricted free agent that has yet to sign a tender. Our Take: The Bills never offered a tender contract of more than the minimum. Donahoe takes a wait and see approach with these players and will let them become unrestricted free agents down the line. Move over Flutie Flakes here comes Kelly Krunch. The same Pittsburgh based company that brought you Doug Flutie's cereal is now bringing one for Jim Kelly. They should be in Buffalo are stores in July and will promote awareness of Krabbe disease and benefit the Hunter's Hope foundation. Our Take: This will be a nice collector's item and help raise money for a great cause. Talk about it on The Stadium Wall
Week in Review index
Latest News Section
Archives Library
Back to Bills Daily Homepage