BillyCarpenter1

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/ind...cont_id=202719


Tom Donahoe Talks About Lawyer Milloy

buffalobills.com
September 3, 2003

Lawyer Milloy Update

"We're kind of in a holding pattern with this. We've been told that we are one of the teams that Lawyer is seriously taking a look at. We hope to know something today. We had hoped to know something last night but I guess they are still looking at the offers and trying to decide what they want to do.

It's been a different negotiation. People just basically made proposals and it sounds like they are looking at the proposals, looking at the teams, and looking at the opportunity and trying to decide what's best. We would certainly like it settled today. We need to get our focus where our focus needs to be and that's on New England. It would be great if we get the player but if we don't get him we've got a very important game to play and it's going to need all of our attention."

Milloy Playing Ability

"We think he's still a good football player. Obviously they do too. They tried to keep him. We heard a lot of stories out of New England last year that (Drew) Bledsoe was washed up too so draw your own conclusions."

Milloy Cap Status

"He's a vested veteran so if they keep him past 4 o'clock yesterday he would be guaranteed his paragraph five salary. That's why they made the move yesterday about 4 o'clock.

He's a free agent so the teams that are interested in him basically start over with a contract."

Playing Availability

"That's up to the coaches and where they feel he would be and how he would fit in."

Whereabouts

"We'll get him here quickly."

Contract/Cap Status

"We know where we want to be. We've spent two years digging out of a mess and we're not going to get back into another mess. We feel good about the offer. We don't think that this decision is going to come down to money or the contract. Our offer is very fair and it's very substantial. Obviously when we made the offer they knew we were serious."

Addition of Milloy

"This guy's played at a high level and been a Pro Bowl player. Obviously he knows the division, he knows New England. Right now it's nice to think about but so is a weekend in Bahamas."

More Than Money

"It probably will come down to where the player feels the best fit. It may have something to do with the team, the way people play defense, the prospects for the team's season, and it's hard to say. You never know what's important in the mind of a player. Everybody is a little different in that regard."

Bledsoe's Role

"Our players have spoken to Lawyer but a lot of them know him very well. Drew, Sam Gash, Sam Adams, I don't even know if you can classify it as recruiting. When you see a guy that you played with and have respect with and he gets let go, there's always a tendency to call and see how he's doing.

Lawyer has to make up his own mind and hopefully he sees our situation as attractive and we get the thing done quickly."

End of Day timeline

We feel that's a fair deadline. He's had some opportunity to look at the teams, look at the offers. You have to basically decide what you want to do.

Benefit of Not Facing Him

"He's been a tough player to play against, kind of a quarterback of their defense. It's a little better, hopefully, from out standpoint to line up when he's not in there.

We'll have to see what happens. Anytime there is a lawyer involved anything can happen."