Lee Evans News: Pro Sports Daily

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December 16

Buffalo News

columnist Jerry Sullivan

"I suppose it's difficult, particularly in these trying economic times, for Bills fans to feel sorry for the highest-paid athlete in Buffalo sports history. Still, you have to feel a twinge of sympathy for poor Lee Evans. Good guy. Good teammate. Good in the community. Good hands. Great speed. But in his sixth NFL season, the Bills' wide receiver is struggling through the most discouraging season of his career. Evans has become a forgotten man, an afterthought in the offense. For much of his career, he was a big-play threat, capable of breaking free for an 80-yard bomb at any moment. Remarkably, Evans doesn't have a single game with more than 75 receiving yards this season. Terrell Owens ..."

Bills will be keeping fast company on Sunday

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November 14

Buffalo News

"The issue: Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson. The question: Can the Buffalo Bills stop him? "Easier said than done," said Bills coach Dick Jauron, whose team visits the Titans on Sunday. "We're working hard on trying to figure out what we can do to try to slow him down because it doesn't seem like that many people have success doing that." Johnson is the NFL's leading rusher with 959 yards, 122 more than Cedric Benson of Cincinnati. The second-year pro is just 269 yards shy of last season's rookie total and is on pace to challenge the single-season franchise record of 1,934 yards set by Hall of Famer Earl Campbell in 1980. Johnson also has a shot to become the sixth running back ..."

Bills mixed on Vick-as-QB talk

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November 9

ESPN.com

"The Buffalo Bills went into the bye week with plenty of questions. They emerged Monday with another they couldn't have foreseen. Would Michael Vick be a fit? Vick's adviser, former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, revealed on Sunday night the Bills showed interest in acquiring Vick's services after the controversial quarterback served 18 months in federal prison for his role in a dogfighting ring. Asked if Vick would be a good fit for the Bills, receiver Lee Evans replied "Probably not. I love him as a player and everything that he's done for the league, but I don't think it'll be anything we'll aggressively go after." Bills safety Donte Whitner didn't conceal his excitement over the ..."

Bills are stalled in twilight zone

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November 9

Buffalo News

"The cold, sobering reality for the Buffalo Bills and their fans is there is no quick fix for their offensive problems at the midway point of the 2009 season. There is no magic potion that is going to pull them out of their woeful offensive slump. Defenses are forcing the Bills to make long marches down the field. They're saying: Prove to us you can go 11 or 12 plays without making a couple of mistakes that derail the drive. The answer through eight games is resounding: The Bills can't do it. The Bills are on pace for their second worst yardage total ever in a 16-game season. They're on pace for their second lowest passing yards total and their fewest first downs since the league went to 16 ..."

Bills receiver Lee Evans

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October 11

Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Bills receiver Lee Evans, the Bedford High grad, is still looking for that elusive big game against his beloved hometown Browns. He was hoping it would come last season under the bright lights of Monday Night Football. Instead, he was shut out for the first time in 67 games, breaking the third-longest reception streak in team history. All told, Evans has only eight catches for 69 yards and a touchdown in three games against the Browns. As a rookie, he caught four passes for 33 yards and a TD against the Browns, and in 2007, he caught four for 36 in the "Snow Bowl" game. But that doesn't mean the Browns won't be ready for Long-Distance Lee. "Lee Evans has great vertical speed," said ..."

Edwards, Evans the Centre of attention at Jays game

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May 15

Buffalo News

"Hard to tell who was the main attraction Thursday in the Rogers Centre. Was it Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees or Trent Edwards, Lee Evans and the Buffalo Bills? The Bills' duo was all around the ballpark during the game and got a big thrill by taking batting practice three hours before the first pitch. Edwards belted a pair of home runs into the left-field seats and burst out of the cage celebrating them. Evans looked like, well, a football player as he hit a few ground balls to the outfield and not much more. "That's tough. I got tired with just about 10 swings in there," a smiling Edwards said. "I can't imagine doing that every day. I got some groin issues right ..."

Evans sees opportunity vs. Dolphins

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October 25

Buffalo News

"Buffalo Bills wide receiver Lee Evans had another solid outing last week against San Diego. But it was the first game he didn’t have a catch covering 30 or more yards. That could change on Sunday. The Dolphins secondary has been very susceptible to the big play. Miami has allowed 23 completions of 20 or more yards and six completions of 40-plus yards. Both figures are the second-highest totals in the NFL. So if the Dolphins decide to blitz quarterback Trent Edwards they could hang their overmatched secondary out to dry. Evans said the Bills will look to take advantage of that. “If they want to pressure your quarterback, then somewhere, somehow, there’s a void. That’s what we have to be ..."

Using his head

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October 20

Buffalo News

"Lee Evans did his best David Tyree impersonation to put the Bills in the lead at halftime. The Bills’ star wideout made a great one-handed catch along the right side of the end zone with 5:20 left in the second quarter to put Buffalo ahead, 10-7. Actually, it was a one-hand, one-head catch, reminiscent of the grab made by the New York Giants’ Tyree in the Super Bowl in February. It was a first-and-goal play from the 2. Bills quarterback Trent Edwards made a quick throw that Evans clawed with his right hand. Evans pressed the ball to his helmet for control as he got his second foot in bounds."

WR Evans a big part of Buffalo Bills' success

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October 5

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

"The song "See you in September" didn't apply to Lee Evans in years past because, for whatever reason, the notoriously slow-starting Bills wide receiver was missing in action during the first month of the season. But his pattern of false starts has been broken this fall. Buffalo's 2004 first-round draft pick may only have 14 receptions, but he's made them count, gaining first downs on 13 of them - an NFL-best 93 percent success rate - while also enhancing his reputation as a deep threat with a robust average of 23.7 yards per grab. And Thursday, he made another significant haul when he signed a four-year contract extension worth $37 million. The 10th-leading receiver in Bills history ..."

Bills sign Evans to $37.25 million deal

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October 3

Buffalo News

"Lee Evans didn’t want to think about leaving the Buffalo Bills after this season. That is no longer an issue. The Bills made sure their star wide receiver would be around at least through 2012 by signing him to a four-year, $37.25 million contract extension Thursday. “I’m extremely happy right now,” Evans told The Buffalo News on Thursday evening. “This is something that we have been working on for a long time and it wasn’t easy. But it’s finally done, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it.” Evans was four games into the final year of a contract he signed as a first-round draft pick out of Wisconsin in 2004. The Bills made it clear very early in the offseason that extending Evans was a ..."

Bills' Evans hauls in a 4-year contract extension worth $37.25M

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October 3

San Francisco Chronicle

"Receiver Lee Evans signed a four-year contract extension worth $37.25 million on Thursday in a deal that prevents the Buffalo Bills' star from becoming a free agent after this season. Evans, who is guaranteed to make $18.25 million in the new deal that runs through 2012, earned a significant raise over the base salary of $2.25 million he'll make this season, the final year of the rookie contract he signed after the Bills selected him 13th overall in the 2004 draft out Wisconsin. It helped a little bit in negotiations that the Bills (4-0) are off to their best start in 16 years. Evans has 14 catches, a team-leading 332 yards receiving and one touchdown. He ranks second among AFC receivers ..."

Lee Evans signs long awaited extension

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October 2

Buffalo Bills Official Website

"Every time Lee Evans was asked about the progress of negotiations on a contract extension over the past few months Buffalo’s top wideout always stated things were moving in the right direction. Those negotiations finally reached a resolution on Thursday when the Bills locked up their top receiver to a multi-year agreement. The Evans camp and the Bills had been working on the extension for almost the entire offseason, which admittedly was anything but easy. With some NFL clubs overpaying for free agent receivers this past spring (e.g. Bernard Berrian) and elite wideouts signing new deals like New England’s Randy Moss and Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald there was a wide range of contracts that ..."

Fantasy Football Impact Report: Lee Evans

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September 1

Rototimes.com

"Since joining the Buffalo Bills organization in 2004, Lee Evans has led all Bills receiving options (with a minimum of two receptions) in TDs and yards per reception. Despite a suspect quarterback carousel that has gone round and round in Buffalo, Evans has managed to stay relatively consistent. Unfortunately for Buffalo fans and Lee Evans owners, the Bills will once again put the hopes of the franchise into the hands of quarterback Trent Edwards. If Edwards, who enters just his second season in the NFL, can stay healthy and consistent, Evans owners could expect solid numbers from the former Badger. Heading into the '08 season, Evans ranking among all wideouts should hover around the ..."

Set for a money grab

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July 26

Buffalo News

"Let the record show that Lee Evans caught the ball on the first play from scrimmage at Buffalo Bills training camp Friday. The significance: Evans is a priority player for the Bills in 2008. The Bills would like to sign Evans to a contract extension, preferably before the regular season starts Sept. 7. However, league sources say there still is a long way to go in negotiations before the Bills seal a deal with their top receiver. The Bills have conducted talks with Evans’ agent this spring and summer. But Evans is going to be expensive because the market for receivers in the NFL has taken a sharp turn up this year. It remains to be seen if the Bills can close the gap in contract talks. ..."