Bills talking w/ Willie Mason's agent - Been accused of Rape & Fined for Cocaine use

[Mitchy moo]

Wow, We are sure looking for "character players" here in Buffalo. Just when you almost start to dream, RW shows you a new ignorant side. Why would the Bills & this A-H*ole even be brought up in the same sentence?

We had a chance to draft other very talented players that played football in a more traditional sense and passed on them because of character. Well this guy doesn't even play NFL type football and brings all these character issues and we are looking at him?

WTF is wrong with these people. Are we looking for character players or just plain talent? If it's just talent, than we should of tried to get T.O. in here and had the boatman himself culpepper to throw to him.

We have a bunch of double talking ******s running the show.




Six NFL clubs - Oakland Raiders, San Fransisco 49ers, New York Jets, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers - are expected to hold talks with Mason's agent, Greg Keenan, in the US over the next fortnight. And the last Australian export to star in the NFL's front line, Colin Scotts, has predicted Mason's essential combination of size, power, speed, balance and willingness is the perfect recipe for success in American football.

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,19411117-23214,00.html

[Mitchy moo]

Ironically, he doesn't really play football as we know it.


http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200507/r52703_141812.jpg

[Mitchy moo]

The Resume
April, 15 1980 - Born in Auckland, New Zealand
6'5" 254lbs
Australian Rugby league 'Badboy'
Prop, Second Rower for the Canterbury/Bankstown Bulldogs
Debut game: Bulldogs v. Penrith at Penrith, April 30, 2000

Why he might be annoying
He used to have an afro.
He was fined for using Cocaine.
He was accused of raping a 21 year old girl with his team mates.
On another occasion he and some other team mates left a sexual phone call on the message bank of a woman they didn't know.
He was fined by the National Rugby League association for wearing inappropriate clothing to court.
When a child asked for an autograph, he signed it under another players name, laughed & showed it to a team mate.
While at the same event he was filmed by a parent drawing crude oversized breasts and %@*!' on the table he was using to sign children's autographs.
Around the time of these scandals he discovered he had Attention deficit disorder (ADD).
His actions contributed to his teams captain Steve Price' decision to leave the team.


Why he might not be annoying
He was the advertising face for popular Sports drink Gatorade.
He is a skilled rugby player.
He is good to his mother and bought her a house.
On field he is a crowd pleaser.



Last season - in the NRL with the Bulldogs
11 games; 3 Tries, 12 points

[BILLS#1]

What position would he play?

[Mitchy moo]

What position would he play?

Well it not just that. We had a chance to draft other very talented players that played football in a more traditional sense and passed on them because of character. Well this guy doesn't even play NFL type football and brings all these character issues and we are looking at him?

WTF is wrong with these people. Are we looking for character players or just plain talent? If it's just talent, than we should of tried to get T.O. in here and had the boatman himself culpepper to throw to him.

We have a bunch of double talking ******s running the show.

[justasportsfan]

you're overreacting skoobs.That;s Mikey's job . It may have just been an inquiry.

[Jan Reimers]

But assuming Marv could make him into a choir boy. . . What position would he play? Oh wait, right tackle at 254 pounds?

[doormatt]

There have been several attempts at getting rugby players into the NFL-- mostly kickers. I played rugby for 18 years and I remember being in South Africa and watching guys kick field goals from mid-field. Obviously this would attract attention from NFL scouts. The drop-kick that Flutie did last year is commonplace in rugby, albeit with a larger, rounder ball.

One of my favorite rugby-to-NFL players was Darren Bennett the punter from San Diego. I remember John Madden instantly adding him to the all-Madden team after Bennet got a roughing penalty (unheard of for a kicker) for hitting a guy late and out of bounds.

It's very hard to project a rugby player to an NFL position. As for Mason, his size and skillset would have me project him at tight end. At second row in rugby, he was probably used to jump in line-outs to catch the ball as it was thrown back into play. His experience at prop, unusual for a player as tall as he is, would enhance his blocking skills and ability to use his hands to deflect opponents.

That said, it would be a very difficult transition from rugby to football. The games are played in very different ways. Rugby is like soccer in that there is constant play and no player substitutions. Also, there is no blocking or forward passes in rugby.

The easiest position to tranfer to the NFL would be wing forward, which plays just like a linebacker.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Perhaps the easiest position for him to transition to at his size, were he to come to the Bills, might be as a pass-rushing DE.

He wouldn't really have to bulk up much to play that position, he could play in the Bills' system at 255-260. His speed, quickness and, above all, aggression would be an immediate asset. He's already used to moving through traffic on the field, so he could handle that aspect of the position. And, there are fewer techniques that he would have to learn to play DE as compared with TE, where he would have to learn how to block and run routes, or LB, where he would have to learn how to drop into coverages as well as run-support and pass-rushing techniques from that position. Frankly, I think he would have to put on too much weight to be effective on the offensive line or at DT--he would lose some of his quickness and speed with the extra weight (although he is tall enough to carry it) and it would simply take more time to put on that kind of weight without steroids. He's 26, so he doesn't have a lot of time to make the transition to US football, if he is going to make it at all.

I doubt that he will even make the move to the NFL, let alone sign with the Bills, but I'm not unhappy to hear that the Bills are one of the teams that is reported as showing an interest in him because that indicates to me that they are looking for athletes who might be able to help the team in as many places as possible. That's something that was a trademark of the teams that Polian and Levy had during the SB years, when they were constantly bringing in guys from small schools that no one ever heard of (A.Reed and D.Beebe to name just two), and something that the team seemed to have gotten away from after Marv left. I'd rather have the Bills investigating a guy like this, even if they decide against signing him, than have them miss out on a guy that could help them because they couldn't be bothered taking a look at him. The Jets got a pretty effective punter in Ben Graham out of Aussie rules football last season: Graham's gross punting average as a rookie last year wasn't much to write home about, but his net average was very good because the unusual way that the ball comes off of his foot makes his kicks difficult to read and return and gives him good control on his kicks. The Jets needed a punter and got him because they were willing to look at a guy from outside of traditional football and give him a chance. And, they benefited as a result. So, I'm glad to hear that the Bills are willing to look at this guy, even if he doesn't sound like the kind of guy they would sign and may decide to pass on him.

[bigbub2352]

I really think they are just inquiring about him, i wouldnt go nuts over this guy, even if he is signed by a team you are talking about a huge project player no matter how bad his character is

[BillsNick]

He looks like a big nasty MO-FO. I like that.

[Mitchy moo]

He looks like a big nasty MO-FO. I like that.

That he does but was there any big nasty (troubled) kids in the draft we just had alot of picks in?

[Stewie]

"Are expected" by "Greg Keenan". Who is this Keenan, and what is his biskeef?

[jamze132]

Sounds more like a candidate for the Dolphins.

[G. Host]

Six NFL clubs - Oakland Raiders, San Fransisco 49ers, New York Jets, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers - are expected to hold talks with Mason's agent, Greg Keenan, in the US over the next fortnight. And the last Australian export to star in the NFL's front line, Colin Scotts, has predicted Mason's essential combination of size, power, speed, balance and willingness is the perfect recipe for success in American football.

This is agent talk. Greg Keenan basically told a reporter of the teams he was going to try to talk to probably due to past relationships. Nothing showing Bills even interested but their front office people look at tapes of many players, even those they are not interested in.

Ask your wealthy friend if this is a 'guarentee'.

[Mitchy moo]

This is agent talk. Greg Keenan basically told a reporter of the teams he was going to try to talk to probably due to past relationships. Nothing showing Bills even interested but their front office people look at tapes of many players, even those they are not interested in.

Ask your wealthy friend if this is a 'guarentee'.

Oh, I'll look into it.

[gr8slayer]

Being accused of rape and being guilty of rape are two different things. Was he ever convicted?

[Mitchy moo]

Being accused of rape and being guilty of rape are two different things. Was he ever convicted?

How about the coke thing, does he sound like a role model or a problem?

[TigerJ]

He's another article relating to the drug issue.

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,19275174-23214,00.html

He denies having used recreational or performance enhancing drugs. He has had many more drug tests that would be expected for the rugby leagues random drug testing policy.

[gr8slayer]

How about the coke thing, does he sound like a role model or a problem?
These guys arent paid to be role-models, they are paid to score touchdowns and win games.