UpdatedAug 24, 2011 7:32 PM ETORCHARD PARK (AP)The Buffalo Bills have agreed to a one-year contract withfree-agent linebacker Kirk Morrison, the player's agent has toldThe Associated Press.The deal was agreed to verbally on Wednesday, Morrison's agent,Bruce Tollner, says. Morrison is a six-year NFL veteran who spentlast season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who elected not tore-sign him this offseason.The Bills have a policy of not announcing acquisitions until theplayer has been signed.Morrison has been a full-time starter since 2005, when he wasdrafted in the third round by Oakland. He spent five seasons withthe Raiders.He had no sacks or interceptions in his one season Patriots Jersey Kids with theJaguars last year. Overall, Morrison has five sacks and seveninterceptions in 96 career games.
Essex rejoins Steelers' jumbled offensive line
UpdatedAug 24, 2011 7:30 PM ETPITTSBURGH (AP)Three Super Bowl appearances over the past six years, threedifferent starting centers for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Threedifferent right guards, left tackles and right tackles, too.In fact, along the Pittsburgh's offensive line, only left guardhas had a modicum of stability over the course of Super Bowl winsfollowing the 2005 and 2008 seasons and even through last season'sSuper Bowl loss to the Green Bay Packers.In a league - and on a team - in which stability, chemistry andcohesiveness are valued in constructing an elite offensive line,the Steelers have managed to consistently remain among the NFL'sbest despite constant change.This preseason, the reigning AFC champions have auditioned nofewer than four candidates for the job of starting right guard, andvirtually every prominent player on the unit has missed practicetime due to injury and/or contract issues.The depth has been questioned enough that the team brought backsix-year veteran Trai Essex less than a month after coaches haddetermined he was too out of shape Official San Francisco 49ers Jersey to re-sign as a free agent.Yet somehow, the Steelers aren't all that concerned. After all,they've overcome it before.''I think every guy in here knows that when your number'scalled, you've got to answer the bell, and we've been successfulwith that for the most part,'' right tackle Willie Colon said.''But having that solid (starting) five out there is going to bereally important for us starting the season.''Colon missed all of last season with an Achilles injury and satout the first week of this training camp because of thepost-lockout rules governing free agents.But Colon and Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey - himself brieflybothered by a pesky ankle this camp - are the most steadycomponents of the line. Chris Kemoeatu is entering his fifth seasonas the starting left guard. But he opened camp on the physicallyunable to perform list due to left knee swelling.''As of right now, we've got a bunch of new guys stepping intothe (first-team) scene,'' Kemoeatu said, ''and I'm still trying toget back to 100 percent. But we've got two weeks left.''It's all about repetition and trying our best to build up thecommunication with everyone. It doesn't really matter who you playnext to here because every one of them are capable guys who havebeen around who can step in there.''Pittsburgh cut former starting left tackle Max Starks thissummer and re-signed the player who started the final 12 games oflast season (including playoffs) in his place, Jonathan Scott.Like Colon, Scott was forced to sit out the first week of camp.Then, he left Thursday's preseason game vs. Philadelphia due to aminor knee injury - the same fate that fell his backup,second-round pick Marcus Gilbert.That compelled the Steelers to move Tony Hills back to lefttackle after Hills had been given the start at right guard. RamonFoster, Doug Legursky and Chris Scott also are in the running to bethe starter at right guard for the season opener Sept. 11 atBaltimore.''We've shown from the years past, with the never-endingrevolving door with us, that we've really just got to focus on thenext person in line who's going to step up so that there weren't beany dropoff in play or capability,'' said Legursky, who started theSuper Bowl at center in place of an injured Pouncey. ''No matterwho's in there on gameday, that's who's going to lead us intobattle.''We've preached from Patriots Jersey Men Day 1 that, especially on the offensiveline, position flexibility is probably most valuable thing youhave. And that's why we'll go get somebody like Trai.''Essex has started 25 games over his six seasons with Pittsburgh- some each at tackle and guard. He also can play some center, buthe did lose his job as the starting right guard early lastseason.His contract expired, Essex said Steelers coaches weren't shy inletting him know when they saw him at quarterback BenRoethlisberger's wedding last month 49ers Jersey that San Francisco 49ers Jersey Essex was too overweightfor them to re-sign him.''They see the huge difference between then and now,'' Essexsaid this week after he agreed a one-year contract on Monday.''They know I spent some time losing weight. They'd been keeping incontact with me, but this would have never happened if NFL Patriots Jersey I didn'ttake the time to lose weight in the first place.''Essex married this year, and his lockout was spent ''living itup'' between bachelor parties and honeymoons.Word from Steelers coaches hit home, however.''It made me realize that if I want to stay in this game and ifI want to play, that I have to really change some habits,'' Essexsaid. ''I made some bad habits, and the lockout was bad for me. Butalso, this was blessing.''Having the Steelers temporarily turn their back on him was onething. The phone not ringing from any other club was another.But it says just as much about Pittsburgh's depth on Authentic San Francisco 49ers Jersey the line asit does Authentic Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys about Essex's successful diet that he was lining up as theNo. 2 left tackle in practice the day he returned to the team.That sounds alarming - and it probably would be, for most teams.Somehow, though, the Steelers find a way to make it work year afteryear.''It starts, first, with our coaches in the room,'' Foster said.''Coach (Sean) Kugler and coach (Harold Goodwin), they do a goodjob of making sure everyone knows everything. They treat everyoneas if you're going to go in to play the game each week.''We don't mind who's beside us playing. We just keep it rollingwith whoever's in there.''The Steelers play host to the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday.