A sixth round pick of the Packers in 2001, Martin didn’t play in 2009. His best year as a pro came in 2008, when he snagged 31 balls for 450 yards and three scores, accounting for 20 first downs.

The Bills also claimed Steelers guard Kraig Urbik off waivers. He was a third-round pick out of Wisconsin in 2009. Buffalo also filled in four of the eight available sports on their practice squad by signing WR Naaman Roosevelt, RB Joique Bell, T Jason Watkins and FB Rodney Ferguson.

To make room for the additions, Buffalo parted ways with Dominique Harris and J.P. Foschi. I’d expect Harris to find his way to the practice squad.

Email: nickonweck@gmail.com

I’m taking a break for Labor Day weekend, and so should you. Its not too late to get some biking in this fall, so here’s a suggestion to escape the city by peddling through some wild parts of it. This is a piece I wrote two years ago, when the Scajaquada Creek Trail opened for the first time. Enjoy, and see you next week.

Urban yet Serene: The winding paths of Buffalo’s new bicycle trails

I steer my bicycle down the wide, paved path as a flock of swallows darts in and around me. The warm sun of the early May morning is brilliant, as is the view across the Niagara River to the Canadian shore beyond. Green grass, rolling hills of new trees, and absolute silence are my companions as I pedal down the Riverwalk on Squaw Island.

“Yes, I am still in downtown Buffalo,” I have to remind myself often on my 19 mile trip.

I am not a natural bike enthusiast. My own two feet or a kayak usually do the trick. I own a bike, yes, but it often sits with a flat tire collecting dust in my garage full of under-utilized summer adventure gear. My wife is the biker in the family, and often leaves me huffing and humbled on the lowest of hills. But the idea that I could get on a bicycle at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and stay on a dedicated bike path all the way to the Erie Basin Marina, intrigued me. It was a chance to see the city with a viewpoint I could not otherwise have.

Of course, much of the Riverwalk and trails in Delaware Park are not new. But the most important bit, the connection of the Olmsted parks with the Niagara River, via Scajaquada Creek, only opened in October. This is the first season for our newly completed urban nature trail, and I’d been waiting all winter to try it.

Flat tire mended and bike helmet rediscovered, I picked up the trail at the back steps of the Albright-Knox and biked east along Hoyt Lake. The wedding parties were absent from the photo-ready Casino, but willow trees kept me company as I wound my way along the shore, and then over the dam that separates the lake from the upstream creek waters. I followed the path north, around the end of the lake, and with Delaware Avenue and the gothic Forest Lawn Cemetery to my right, swung up the sidewalk to Nottingham Terrace. There the path picks up again immediately, just north of the tennis courts, and becomes the standard wide asphalt path that dominated my trek.

Is there a more pleasant two miles in the heart of any city in America than this trip through Delaware Park? Judging by the number of joggers, dog walkers and bikers that surrounded me, I am not the only one who feels this way. Stately stone mansions to my right. Rockwell Hall and the twin towers of the Richardson Complex ahead. Mature maple trees and daffodils. I pedaled west, past the small black marble monument detailing the layout of the infamous (for Buffalonians) 1901 Pan-American Exposition, and then over the hill and into the Mirror Lake Basin. Abraham Lincoln stared down on me from the Historical Society as I passed through the stone pagodas and blossoming cherry trees of the Japanese Gardens.

To this point, I had stayed within the confines of well-worn and much-beloved Delaware Park paths. Now it was time for the trail to live up to its potential: the two-mile stretch to the river along Scajaquada Creek. I wasn’t disappointed; the utilitarian path hugs the south side of the Black Rock neighborhood, and contains more than couple surprises. First the brick and copper spires of Assumption Church, and then, after a quick hop across Grant Street, the white flowers of dogwood trees, goldfinches and red-winged blackbirds. I’ve read that Scajaquada Creek has improbably good trout fishing, perhaps from wild runs, and that’s easier to believe here as I was greeted with the smells, flora and fauna of the wetlands.

The newest portion of the trail, while it is the most essential, is not the most scenic. Eventually the path, the overhead expressway, and creek seem to merge as they tussle among the bombed-out warehouses for the right-of-way to the mouth of the watershed. But then I cross Niagara Street, a new wooden bridge, and I have arrived: the Old Navy Yard and mouth of Scajaquada Creek, the approximate place Commodore Perry had five ships reconditioned for the War of 1812. Because the British controlled Fort Erie, the ships had to be carried overland from Black Rock to Buffalo, where they were put in, sailed west, and helped win the famous Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813.

Olmsted to Perry in 15 minutes. Not bad.

I continued north, along the expressway and around the corner, to officially meet the Riverwalk bike path on busy Niagara Street. I’m at the entrance to Black Rock; the next block over I see the stately Romanesque tower of Saint Francis Xavier Church, renamed Xavier Hall as home of the soon-to-be opened Buffalo Religious Arts Center.

Here I had a choice: north towards Grand Island, or south to the Marina.

I set off north by first crossing the thruway, and then pushing along the gritty working industrial docks. Here half the fun is navigating the urban jungle and staying on the path; the squat square concrete posts demarking the Riverwalk’s exit and entrance are invaluable. The trail sneaks through crevasses I did not know existed, occasionally opening up for access to Tow Path Park, but more often carved out of the concrete wall. I passed fishermen casting off at the foot of Ontario Street, Strawberry Island in the distance, and the widening Niagara River, home of half the world’s gull species. I saw more coffee drinking than catching among the anglers; the loons 30 feet further out seemed to be having more luck.

The Riverwalk continues here, an unlikely strip of land between the thruway and the river, up to Aqua Lane Park in Tonawanda and beyond. I turned around though, retraced my steps until I hit the Scajaquada Creek trail, and this time instead chose the southern route. I crossed the Black Rock Canal and its lock system on the International Railroad Bridge onto Squaw Island, and instantly the scene changed.

The silence was deafening as grassy hills and the Niagara River, finally free of the manic cityscape, greeted me again, with young trees, newly planted by the Re-Tree Campaign, dabbled in. Here the Riverwalk best earns its name, as the narrowing and churning Niagara River, only feet away, is the only sound I hear. The dog walkers and cyclists I see cast knowing glances. They realize they have a jewel tucked away here, and its okay if few of their fellow citizens share the secret.

The city returns with a vengeance, though, as I cross the drawbridge at the south end of the island, and climb the cobble-stoned hilly end of Ferry Street. The bustling West Side and roar of Niagara Street await, and I turn south and battle traffic. Fortunately its only for a couple of blocks, and at the corner of Busti and Hampshire the comforting concrete pylons return. Down over the thruway again, past the new Frank Lloyd Wright Boathouse, and into LaSalle Park. As the serpentine Bird Island Pier finally gives way on my right, I see the overlapping breakwalls protecting the Erie Basin Marina ahead, backed by the historic 1833 lighthouse, the windmills further on, and finally the Boston Hills hazy in the distance.

The now-ubiquitous fishermen give way to joggers as the path leaves the park and enters Waterfront Village. By this point, my stomach was screaming for a snack from the Hatch, the clam bar/burger joint down at the Marina. As usual in warm weather, the traffic at the Hatch nearly matched Niagara Street several miles back. A double bacon cheeseburger and onion rings: perfect way to end my trip. This is Buffalo, after all. 

(WECK 1230) — Here’s the Bills depth chart as of midnight Sunday:

QB: T. Edwards | Fitzpatrick | Brohm

RB: Spiller | Jackson | Lynch

FB: McIntyre

WR: Evans | Parrish | Nelson | St. Johnson | Jones

TE: Nelson | Foschi | Stupar

T: Bell | Green | Meredith | Wang

G: Wood | Levitre | Howard

C: Hangartner

====

DE: Stroud | D. Edwards | Sp. Johnson | McCargo

DT: Williams | Troup

LB: Kelsay | Torbor | Posluszny | Ellis | Carrington | Coleman | Davis | Moats | Mitchell | Ellison | Maybin

CB: McGee | Florence | McKelvin | Corner | Youboty

S: Byrd | Whitner | Wilson | Scott | C. Harris | D. Harris

====

ST: Lindell | Moorman | Sanborn

===

So, who is in the most amount of danger currently on the 53-man roster? Well, both Dominique and Cary Harris aren’t in pretty positions. Six safeties?? Sounds like a burrito lover at a Mexican food buffet. Cary’s in more danger than Dominique, who at 6′2″ is a very tall corner, but capable.

I think the majority of linebackers aren’t completely safe and Donald Jones may’ve dodged the axe for now, but there are a number of wide-outs who’ve just entered the market.

Josh Reed would do well to re-acquaint himself with One Bills Drive. I’d also argue that if recently cut Lions tackle Jon Jansen fancies a quick jaunt through Ontario, the 34-year-old is likely a much better option than Cornell Green. Troy Smith would make cutting Brian Brohm appealing. Dolphins tight end David Martin would be a nice addition.

In terms of the practice squad, I see several as options. Surely Levi Brown and Joique Bell top the list of recently cut eligible squadron members, with Naaman Roosevelt very close to the top as well. Ellis Lankster, Nick Hennessey and Andre Ramsey would be my favorites amongst the rest of Saturday’s cuts.

The Bills could do worse than Zac Robinson for the practice squad

Former third-round WR Juaquin Iglesias has been cut by the Bears, who’ve also let loose Dan LeFevour. Cowboys tight end Martin Rucker hasn’t exposed his promise at the NFL level yet, but would be a worthy risk. Guard Selvish Capers is a player I was hoping the Bills would choose in the third-round. Maybe Bills OL coach Joe D’Alessandris can find what the Skins couldn’t. Quarterbacks Zac Robinson (Okla State) and Colt Brennan (Hawaii) might be worth a look.

Let’s just say the next few days could be interesting.

Email: nickonweck@gmail.com

Some, like Christopher Byrd, say it was stupid to think it ever existed. We at WNYMedia.net promoted the notion that there wasn’t a “new” or “old” Buffalo, but One Buffalo. I had bought in to the notion of there being a “new Buffalo” because I know first-hand how dramatically a city, a region, and a mindset can change. The city I grew up in, White Plains, was once a typical little suburban city with a bustling main street (Mamaroneck Avenue), and you had your drug stores, Woolworth’s, movie house, music store, donut shop, photography store, Macy’s, etc. Then they built the Galleria mall, and Mamaroneck Avenue started looking dingy and forgotten. But in the last decade, a massive transformation took place right downtown in the shadow of a newer, fancier mall – Mamaroneck Avenue is booming again and features names on it like “Target”, “Ritz-Carlton”, and “Trump”.

Likewise, when I first moved to Boston it was a lot like Buffalo. Clinging to past glories, still thinking it was the hub of the universe, gritty but progressive thanks to a massive yearly influx of young, energetic people with disposable incomes. Now, it’s Boston.

Buffalo? I think the idea of “New Buffalo” is dead. The time of death, in my estimation, was the moment Byron Brown was re-elected Mayor of the City of Buffalo in 2009. He’s had 5 years to do something palpable to change not just the city for the better, but also its culture of back-scratching and backbiting. But it’s only gotten worse. And if you think about it – who’s out there who could take that job and possess, much less articulate, a coherent, credible vision for Buffalo’s future? We always come back to: no plan, no vision, no goals, no aspiration. Just make sure Goin’ South and Grassroots get their promised jobs, and STFU.

New Buffalo existed, after all, in the aspirations and hopes of people who love this area and want to see it grow. People who are here not because they have to be, but by deliberate, conscious choice. People who know it’s good elsewhere, and want to make it good here, too.

My goodness, January 2005 was filled with hope. And that’s just one example. Half a decade later, and Tom Suozzi is no longer going to be in elected office, much less Fixing Albany or its 3 men in a room. The Brennan Center’s simple recommendations for legislative and rules reform haven’t been completely implemented, and Albany pols don’t seem energized to make those changes. Revitalize Buffalo? Gone. WNY Coalition for Progress? Gone. Kevin Gaughan’s push for regional, metropolitan government? Gone in exchange for downsizing town boards and consolidating towns & villages.

We cheer small successes and are mentally and emotionally numb or immune to our disappointments. But as far as movements of the young and plugged-in, the big trend seems to be to get together and pow-wow about social media. You know who’s not using social media? The Erie County Legislature, the administration running the City of Buffalo, the Mayor of the City of Buffalo, the Buffalo Common Council, your town/village/city government, and most likely your representative in the State Senate/Assembly/town or city council. And if they were using social media, chances are they’d use it for one-way announcements rather than conversations about WNY and its government.

The red/green budget crisis seemed like a cathartic moment when we would finally get our political, economic, and social act together to jettison the past and work towards the future. Didn’t happen. The same fights get fought by the same people. Some who seemed as if they could be positive actors for change turned into raving, indecent lunatics. Others gave up.

New Buffalo as a concept may be dead, but plenty of people and organizations are taking little steps towards making a better WNY and a better life for them and others. Buffalo isn’t just a place, it’s something of a state of mind.

Buffalo needs goals, a plan to reach them, and leadership to steer us through the plan. When those three things converge, then we’ll have a truly New Buffalo.