Pete Metzelaars is back in Buffalo, where he spent most of his NFL playing career and enjoyed great success. He's also back at his natural position from a coaching standpoint. Metzelaars, the Bills' all-time best tight end, was introduced as the team's new tight ends coach today.

Metzelaars spent the past eight seasons working with offensive linemen with the Indianapolis Colts. He's looking forward to coaching the Bills' tight ends.

“I’m excited to get back involved really in the pass game,” Metzelaars said. “When you’re an offensive line coach and they start talking pass routes or pass patterns, you just turn it off and move on. All you’re concerned about is: ‘Who are we blocking?’ Now I get to be involved in that aspect of it. How are we putting it together? How are we attacking these people? What do they do? Where can we attack them? How do we need to attack them? So I’m very excited to be kind of re-introduced and re-connected with that whole aspect of the game.”

Metzelaars caught 383 passes in a 16-year playing career, from 1982 through 1997. He caught 302 passes with the Bills, from '85 to '94. He was the head offensive line coach the past two years in Indianapolis. Before that he was assistant offensive line coach under Howard Mudd, one of the most respected O-line coaches in the game.

"He’s done most everything in the league over the years," Metzelaars said of Mudd. "He’s a very inquisitive, creative mind. So he’s always trying … probing, wondering questioning. He has experienced most everything. You’ll say why don’t we try this? And he’ll say, ‘No we can’t do that. I tried that in ‘85 when I was in Cleveland and they were in this front and it just got blown up. It didn’t work.’ He has that unbelievable wealth of experience that you can draw from. He’s has been a great resource for me for years."

---Mark Gaughan

Bills place-kicker Rian Lindell, who officially signed his new contract, says that even after 12 years in the NFL, he never dreams about what it would be like to kick in the comfort of a domed stadium.

"A couple weeks ago it was windy and not the best day, and I thought, “this is football weather,'" Lindell told The News today. "This is what it’s supposed to be like, you know what I mean? It’s fun to go out when it’s a little colder and a little windy. A dome is nice. But it’s not football weather, really. It’s best to be in a place where you get that football weather. I kind a like when the snow comes and it gets a little colder."

That's the perfect attitude for a place-kicker for the Bills. Lindell is under contract with Buffalo for another four years. He said this is where he wanted to stay all along.

"I like all the people in the organization, just from when you first walk in the door – I know everybody," he said. "I’m familiar with everybody and I’m comfortable. The snap and the hold with Garrison (Sanborn) coming back and Brian (Moorman) back – they’re as good as anybody in what they do. I like the coaches and I just like the organization." Read more from Lindell in Tuesday's editions of The Buffalo News.

---Mark Gaughan

Eli Manning won his second Super Bowl with the Giants, giving him one more than brother Peyton and two wins in championship games over Tom Brady. Peyton Manning and Brady are locks for the Hall of Fame five years after they retire, but is there a place in Canton for Eli?

The answer would be "yes" if based on the euphoria sweeping over the Giants and their fans, but it's not that easy when you consider where Eli fits in history. He has been terrific in big games with an 8-3 playoff record and twice was named the Super Bowl's most valuable player. That puts him in an elite category, but it hardly makes him an elite player.

He's hardly a lock.

In his eight NFL seasons, he's never finished higher than fourth in yards passing and four times didn't crack the top 10. His career completion average is 60th all-time. He's 41st in passer rating in NFL history and his 69-50 record as a starter doesn't exactly blow away people. Ben Roethlisberger has a better completion average, passer rating and record.

Both have won two Super Bowls and been named to two Pro Bowls.

The two Super Bowls are huge, but Eli has some work ahead if he's going to have an eternal place with the best who ever played in the NFL. For now, he's a very good quarterback in a league designed to make passing easier than it was in other eras. Big Ben is in the same category. 

Very good isn't good enough for me.

--- Bucky Gleason