Archives for April 30, 2005

‘Besides having to learn the playbook, Losman’s top priority has been to earn the respect of his teammates and coaches, and show he’s capable of taking over the most high profile job in a football-mad town. So far so good.’

‘A case of passing game overkill? When a team finishes ranked 27th in passing, probably not. But before exploring too deeply why Buffalo took a tight end with its second overall pick, it really came down to this simple fact: Coach Mike Mularkey couldn’t have lived with himself had he let the 6-5, 241-pound Everett pass him by. Mularkey played nine seasons in the NFL as a tight end but he wasn’t blessed with Everett’s natural athleticism.’

‘Unrestricted free agents: LS Bradford Banta; WR Drew Haddad; OT Marcus Price; OL Mike Pucillo (not tendered as RFA); FS Izell Reese.’

‘Scouts love it when one of "their" guys gets drafted and that was certainly the case for Bills scout Joe Haering. "This one’s personal," he said after Buffalo took Vanderbilt guard/center Justin Geisinger in the sixth round. Geisinger’s high school coach at Mt. Lebanon High in Pittsburgh was Chris Haering, Joe’s nephew. "He’s what we’re looking for in the kind of people they want to build the offensive line around," Joe Haering said. "He’s tough and very smart. He’s a typical Pittsburgh kid, in a good way."’

‘”I think the three months has been a positive, no question about it,” Mularkey said after Friday’s afternoon session. “His presence in the huddle, his play-calling, his cadence – all the little things people take for granted, he’s doing very well right now. “I liked what I saw."

‘”I was excited actually for the coaches to call the plays just so I could show the players I know my plays,” Losman said. “Last year it was like, “OK, J.P.’s in. Here we go. Y’know. I don’t know what he’s going to call, and if he calls it, we don’t know if it’s going to be right.’ “‘

‘Bills coach Mike Mularkey said he wouldn’t know the full extent of Everett’s injury until today, but doesn’t think it is as serious as it looked.’

‘"The leadership of the NFLPA and the league office, we stand behind our policy," Vincent said on Friday at Ralph Wilson Stadium, where the Bills kicked off a three-day minicamp. "We know our program is strong. The commissioner has mentioned the numbers of cases we’ve had and the fact there have been no repeat offenders. We know our system works. We know our policy works. If I’m sitting at that table, I’m saying the same thing."’

‘”The Buffalo tight end coach (Mike Miller) called during the fifth round of the draft,” Cieslak said. “They (Bills) thought I was a good fit for them. They don’t really have a blocking tight end who can catch the ball. They want me as an intermediate receiver and maybe on special teams wherever I fit in. Buffalo is looking for a physical tight end.”‘

‘Rheem appeared in 42 games with the Wildcats. He made 38 of 49 field-goal attempts and 173 of 183 PATs. He was 37 of 38 on PATs his senior season. Rheem’s brother, Jamie, also kicked for K-State and signed with 49ers in 2001 but was injured in camp and never played.’

‘”It was exciting,” said Losman. “I’ve been telling everyone I got, I got, it in the film room but you never know until you come out here. Today we had some blitz reads that we did and everything went smooth so it went good. I feel like I got it. I was nervous myself to see if I could actually do it now that I know the whole offense as opposed to last year. I felt great and I can’t wait to strap it up for real.”‘

‘Travis Henry was a no show and will be “disciplined” according to Mike Malarkey. Henry has said numerous times he will never come back. Shane Matthews was also missing trying to iron out a few minor details on his contract.’

‘Everett, Buffalo’s third-round pick in the NFL draft, was hurt when he made a catch and his foot appeared to stick in the turf as he planted to turn. He sat on the ground in obvious pain, slapping the turf in frustration, before the team’s trainers helped lift him into a cart.’

‘“I know that he made the statement that he was not going to show. I held out a glimmer of hope, but it did not happen,” Mularkey said. “He’s under contract and he should be here.”’