Archives for May 2005

‘FLARE provides literacy tutoring and extracurricular after-school activities for neighborhood children ranging from 5 – 15 years old. Bills running back Shaud Williams and linebacker Mario Haggan spoke to the children about the importance of education, working hard to achieve their goals, and following their dreams. Both players autographed pictures and gave out souvenirs.’

‘"He’s an athlete," said Bills scout Marc Ross. "He’s going to be an athlete, a weapon in the passing game for us and he’s going to be tough to cover."’

‘It generally takes players four to six months to recuperate from such an injury. That means Everett would miss most if not all of training camp, which is scheduled to open in late July. The Bills then must decide whether to keep him on their roster or put him on injured reserve, ending his season.’

‘Everett, the team’s third-round draft pick, was hurt after making a catch during a team drill with 10 minutes left in Friday’s afternoon session in Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills trainers immediately attended to him and he was removed from the field on a cart.’

‘Rod Trafford and undrafted free agent Brad Cieslak are the only healthy tight ends on the roster.’

ESPN.com confirmed that Everett tore the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee in a Friday practice. The former University of Miami standout is expected to undergo surgery later this week, possibly as early as Wednesday. Team officials and Everett’s agent, Brian Overstreet, are discussing which surgeon will perform the procedure. Given the typical recovery time for such injuries, the Bills will almost certainly, at some point before the season, place Everett, the 86th prospect chosen overall in the draft, on injured reserve.

‘Marv Levy, the winningest coach in Buffalo Bills history, will be the principal speaker May 25 at the 30th annual BoyPower dinner at Batavia Downs. The event is the primary fund-raiser for the Iroquois Trail Council, which serves nearly 4,000 Boy Scouts in five Western New York counties.’

‘”Obviously this defense was very good last year, and Pat was a big part of that,” Anderson said. “No one can replace Pat, but if Ron and I can step in and together fill the void he created and make the amount of plays that he did, we can have the same effect on the defense. If we can’t do that, it’s going to leave a hole in the defense, which could affect the entire unit. So it’s important for us to do the best we can to ease the loss of Pat.”‘

‘The unquestioned star of minicamp was rookie wide receiver Roscoe Parrish, who wowed onlookers by making several highlight-reel catches. His most impressive grab occurred on Friday when the 5-foot-9, 168-pounder out-jumped and out-muscled 5-10, 187-pound cornerback Therrian Fontenot along the far sideline.’

‘Minicamp is a getting-to-know-you session for recent arrivals.’

‘No. 11 sure got faster.’

‘The consensus was that the lineup of names sounded like the partners in a prestigious law firm. You can almost see the plaque on a dark-paneled wall somewhere: Parrish, Everett, Preston, King, Geisinger & Gates, LLP.’

‘Hamby, a world-renowned sculptor, is also a former professional football player for the Buffalo Bills. He has received commissioned projects from Merrill Lynch, USA Today, Baseball Weekly, Utah State University, the National Wildlife Research Center, the Buffalo Naval Park, and the National Football Hall of Fame.’

‘”I thought it was a success,” said Losman. “I thought we had a great weekend. Offensive and defensively we competed every day and we got a lot accomplished. I think we took a huge step forward yet realized that we have a lot of work to go. It’s definitely a good start.”‘

‘The Justin Bannan experiment at offensive guard didn’t last very long. The team has moved him back to defensive tackle, where he has played during his first three years in the league. The team was intrigued by the possibility of moving Bannan to offensive guard after he displayed impressive quickness and athleticism on pulls and trap plays in short yardage and goal like situations last season. But the team decided a position switch wasn’t necessary after drafting G Justin Geisinger in the sixth round.’