Archives for August 4, 2005

‘So let’s make it official: I predict Losman will start the season solid, evolve into good and proceed to outstanding.’

‘I think 9-7 is attainable, but a slow 1-5 start like last year could force a quarterback change on a week-to-week basis. A 2-3 start or better and the franchise will not look back as the Losman era is born. I think Losman stays on the field all season and the team scrambles to an 8-8 record with their sights clearly set on 2006 as the year they make their big move.’

‘On Friday, teams will work from 9:45 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Practice will include individual drills, seven-on-seven and a two-minute drill simulation. The teams will then warm up from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m., with the scrimmage kicking off at 8:05 p.m. at Lambeau Field. The first-team offenses will face the first-team defenses on two separate sets of possessions.’

‘In the afternoon, the first teams ran a spirited four-play goal-line drill in a full-pads, thanks due an inducement by Bills coach Mike Mularkey. “Whoever won was going to get some more time off tonight,” Mularkey said. “So that sort of stirs up the competition. They take a lot of pride in their side of the ball.”‘

‘Lee, returning veterans Joe Burns and Shaud Williams, and rookie Lionel Gates are the candidates competing for the important No. 2 role behind superstar Willis McGahee, a spot created by the pre-training camp trade of Travis Henry to the Tennessee Titans. It’s a race too close to call, with every practice, every scrimmage, every preseason game scheduled for heavy scrutiny by the coaching staff and front office.’

‘”When I played for Bud (Grant in the early 1980s), there was no water on the field,” Mularkey remembers. “But if there was a cattle warning on the radio and the farmers were warned to bring their cattle in, we’d get a water break.”‘

‘”I’m a big, big fan, just the way he handles himself off the field,” Losman said of Favre, 35, who is entering his 15th season needing just 266 yards to join John Elway and Dan Marino in the 50,000 Club. “It’s going to be awesome to play against a guy like that. There probably hasn’t been another quarterback other than Brett Favre that I want to take more from.”‘

‘”I know the guys are tired of hitting each other and tired of blocking each other – probably more so than me it’s good for them,” Bills quarterback J.P. Losman said. “They’re not able to hit people as hard as they want to. They don’t want to hurt teammates. It’s going to be good to get some different looks and see some different colors on the helmet.”‘

‘”I try to take things out of all types of quarterbacks throughout the years that I liked. (There are) certain qualities that I want to add to my game but there probably isn’t another quarterback that I want to take more from than Brett Favre.”‘

‘”It’s just a matter of studying everyday,” Lee said. “Everybody just wants to compete right now.”‘

Green wants to cash in (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Scrimmage to be good test for test Rodgers, defense (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Hamstring injury may shelve Bedell (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Battle is on for return jobs (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Packers, fans gear up for Friday night party (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Buffalo fills bill as foe (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Scrimmage will highlight position battles (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Henderson still runs No. 1 at fullback (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Bedell injures hamstring (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Roman attempts cover-up (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Team officials mingle with Packer fans (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Franks missing camper (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Rodgers, Packers make deal with a future (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Hamstring injury a real pain for Poppinga (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Hunt opens this camp with some fire (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Grady’s a PUP with some bark (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Thompson takes a stand for the defense (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Walker runs go route (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Underwood answers a vertical challenge (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Nall faces new test to pass with Packers (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Healthy Navies works to keep his job (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Hawkins’ talent fills in for experience (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Henderson still runs No. 1 at fullback (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Scrimmage with Bills adds twist to training camp (Wisconsin State Journal)

‘The kid has the keys. Now it’s time to see whether he can keep this car on the road.’

‘When he was 13 years old, the Bills’ tight end was involved in an automobile accident that probably saved his life. “When they were running my vitals at the hospital they found an irregular heartbeat,” Trafford said. “They checked into it and I had to have open heart surgery the next month. It’s just been a pretty crazy ride, you know.”‘

‘Buffalo proved last year that success in the red zone is critical putting points on the board. In 16 games the Bills had the ball in the red zone 60 times and they scored 28 touchdowns and 21 field goals (81.7%). In the first six games alone, the offense failed to score inside the red zone on six different occasions. The final 10 games the Bills faired much better, coming away empty only five times, two of which came near the end of games the Bills had the lead.’

‘With the Giants in 2000, he may have done his best job to date as he took a bag of spare parts, including former Bills’ starter Glenn Parker, to Super Bowl XXXV. At each stop, he has had success – which makes it hard for him to choose his best work. “I try to do the same thing every year. If I said one, it’d be bragging and I wouldn’t do that,” McNally said.’