Archives for August 15, 2005

‘Williams may be the front-runner in the competition for the backup RB job against free agent pickup ReShard Lee and seventh-round pick Lionel Gates. But even he knows it’s too early to draw any real conclusions. "There’s still a long way to go," Williams said. "We’ve still got three preseason games left. There’s still a lot of work to be done. Personally I feel like there’s still a lot of room for improvement, as far as myself goes. There’s a long way to go. … Anything can happen."’

‘All in all, the Bills and Colts combined for 40 incomplete passes, 26 penalties and 16 punts.’

‘So, besides remembering Jim Kelly for heroic exploits on the gridiron, you should remember him and his wife for doing something almost unheard of these days when tragedy strikes. In lame football terms, they took a fourth and long situation and scored a touchdown. In other words, they refused to give up — they fought back.’

‘”That’s one of the things we really emphasize around here is stopping the run, first and foremost,” Fletcher said. “When you stop the run it allows us to be able to get after the quarterback and get them in third-and-long situations where we can bring our blitzes and pressures, which we like doing around here.”‘

‘Spikes told Losman he doesn’t have to win games himself. Just don’t lose them. Play to the team’s strengths. In that sense, Saturday was the blueprint for the season. There’s plenty of cause for optimism, though it’s sobering to be reminded that the kid has a very long road ahead.’

‘Mularkey had no update on the condition of rookie wide receiver Roscoe Parrish, who had surgery on his injured right wrist Friday. Mularkey didn’t reveal the nature of Parrish’s injury, though it is believed his wrist was broken. All Mularkey would say is Parrish’s surgery was a success, and he would return at some point this year. The common recovery period for such an injury is six to eight weeks.’

‘"But what I liked about it is the mood in the locker room — it was like we didn’t win the game and we did win. That’s the objective — to win. And when you have that feeling you didn’t play well enough but still won, I’m OK with that."’

‘Battle of the week: Josh Reed, Sam Aiken, Jonathan Smith for the No. 3 receiver job – With rookie sensation Roscoe Parrish out indefinitely, the job is suddenly wide open again.’

‘Ron Edwards and Tim Anderson are doing a strong job plugging the middle of Buffalo’s defense after the loss of free agent Pat Williams (Vikings), but four-year veteran Justin Bannan is showing this isn’t a two-man job. Bannan is one of the Bills’ top grunts, even playing offensive guard in short-yardage situations last year.’

‘The Bills weren’t exactly error-free, running up a string of penalties. “I thought it was sloppy, and we have some things to address,” Mularkey said. “But with the first preseason game, some of those things are expected. You hope they don’t happen, but it’s the first time for a lot of those guys when the bullets are flying.”‘

‘The most encouraging aspect regarding Losman’s performance in an otherwise meaningless 17-10 Buffalo victory in Indianapolis were the things he did that predecessor Bledsoe can’t do. Move and improvise.’

‘The Kellys didn’t find out that Hunter had Krabbe disease until he was 4 months old. By then it was too late for treatment. “Three thousand babies die every year because they’re born in the wrong state,” Kelly said.’

‘The Bills did defeat the Colts 17-10 in their first preseason game, but it had little to do with the offense. A special teams blocked punt for a touchdown, and defensive support were the major helping hand in this one. In fact, Losman was never settled on his feet, and appeared to bounce in the pocket like a pinball. He even took off a couple of times to try to get rid of some of his nervousness.’

‘The Bills opened up their pre-season schedule with a win in Indianapolis on Saturday night, but more importantly the team got a feel for what needs work over the next several weeks before the opener with Houston, and most of that work will need to come on the offense.’

‘Because of the Kellys, New York State will begin screening newborns for the disease. Jim Kelly: “You don’t have to see your kids suffer like my son, not just with Krabbes but many other diseases.” If caught just after birth, an umbilical cord blood transplant can halt its effects.’