Archives for June 13, 2006

‘Troy Vincent’s motorcycles have spent the past few years gathering dust in his garage. Once an avid rider, the NFL Players Association president and Buffalo Bills veteran safety gave it up not because of a clause in his contract or fears an accident would shorten his career. He did it at the request of his wife, who reminded Vincent he had a family of four to support.’

‘Now with Fletcher back and Courtney Watson in the fold Ezekiel is facing a lot more competition at the position. “All I can control is what I do on the field,” said Ezekiel. “Hopefully I can continue to play well and keep the higher ups in the organization happy.”‘

‘Ryan Dinwiddie is about to sign a free-agent deal with the Buffalo Bills. The former Elk Grove and Boise State record-breaking passer has bounced around pro football, from the Chicago Bears to NFL Europe to the CFL. He’s also finishing his degree at Boise State.’

‘NFL Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy is accustomed to being the center of attention, having taken the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls. But Monday afternoon Levy was just another face in the crowd – another grateful cancer survivor giving thanks to Robert P. Huben.’

‘”It’s good to have Willis back,” Bills coach Dick Jauron said. “Some of our veterans haven’t been here a lot. To be perfectly honest, I don’t spend a lot of time puzzling about the guys that aren’t here. It’s not a mandatory situation. Most of them are here and those are the guys we coach. We wish they were all here. But we know that circumstances keep some of them away and some of them just choose to come only when they have to be here.”‘

‘”I have more confidence in what I’m doing,” Losman said. “It seems I’m not thinking as much, like I did in the past. This year, I know it’s going to work. It’s repetition, repetition, getting more and more accurate with the repetitions.”‘

‘Jauron expects the players to attend today’s practice, with the exception of Fletcher. Jauron left the door open for Fletcher to come, though that is unlikely.’

‘McGahee said he prefers working out in the hot weather, and that he doesn’t think he was falling behind the rest of the team because he’s been studying his playbook.’

‘NFL rules kept the pair of defensive backs drafted by the Buffalo Bills in April from participating with the team – aside from one post-draft minicamp – until OSU’s spring quarter commenced June 8.’

‘Fletcher’s been a great player and teammate in Buffalo since the commencement of the ’02 season, but it may be time for the Buffalo Bills organization to move on subsequent to the upcoming year.’

‘But many of the players who train in Miami and have been doing so for years believe the program actually benefits them more than the offseason conditioning they get with their teams. But the absence of McGahee was complicated by the fact the Bills have a new head coach, offensive coordinator, and offensive design for the upcoming season.’

‘Jauron said numerous Bills veterans, including cornerback Troy Vincent, linebacker Jeff Posey and receiver Lee Evans, were also excused from Monday’s session to attend the funeral. All but Fletcher are expected to return for practice on Tuesday.’

‘McGahee wouldn’t say how much weight he’s lost while spending the past two months working out on his own in his native Miami. But he appears about 10 pounds lighter, closer to the playing weight he had in 2004, when he won the Bills starting job midway through his first full NFL season.’