Archives for June 2006

‘The Bills today announced the acquisition of quarterback Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury was claimed from the NFL waiver list and replaces quarterback Craig Ochs, who is currently on the Bills’ NFL Europe injury list.’

‘For Bills rookie free agent Matthew Rice there is more to life than football, but that’s not going to alter his determined approach to earn a roster spot with Buffalo come September. Buried on the depth chart, Rice knows he’s no longer the big man on campus that he was at Penn State. "It’s all part of starting again at the bottom floor and trying to work my way up," said Rice.’

‘The Bills defense again ranked second in 2004 and Buffalo went 9-7. But the bottom fell out last year and the defense ranked 29th. "My first couple years there, we were cap strung but we competed," Gray said. "We were in the middle of the road defensively and then we were really good for a couple years. Last year, things broke apart when we lost Takeo [Spikes to injury] and Pat [Williams to free agency] and other core players. It taught me that I have to make sure in the future to stand on the table for your core players. The scheme you teach is just a starting point. You need players to make it happen." Gray said he was undecided about returning to Buffalo if Mularkey had stayed.’

‘It’s believed that Posey has the inside track on winning the job this summer, but Crowell showed enough on the weak-side last year to be a strong consideration to take Posey’s position outright.’

‘The Buffalo Bills, which recently renewed a sponsorship deal with Northtown Automotive Cos., are using the legendary coach-turned-general manager as a marketing tool. That’s why late last month, Levy was the focal point of a television commercial shoot inside the home locker room at Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘For fans, it’s better than using a seating chart. Buffalo Bills fan Kelly Birkman: "This is the first year I’ve been out here to do this so this is pretty neat to be able to see all the different choices. The seats are all marked so you can see what seats are available so it’s pretty cool."’

‘"I’ve got a coach who is a scholar who says, "You know what? This is not rocket science. I’m not in the lab trying to invent a new potion,’ " free safety Troy Vincent said. " "This is who we are and this is what we’re going to do. Everyone just take care of their own assignment. We’re going to run hard. We’re going to maintain our lanes.’ That’s experience. That’s wisdom talking."’

‘But Johnson’s legacy on the field is virtually sealed. For his career, Johnson has been sacked 140 times in 946 dropbacks, a rate of once for every 6.76 pass plays. According to Stats Inc., that’s No. 1 since 1969, ahead of Bobby Douglass, who played for the Bears in the ’70s. Douglass went down once every 7.5 dropbacks. Another ex-Bear, Steve Fuller, is third at 8.0.’

‘The 38-year-old Maddox started bowling as a kid in the Milwaukee area and stayed with the game through high school. However, once he was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the ninth round of the 1991 NFL Draft, he didn’t have time for bowling.’

‘The 6-4, 295-pound Hull, Iowa, native will report on June 14. Indications are the Bills will look at him as a guard, the position he played as a senior at SDSU last fall. He earned second-team all-Great West Football Conference honors.’

‘The candidates have been sharing snaps evenly during summer minicamps and organized team activities. But first-year coach Dick Jauron said one of them will have to drop back to No. 3 by the first week of training camp at the latest, because there simply aren’t enough reps to go around. “They’ve all done pretty well at times and all looked bad at times. It’s just the nature of the thing,” Jauron said. “The competition will keep going and we’ll start camp and see where it goes. That’s when things will really be decided.”‘

‘Buffalo Bills Quarterback J.P. Losman has found home turf on Oakland Place, an upmarket street in the heart of Buffalo. Losman, who has been renting an apartment in downtown’s Belasario, the former LL Berger’s store, purchased 70 Oakland Place from real estate executive Sheldon Berlow for $650,000.’

‘Another organized team activity and still no Willis McGahee.’

‘Using Posey as a pass-rushing end would allow the Bills to have its four top linebackers on the field at the same time, with Posey joining Takeo Spikes, London Fletcher and Angelo Crowell. That’s a lot of speed and toughness.’

‘”I’m not a big advocate of a whole month of voluntary/mandatory camps this time of year, but I do understand the importance of it,” said Bills safety Troy Vincent, president of the player’s association who was in attendance this week. “To each his own. It’s voluntary. … But this is what we talked about in the CBA extension. It will still be addressed. You have coaches and players that with all the OTAs, there is no longer an off-season. Coaches want rest, too. How many camps do you need? We have passing camps, running camps, fumbling camps … start naming them. We all need rest and time away from the game and when you do come back, you’re here and totally committed to the season.”‘