Archives for June 2006

‘There are eight evening sessions in all, and Bills head coach Dick Jauron is all for it. "It gives more of our fans more availability to us," said Jauron. "There are some fans that can’t get there in the early morning or the afternoon. The night practice gives them a chance to attend."’

‘Tickets will be required for all night practice sessions and information regarding ticket distribution will be available at a later date.’

‘One of the biggest busts from the Tom Donahoe era has been cut by the Bills.’

On Friday afternoon the Bills announced that they have terminated the contract of offensive lineman Bennie Anderson…Buffalo also waived linebacker Greg Carothers and undrafted rookie free agent defensive end Matthew Rice.’

‘Eight night practices are tentatively scheduled for Aug. 1, Aug. 3, Aug. 8, Aug. 10, Aug. 14, Aug. 16, Aug. 21 and Aug. 23.’

‘”I think my best two things are my athleticism and my ability to be a smart football player on the field,” Watson said. “I think those two things can carry a lot in this league. If you can understand what they’re trying to do to you and react to it athletically and make plays then you can be pretty good in this league. Some of the things they always said [coming out of college] was that I was never real good at the point of attack. We can debate that back and forth. I think it kind of depends on what style of defense you play.”‘

‘She’s an Internet freak, man … she stays on the computer,” Spikes said. ‘She likes to see things written about her son.” Lillie brought Spikes one of those articles just two weeks after he had surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. The author of the story wrote about how he was going to put Spikes’ jersey in a frame, because the linebacker was one of the best to ever wear a Buffalo uniform. It wasn’t like Spikes needed any more motivation to return from his injury, but nonetheless, there it was. “That’s been motivation for me ever since that day laying in that bed,” he said. “I still have that article.”‘

‘Obviously, Holcomb’s goal this summer is to maintain the starting quarterback job in Buffalo. It may end up being his last chance to be a full-time player in the NFL. For Nall and Losman, they’re hoping to take Holcomb’s job away, and probably put him on the unemployment line. Although that doesn’t sound noble, it’s the way the business works.’

‘The Bills still had quite a few no shows on Thursday for OTA. Willis McGahee, London Fletcher, Nate Clements, Troy Vincent, Chris Villarrial, Bennie Anderson and Aaron Schobel were all not there.’

‘"There’s a lot of camaraderie, and guys take their work serious," said Watson, who has accumulated 115 tackles and three sacks in 21 career games. "In the meetings there’s not much fooling around. Most of the guys are paying attention to what is going on, and trying to get better."’

‘Watson moved well for a player who had not been on a football field since last October. After tearing his MCL last fall he missed the Saints’ last seven games of the season. Then the new coaching staff made it plain that he was going to be moved, so he wasn’t asked to practice with the rest of the New Orleans roster this spring.’

‘”Right now I’m just happy to be somewhere where I’m wanted,” said Watson. “I know I’m in a great football city and a great franchise. So I’m hoping to just take advantage of the opportunity and make the best of it.”‘

‘McGahee did a lot of talking last season. But he regressed on the field. He never regained that burst of speed we’ve been waiting for since college. Most troubling, he was too heavy. He seemed to wear down late in games. In the season-ending loss to the Jets, he took himself out with the Bills driving for the go-ahead score. So regardless of where he does it, McGahee needs to be in shape.’

‘In Levy’s first trade in Buffalo, it’s relatively safe to say that he has succeeded. All he gave up was an unimpressive blocking tight end who was, essentially, dead weight in Buffalo. In return, Levy picked up a talented linebacker who is capable of being a legitimate contributor in the Bills’ future.’

‘Special teams was again an early focus at Wednesday’s workout with blocking punts a particular point of emphasis. All the players on the roster with the exception of the quarterbacks, veteran receivers and offensive linemen participated in the four station drills.’