Archives for July 28, 2006

‘Yeah, I’m happy that everything’s out of the way, and just get down to football now. Get out here and learn these plays, and get in that playbook hard so I can make plays this year.’

‘(on Whitner’s present location) I don’t know, but I think he’s in the Cleveland area.’

‘Bills general manager Marv Levy traded a second-round pick and a third-rounder to the Chicago Bears for the 26th overall pick in April’s draft and took McCargo.’

‘Buffalo’s first overall selection, safety Donte Whitner, is now the club’s only unsigned prospect.’

‘McCargo’s agent, Hadley Engelhard, said he expected his client to sign the deal when he arrived at the Bills training camp site in suburban Rochester later in the day. The move came shortly after the team held its first practice of camp.’

‘The Bills’ second of two first round picks signed his contract at 1:30 this afternoon on the St. John Fisher campus. He was staying in a hotel not far from training camp awaiting the opportunity to sign a deal. "I’m just happy it’s out of the way," said McCargo. "I’m ready to get into camp and ready to play some football."’

‘"It is a three-way competition so sometimes rep problems are going to pop up," said Nall. "I’m not really worried about how many reps I get as long as the ones I get in there really count."’

‘Buffalo Bills general manager Marv Levy says a contract with first-round draft pick John McCargo was close to being completed and that the rookie defensive tackle should be in camp for the team’s second practice this afternoon.’

‘Bills LB Takeo Spikes, fresh off an Achilles injury, took part in individual drills at today’s first day of training camp. WGR’s Paul Hamilton reported that the coaching staff hoped to have Spikes take part in the team drills, but due to the rain that was not possible.’

‘"That’s what we have penciled in right now," said head coach Dick Jauron. "What I like to tell them – and it’s certainly not original – that it is penciled in and you can change it. The players change it. They’ll make the decisions for us as we move along."’

‘McCargo agreed to a five year deal worth more than $8 million that included $5.2 million in guarantees. The Bills began practice Friday morning, and McCargo will try to get to town for the afternoon practice.’

‘It isn’t the way I would have chosen to do this to have it rain on the first day, but once it rained and you know you’ve heard it a thousand times you never know what you’re going to play in. So it was good. You know you can play in it (the rain) seven or eight times during the year so you have no idea. They handled it pretty well. You know it’s hard. The ball gets wet, it’s hard to keep it off the ground, the quarterback to center exchange is so critical. It’s probably a good way to start, but I wouldn’t have chosen it.’

‘It’s the same pressure, if anything a little added pressure when a guy gets older, there’s more expected. A year longer now, I think I’m a little more prepared to handle those situations.’

The Bills will move their practice from the grass fields at St. John Fisher College to the artificial turf of Growney Stadium, also at Fisher.’

‘"We’d like to have an answer as soon as we possibly can, but I don’t know when that will be," said Jauron. "We’d like to have one certainly step up and separate from the other two and make it clear and have those other two push so he gets better and better."’