Archives for July 2006

‘"We have expectations that these guys will help us in some kind of way, be it first and second down, or on third downs in a sub package," said Fewell. "In some type of way some of these guys are going to have to come in and contribute and make our defense better."’

‘We’ve seen the best Holcomb has to offer, though. And it’s not good enough. Unless you like going 5-11.’

‘Lester, a defensive assistant for the Buffalo Bills, is the longest-tenured coach on the team. He came here in 1987 to work for still-new head coach Marv Levy; since then, he’s worked for four more coaches.’

‘To many, this move typifies the proactive approach the 80-year-old Levy will be using as the Bills’ GM. As a rookie executive, Levy’s No. 1 goal is to field a highly-improved team from last year, and retain the organization’s core players. Without question, the 24-year-old Peters is among Buffalo’s most important young talents, along with guys like receiver Lee Evans and cornerback/kick returner Terrence McGee.’

‘Bills officials say there are only a limited number of seats left for home games against the Jets, Vikings, Patriots and Packers.’

‘If an NFL team has a three-man QB “competition” (J.P. Losman, Craig Nall and Kelly Holcomb), there is a decent chance it doesn’t have one worthy starter. The big hope is for Losman to have a breakout year. It could happen, and if it does I’ll be pleasantly surprised.’

‘College can seem stressful, but you have just as much fun as you can. Those were good years. You didn’t have to worry about bills or your 401(k). Life was so simple. When you become a pro, you have all those things to think about, and you’re only as good as your last game.’

‘”It’s a good feeling to know I’m going to be a part of this organization for a long period of time,” Peters said. “I’m just happy everything worked out.”‘

‘"Well it’s exactly where it was when we went into our offseason, we said we are going to let them compete right through our spring and we are going to do the same thing going into training camp it will be open they will compete for it, we don’t really have a time table and we are hoping that the competition pushes all of them to a higher level and that one of them takes the job and runs with it, distances himself from the others and that’s our guys because clearly that will be the focus of a lot of attention and there is so reason for us to hide from that issue and there is no place for the quarterbacks to hide and they are very competitive guys."’

‘In his time with the Bills, Peters has caught a touchdown pass, blocked a punt for a touchdown and taken over as the starting left tackle. It pays to be versatile in the NFL.’

‘Many more question marks surround this club, but eventually they will be answered. Buffalo fans have a taste for victory in their mouths after the recent success of the Sabres, but they will have to be patient with the Bills this year. There are many promising faces on the team with loads of potential, but this year everyone may just need to sit back and watch the players build team chemistry and hope this season becomes a bridge to upcoming successful seasons in the future.’

‘For that matter, the team’s six-year playoff drought has its roots in a perennial inability by three different coaching staffs to build an offensive line capable of putting together back-to-back decent games. It’s nothing short of appalling.’

‘Free agent Melvin Fowler, who enters training camp as the club’s No. 1 center, is listed at 295 pounds, which is five pounds lighter than the departed Trey Teague. While a dogged competitor, Teague was often criticized for being undersized and the Bills’ line was susceptible to being bull rushed and collapsing.’

‘MLB London Fletcher has changed his last name to Fletcher-Baker after his recent marriage. Why the hyphen? Fletcher told buffalobills.com that he legally changed his last name to Baker two years ago to honor his grandfather and father; he’s the last male in the family with the Baker name. London’s new wife, Charne, has also taken the Baker last name. The Bills have changed their roster and depth chart to reflect the change, but London said he wants to keep it to just "Fletcher" on the back of his jersey because of name recognition attained over nine NFL seasons. "Fletcher looks pretty good on the back of a jersey," he said.’

‘Over/Under: 6.5 – With the New England Patriots taking a step back in the offseason, the New York Jets in rebuilding mode, and with Miami on the schedule early, the Bills don’t have an impossible division schedule. The Bills figure to be a much more consistent team if Holcomb wins the starting job and should get to seven wins if he’s the quarterback.’