Archives for July 2006

‘The Buffalo Bills and the town of Pittsford will co-host Pittsford Youth Day for those in the community with special needs on Aug. 7 at the team’s training camp at St. John Fisher College.’

‘The quarterback – It’s obvious the Bills need strong play from this position even if they don’t know who that player is yet. One thing is certain, if one of the three quarterbacks competing for the starting job fails to clearly separate himself from the others and there’s no unanimous number one signal caller, the team could be in trouble.’

‘It’s been a tough road to the NFL for former USC defensive back Ko Simpson. Back in April, Simpson watched the NFL draft at his Rock Hill home, hoping his name would be called on opening day. It never happened and it wasn’t until day two when he learned the Buffalo Bills had taken him with their fourth-round selection.’

‘"We didn’t have a lot of consistency with our starters throughout the [offseason] process," Fewell said. "But some of the backup guys that we didn’t really know about got comfortable with what we were trying to teach, so we strengthened our defense from that perspective. But I just believe when we go into camp and we can implement Takeo in there and we’re all working together it will be like starting over again to a certain degree."’

‘Combined with the other two recent signings, fourth-round pick Ko Simpson and fifth-rounder Kyle Williams, Buffalo has now signed all but three picks. First-round picks Donte Whitner (safety) and John McCargo (defensive tackle), and third-round selection Ashton Youboty (cornerback) have yet to agree to a contract.’

‘Williams, a 6-1, 299-pound defensive tackle signed for a bonus of $193,000, according to other published reports.’

‘In order to get both players into camp on time, the 87-year-old Wilson will have to open up the purse strings and spend some big-time money. Whether or not he’ll do it promptly is another matter altogether. Buffalo’s fans can only hope so.’

‘Simpson will compete for the free safety spot on a team that ranked 19th in passing defense last season.’

‘Buffalo has now signed all but three picks. First-round picks Donte Whitner (safety) and John McCargo (defensive tackle), and third-round selection Ashton Youboty (cornerback) have yet to agree to a contract.’

‘Over the weekend the contract negotiators for the Bills closed some deals with four Buffalo draft picks. Fourth-round pick Ko Simpson, fifth-round picks Kyle Williams and Brad Butler and seventh-round pick Aaron Merz all signed on the dotted line Monday at One Bills Drive.’

‘With the addition of veteran Matt Bowen and top pick Donte Whitner, the strong safety spot is crowded with talent. Wire may not be able to rely on his special teams prowess to hold down a roster spot with Bowen possessing similar special teams talents.’

‘Here are five key questions facing the Bills’ offense heading into training camp…’.

‘The average fan may not worry about special teams, but coaches know it as one of the three key phases of the game, with offense and defense being the others, of course. In the event that the Buffalo Bills do ultimately say goodbye to their two best on the unit, April will have to trudge on and make the best of the situation. Linebackers Mario Haggan and Josh Stamer would become the new top-flight duo, replacing the possibly soon-to-be departed tandem.’

‘The Bills think they have a fifth-round steal in DT Kyle Williams.’

‘Yet tales of Jauron’s exploits on the field are surpassed by stories of his character off it.’