Archives for August 14, 2006

‘JP Losman- He started out in the bad. There were times it was ugly. But I like the way he hung in there, showed some mobility, took some shots and made some strong throws.’

‘Popular opinion is that as talented as he is, he isn’t even close to being the best back in the game. But he’s definitely the Bills’ bread and butter. Other than McGahee, you might say Buffalo is starving.’

‘Word was part of the competition for the fourth defensive end role that remains open and available for the taking two weeks into training camp. The four-year NFL veteran, who spent time with Kansas City, Cleveland and Oakland, was getting consistent reps with the second defensive unit at both right and left defensive end.’

‘”It’s nice to slide in and play with the first unit, but I didn’t want it to happen because of one of my teammates getting hurt,” Whitner said. “Hopefully he can make it back as soon as possible, but I’m just going to go in there and work hard with the first unit.”‘

‘"It’s kind of a touchy thing," he said. "I’ve had these hamstring pulls before and I know if I come back too early it can be devastating in terms of my goals and what I what I want to do. But the longer I’m out, the tougher it’s going to be on me. It’s kind of a difficult situation to be in. The (trainers) don’t want me running around and doing certain movements that might further injure the hamstring."’

‘The quarterback competition, or at the least the illusion of one, is expected to continue at least through Friday’s exhibition against Cincinnati. Short of a complete devolution by Losman or a serious injury, though, it’s tough to imagine more than one possible outcome.’

‘"When you go out there with a new offense you’re only thinking about the offense," said Losman. "You’re thinking about the reads and defense and you kind of lose focus on what you’ve worked so hard on. Coach Fairchild and Turk (Schonert) have tried to show me some new footwork with different steps and different rhythms with respect to the passing game. So at times I reverted back to my old footwork which was unacceptable."’

‘”I’m going to be throwing in 7-on-7 tonight,” said Nall. “I’m eager to pick up where I left off.”‘

‘Holcomb didn’t play a whole lot, getting only 12 snaps. But he didn’t make the most of them. The Bills didn’t get a first down on his four series, though one first-down completion was negated by a holding penalty.’

‘Coach Dick Jauron said two defensive starters, strong safety Ryan Bowen and tackle Tim Anderson, along with backup wide receiver Roscoe Parrish and reserve fullback Jon Goldsberry suffered injuries.’

‘At the very least, Simpson’s first year in the NFL promises to be entertaining, whether he breaks into the starting lineup or bides his time on the sidelines. That’s because Simpson is playing angry. After being touted as a potential first- or second-round pick prior to April’s NFL draft, Simpson tumbled to the fourth round, where the Bills selected him. “When we saw this guy sitting there in the fourth round, well, we all said this was a no-brainer,” Bills defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said.’

‘”Yeah, I mean, J.P. played well,” Holcomb said when he asked if he was officially in catch-up mode heading into Friday’s second exhibition game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Ralph Wilson Stadium where Losman will get the start. “He came in and managed the game and he did some good things. So yeah, you’re behind the 8-ball but you can’t sit around and whine about it, you can’t worry about it, you just have to go play.”‘

‘The big difference between the 2005 Bills and this season’s team is that the playoffs were considered a reasonable goal last year. Most fans this season would be happy to see a young team play an entertaining brand of football and finish 8-8.’

‘”He’s a very tough kid,” Bills offensive line coach Jim McNally said. “I think he’s a darn good tackle prospect.”‘

‘The league-wide new stadium building boom under Tagliabue and Goodell, much of it financed with league money, has always rankled Wilson. But Goodell is known as someone who respects the history of the game and like his predecessors, Pete Rozelle and Tagliabue, embraces the importance of revenue sharing as the bedrock of the NFL’s astounding success. Will he work to fight for teams like Buffalo, Cincinnati and Indianapolis against big markets like Dallas, Washington and New England that have their own agendas when it comes to sharing revenue?’