Archives for August 21, 2006

‘On not getting opportunities in the games: I’m not worried about the games, because I’m getting open. I know that the coverage dictates that he has to go somewhere else. JP is comfortable with Lee right now, they came into the league together. I’ll keep working and keep making plays and he’ll start trusting me and throwing me the ball.’

‘If Friday’s exhibition didn’t solidify the top of the depth chart at quarterback, it certainly should have taken care of the bottom. Losman showed why he was and is the front-runner, making throws that Holcomb can’t even fantasize about. He also made three grotesque mistakes, but you can fix those. In the case of the fumbles, he needs to be more careful with the ball and aware of the rush. The offensive line needs to provide better protection, no matter who is under center.’

‘…it is probably more realistic to pencil Buffalo in for 5 to 7 wins and a third-place finish in the division.’

‘Price said he was at home in Buffalo on Sunday and didn’t realize the Bills had an on-field session scheduled until receivers coach Tyke Tolbert reached him by phone. “I told him, `I could be back in an hour, but you’ll be off the field,'” said Price, who arrived at camp later Sunday. “It was kind of funny afterward, but the initial call, it was like, `Oh, no.’ But it’s all good.”‘

‘”It’s funny, man,” Polian said. “The guys from the Bills days I still talk to, like Pete Metzelaars, the tight end, and Steve Tasker, one of the greatest team players in the history of the league, when I got to know these guys, I was literally a 14-, 15-year-old kid. “The scouts come in now, and it’s funny to them that at one point in my life they were beating on me and throwing me in towel bins and they come to Notre Dame and I’m running around.”‘

‘Levy said once the Bills realized Price was missing, they were able to contact him by phone and he was back on the St. John Fisher campus Sunday night.’

‘"I misread the schedule," said Price. "I was (looking at) last Sunday’s schedule. I thought we just had meetings."’

‘Immediately, great minds joined together and decided Rob, indeed, looked like a ferret. Word spread throughout the dinning hall and the locker room in the coming days and the ferret nickname became a thing of legend.’

‘Two players returned to the practice field Sunday. Strong safety Matt Bowen missed a week of workouts because of a bone bruise suffered on his right lower leg. Free safety Troy Vincent worked out for the first time since Thursday. He missed Friday night’s game against Cincinnati with a hamstring injury.’

‘”My mom called me and told me that he was OK and he was going to take a train (to the family house on Long Island), and I thought she was lying to me to protect me so I wouldn’t worry,” Fowler said. “But apparently he had gotten ahold of her and said he was OK. I was thinking the worst, and I tried to stay positive, and then I got word at about 2:15 that he was safe.”‘

‘Bills coach Dick Jauron said Friday that he’d have to study the game film before announcing any changes to the QB depth chart.’

‘The offensive line – Perhaps “good” isn’t the right word for this group’s performance against the Bengals, but the line did improve substantially from its shoddy effort in the Aug. 12 Carolina game. Although there were a couple forgettable plays from the front five, they ended up allowing only three sacks and, for the most part, gave the quarterbacks decent time in the pocket. The run blocking was nothing to scoff at, either, as Bills backs combined for 153 yards on 33 carries.’

‘Dick Jauron said early in training camp that in order to win in the NFL, your offense must get “big chunks” of yardage several times during a game. That means 20 yards and more. Long, time-consuming drives are nice, but you win by gobbling up the chunks. The Bills, with new offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild a master at this, have, if nothing else right now, a team with some “big chunk” ability with Losman under center.’

‘Unlike former head coach Mike Mularkey, who insisted McGahee pound the ball between the tackles, Buffalo’s new offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild wants to pop McGahee free around the edges. With plenty of off-tackle runs and toss pitches in the game plan, McGahee can then utilize his cut-back skills.’

‘Josh Reed vs. Peerless Price for the No. 2 receiving job: There are many candidates here but Reed and Price bring the most experience. Unfortunately for them, opportunities have been few through two preseason games. Reed has one catch with two drops, raising concerns that the concentration problems that have plagued his career have not been corrected. Price has no catches so far, but has shown well in practice.’