Archives for August 2006

‘”I may be dumb but I’m not stupid,” said Nall after Jauron broke the news to all three quarterbacks. “He’s been getting most of the reps so I understand. I’ve been expecting this to happen.”‘

‘Tuesday’s announcement was the only one that made sense, the only one that gives the Bills a chance to see what they have at the most important position on the field.’

‘Salverio Rocca, a star kicker with the Kangaroos of the Australian Football League, has his sights set on America, and in particular, the Buffalo Bills.’

‘The Bills, who are expected to struggle badly, are 0-3 in pre-season play heading into the exhibition finale tomorrow in Detroit against the Lions. Buffalo opens the season with tough road games against the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins. If the Bills plan to do anything other than lose, Losman will have to continue to make positive strides.’

‘The move was a foregone conclusion and Losman had a reasonably good summer.’

‘For Buffalo, one thing’s for sure: The new Ryan Denney is miles ahead of the guy who averaged less than three sacks per year for his opening four pro seasons.’

‘But Losman has impressed the new coaching staff with his mobility and arm strength in the preseason. "I was able to do it this year and be the guy right now as far as Week One is concerned," Losman said. "But it’s not time to get comfortable or to slack off. It’s time to really get going."’

‘Even so, seven cornerbacks remain on the roster, and an equal number of safeties, with only 10 or 11 to survive. And the most interesting player in that mix is rookie, third-round draft choice Ashton Youboty, who has missed numerous practices due to injury and the death of his mother. He’s looked good in limited action and the Bills know if they cut him, he’ll be snapped up immediately.’

‘Losman has the support of his teammates and team owner Ralph Wilson, who earlier in the day noted Losman’s improvement. "He’s got a great arm and he improved last week from the week before. And I hope he’ll continue his improvement," Wilson told The Associated Press.’

‘On seeing Spikes next to him on the field: It does feel good to have him back out there. Just from our comfort level, this is our fourth year playing together. We know what each other will do on each play.’

‘On whether he may have come closer to winning the job had his injury not occurred: I’d like to think so, yeah, because I wouldn’t be playing catch-up, I wouldn’t have my back against the wall most of the time. So I think it would be different, I can’t focus on that now… be the number two guy hopefully. If that doesn’t work, go back to the drawing board. Just keep plugging away, that’s all I can do.’

‘On winning the starting quarterback competition: It’s good for him to actually say it. I’ve been getting kind of comfortable here the last couple of weeks and confidence-building with the reps, increasing the reps, that type of thing, so you kind of knew where things were headed. It’s an exciting time, but it’s a time to really go to work now. We’re getting really, really close here to our first game, so we’ve just got to get things rolling.’

‘On what he thinks made J.P. the front-runner: It’s not one particular thing, I think each guy does each thing individually. J.P.’s very athletic, he can move around a lot. Of course with the new offensive coordinator and the new scheme I think he’s learned a lot. I think that helped him to try to get himself in the number one position.’

‘On the team being confident in JP: I’m not in the locker room, I’m in there occasionally, but I don’t share a lot of those conversations with them. By the way they act and react in the huddle, what I see, I think so. The more he performs well, the more confidence he will get.’

‘"Now I have to go prove it week in and week out to really get that trust," said Losman. "By week four or five they’re going to know that I’m their guy. It’s just going to take time and I’m just going to have to play the games. You constantly have to prove yourself to your teammates."’