Archives for July 2008

‘Both teams, especially the Bills, have done a better job in regionalizing their franchises, mostly to the east and north.’

‘”I remember the day they opened training camp [in 1998], I was golfing,” Kelly said. “I was on the first tee box when somebody asked me, ‘Wouldn’t you like to be at training camp right now?’I looked down and had a margarita in my left hand and my driver on my right hand. I said, ‘Naaah. I think I made the right decision.'”‘

‘The issue is that Preston is better known as a technical specialist, which isn’t necessarily a plus; it’s one thing to hear a classical guitarist pick away in an expertly mechanical fashion, but it’s much more viscerally enjoyable to listen to the late Johnny Ramone smash away at maybe four chords. A primal desire to crush bones into dust on every single snap is what makes this game great in general and what wins individual linemen jobs in particular.’

‘The Bills have been in a state of rebuilding for going on nine years.’

‘Second-year TE Derek Schouman enters camp No. 2 on the depth chart behind starter Robert Royal. With Royal missing offseason workouts after minor knee surgery, Schouman took advantage of repetitions with the first unit and enters camp brimming with the confidence. He was a seventh-round pick out of Boise State in 2007 and appeared in three games with one start.’

‘Who says the NFL is a cold-hearted business? During minicamp in June, coach Dick Jauron told rookie free agent linebacker Jon Banks to stay home and be with his wife who had given birth to a baby girl. There are bigger things than football, Jauron said. "He wanted to come back because obviously as a rookie he wants a chance to make the team," Jauron said. "We encouraged him to stay home. He’s going to miss three days. It’ll be all right. He’ll get back to training camp and will be ready to go."’

‘"I feel like last year was my rookie season to get that amount of experience under my belt and come back this season as prepared as, I am I think I’m only going to get better," said Greer. "Lord willing, I will take my game to the next level. I feel I’m preparing myself to be the very best that I can be."’

‘Quarterback Trent Edwards needs to prove he’s truly ready to lead a pro attack at the age of 24, and wideout James Hardy (Indiana), the only notable addition to the offense in the offseason, needs to mature quickly in order to help him.’

‘This season ticket total ranks as the third highest in team history. The highest season ticket total in franchise history is 57,132 in 1992 and the second highest total in team history is 54,604 in 1991.’

‘But Jauron still must prove that he can get things done as a brainy, quiet leader in the same way that another distinctively intellectual Buffalo coach was, namely the man who hired him in Marv Levy. It hasn’t happened yet.’

‘”I had to persevere from this injury. It was tough and I’m real nervous right now,” he told the crowd. “I’m real happy I can be here standing before everybody. Jimmy V. said never give up. That’s the main thing I told myself every day lying in the hospital bed.”‘

‘The Bills are a team I love. They have a talented core of young players. They have a very good defensive line with DE Aaron Schobel and offseason acquisition Marcus Stroud at DT. They have a bright young quarterback in Trent Edwards, who is surrounded by some of the best skills players in the NFL with wide receivers Roscoe Parrish and Lee Evans and running back Marshawn Lynch.’

‘"James is coming along. His head was swimming a bit in the spring, but his talent is there," said Schonert. "He’s a great weapon and he and Trent (Edwards) just need to get on the same page. He’s just got to get a lot of reps and I’ve got to do a good job of putting him in good positions and simplifying it if I have to."’

‘With two new players in the pen and Williams locked in for a while thanks to his new contract, the group is improved and established, not to mention that individual enemy blockers know that they may be facing four different tackles in a single game. The Bills’ plan to continually swap out the inside defenders, which has been seemingly ongoing since the Chuck Knox era, may actually not only be activated this year but also work.’

‘Kelly knew when it was time to quit, and when he gave his word, that was it. Sadly, Favre has waffled back and forth to the point of embarassment, and yet he now blames the Packers for his current situation.’