Archives for July 2008

‘”This should definitely be a playoff year for us,” said linebacker Paul Posluszny. “We have that type of attitude going into camp and we feel as long as we do all the right things we’ll be in good shape.”‘

‘Peters wants a new deal? Fine. Talks can begin when he shows up for camp. Until he arrives, the Bills can keep collecting from him.’

‘McKelvin said coaches have told him he will spend a lot of his practice time working in the nickel defense. McKelvin practiced mostly on the outside during spring work.’

‘No team was willing to draft Peters out of college, and the Bills took a chance on a raw block of clay that needed molding. They gave him a shot to make the roster before patiently converting him from tight end to tackle, and his fantastically grateful response has been to disregard the three years left on his compact. There was nothing confusing about the word “mandatory” when he ditched last month’s exercises, and by definition regular camp is a bigger deal than the mini one. He shouldn’t need that clarified.’

‘"I think it was good that we got him in on a day when we had an opportunity to meet with him all morning," said Fewell. "He got a good visual and mental playbook session because he saw all four practices, we broke it down for him, and he saw what the guys were doing, and he had very good recall. Now we have to get him into the football movements and recognizing on the run."’

‘The newest member of the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame, Steve Tasker, will be the guest speaker at the Links Charity Pro-Am dinner at Moon Brook Country Club on Aug. 4 at 6 p.m.’

‘The Bills aren’t saying they refuse to re-negotiate holdout left tackle Jason Peters’ contract. What they are saying is that they want the young Pro Bowler to show good faith.’

‘It took longer than team officials hoped but the Bills have all their draft picks signed. The club’s top three picks — CB Leodis McKelvin, WR James Hardy and DE Chris Ellis — are being counted on to contribute as rookies, with McKelvin and Hardy in the running for starting jobs. McKelvin, the 11th overall pick in the draft, missed the first two days of camp before signing a five-year deal worth $19.4 million. Hardy’s deal is four years in length and will pay him an average of $1 million. Ellis’ four-year deal is worth around $2.8 million.’

‘With his No. 1 receiver, Lee Evans, not able to take part in team drills during the offseason after minor offseason shoulder surgery, QB Trent Edwards wanted to make sure the two were on the same page before training camp opened. His solution? A mini-working vacation in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., in early July. Edwards, Evans and fellow receivers Roscoe Parrish and Justin Jenkins all worked out together in the Florida heat. “It was more for a young quarterback, for him, to get back into the feel of things,” Evans said. “We ran as many routes as possible, just to get our timing and feel down together. We actually worked on a field with no lines so it was all feel and timing we worked on.” Edwards said the three days helped him get to know Evans better personally. “That’s all part of becoming a better football team and developing better chemistry,” he said.’

‘”I didn’t want any rest,” McKelvin said a day after signing a five-year contract potentially worth $19.4 million, including $12.6 million guaranteed. “I mean, I’ve got to get extra work in. … You come in as a rookie, and they have high expectations of me. I’m just coming in and trying to do my best to help out the team.”‘

‘”We didn’t think it would. We still say that’s a great move in the regionalization process we’ve said that all along and you know that footprint was initially started here in Rochester when we did this with training camp. We’ve seen how successful that has been and really that was the first step in the regionalization process,” said Scott Berchtold, Bills VP of Communications.’

‘So I’ve got the essentials… in my world anyway. TV, play station, computer, printer, books, magazines, and my newest camp toy…An Apple TV. This thing is awesome. I really don’t watch much TV, but it’s good for background noise. But camp is a time when I like to catch up on a few movies I haven’t seen that I want to. No more Blockbuster trips for me though. I figure the fact that I can never get the movies back on time and end up owning them, this newest gadget will pay for itself. All I have to do is hook it up to the internet, choose a movie or TV show from I tunes, and I can watch it almost immediately.’

‘”I think it will allow me to stay healthy for the entire season,” Edwards said. “My biggest issue was I had some dings and bumps and bruises at the end of last year that I know I could have prevented had I come into camp with a little more weight, in a little better shape."’

‘The total value compares favorably with the 10th overall pick, New England’s Jerod Mayo, whose deal is worth $18.9 over five years.’

‘Bills quarterback Trent Edwards traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., earlier this month to work on his passing timing with receiver Lee Evans. Receivers Roscoe Parrish and Justin Jenkins also showed up for the three days of practice. Evans did not participate in team drills during spring practices due to minor offseason shoulder surgery, and Edwards wanted to get extra work in with his top target.’