Archives for August 2008

‘Jauron is staring at a serious numbers crunch in the secondary. There were 10 DBs on the roster last year and there might be again this year, too. Youboty made a strong case for a job at cornerback, and it will be interesting to see whether he can beat out veteran free-agent signee Will James for a spot. Rookies McKelvin and Corner seem to have earned jobs behind starters Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer, though Corner might end up on the practice squad if Youboty makes the team.’

‘Now, if you point the finger at owner Ralph C. Wilson, you are starting to look in the right direction. It IS all about the money, but the NFL must come up with a better plan. Either continue with four games but charge less, or play one or possibly two of the preseason games as regular season games.’

‘Meanwhile, afterward Jauron was disinclined to apologize for the personnel he fielded before a sellout crowd that was generously listed at 70,138, though the effort clearly disappointed him. “It was a game where we had to look at an awful lot of young people and there were a lot of decisions that were on the line that need to be made tomorrow and the next day,” he said of Saturday’s cutdown from 75 to 53 players. “We got to see a lot of those guys and we got to see them for a lot of plays. Now we have a lot of tape on a lot of young guys we need to answer questions on.”‘

‘As for deciding to start Hamdan, Jauron said he wanted to see as much of him and other guys way down on the depth chart to see who will stay with the team as he has to cut down the roster to 53 over the next 24 hours. “There were so many young people that we wanted to look at and we wanted to look at them as many snaps as we could,” Jauron said. “We have a lot of tape on guys that we need to answer questions on.”‘

‘With only two exhibition games, that pattern would have to change, but could still be just as effective. There certainly is value in playing the exhibition games because, obviously, it is one thing to do it in practice, but another to do it in a game situation, but do coaches need four games to make all the necessary evaluations and tune-ups for his starters?’

‘”I think I had a chance to learn a lot, mentally, just be watching J.D., and all the linebackers we had,” Posluszny said, referring to John DiGiorgio, who took over as the middle linebacker when Posluszny went down. “Physically, there’s always room for improvement and that goes for mentally as well.”‘

‘For more information, go online to www.billsinbuffalo4ever.com…’.

‘”Fans can expect the ultimate gameday experience in the new Time Warner Cable Business Class luxury club. Our club provides a unique interactive and high-tech game day option that showcases the best in class technological options that Time Warner Cable provides its business customers every day,” said Terence Rafferty, President, Western New York Division, Time Warner Cable.’

‘Cornerback and receiver appear to have a surplus of talent on Buffalo’s roster this year. In a majority of cases NFL clubs keep five cornerbacks and five wide receivers. The argument could be made however, that the Bills have six worthy candidates for the final roster at cornerback and six at receiver.’

‘Youboty has made sure the coaching staff would have to think long and hard about giving up on him, since he recorded 28 tackles, an interception and two sacks in four games this preseason.’

‘Meanwhile, fellow rookie receiver Steve Johnson — a seventh-rounder — keeps impressing with steadiness, as his eight grabs for 74 yards were the result of latching onto most footballs thrown his way. He’s creating a nice problem for coaches, namely that he’s forced them to realize that the proper decision is to keep six receivers when Justin Jenkins’ fine work is factored; banishing Johnson to the practice squad will discount his ability to make catches and then gain yards, which after all is basically the position’s job description.’

‘Third-stringer Gibran Hamdan started at quarterback for the Bills and fared pretty well, completing 18 of 26 passes for 158 yards. He left the game late in the fourth quarter after getting shaken up on a hard sack. J.P. Losman played the Bills’ final series, but did not throw a pass.’

‘”It’s all about him getting reps and getting the opportunity, because he can play in this league,” safety George Wilson said Thursday night. “I think he can develop his body into the typical linebacker frame. He definitely has the ability.”‘

‘It’s one thing when overpaid athletes get little sympathy from fans, but Peters isn’t getting much from his teammates, either. They’re not saying much publicly, but behind the scenes they’re questioning his common sense and timing. The guy has the potential to make $12 million over the three years he has remaining on his contract.’

‘”First and foremost, it’s a credit to our unbelievable, passionate fan base, additionally with our corporate partners and with our regionalization strategy, which started over a decade ago,” Bills chief operating officer Russ Brandon said during Thursday’s preseason finale against Detroit. “This has been a cumulative effort over the past decade and it’s a real thrill for the entire organization.”‘