Archives for August 2008

‘Jauron said Bowen was resting comfortably after practice and would be taken to the hospital for tests.’

‘Gill and Kelly have struck a friendship, one that seems improbable, yet perfect. Kelly was known as a wild child, a guy who relished his role as King of the Queen City. Aside from owning his own bar in town, Kelly was often a regular at spots like The Pier, where groups of adoring fans would try to pat him on the back.’

‘Members of the NFL officiating team visited training camp Tuesday and addressed the media on various rules changes and points of emphasis for the 2008 season. Included in the rules changes for 2008 is the elimination of the force-out rule.’

‘"Kawika had soreness and tenderness and kind of going into the day (head athletic trainer) Bud (Carpenter) and I talked about he and Marcus (Stroud) and Chris Kelsay, and some of our guys that aren’t old guys, but that have experience and have played a lot of football to kind of back them off a little bit," said Jauron. "We’ll go hard (Saturday) and then they’ll have almost a two day break there to re-cooperate and get into the next week."’

‘" It’s just tough. Tough on him because he’s worked so hard to get the opportunity,” said Bills Head Coach Dick Jauron. “In any event we all understand it’s part of the game. It happens, but it’s never easy to see it or to have it happen like that in a public event. anyway, we are pulling for him."’

‘”I’m trying to be Trent’s best friend,” Hardy said. “Whatever I have to do, if I have to go to his house, I’ll be there.”‘

‘In all likelihood Bowen suffered torn ligaments in his knee though the Bills had no official word on the nature of the injury Friday afternoon.’

‘Bowen, the Bills’ fifth-round draft pick out of Iowa State, was hurt during 7-on-7 drills while pursuing fullback Jonathan Evans at the left sideline. When Bowen pulled up to avoid contact, his right cleat stuck in the turf and his knee buckled. He was yelling in pain as he was attended to by team trainers.’

‘”I was kind of low (on the depth chart), but things worked themselves out,” Greer said about last season. “I think my performance was something to build on. It gave me a foundation to go into the offseason and have a more positive mentality.”‘

‘But two weeks before the first game of the series kicks off, it’s tough to tell how excited Buffalo fans are about the games taking place up the QEW. Near their practice field at St. John Fisher College, the Bills erected a huge, air-conditioned tent, half-filled with team merchandise for sale, and half filled with displays from sponsors. A few metres from the entrance a crew from Tourism Toronto had set up a table, trying to unload some of their allotment of 2,000 seats for the Aug.14 game at Rogers Centre between the Bills and Pittsburgh. "We haven’t had any (sales) yet, so we’re pretty excited," said Tourism Toronto’s Jessica Horton as the booth opened. "We’re hoping to sell some tickets to the game." But hope alone was no match for fan apathy and faulty computers.’

‘”When we were warming up I sort of tweaked my left hamstring a little bit, nothing major,” Hardy said. “After talking with the trainer, he said it was better that I just sit out so I wouldn’t pull it and be out two to three weeks.”‘

‘”I’m loving every minute of it,” Burris said after practice at St. John Fisher College. “I feel I’m working with one of the best, if not the best guy in the NFL on special teams in [coach] Bobby April, and my emphasis is on the returners.”‘

‘The left ankle of free safety Ko Simpson remains a worry this summer. Simpson, who broke the ankle in the season opener last September, sat out Thursday’s practice due to discomfort in his ankle and foot area. He was taken for a magnetic resonance imaging test that coach Dick Jauron said showed no major problem. “It was so we could put his mind at ease and our own about it,” Jauron said. “We think that we’ve eliminated any real serious stuff so now we just work through the soreness.”‘

‘The Bills have the pleasant option between employing an established special teams superstar to keep up the fine work or letting him rest by giving the task to a promising newcomer. Either way, one of the lucky cornerbacks will get to run with the ball more frequently than on interceptions or fumble recoveries. It’s both fun for the player and lucrative for a young offense that could use good drive starting spots provided by one of two defenders.’

‘"I wasn’t getting down about anything," Youboty said, scoffing at the adversity he has endured in his two-plus years as a member of the Bills. "You can’t get down or feel sorry for yourself because no one else is going to feel sorry for you."’