Archives for August 2008

‘FS John Wendling – The Bills spent a sixth-round pick last season on the former University of Wyoming athletic freak and it’s paying dividends. Wendling, who has a great feel for the game, complementing his jumping ability, led the team in special teams coverage tackles with 24 as a rookie. He continued to show off that valuable head-hunting skill all during the preseason and intercepted a pass in a preseason game victory over Indianapolis. While still green, he continues to give the coaches reasons to put him on the field in more and more situations.’

‘One player who really needed a good game in the preseason to help his confidence was DE Chris Kelsay. He registered a sack, two quarterback hits and three tackles against the Colts. Last year, after signing a four-year, $23 million contract, Kelsay went out and registered just 2.5 sacks. What wasn’t published all that much was that he was playing virtually on one ankle. He had no explosiveness and eventually popped the tendon, requiring surgery in the off-season. “The big contract didn’t change anything,” said Kelsay when asked if he felt pressure to perform after getting a big raise. “It’s not like you give a guy a ton of money and all of sudden he’s going to have 15 sacks. They realize that and they know what they’re going to get out of me every snap.”‘

‘”I had a guy come up from NFL Madden, and he told me I was their lowest-rated player,” Bell said this week. “And I was like, `That’s nothing to me.’ It makes me feel even better because this time next year, I want to see what my rating is.”‘

‘The Buffalo Bills and USA Football, the sport’s national governing body on youth and amateur levels, will host 2,500 youth football players from the Western New York Amateur Football Alliance, Pop Warner of Western New York, and the Buffalo Bills/NFL Junior Player Development Program on August 28th to celebrate the “Play Football … it’s more than a game” campaign.’

‘”I haven’t been told anything as of right now and I’m kind of going to see how it goes tomorrow,” said Edwards. “We have meetings tonight and I’m sure I’ll know more about it by that point. And again, I’m trying to get better and I’m trying to get healthy. I’m very, very concerned with our game a week from Sunday, and that’s kind of where I’m at right now.”‘

‘That leaves the Bills with three tight ends — starter Robert Royal and veteran free-agent additions Tim Massaquoi and Courtney Anderson — heading into the preseason finale against Detroit on Thursday.’

‘”It’s going to be a significant amount of time that he’s going to miss,” said Jauron. “But as you know he hasn’t been put down in any way shape or form. So we’re counting on him to come back.”‘

‘The formula could work for coach Dick Jauron, himself an old cornerback. It’s an old-fashioned way of winning: Control things with the defense and the return game, then top it off with just enough offense. But there must be stability, all the pieces in place, all players working at the top of their game. And that includes one of the most treasured gifts an NFL team can have — a really talented left tackle.’

‘I could tell by the coaches’ interaction with me, or lack thereof, that I was getting released. It was different than it had been the previous season and earlier in training camp. More distant. I even asked the Bills general manager at the time, Tom Donahoe, if he could try to find a trade partner for me. It was that obvious that my time in Buffalo had come to an end and I was hoping to find a new home. More than a new home, I needed a job.’

‘Football fans bound for the Buffalo Bills-Detroit Lions preseason game are expected to cause traffic congestion on the international bridges Thursday, U. S. Customs and Border Protection officials warn. Many Lions fans are expected to cross Canada to come to the game.’

‘The state will continue to squeeze traffic down to one lane in each direction on Southwestern where it crosses Route 219, about a mile east of the football stadium. The bridge reconstruction work is expected to continue through Sept. 22.’

‘”Our base philosophy is that we’d like to get there with four,” said Fewell, the team’s defensive coordinator. “That’s why defensive ends are really important; that’s why we base a lot of our personnel decisions on speed, agility and quickness.”‘

‘Extending the regular season to 17 games – the logical next step – ostensibly would create uneven home-and-away schedules and an unfair advantage in a league that prides itself on competitive balance. Therefore, the scenario has launched speculation that the 17th game would be played at neutral sites, preferably international, in an effort to create new buzz and marketing opportunities for a league that lags behind Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NHL in cultivating global appeal. It could just be that the deal the Bills struck with Toronto is part of an overall league plan to see how the idea flies, both in terms of interest and logistics, before the NFL moves full speed ahead.’

‘”Once it gets warmed up and the blood starts flowing through there I feel like I’m getting back to close to 100 percent, which is where I want to get back to,” he said. “The sooner I can get there the better.”‘

‘While Corner’s best moment stood out, it was only one of a large assemblage of quality plays from a defense that permitted 32 rushing yards and just over 17 minutes of possession while stopping 6-of-8 third downs from being converted. Everyone looked at least pretty good.’