Archives for August 2008

‘As training camp came to a close the Bills elected to make an addition to their offensive line signing rookie free agent offensive lineman Dustin Dickinson Thursday.’

‘”The end of camp is an interesting time,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “Once you get into the routine, it is really fun, for a coach anyway. You are doing football every day, your meals are regulated and you are on a real good schedule. In some ways you don’t look forward to the end of it.”‘

‘”You’re not going to win any games if you don’t stop the run,” Mitchell said. “I experienced that at Kansas City where we were ranked 32nd on defense and I’m definitely not trying to be that here, so we have to stop the run first.”‘

‘While it would be nice to see everyone at full strength getting repetitions, the only thing Edwards and friends would truly miss will be the opportunity to tell their grandchildren they competed in the first game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Even if they do suit up, they’ll know deep down that they didn’t play in the building’s first true contest. Sunday’s preseason action sort of counts, but not really; in the same way, it’s nice to know that nobody will be skipping a contest that affects the standings.’

‘”We’ve gotten better on offense since we got here, and that was our intention,” said offensive coordinator Turk Schonert. “In terms of our communication, understanding the system, knowing their roles, execution- we’ve gotten better.”‘

‘Schonert said he was concerned about Losman’s mental approach to the game prior to training camp. “Early in camp he was not where he needed to be, but he got into it,” he said. “He got better and got better and got better, and hopefully what happened [Tuesday] will show him. We’ve been telling him that he’s one snap away and that he’s got to be ready, and you can’t let yourself down and you can’t let your teammates down, either. They’re all depending on him and he knows that, so he’ll be fine.”‘

‘"J.P. steps in and we go," Schonert said. "We don’t slow down, we don’t change anything, we just keep going. If (Edwards) misses this game (Sunday in Indianapolis), we’re already putting our game plan together and it isn’t going to change because 5 is on the bench and 7 is out on the field. It’s the same system, the same plays and he’s expected to execute them."’

‘”He loves the game of football. I’m sure the organization and Jason will do whatever it takes to get the situation resolved.”‘

‘”I wouldn’t want to over-exaggerate or under-play his progress, he was doing well,” Bills coach Dick Jauron said. “He’s a rookie so it’s very different for him, he had lots of stuff thrown at him and he was working really hard at it.”‘

‘”There has been some dialogue back and forth and that is certainly good news,” Evans said early in camp. “We are moving in the right direction on that, so hopefully we can get a deal done. Last time there was some stuff out there, but there wasn’t a lot of dialogue, so there definitely has been some progress.”‘

‘I thought we had a good camp,” said Paul Posluszny. “We improved on a lot of things that we really wanted to focus on. I thought we really got better as the weeks went on. The good thing is that camp is just the start though. We still have a couple of preseason games left and some more time to get ready for the regular season, but we got off to a good start.”‘

‘”I wish I could be out there with the guys, but it’s part of the sport,” said Edwards. “You get hurt. You just don’t want to be selfish to the point where you’re going to get back out there and re-injure yourself and not be able to play at your level throughout the season. So you’ve got to be conscious of that and make sure that your team realizes that you want to get back out there as soon as possible to help this team win. It’s disappointing, but I’m glad it happened during the preseason instead of the regular season.”‘

‘As for the players that influenced me the most in camp I’d have to say Jabari Greer and George Wilson. Those guys come to practice every day and I’m feeding off those guys whether they know it or not. And it’s not just those guys, but they’re two good guys that show great character, great attitude and they always give great effort. They’re two veterans I’ve definitely been following at this level.’

‘Edwards, dressed in sweat pants, was walking with a limp, and it’s not clear when he’ll be able to resume practicing or play in Buffalo’s preseason game at Indianapolis Sunday. Coach Dick Jauron is expected to update Edwards’ status following Wednesday’s practice, the Bills’ final session at training camp in suburban Rochester.’

‘”It’s big, finally after being out of all the OTA’s and now training camp, me and Trent (Edwards) get a chance to work and get our timing down together,” Royal noted. “Especially since I wasn’t able to participate in OTA’s and mini-camp.”‘