Archives for June 2009

‘Affecting this prior pecking order the most is obviously Owens. A dynamic weapon with game breaking ability and 139 touchdowns on his resume, Owens is a player that needs to get the ball. But how much? How often?’

‘”We’ve got young guys right now and we like our guys and they got a lot of experience last year,” said offensive coordinator Turk Schonert. “We had two guys playing that really hadn’t played before in both Dereks.”‘

‘Wilson told The Associated Press on Sunday he’d prefer waiting “two or three years” to determine whether the northern experiment is a success before he’d consider reworking the contract reached last year with Toronto-based Rogers Communications. Under the agreement which runs through 2012, the Bills will play one regular-season and three preseason games in Toronto.’

‘”The way the NFL is – and college, as well – they need to highlight certain guys for a lot of different reasons,” said Posluszny, the former Penn State All-American. “It’s part of the deal. But the way I feel, the way our game is, the importance of the team is so much more important than any individual.”‘

‘Interestingly, Owens did not apologize for his apologies, which were not as funny as the concept of Owens actually being happy in snowbound, playoff-deprived Buffalo.’

‘The Bills will host seven public night practices during the Verizon Wireless Training Camp.’

‘He never expected the Bills to take him. The cornerback visited a flurry of teams on day trips before the draft. New England, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Tennessee – those were the favorites. Not Buffalo. The only contact Byrd had with the Bills was a brief meet-and-greet at the NFL Combine. Still, the fact that they took him with gaping holes at offensive tackle and outside linebacker is satisfying.’

‘Defensive end Aaron Maybin, the team’s No. 1 pick, is a physical specimen with a lot of easily recognizable athletic gifts. But what happens when the mayhem of an NFL Sunday unfolds and the 249-pounder is giving away 60 pounds to offensive tackles and guards is a question yet to be answered. The coaches hope he can develop a good repertoire of pass-rush moves so he can utilize his speed in getting to the quarterback. It’s already apparent backup plans are in the works to use him in a linebacker role if he does get overmatched by bigger bodies up front. It’s up to Maybin what happens.’

‘"I don’t really think that’s the right question," said Evans when asked the 1-2 question. "I think you have two very explosive players and you do what you can to get both players involved. Talking about who is No. 1, who’s what, when the defense gives you a look, you take advantage of it to that side, and certainly for some games, it may go back and forth, but I think the biggest thing is just for us both to work together and win football games and get to the playoffs."’

‘At least one Bills fan doesn’t care if Owens becomes a locker room disturbance. Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly applauded the move to sign the controversial receiver during an interview with SIRIUS NFL Radio. Asked who has to make the biggest adjustment, the fans to T.O. or T.O. to playing in a small-market, cold-weather city, Kelly said: "Well, I don’t know. I guess it’s a little premature to answer that one but T.O. for sure – when it starts to get really cold. But you know what? People talk about how he loves to talk and everything. People say he might be a disturbance in the locker room. You know what I say? I hope he is. We haven’t had anything in the locker room. When you walk into a locker room on Monday and you don’t know whether your team won or lost, something’s got to change."’

‘Individual tickets are available for games against Miami (Nov. 29), New England (Dec. 20) and Indianapolis (Dec. 28) and preseason games against Chicago (Aug. 15) and Detroit (Sept. 3). The other home games have been sold out.’

‘"He was the quarterback of the team," Owens said. "I think everybody realized that. It was upon him to adopt that leadership role and carry that out. Obviously, they saw that didn’t happen. So, for whatever reason, I’ll be the scapegoat. I’m not here. Now, it’s his team, you know, and I wish him well."’

‘"I don’t know what happened. Obviously, somebody is lying somewhere. I don’t know what happened. All I know is that I’m not here. I’m with the Buffalo Bills, and I’ll leave it at that.”‘

‘”I know in the past he’s said and done some things,” Sandra Fulcher said. “But I like the fact he’s giving back to the community. It says a lot that he came down here even though he’s not on the team. It adds closure for the little kids. … I’m happy and impressed.”‘

‘The Buffalo Bills announced that individual game tickets will officially go on-sale to the general public at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 18, 2009. There will also be a special online pre-sale for Bills Backers fan club members on Friday, July 17, 2009 at 9:00 a.m.’