Archives for June 2009

‘Minicamps have yet to be completed, but that hasn’t stopped more than a few fantasy Web sites from publishing their preseason NFL ratings. After scouring a few lists, it’s clear that the addition of Terrell Owens has moved several Buffalo Bills up the ranks.’

‘”It’s just another way to get the community involved with doing some fundraising and helping out these kids,” said Florence, an Ocala native who played his high school football at Vanguard and is now a member of the Buffalo Bills.’

‘Florence, who spent last season in Jacksonville, is happy to be in Buffalo. “It’s great,” Florence said. “Any time that you get a chance to put on that uniform for whatever team it is, it is always a privilege and an honor. I’m going to go out and make the most of my opportunities.”‘

‘”I’ve been all football all the time since the start of my last season at Penn State up until the end of my offseason here, so a little time off won’t hurt,” the Bills’ first-round draft pick said after the final day of minicamp. “But about a week from now, it will be back to work.”‘

‘"People told me, ‘They’ll give you your space in Buffalo. They’ve had Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas.’ But they’re not me," Owens said during a 30-minute conversation at the Bills’ training facility. "I am different. I’ve been on teams with superstars like Jerry Rice and Steve Young and with them it was like a football player was out in public, but with me it’s more a celebrity or a rock star."’

‘”We’ll spend some time with him going over what we’ve inserted while he’s been gone,” said Catavolos. “We’ll try to get him up to speed mentally and hopefully in camp he’ll get his repetitions there.”‘

‘”Does it affect you? I think you’d be lying if you said, `No,'” Jauron said. “Can you let it affect you? If you let it affect you and control you, then it’s not a very good thing. You just live with it like everybody lives with things.”‘

‘”What you do this time of the year can have an effect on what happens during the season,” wide receiver Lee Evans said. “I thought we got a lot of work done this offseason that’s going to allow us to hit the ground running when we get to training camp.”‘

‘”By ticketing these practices we can have a firm grasp on the attendance numbers,” Brandon said. “Normally, our first set of practices is on a Friday and we see spiked attendance on Saturday. This year, our first practices are on Saturday and Sunday and we want to be proactive with the possibility of attendance at those sessions reaching a point that could pose a safety issue.”‘

‘"By ticketing these practices we can have a firm grasp on the attendance numbers. Normally, our first set of practices is on a Friday and we see spiked attendance on Saturday. This year, our first practices are on Saturday and Sunday and we want to be proactive with the possibility of attendance at those sessions reaching a point that could pose a safety issue."’

‘”Our offseason program goes very well. Our guys are committed to it,” Jauron said. “They’ve worked awfully hard and they need to get away. They need some rest, they need some relaxation… But you also have to stay fit, stay in your books, you have to know what’s going on and you have to come back ready to go. We’ve made a lot of progress, but we certainly have a long way to go.”‘

‘”I’m just keeping my head up, just working hard and hopefully, something will happen,” Ganz said. “If not, I think I have a pretty good backup plan to go into coaching. It’s not do or die for me as much as it might be for some other guys, but I would love to get an opportunity to play.”‘

‘Bills quarterback coach Alex Van Pelt, a teammate of Kelly’s, has a strong grasp of the hurry-up and has been a good source of information for Edwards. "He’s a firm believer in it," Edwards said. "It’s not necessarily something we’ll run every single play or every single series, but it’s a change. That’s what Turk wants, that’s what Dick (Jauron) wants."’

‘The Bills like their young prospects but don’t necessarily like the idea of handing Levitre and Wood starting jobs protecting the middle for third-year QB Trent Edwards. But if they prove they are better than the veterans and can handle the responsibilities, the coaching staff would have no problem starting two rookies up front.’

‘"Fifty years in sports, there’s only one constant — Ralph Wilson is the owner of the Buffalo Bills. What Mr. Wilson has done for pro football and for the city of Buffalo and Western New York, it’s hard to put into words. He remains in it for the same reasons he got into it in 1959 — he loves the game of football, and that’s apparent in everything he does. It will be an honor to have a bird’s-eye view to watch him be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, especially this year, in the 50th year of the old American Football League." — ESPN’s Chris Berman, after being selected by Bills owner Ralph Wilson to be his presenter at Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremonies in Canton, Ohio on Aug. 8.’