Archives for July 29, 2009

‘”It’s been a long few days,” Wood told Buffalobills.com. “My intentions weren’t to hold out, but that’s just kind of the way it happened. That’s not my style, but it is what it is. I just want to thank Mr. Wilson and Jim Overdorf for all their hard work to get me into camp, even if it is a few days late.”‘

‘Byrd was placed on the Active Non-Football Injury list. He still counts toward the active roster, but will not be participating in practice right away.’

‘”I’m still looking forward to making it to the playoffs,” Youboty said.’

‘”Hopefully, I’ve done a sound-enough job that my teammates will vote me back in,” Wilson said. “This past year has really taught me a lot about the inner workings and the relationship between the Players Association and the players. I’m just trying to do the best job that I can so that I can look myself in the mirror and my teammates in the face and know that I’ve done the best job I possibly could.”‘

‘General manager Russ Brandon said Wednesday the team is “close” to signing Byrd, who will be given an opportunity to compete for a starting job at free safety. Brandon added that a tentative deal has been negotiated with Wood, but the offensive lineman’s agent is reviewing the contract language.’

‘The Bills are down four receivers since opening camp in suburban Rochester on Saturday.’

‘Smith (6’2″ 189) spent last year’s training camp with the St. Louis Rams, but did not make the final roster. The Hofstra product was on the New York Jets practice squad in 2007. He’ll wear jersey number 87 for the Bills.’

‘”Ryan is a great guy,” said Bills third-string QB Gibran Hamdan. “He understands the game, and he is going to help all of us as we move towards the season.”‘

‘"You have to be so exact with your instincts and your movements," Posluszny said. "If you hesitate or make a false step – and that’s the big thing taking just one step in the wrong direction – that’s the difference between making an interception or making a tackle after a catch. I have to be at the point where I’m so clean and so efficient that I can make those plays. Last year if a receiver makes a catch it was an immediate tackle. That’s OK, but not good enough for you to be a great team."’

‘Defensive tackle Marcus Stroud returned to practice Tuesday night at St. John Fisher after missing time with a hamstring injury. Others who missed some time because of injuries were John McCargo, P.K. Sam, Ventrell Jenkins and Shawn Nelson. … Rookie guard Andy Levitre worked with the first-team offense.’

‘”It feels like a hockey game,” said third-year wide receiver Justin Jenkins. “The fans were great out here.”‘

‘”The team has always had expectations of what they want from me,” Reed said, “and I know my role on the team. I think it’s really important knowing what they expect.”‘

‘”Who wouldn’t want Mike Vick to be on their team?” said Wilson. “He’s a game breaker. He can make a lot of plays and he would just be another weapon in our arsenal if he is brought to Buffalo. I don’t know what any of the speculation may be, but I’d love to have him as a teammate.”’

‘Caldwell worked out for the Bills on Tuesday and the coaching staff was impressed with his conditioning and pass-catching ability. Buffalo began its training camp last Saturday and Caldwell expects to hear something back from the team soon.’

‘As of Tuesday evening Wood was in Orchard Park waiting for his deal to be finalized so he could sign it and report to camp. The Louisville product has missed six camp practices thus far.’