Archives for August 2, 2010

‘The Texans haven’t given any indication they’re interested in Schobel. They can’t comment on Schobel because he’s under contract to the Bills. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Texans wouldn’t trade for Schobel because he makes $8 million, and they have Mario Williams, Antonio Smith and Connor Barwin as their top-three defensive ends.’

‘Brian Brohm, who got the reps with the second unit Monday morning, put together one of his better series in terms of consistency. In 7-on-7 his six-play series began with a throw to the flat that was deftly caught by Marcus Easley who showed strong hands in pulling in the reception despite tight coverage along the near sideline.’

‘The Buffalo Bills announced that tickets will be made available for the Verizon Wireless Training Camp August 9 night practice at St. John Fisher College in Rochester beginning Tuesday, August 3. Tickets for the August 9 night practice presented by Anheuser-Busch are complimentary.’

‘”I don’t know,” he said. “I’m just dealing with what I have to deal with now and then take a week and then maybe, I would say within a two week period I’m going to go one way or the other, that’s for sure. I’m either going to try to get it going or I’m going to put my (retirement) papers in. That’s what I’ll do.”‘

‘Of any preseason prediction I can make, the one I\’m most confident in is that the Buffalo Bills will finish fourth in the AFC East.’

‘General manager Buddy Nix says from training camp outside Rochester on Monday that the team informed Schobel’s agent of its plans.’

‘”Aaron has been a very good player for the Bills and we wish him and his family the best, but there comes a point where we have to move forward and that point is today. We are focusing on the team’s best interests.”‘

‘"We trade a left tackle in the offseason (Jason Peters); we cut one (Langston Walker) right before the season starts; we fire the offensive coordinator (Turk Schonert) right before the seasons starts; and then Dick (Jauron) gets replaced in the middle of the season," Hangartner recalled. "It seems like every week something was changing. You’re fighting an uphill battle with that much change to be successful."’

‘"The other thing that I think is big and often overlooked is that we end up protecting our players when we go out in pads," Gailey said. "You can bang on each other, and you don’t get injuries, which I like."’

‘"I think it’s going to be a great competition," coach Chan Gailey said Sunday of Florence versus McKelvin. "The good things is, we’re not picking from two bad players. We’re picking from two pretty good players. That’s a big difference. You’re not taking the best of what’s available, you’re getting to choose from two guys that can play."’

‘Evans has been stuck in dysfunctional offenses with poor quarterback play. I often wondered what Moulds would have done if he played with Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. I’ve been thinking the same thing about Evans, who has been saddled with the likes of J.P. Losman, Kelly Holcomb, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Trent Edwards. The closest thing to a legitimate passer Evans has worked with was a fading Drew Bledsoe during Evans’ rookie year.’

‘Trent Edwards and the first-string offense had a good first series and a poor second one during team drills. Edwards hit Stevie Johnson and Lee Evans for sharp completions, and Marshawn Lynch broke through a good hole off left tackle on the first set. On the second, there were two bat-downs at the line of scrimmage, Edwards faced a big pass rush on a play, and Drayton Florence picked off an underthrown deep ball. Ryan Fitzpatrick was No. 2 Sunday.’

‘"Number 81 was given to me," Easley said following practice on Sunday afternoon at St. John Fisher College. "But I understand that the number means a lot, especially after last season. Terrell Owens has come and gone. There’s a new No. 81. I’m not trying to be compared to him, nothing like that. Last year doesn’t really matter this year. I’m just trying to come out and make a name for my own self."’

‘"We’ve got work to do, that’s what I’ve noticed," he said. "We’re getting better. I think we have a pretty good mindset, a tough mindset, but at the same time we’ve got a lot of work to do in the technical aspects, more so in the pass game than in the run game."’

‘"The theory behind that is that it’s a tough game for tough people, and in order to be a physical football team, you have to feel what it’s like to be in pads," said Gailey. "We go out and do walk-throughs and you can go out in shorts and get an idea of responsibility and what your job is, but to understand the game and how it’s played with leverage and low-man wins, you’ve got to have pads on."’