Archives for August 2012

‘It looked to me like there were many drops and poorly thrown balls once the rain came, but Gailey disagreed and was OK with the way they handled it, “Pretty good, I think we had one ball on the ground out there and we practiced different situations from our wildcat, to our goal line to our regular offense so I thought it went well.”‘

‘Fitzpatrick said its important for all teams to learn to play in less than ideal conditions. “We get a couple of these games every year so we have to be able to deal with the elements, learn what you can and cannot do, especially for me; types of throws that I can make that I am comfortable on. It is good for the centers to snap the ball in the shot-gun, even the exchanges under center and with the running backs. It was good work for us to be out there today and do it. And I thought it was pretty productive.”‘

‘”Well it is not something you want to do but it is good for us. You need a day like that so that you can handle a wet ball and everybody can talk about ball security on offense and you can talk about stripping the ball out on defense. So it was good for us.” Head Coach Chan Gailey said after practice.’

‘The Bills have a very good 1-2 running game punch in Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller and while keeping them healthy during the preseason is Job One, they and their line need to develop a rhythm, a feel and a mindset for running the football.’

‘Middle linebacker Scott McKillop. The free agent from Pitt led the Bills in tackles with six against the Redskins. The 6-2, 243-pounder earned an invitation to Bills camp on a recommendation from defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt, the former Pitt head coach who knew one thing about McKillop – he would work hard to earn a job. With penciled-in starter Kelvin Sheppard missing time with an undisclosed injury, McKillop is making the most of his opportunity.’

‘”We have a long way to go,” defensive tackle Kyle Williams said. “Tonight was more about seeing if we could come out, play base defense, have some stops and make some plays.”‘

‘”You need a day like so you learn how to handle a wet ball,” said Gailey. “I think they had one ball on the ground out there and we practiced in a lot of different situations from our Wildcat to our goal line to our regular offense. So I thought we handled it well.”‘

‘On the purpose of having the officials out there today: We had them out there yesterday and today and tomorrow. Two things: one, it keeps us alert for the little things that they may be looking for coming in to the season. And the second thing is for them to get work. They are in every year and this was our time.’

‘”(Moats) has done a good job and it is nothing against what Kirk has done,” Buffalo coach Chan Gailey said. “It is just that Arthur has earned the right to get some reps up there. It will be a good battle that I did not perceive happening, but it has become a good battle.”‘

‘”I’m a competitor,” said Brooks. “I’m out here to compete and play the game that I love, so I am not ever going to give up on any of the things that coaches ask me to do or that the team asks me to do.”‘

‘”We’ve got to be better,” he said. “Preseason game, practice we’ve got to be better if we want to get to where we want to be. Mentally we’ve got to prepare like champions. We’ve got to be past the whole let’s play this many games in a row. We’ve got to be thinking like champions right now, aggressive and dominant. That’s it.”‘

‘The Aussie punt is being used by more and more NFL punters when they try to put the ball inside the opposition’s 20-yard line. The punter drops the ball almost with the nose straight down, and the ball flies end over end instead of in a spiral to get a backward bounce and prevent a touchback.’

‘”We have not run the ball as much as we wanted to, and we made this the week we’re gonna come back and work on the run game quite a bit,” coach Chan Gailey said.’

‘”Four teams is enough,” Hagan said referring to his whirlwind-to-date NFL journey. “Some of them were unfortunate situations, but I can’t control that, and now I’m here with Buffalo. I had a great time when I was with the Giants and the Raiders and Miami, but now I’m here with the Bills and I know there’s an opportunity, so I want to be here for a long time. I hope I can keep it going.”‘

”’It’s only so long where you can be the old Bills getting beat around this conference,” Johnson said. ”Preseason game, practice, we’ve got to be better if we want to get to where we want to be.”’