Archives for July 31, 2013

‘”It’s a new opportunity for me, a new beginning with these new coaches,” McKelvin said after Tuesday’s practice at St. John Fisher College. “They’re doing a good job of letting me work myself back to full speed.”‘

‘”Obviously, if we sent him to get evaluations he’s been excused by the team,” Marrone said. “That’s not a legitimate question.”‘

‘”I’m a straight shooter, you can ask anyone who’s known me since I was a kid; I’m shooting you straight,” Marrone continued. “I understand you have a job to do, I have an appreciation for it, but my answer is it’s the same situation that it was yesterday. The doctors go through an evaluation process and when they inform me, that’s when I know. I get frustrated, honestly, when it gets to a point where I feel I’ve tried to explain myself, and I’ve answered the questions, and you keep coming at me.”‘

‘”She’s fully aware of everything and she knows what I do,” said Marquise, who recalled Deja’s excitement when he was picked by the Bills in April. “She’s as excited for the season as I am.”‘

‘While some fans are far more interested in Byrd’s contract negotiations, the Bills current crop of safeties are viewing this as an opportunity. For Aaron Williams and Da’Norris Searcy it’s the type of chance that could heavily boost their careers.’

‘”It’s the first day with pads on, we were getting a little heated, it’s hot outside,” Butler said. “We shook hands after it. We’re teammates, we can’t be doing that, but tempers fly.”‘

‘At kicker, incumbent Rian Lindell is competing for the job against rookie Dustin Hopkins. Lindell, who hasn’t had a serious challenger for the position since he joined Buffalo in 2003, will have his hands full during camp. Hopkins is a very good kicker who could win the job. If that happens, Lindell’s run in Buffalo could be over.’

‘With Marrone, it’s constant motion. When the Bills move into special-teams mode, the offense bolts to another field to work on timing and prep for plays. But a young roster may mean the Bills are building more for a fun future.’

”’For me to speculate, I never speculate until I hear from the medical staff,” Marrone said. ”And I get frustrated, honestly, when it gets to a point where I feel like I’ve tried to explain myself in how I handle injuries, OK? I’ve answered the questions, and you keep coming at me, all right?”’

‘Marrone reached the boiling point with a barrage of questions about Williams status — which he answered no less than four times by telling reporters he had no new information and Williams was still being evaluated — before venting his frustration with the line of questioning.’

‘After being cleared for training camp upon his arrival to Pittsford, NY, Williams informed the coaching and training staff of his sore foot ahead of the team’s first practice on Sunday. He was on the field but did not take part in any drills. On Monday, it was said Williams had left campus to have it looked at by doctors.’

‘The Bills participated in 1-on-1’s for the second time in three days. Each player got around two reps, just due to the volume of players that needed to get work in.’

‘”I have not had any contact with anyone in regards to Mario,” the coach said when initially asked about it. “Like I told you guys before, I have no information from yesterday. That’s the God’s truth, and that’s really it. I know that, and I appreciate that everyone has to ask that question. I totally get it. I really do. But I promise you I’m telling you the truth. I really have not had any notice from the doctors or from anything above me on the situation. The minute we do, we’ll let it out.”‘

‘”I was very happy with what we got accomplished here today. It was good competition,” Marrone said. “You saw the level pick up a little bit which is what you would expect. Give credit to the players for doing that. There are just a couple of things that we’ve just got to clean up in the thud period with exactly what we want. We want to make sure that we’re thudding and keeping people off the ground.’

‘I was very pleased with that and the mornings are really a great asset to us. Probably the best way to teach the offense, defense and special teams because we get in, we wake up in the morning and get our work done. We have the rest of the day to make corrections, walk-through. Then when we sleep at night. Both players and coaches feel a lot more comfortable feeling prepared for the next day.’