Archives for August 20, 2013

‘Buffalo didn’t use the 16th overall pick, who plays the team’s most important position, to have him sit behind a seventh-year journeyman.’

‘”Before I got to college I never played defense, and then they told I was going to go both ways,” Brooks said after a recent practice at St. John Fisher. “I did what I had to do for the team. You have to follow the plans that are out there for you and continue to work.”‘

‘During the traffic stop, Officer Howard Scholl smelled the odor of marijuana from within the vehicle. When questioned, Bradham initially denied having drugs inside the vehicle, but subsequently retrieved a bag of marijuana from the center compartment and handed it over, police said.’

‘”Just to speak to his character the first guy that I heard from before I heard anything was Rian,” said Hopkins. “He just wished me luck, said he wanted the best for me and that he was happy for me. I think that’s just an accurate representation of the kind of guy he is. Just not bitter or anything like that, but genuinely happy for a guy that he’s known for only a few weeks.”‘

‘Of course, at the time there was no way to foresee the historic success of the design. Wright was compensated as a freelancer – his name isn’t signed to his work, and he was paid $400-$500 for the job, and that was the end of it.’

‘”You’ve seen flashes of him being able to win, so it’s just a matter of consistency,” coach Doug Marrone said Monday. “I always work with the players on the mind-set: Going out every day, trying to win and handling adversity. If you don’t get off to a good start, how are you going to get yourself back?”‘

‘The team’s doubts about Lindell resurfaced when they drafted Hopkins in April.’

‘”Obviously it has been too much,” Marrone said after practice at St. John Fisher College. “When we get into situations – especially the red zone – when we work on those drills and we work on those situations, we have to constantly remind ourselves of that and really up our focus because we don’t want any penalties down there. They do, they hurt. It’s very hard to make up certain downs and situations in this league.”‘

‘Lindell’s downside is that he doesn’t have as strong a leg as Hopkins but it shouldn’t take him long to find alternative employment. Hopkins has been a thundefoot. In four seasons at Florida State, Hopkins became the NCAA’s all-time leader in points (466) and field goals made (88). In 2012, he was named first-team All-ACC and was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award for the nation’s best kicker.’

‘”(He) opened a center glove compartment and handed me a zip lock baggy,” the police report states. “I asked (Bradham) what was in the zip lock bag and he stated ‘marijuana.'”‘

‘Johnson, battling a left hamstring injury, had extensive work on the practice field Monday during a morning workout. After the practice, Johnson said he was anxious to test the leg in live action against an opposing team.’

‘Lindell’s time in Buffalo had appeared to be coming to an end. The Bills have drafted kickers in each of the past two drafts with the selections of Hopkins and former Western Michigan kicker John Potter.’

‘Lindell connected on 83.3 percent of his field goal attempts with the Bills and all but one of 306 extra-point tries. He made 21-of-24 field goal tries last year after missing the final seven games of the 2011 season because of a shoulder injury.’

‘Lindell lost the competition for the Bills’ kicking job to sixth-round pick Dustin Hopkins, who displayed a stronger leg in training camp.’