Archives for August 2014

‘Guard Chris Williams, tight end Lee Smith and offensive lineman Chris Hairston all made their return after missing some practice time due to injury. All three players were only away from the field for under a week before they were able to participate in the team’s on-field work once again.’

‘It was a bit of a shorter practice with the team only in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts, but they took a good portion of time during team drills to work on their red zone offense and defense. Even with an abbreviated session, there were still some standouts during the day…’

‘”I needed money,” he said. “So I went to every job you could name. I thought about the military. I tried getting a janitor position, Pet Smart, any job you could think of. Wal-Mart happened to hire me for $7.73 per hour. Minimum wage. Working in toys.”‘

‘”We’ve kind of got a better understanding now going against our defense and the different looks they’ve been giving us the past couple of days are kind of hard to pick up, but now we’ve got good identification of what’s coming,” Spiller said. “Once we get that down we’ll pretty much just go in and block the guys. The last few days we struggled a bit, but I’d probably say the last day or so we’ve been better.”‘

‘The first year that Andre Reed was selected as a Hall of Fame finalist was in 2007. First ballot Hall of Famers are extremely rare and with other receivers on the ballot in addition to his own teammate Thurman Thomas it was hard for Reed’s presenter Mark Gaughan to find a way that Reed would have the support necessary for enshrinement. So his plan was to provide a history lesson on Reed as a supreme physical talent.’

‘Without a doubt, the most prolific receiver in Bills history, Reed, a four-time All-AFC choice, is still the team’s all-time leading receiver with 941 receptions, (266 more than number two on the list). His 13,095 career reception yards are still a team best, as are his 36 games with 100-plus receiving yards and his 15 receptions in a game.’

‘”My whole thing has been about opportunity,” he said. “Once I get it I’m going to be able to make plays and do things. I’m very confident in my ability to do that when the opportunity is given.”‘

‘Gragg and Jones are the only healthy tight ends on the Bills’ roster after Lee Smith joined Scott Chandler and Tony Moeaki on the sidelines for Thursday’s practice at St. John Fisher College. Smith has a lower-body injury, coach Doug Marrone said afterward, while Chandler has been out since Sunday with a groin injury and Moeaki is sidelined by a hamstring problem.’

‘Coach Doug Marrone said a decision on how much the starters will play in Sunday’s preseason opener against the New York Giants won’t be made until after practice tonight, when Marrone sees who is healthy enough to play.’

‘”I told Mr. Ralph Wilson at the time when we took Andre in the fourth round that he was better than Chris Burkett,” said Elbert Dubenion, the former great Bills receiver who scouted Reed for Buffalo. “It was good to be right.”‘

‘In 21 playoff games, Reed caught 85 passes for 1,229 yards.’

‘”I’m sure it was part of the motivation for Jim,” Jill said. “Certainly, he’s motivated by his faith, his girls and his family, the things he holds very close to him. But every time Andre went to visit Jim, they talked about that.’

‘”He’s done a nice job,” said coach Doug Marrone. “It’s very early to maybe label him or put ceilings on him; let’s see where he goes.”‘