MrLocke Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Someone with ESPN Insider please copy and paste the rest of this. Or just give us a summary. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Someone with ESPN Insider please copy and paste the rest of this. Or just give us a summary.Thanks. 411448[/snapback] It wasn't so bad....I can cope with it! Pasting though, that is another story... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 It wasn't so bad....I can cope with it! Pasting though, that is another story... 411462[/snapback] Here are five observations on the Buffalo Bills, based on their Aug. 17 practice: 1. Like all inexperienced quarterbacks, J.P. Losman is going to make mistakes. He's also going to make a lot of plays for the Bills. From Drew Bledsoe to Losman. Talk about opposite ends of the mobility spectrum. Losman is going to be a weapon for Mike Mularkey, especially on third downs. Defensive ends and outside linebackers, worrying about Willis McGahee, are going to forget to stay at home on the back side and honor the bootleg action, and Losman is going to make them pay. Losman will pick up a few extra sets of downs with his legs that Bledsoe could not. It could be something as simple as moving to one side to create a throwing lane or throwing on the run. The Bills didn't have that for three years with Bledsoe. Those little things can make the difference in games. "The term, 'Take what they give you,' doesn't only mean throwing it but running it, too," Mularkey said. The Bills' strengths clearly are their running game and defense, but Losman isn't going to be a "just don't lose it" quarterback. "He doesn't have to win games," Mularkey said. "We have to win games. Not saying the pressure is off him. We still have expectations that we need him to meet. But he doesn't have to do more than what's asked of him." Buffalo has assembled not only a solid supporting cast but also a strong support system for Losman. His positional coach is Sam Wyche. Offensive coordinator Tom Clements played and coached the position, and he has veteran backups in Kelly Holcomb and Shane Matthews. Former Bills backup QB Alex Van Pelt is a volunteer coaching assistant. Takeo Spikes Buffalo's defense figures to be strong again this season. 2. Jerry Gray should get strong consideration after this season from teams looking for a head coach. When the Bills let Gregg Williams go, the team interviewed Gray but ultimately hired Mularkey. Gray's defense has finished second overall the past two seasons and last year led the league with 39 takeaways. The unit also posted 45 sacks -- despite not having a premier pass-rusher. Barring a major injury, don't expect much, if any, of a drop-off, even with defensive tackle Pat Williams defecting to Minnesota. The Bills don't. Williams' replacement, Ron Edwards, started every game for the Bills in 2002 and appeared in every contest last year, recording a career-high four sacks playing primarily in the nickel package. "Ron had a chance to sit back in the rear seat and learn," Takeo Spikes said. "Even last year, when Ron got in, he made plays, big plays. He's waiting to escape that shadow." Troy Vincent has a year of experience at safety in Gray's system, and one of the best competitions of camp has been between Jabari Greer, in his second season out of Tennessee, and fifth-round pick Eric King for the third cornerback position. The Bills also like Kevin Thomas at that spot, but he isn't practicing because of an injury. It's going to make for a difficult cut. It also will be tough for owners and general managers to overlook Gray should the Bills' defense produce yet another stellar season. 3. I confess: I was one of those who wondered what in the world Bills president and general manager Tom Donahoe was thinking when he gambled and selected McGahee in the first round of the 2003 draft. My bad. As well as McGahee played as a "rookie" last year, gaining at least 100 yards in seven of 11 starts, he's primed to have an even better season now. First of all, it has been almost three years since he suffered that gruesome knee injury in the national championship game. He was hesitant last year; Mularkey called every run "an experiment." McGahee says he has no doubts about his knee now. He's also in better condition after a more rigorous offseason of training at the University of Miami. And that extra gear he had his last year in college? It's back. "That was always the biggest question for me," said 6-foot, 232-pound McGahee, who returned to practice Wednesday after missing two days with a leg injury suffered in the preseason opener against the Colts. Eric Moulds AP Eric Moulds will be a nice safety blanket for J.P. Losman. 4. The two highlights of Wednesday's practice both came courtesy of Eric Moulds. It seems as though Losman already has a bond with his Pro Bowl receiver. He trusts Moulds to make plays for him. During red zone seven-on-seven drills, Losman threw touchdowns to Moulds in both corners of the end zone. Moulds ran a fade route both times and abused Terrence McGee and Nate Clements once each. Losman says he won't be gun-shy his first year. "I'm not going to hesitate to throw 50-yard passes or make tight throws," he said. "If I just do the things they're teaching me, make the right calls, and don't throw interceptions, all the explosive plays will come." Losman has a mutually beneficial relationship with the Bills' defense -- he learns by facing one of the best in the league every day, and the defenders develop the discipline necessary to contain mobile quarterbacks. Buffalo plays host to Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3, Aaron Brooks and the New Orleans Saints the following week, and Jake Plummer and the Denver Broncos in Week 15. The Bills already have the ideal scout team quarterback. 5. Buffalo is going to be a nasty running team. Offensive line coaches Jim McNally and Frank Verducci stress blocking until the whistle, also known as finishing plays. Bennie Anderson, formerly of the Ravens, was a nice free-agent pickup at left guard. His acquisition allowed the Bills to move last year's starter at left guard, Ross Tucker, to the bench, improving the unit's depth. The major question mark along the line is at left tackle, where Mike Gandy, a former starter for the Bears, replaces Jonas Jennings (San Francisco). Gandy isn't the long-term answer there, but the Bills are confident he can hold it down for this year. "He hasn't done anything since he's been here to make us think he can't do the job," Donahoe said. Gandy will get a good test Saturday night when he faces Green Bay's Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. Michael Smith is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRH Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Oh... I don't know about y'all, but I got wood just reading all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Oh... I don't know about y'all, but I got wood just reading all that. 411480[/snapback] *sports a tent* This team has me geeked. Hand off, hand off, hand off, Playaction 40 yarder, hand off, TD. Defense: Sack, Stuff, INT. Back to offense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Here are five observations on the Buffalo Bills, based on their Aug. 17 practice: 1. Like all inexperienced quarterbacks, J.P. Losman is going to make mistakes. He's also going to make a lot of plays for the Bills. From Drew Bledsoe to Losman. Talk about opposite ends of the mobility spectrum. Losman is going to be a weapon for Mike Mularkey, especially on third downs. Defensive ends and outside linebackers, worrying about Willis McGahee, are going to forget to stay at home on the back side and honor the bootleg action, and Losman is going to make them pay. Losman will pick up a few extra sets of downs with his legs that Bledsoe could not. It could be something as simple as moving to one side to create a throwing lane or throwing on the run. The Bills didn't have that for three years with Bledsoe. Those little things can make the difference in games. "The term, 'Take what they give you,' doesn't only mean throwing it but running it, too," Mularkey said. The Bills' strengths clearly are their running game and defense, but Losman isn't going to be a "just don't lose it" quarterback. "He doesn't have to win games," Mularkey said. "We have to win games. Not saying the pressure is off him. We still have expectations that we need him to meet. But he doesn't have to do more than what's asked of him." Buffalo has assembled not only a solid supporting cast but also a strong support system for Losman. His positional coach is Sam Wyche. Offensive coordinator Tom Clements played and coached the position, and he has veteran backups in Kelly Holcomb and Shane Matthews. Former Bills backup QB Alex Van Pelt is a volunteer coaching assistant. Takeo Spikes Buffalo's defense figures to be strong again this season. 2. Jerry Gray should get strong consideration after this season from teams looking for a head coach. When the Bills let Gregg Williams go, the team interviewed Gray but ultimately hired Mularkey. Gray's defense has finished second overall the past two seasons and last year led the league with 39 takeaways. The unit also posted 45 sacks -- despite not having a premier pass-rusher. Barring a major injury, don't expect much, if any, of a drop-off, even with defensive tackle Pat Williams defecting to Minnesota. The Bills don't. Williams' replacement, Ron Edwards, started every game for the Bills in 2002 and appeared in every contest last year, recording a career-high four sacks playing primarily in the nickel package. "Ron had a chance to sit back in the rear seat and learn," Takeo Spikes said. "Even last year, when Ron got in, he made plays, big plays. He's waiting to escape that shadow." Troy Vincent has a year of experience at safety in Gray's system, and one of the best competitions of camp has been between Jabari Greer, in his second season out of Tennessee, and fifth-round pick Eric King for the third cornerback position. The Bills also like Kevin Thomas at that spot, but he isn't practicing because of an injury. It's going to make for a difficult cut. It also will be tough for owners and general managers to overlook Gray should the Bills' defense produce yet another stellar season. 3. I confess: I was one of those who wondered what in the world Bills president and general manager Tom Donahoe was thinking when he gambled and selected McGahee in the first round of the 2003 draft. My bad. As well as McGahee played as a "rookie" last year, gaining at least 100 yards in seven of 11 starts, he's primed to have an even better season now. First of all, it has been almost three years since he suffered that gruesome knee injury in the national championship game. He was hesitant last year; Mularkey called every run "an experiment." McGahee says he has no doubts about his knee now. He's also in better condition after a more rigorous offseason of training at the University of Miami. And that extra gear he had his last year in college? It's back. "That was always the biggest question for me," said 6-foot, 232-pound McGahee, who returned to practice Wednesday after missing two days with a leg injury suffered in the preseason opener against the Colts. Eric Moulds AP Eric Moulds will be a nice safety blanket for J.P. Losman. 4. The two highlights of Wednesday's practice both came courtesy of Eric Moulds. It seems as though Losman already has a bond with his Pro Bowl receiver. He trusts Moulds to make plays for him. During red zone seven-on-seven drills, Losman threw touchdowns to Moulds in both corners of the end zone. Moulds ran a fade route both times and abused Terrence McGee and Nate Clements once each. Losman says he won't be gun-shy his first year. "I'm not going to hesitate to throw 50-yard passes or make tight throws," he said. "If I just do the things they're teaching me, make the right calls, and don't throw interceptions, all the explosive plays will come." Losman has a mutually beneficial relationship with the Bills' defense -- he learns by facing one of the best in the league every day, and the defenders develop the discipline necessary to contain mobile quarterbacks. Buffalo plays host to Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3, Aaron Brooks and the New Orleans Saints the following week, and Jake Plummer and the Denver Broncos in Week 15. The Bills already have the ideal scout team quarterback. 5. Buffalo is going to be a nasty running team. Offensive line coaches Jim McNally and Frank Verducci stress blocking until the whistle, also known as finishing plays. Bennie Anderson, formerly of the Ravens, was a nice free-agent pickup at left guard. His acquisition allowed the Bills to move last year's starter at left guard, Ross Tucker, to the bench, improving the unit's depth. The major question mark along the line is at left tackle, where Mike Gandy, a former starter for the Bears, replaces Jonas Jennings (San Francisco). Gandy isn't the long-term answer there, but the Bills are confident he can hold it down for this year. "He hasn't done anything since he's been here to make us think he can't do the job," Donahoe said. Gandy will get a good test Saturday night when he faces Green Bay's Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. Michael Smith is a senior writer for ESPN.com. 411467[/snapback] How long have you been studying under FFS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrLocke Posted August 18, 2005 Author Share Posted August 18, 2005 It wasn't so bad....I can cope with it! Pasting though, that is another story... 411462[/snapback] [/qoute] I caught that as soon as I posted it my bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gross Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Friggin' national media never gives us any credit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, especially how they said JP is depending on Moulds to make plays...EM can handle it, its great to see a vet stand up for the team, and will still be a huge factor in our offense despite the grumblings of some posters... Go Bills... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 How long have you been studying under FFS? 411492[/snapback] Now try to do a solid for a brother and I get biatch slapped from some knucklehead in Cincy Thats was the ESPN report. When I can start to approach the verbosity of an FFS post, I will truly know I waste way to much time on this stinking board Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Coli Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Now try to do a solid for a brother and I get biatch slapped from some knucklehead in Cincy Thats was the ESPN report. When I can start to approach the verbosity of an FFS post, I will truly know I waste way to much time on this stinking board 411523[/snapback] I thought you WERE Michael Smith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Sometimes i thought Myron Cope ate paste Yoi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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