‘They are adept at pushing all the right buttons in Buffalo, but rarely do they ever reach for the one marked "Panic," and that won’t change this year. Having summarily jettisoned three future Hall of Fame members this spring — defensive end Bruce Smith, tailback Thurman Thomas and wide receiver Andre Reed — one might guess the Bills could be forced to take a few steps back before moving forward again. But don’t bet on it.’
Archives for July 31, 2000
Van Pelt was almost ready to leave Buffalo
‘"I would have come back and played for $200,000 in a second," Van Pelt said. "It was fortunate for me, but unfortunate that it had to happen to Doug. It’s funny, a week ago Friday I was playing golf. Next Friday, I’ll be playing against the Bengals. We were two days away from putting our house on the market and moving back to Pittsburgh."’
Bills feel the heat
‘After an overnight shower, Monday dawned hot, still and muggy. And tempers were hot too, as three separate skirmishes broke out during the 11-on-11 team work. The card was Fina and Panos vs. Fisher, Allotey vs. Newman and Linton vs. Tillman.’
Training Camp Photos!
‘They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, so here are 1000’s of words for you to see! We will break up the photos by archive. This section will include photos from Shout!, the AP, and from the fans.’
Dough for ‘Pillsbury’ is money well spent
‘The Pill" is short for Pillsbury. Pillsbury is short for Pillsbury Doughboy. The Pillsbury Doughboy is Alex Van Pelt, the round mound capable of running the Bills’ offense, through the air or on the ground. His teammates couldn’t wait to see him Sunday morning so they could push their index finger into his lovable little belly. Anyone who witnessed the quarterbacking display last week during training camp wouldn’t blame them. Never in their recent history have the Bills needed a baseball-cap-wearing, clipboard-holding, minimum-salary-making, 6-foot-1, 220-pounds-before-breakfast, third-string quarterback than they do right now. Alex Van Pelt is a proven backup, but the Bills would have improved by signing Alex Trebek.’
Drake can catch, but can he catch on with Bills?
‘Drake conquered NFL Europe last year. Now he’ll try and do the same with the Bills. No one questions Drake’s skills. He’s deceptively quick. His hands are so big they could fit around a powerlifter’s neck. His legs, long and lean, churn and kick up chunks of sod. The guy’s got skills, no doubt. You don’t catch 12 touchdowns in NFL Europe – as Drake did last season with the Rhein Fire – without them. He still faces a number of challenges with the Bills, though.’
McDaniel ready to make mark as receiver
‘With all-time great Andre Reed parting ways with the Bills, last year’s star rookie Peerless Price moves into the starting lineup alongside Eric Moulds. That leaves three positions to fill, including the very important No. 3 role. There are eight candidates in training camp competing for the job, but 10 days into the weeding out process, McDaniel is clearly out in front. Not that the soft-spoken 24-year-old from New Bern, N.C., would say so. "I can’t say it’s guaranteed I’m the third guy," McDaniel said. "There are a lot of great young players out here. But just the experience of last year, being on the practice squad, I do have a bit more experience. I will say I’m feeling good. I’m getting a lot of help from Eric, who’s one of the great receivers in the league, and things are going pretty well."’