Archives for June 7, 2004

‘Q: Presuming Travis Henry will be the featured back, what kind of role will Willis McGahee have in the offense?

TC: That’s still to be determined. Willis is a rookie. His rookie year he practiced a little bit but he hasn’t had any game playing in the NFL so this training camp and exhibition season is important for him. We’ll just have to see what he can do at this level. He’s a talented back and we’ll evaluate him as we go but Travis Henry is our starter, and as I said earlier I anticipate he’ll have another great year.’

‘"It’s a college atmosphere in this city," he said. "There’s not much going on as far as professional athletics are concerned, so we’re the talk of the town, and you can just feel it. That equates to fun and excitement, and I’m looking forward to everything."’

‘With Mularkey and offensive coordinator Tom Clements saying they want an offense that is based on the ground game, there is the potential for a lot of use of two-tight end sets. The decision comes down to evaluating if your second tight end is a better blocker than your starting fullback, which right now is free agent Daimon Shelton.’

‘FS Izell Reese, who missed the last two games last season with a severe calf injury, is fully healed and taking part in all offseason work. “I did a lot of pool work, exercising with trainers to strengthen it back up and stretching it to keep it loose,” Reese reported. “It’s just one of those things that you try to prevent, but once it happens, you want to make sure you stay loose to avoid it from happening again.”‘

‘Bills WR Eric Moulds, asked if he’d turn in coach Mike Mularkey — like the New York Giants did Tom Coughlin — if he felt offseason workout rules were being stretched: “I don’t know if I’d go to that extent and I don’t want to speak for the Giants, but at the same time, if we had won a Super Bowl, maybe you’d have something to gripe about but we were 6-10 and their record was a little bit worse than ours. If you haven’t won a ring, gone to the playoffs or even had a winning season, I don’t think you have a right to gripe.”‘

‘RG Chris Villarrial is an efficient run blocker who has a nasty streak. His lateral movement isn’t great, which causes problems against quick pass rushers. But his strength allows him to drive defenders off the line.’