Archives for August 9, 2004

‘On what Mike Pucillo has done to separate himself from the other guards in earning the starting left guard position at this point in time:

He’s done a lot of things, not just what took place on the field, but some things that happened in the weight room and classroom. Like I’ve told you guys, every second they’re out here they’re evaluated. We felt, overall, he had an edge over (Ross) Tucker. We just felt, at the time, we could not keep rotating them, we weren’t giving them a fair shot with the rotation we were putting them through, so we just felt we had to put somebody in there and see what he could do when he’s with the same guys every snap. He’s done well.’

‘Backup DT Justin Bannan, who broke a bone in his left hand during a practice against Cleveland on Friday, returned to practice Monday wearing a cast. Bannan was held out of Buffalo’s scrimmage against the Browns on Saturday.’

‘"I’m sure they’re going to emphasize it more in the preseason, probably really go hard and make an extra effort to make a point," said Bills coach Mike Mularkey. "I handed out a memo (to the players) that I got from the NFL to prove again that they’re serious."’

‘Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, NFL.com’s Vic Carucci and Clark Judge of CBS.Sportsline. com agree that a second-place finish in the AFC East Division is well within reach.’

‘”It’s a horrible rule for them to put in place for the defense,” said Bills’ backup safety Pierson Prioleau. “It’s almost putting handcuffs on the defense. It makes it almost impossible to get up on a guy. How close can you get without touching him?”‘

‘The Bills have made other contributions to the campus, Bosworth said. The first year of camp, the team brought industrial washers and dryers and other things that have stayed at Fisher and are used during the school year, she said. The NFL camp also has an educational side for Fisher, as Bills front-office personnel have served as guest lecturers in its sports studies program and at the college’s annual sportsmanship conference, said Gerry Rooney, vice president for enrollment management and external relations.’

‘Add it all up and at the moment, Buffalo has a $38 million backup on its hands. After returning to work, Williams vowed not to let his teammates and coaches down again. It’s a start. "I’ve missed a lot and I’ve got to catch up, conditioning wise and terminology wise," Williams said. "But the important thing was getting back on the field. The only way to learn it all is to get back on the field. It’s a relief to be back out here. I know these guys are counting on me and I know what I can give them. I’m going to show them what I’m going to be like from now on."’

‘The coaches would like to develop a viable backup center behind Trey Teague, but Tucker is still hopeful he can get enough repetitions to win the starting LG job vacated by the departed Brown (Chicago Bears). Sullivan continues to swing between tackle and guard and doesn’t appear a serious threat to Puccillo at left guard.’

‘QB Drew Bledsoe arrived at camp sporting a brush cut. It was worse. He actually shaved his head over the summer at his mountain lake retreat in Montana. “I’ve wanted for years to shave my head in the summer,” Bledsoe said. “I figured, ‘I’m at the lake, nobody’s around, why not?’ The only problem is that some of it has grown back gray.”‘

‘”We got to see some of the younger guys and what they were going to do in their first live competition,” said Mike Mularkey. “It’s hard to give them a grade right now, immediately, but I’m assuming it should be good watching it on tape for some of the young guys.”‘

‘Bills coach Mike Mularkey had no problems with Bledsoe letting the offense know where he stood. “I was extremely pleased by what he did on the sidelines,” Mularkey said. “Don’t wait until Monday to tell them. He recognized there was an issue and he addressed it.”‘