Archives for August 27, 2004

Buffalo, left guard: Third-year veteran Mike Pucillo, a blue-collar guy with a superb work ethic, won the job in the offseason. But then he proved susceptible to the bull-rush in a scrimmage and the first preseason game, and suddenly Lawrence Smith, who has been a bit of a football nomad, began coming on. New line coach Jim McNally is famous for turning afterthoughts like Smith into players and, for now, the unheralded lineman is running with the first-unit offense.

‘Neither Henry nor McGahee found a wealth of running room against the Titans last week, with the incumbent rushing seven times for 27 yards and the rookie tallying 11 carries for 28 yards. McGahee did help his case by scoring a three-yard touchdown, however. Much of Buffalo’s offensive damage was done by quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who completed 7 of 10 passes for 67 yards while working with the first-team offense. The Bills were dealt a blow in practice this week when backup quarterback and first-round draft pick J.P. Losman was lost for an indefinite period with a broken fibula in his left leg. Losman had played well in the preseason, completing 4 of 6 passes for 23 yards and rushing for a team-high 43 yards against the Titans. In addition to Henry, cornerback Terrence McGee (leg) is also listed as doubtful for the Colts game.’

‘”I think it’s going to be a great test for us,” Dungy said as the Colts (1-1 in the preseason) prepared to play the Bills (1-1) at the RCA Dome Saturday at 7 p.m. in the third preseason game for both teams. “They bring a lot to the table – they’ve got some Pro Bowl-caliber players who can play with a lot of emotion. We’ll see how ready we are. If we’re ready, I think we’ll play well. If not, they can make you look bad.”‘

‘"The third preseason game is the game when the starters have the most playing time," quarterback Drew Bledsoe said. "There are a lot of things we’re looking to accomplish and bottom line, we need to put the ball into the end zone. I think we’ll correct the mistakes that have plagued us so far and I expect us to put some in the end zone."’

‘Do you IR him and declare the year wasted, or commit a roster spot so that he can practice and at least salvage something of 2004?’

‘”People are in need everywhere. People are in need here in Rochester, people are in need in Buffalo,” Vincent said. “As long as I’m there, if I can provide assistance, that’s what it’s all about."’

‘"We feel good about where we stand. Everybody came out and went to work every day, and I think we got good work done every day."’

‘”Even though we’re breaking camp it’s still the preseason, so I’ve got to keep fighting and keep doing my thing,” he said. “The competition never stops, whether it’s Coy or Baker or whomever. It’s a part of the game. When I see those guys out there making plays it’s telling me I need to step up my game even more.”‘

‘What kind of coach is Mike Mularkey?’

‘”I have my eyes on the starting left guard spot,” Tucker said. “They make the decisions. I go out there and play hard and play the way I know how to play. I just let the chips fall where they may.”‘

‘Fueling the sellout was the team’s decision to link single-game ticket sales for the Sept. 26 regular-season home opener against quarterback Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers to the Bills game. Fans had to purchase similarly priced tickets to the preseason game to secure Packers tickets.’

‘”We had great fans through morning practices, afternoon practices, and Wednesday night practices. I want to thank St. John Fisher. What a great job these guys have done year-in and year-out. This is really my first experience with it and it’s second to none. There as big as part of making our camp as productive as it was.”‘

‘Well, my mindset going into a game is that I am the best and I am going to beat this guy flat out lined up across from me. That is how my feelings are going into every game.’

‘Vincent signed a six-year deal with the Bills this offseason. He’ll likely play half of that…’

Won’t go to the playoffs if … Travis Henry and Willis McGahee don’t grow up and realize that starting isn’t everything.