Archives for May 2005

‘The team hopes the offensive line stays intact because it wants Trey Teague to remain at center. A former tackle, Teague has been solid in his three years as the anchor of the offensive line. He has exceptional quickness and agility to make blocks on the second level. He’s a highly intelligent player who is adept at making the right line calls and has a good understanding of blocking angles. He is not a dominant blocker and has trouble with big, powerful defensive tackles. But his toughness, athletic ability and work ethic allow him to overcome any shortcomings.’

‘”He cringes at the comments about us not winning too many games because he’s new,” Wyche said. “It gets under his skin. And he doesn’t want to be known as a scrambler. He wants to be a passer who can scramble.”‘

‘”This is all hearsay and all talk,” said Bills Hall-of-Fame guard Billy Shaw. “I’ve said it many times before of the AFL champions prior to the Super Bowl, that was probably the team that could have really played with NFL champions. I’ll say this: We matched up really good with them. I’d have loved to have had that opportunity.”‘

‘Wilson insists he isn’t asking for any handouts to survive. His Bills do play in an 80,000-seat stadium. But he does expect his fellow owners to accept the reality that a team in Dallas has greater opportunities and potential for revenue than a team in Buffalo. “I don’t expect Jerry Jones to take money out of his pocket and say, ‘Here, Wilson, take this,’ ” Wilson said. “But I do expect him to take a dollar out and say, ‘Here, come play me next week, will you?’ “‘

‘"I think I can mix it up a little bit," he said. "I can run tough inside and run outside. This will really be the first year that I’m being given the opportunity to show what I can do, and I’m excited about that."’

‘"They’re right where we anticipated them, I think maybe a little ahead," Mularkey said. "But that’s something you don’t want to test it too much. You don’t want them to get any setbacks. But I feel like they’re on schedule."’

‘Losman said it’s important he focus on throwing to the healthy targets and not worry about who isn’t in the lineup. "We can’t worry about injuries and who we’re throwing to and who we’re not," he said. "Trafford’s doing a great job and Ryan Neufeld, those are the guys I’m throwing to a lot now."’

‘A half-dozen veterans skipped at least the final day of Organized Team Activity workouts at Ralph Wilson Stadium. That still meant some 80 players did take part, including QB J.P. Losman who wouldn’t dream of skipping. He’s been handed the starting job and the work he’s putting in during May should make things run smoother come July. "Anytime you get a chance to come out here with the receivers, especially organized and running plays that we are going to run during the year, it’s very critical," Losman said. "I’m very fortunate for the guys here that we’re getting our timing down now."’

‘Buffalo, which came one win short of the playoffs last season with Bledsoe, handed over the starting job to youngster J.P. Losman without an on-field competition. Bledsoe is driven to prove the Bills made the wrong decision, and also reward the faith Parcells has in him.’

‘"One record I’m not proud of is having the most punts in Bills history," said Maguire. "That will tell you what kind of crappy teams I played on."’

‘Buffalo owner Ralph Wilson has been leading the charge for the sharing of those revenues. Wilson cites potential competitive imbalance, even though the league has a salary cap to level the playing field when it comes to signing players. Mara indicated some teams spend as much as 70 percent of their revenues on player costs, while other teams spend as little as 30 percent. That can impact on other team expenditures such as the coaching staff and building facilities, which could entice free agents to join the franchise.’

‘”It’s a big challenge being a backup because as competitors we want to be on the field,” said Haggan, Fletcher’s understudy at middle linebacker. “But to get on the field we have to go through London Fletcher or Jeff Posey and Takeo Spikes. We know that we can play. We just have to be patient because our time will come.”‘

‘”I always tell people that in football I learned a lot of things,” Reich said during a celebration-related conference call Thursday. “Two key things were preparation and leadership. And essentially what we do as a ministry is prepare leaders for the church.”‘

‘"I don’t know exactly how deep it goes with Mr. Adams but I don’t know if it’s a matter of pulling the trigger, it’s just are we hitting the right target?" coach Mike Mularkey said when asked about the Titans’ overtures for Henry. "If it’s the right target, the trigger will be pulled but obviously it hasn’t yet."’

”’I have no problem with that,” said Lee, a free agent who signed with the Bills earlier this month. ”I’m a team person and I just want to win, and this will really be the first opportunity for me to show what I can do.”’