Archives for August 2005

‘So while the former University of Wisconsin safety acknowledges the challenge of making the Buffalo Bills’ roster is "definitely" the biggest of his life, Leonhard doesn’t seem fazed by it. "It’s a lot alike," Leonhard said Thursday night following the Bills’ joint practice with the Green Bay Packers. "You start at the bottom and work up. And you just hope it goes as quickly as possible."’

‘According to a very reliable league source, the Buffalo Bills have been looking into the possibility of acquiring franchise-tagged defensive tackle Corey Simon from the Eagles.’

‘”I’ve had a lot of family members in the last three to four years I’ve lost due to cancer,” Thomas said. “Even though I do a lot of charity events, I’ll always try to do more cancer events for the rest of my life. This hits home for me, and I’m very proud to be here.”‘

‘”I think we got in alot of good work,” said Bills coach Mike Mularkey. “We had a number of sessions. The blitz, the inside run, we simulated a team period moving the ball, we got a lot of different things done. I like the way we finished the practice. That was important. It was about as close a game simulation as you can have, very close to what the scrimmage will be like.”‘

‘Vincent was one of three former Badgers who drew cheers from the green and gold faithful during a two-hour joint workout Thursday night, the first practice the Packers shared with another NFL team in 14 years. Wide receiver Lee Evans and safety Jim Leonhard also are former Badgers who got plenty of praise from the crowd.’

Coaches, fans get first look at the defense (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Rodgers impressive in scrimmage (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Coaches pleased with productive practice (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Former UW stars enjoy homecoming (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Rule changes protect players (Green Bay Press Gazette)

On the fence with fan Carrie Reed (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Sherman champions homeless shelter (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Scrimmage to be good test for test Rodgers, defense (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Hamstring injury may shelve Bedell (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Battle is on for return jobs (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Packers, fans gear up for Friday night party (Green Bay Press Gazette)

Evans fits the Bills (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Irwin, McGee return to airwaves (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Rookie QB Rodgers shows his stuff (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Packers’ defense solid (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Sander meets challenge (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Bills’ Leonhard believes he can beat the odds – again (Wisconsin State Journal)

Rodgers strong to start (Wisconsin State Journal)

Die-hard Packers fans line up for practice (Appleton Post Crescent)

Sander’s second chance starts Friday night against Bills (AP)

Bills Stampede Into Green Bay (Packers.com)

Referees Explain New Rules For 2005 NFL Season (Packers.com)

Rodgers Shreds The Bills Pass Defense (Packers.com)

Restaurants Score with Packers-Bills Practice (WBAY-TV)

Oneida Street Closing for Packers-Bills (WBAY-TV)

‘”I think we got a lot of good work,” head coach Mike Mularkey said at the conclusion of the joint workout. “We had a number of different sessions, the blitz, the inside run, and a simulated team period. We got a lot of things done and I liked the way we finished the practice. That was important because it was about as close to a game simulation as you can have.”‘

‘”I want to see what he’s got,” Rodgers recently said on Packers.com. “I’ll definitely be watching him pretty close.”‘

‘”I thought it would be a great change-up,” Sherman said. “Going against a different colored jersey will spice things up a bit for a coup le days.” Mularkey said the same thing before the Bills boarded their plane for Green Bay: “Just listening to these guys as we were finishing up practice, they need somebody else to beat on. It’s been a pretty good week worth of practice. I think it’s just a change-up. It’s good for them.”‘

‘So how do you look in blue and red compared to orange and black?

Spikes: I look like a winner.’

‘So let’s make it official: I predict Losman will start the season solid, evolve into good and proceed to outstanding.’

‘I think 9-7 is attainable, but a slow 1-5 start like last year could force a quarterback change on a week-to-week basis. A 2-3 start or better and the franchise will not look back as the Losman era is born. I think Losman stays on the field all season and the team scrambles to an 8-8 record with their sights clearly set on 2006 as the year they make their big move.’

‘On Friday, teams will work from 9:45 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Practice will include individual drills, seven-on-seven and a two-minute drill simulation. The teams will then warm up from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m., with the scrimmage kicking off at 8:05 p.m. at Lambeau Field. The first-team offenses will face the first-team defenses on two separate sets of possessions.’

‘In the afternoon, the first teams ran a spirited four-play goal-line drill in a full-pads, thanks due an inducement by Bills coach Mike Mularkey. “Whoever won was going to get some more time off tonight,” Mularkey said. “So that sort of stirs up the competition. They take a lot of pride in their side of the ball.”‘

‘Lee, returning veterans Joe Burns and Shaud Williams, and rookie Lionel Gates are the candidates competing for the important No. 2 role behind superstar Willis McGahee, a spot created by the pre-training camp trade of Travis Henry to the Tennessee Titans. It’s a race too close to call, with every practice, every scrimmage, every preseason game scheduled for heavy scrutiny by the coaching staff and front office.’