Archives for August 2005

‘”The most difficult thing to deal with was that there is approximately a two-second delay when you sing, so you really can’t listen to yourself (on the stadium’s public-address system). When you sing your fourth word, you hear your first word come out of the speakers and it’s in a different key, so if you listen to the playback, you’ll mess the whole thing up. And the Bills didn’t give you a chance to practice. They just handed you the microphone.”‘

‘”I feel that I am the best,” he said after the Buffalo Bills completed Day Two of training camp Sunday at St. John Fisher. “The film doesn’t lie. The numbers don’t lie either. I put up numbers every year. I’m versatile, I return punts as well as play special teams and I’m durable. I would put myself up against anybody in the league.”‘

‘Bills owner Ralph Wilson made an appearance at camp Sunday. Practice was halted briefly as the players gathered at midfield to listen to Wilson address the team.’

‘Holcomb, the former Cleveland Browns starter, was signed as insurance behind Losman and Matthews, a 12-year veteran, was also brought back. It was a signal that Buffalo’s coaching staff knows there’s reward and risk when counting on a mobile QB like Losman to make plays. His teammates and coaches, though, said it would be an injustice if Losman can’t stay healthy and show what he can do on the field. No player on the Bills worked harder in the off-season.’

‘WR Josh Reed vs. WR Roscoe Parrish for number three receiver – This key contest will heat up heading into the Green Bay scrimmage. Parrish, the Bills’ top pick out of Miami, has been impressive and there’s no question Reed is hearing footsteps. In the team’s first practice, Reed dropped two passes right in his hands.’

‘Players show up for camp with personal effects like TV sets, video games and fans. What did DT Lauvale Sape bring with him? A ukulele. Before checking into his dorm, the native of American Samoa played a few notes and sang for reporters. Is American Idol in his future? "Oh no, I hope not."’

‘”I’ve had three rough seasons, but the thing that kept me going was my teammates and my coaches. They believe in me, and like I said, I’m starting to get back to my old self,” said Reed after Sunday’s lone practice at St. John Fisher College. “I know what got me here. I’m not going to go out there and try and do too much. I’m going to go out and just do what I can; that’s it.”‘

‘”I think that’s just him, and I don’t want him to be anything else but himself,” Mularkey said. “But he’s got to realize all eyes are on him. He’s such a competitor, and he’s never satisfied. Even though some of these throws are good, they’re not good enough for him. I don’t mind that but he can’t show his frustrations all the time. I think his teammates see that, and it can be a negative for the team.”‘

‘As expected much of the spotlight was focused on Bills starting quarterback J.P. Losman. Losman has been working on keeping his emotions in check when a play doesn’t go his way. Coach Mularkey has emphasized how important this is to Losman because he says it could negatively affect the team if Losman cannot control his emotions. J.P. looks to have improved from last year and is gaining comfort in the pocket. He also says that Bills rookie Roscoe Parrish has been a great target for him thus far.’

‘”I was just happy to come out here with my teammates,” says Campbell. “This is the dog days of camp. To be able to come out here and work with those guys, it feels great to be back. It’s really exciting for me.” His recovery was expected to take at least a year, but Campbell returned ahead of schedule. “There wasn’t any goals,’ he said. “I just wanted to come back and play.”‘

‘Many special children spent a sunny afternoon with thier NFL heroes, the Buffalo Bills. The Crestwood Children’s Center held their annual picnic at training camp today.’

‘”Last night, offensively, was a much better practice but the defense bounced back today like they always do and gave us a little bit more challenge” said Losman. “It was tough but still offensively we had a great day and defensively we had a great day and special teams finished up strong with the conditioning at the end.”‘

‘"Being here a number of years and having a little bit of experience helped," Edwards said of his push for the starting job. "Knowing the game and sitting behind and being around players like Sam Adams and Pat Williams helped too."’

‘”Roscoe’s made some big plays,” Losman said following Sunday’s practice. “His speed and quickness is definitely showing through.”‘

‘Tucker had back surgery this offseason, but was hoping to be ready for camp to compete for a starting job at left guard or tackle. "He’s frustrated with it, he understands that (he’s missing time), so he’s doing everything he can to be back out there," Mularkey said.’