Archives for July 2006

‘The Bills began the process of signing their draft picks Thursday as offensive tackle Terrance Pennington became the first of Buffalo’s nine selections to agree to terms with the club.’

‘On a team full of question marks, it’s probably safe to say that Losman is the biggest. ’06 might be glory’s last shot for the embattled 25-year-old, so he better make it count. Otherwise, he could be slipping on his No. 7 jersey for a different franchise sooner than later.’

‘"I know what to expect on the field but in terms of learning a new playbook like I did last year and having to compete and move around and play a new position it’s a little bit of the same thing," said Preston. "My preparation last year is going to pay off this year."’

‘Buffalo is an interesting city. The fans were spoiled by the (former Bills quarterback) Jim Kelly and (former Bills head coach) Marv Levy years and the four trips to the Super Bowl. There is a high expectation for success there, isn’t there?

Holcomb – Oh, I don’t think there is any question about that. Sometimes, you don’t want to compare it, but it is a little bit like Cleveland. It’s smaller than Cleveland, but it’s kind of like Cleveland. They haven’t had a championship there, and they’re looking for one. The people are very passionate about the Bills. People really saw how Buffalo supported the Sabres (of the National Hockey League) this year. They went to the semifinals and championship game of the Eastern Conference. They supported those guys. And everybody was telling me, if you guys win four or five in a row, it would make (support of) the Sabres look like nothing. Those guys are passionate about their teams. I just hope we can win for them. I really do. I think we did some good things in the draft. I think we drafted for needs instead of popularity. You look at all the talk shows and ESPN and all those guys talking about how bad our draft was. But I think we did a pretty good job when we drafted needs.’

‘”A tight end is always going to have to block,” said Fairchild. “He’s always going to have to block for the run game and the pass game. Beyond that, however athletic they are will determine how far we take it in the passing game.”‘

‘The lengthy offseason has seen the Buffalo Bills change coaching staffs, begetting a new defensive scheme. The new outfit the Bills will be trying on is the “Tampa 2,” emphasizing big-time contributions from defensive backs. With a rock-solid foursome of starters and a host of underappreciated depth players, the Bills’ secondary should have no problem improving upon its 22nd ranked pass defense from 2005.’

‘The likely answer is yes.’

‘The perception that the Bills will go exclusively to a cover 2-type zone coverage scheme isn’t entirely accurate. The cover 2, in which there is safety help over the top, will be a part of the base package. But the defense will give CBs Nate Clements and Terrence McGee plenty of opportunities to play man-to-man coverage. Clements is one of the game’s elite cover corners, while McGee is a burgeoning talent with good ball skills. Their ability to play different coverages, support the run and blitz gives defensive coordinator Perry Fewell plenty of flexibility.’

‘With certain NFL teams scouring for punters and kickers at this late juncture of the offseason, the Buffalo Bills can rest easy knowing their duo is among the elite in pro football. Moorman and Lindell aren’t necessarily well-known commodities, but that’s for the best, as it means they’re performing their jobs well.’

‘Here’s a rundown of the offseason moves by each AFC East club…’.

‘”I sit there and watch those games to, and hopefully somebody will step up and be the leader we want them to be,” he said.’

‘Football, respect and enthusiasm were the common themes in Saturday’s second annual Joe Burns Football Camp. The Buffalo Bills running back, with the help of former and current athletes, helped host the day-long camp at Thomas County Central’s practice field. While the campers were taught numerous drills, a main lesson of the day was one on respect.’

‘”I was very impressed [by Losman] with how he handled the intelligence side of the game,” said Jaworski, who had heard the criticism that Losman didn’t have the football smarts for the position. “He answered everything pretty much right. I’m very confident he’ll have a good year. I think he’ll be the [Bills] quarterback.”‘

‘”Basically every day is a mini-camp when you’re out there because you’re doing the same things over and over just trying to get as many repetitions as you can,” said Hall.’

‘The Bills will have one new starting wide receiver, three new starting linemen, a new tight end and possibly a new quarterback compared to a year ago when the 2006 season kicks off. Considering that their offense has been spinning its wheels for years and last season’s unit dropped from 25th in yards to 28th — and from seventh in points scored to 24th — the carnage could’ve been much worse.’