Archives for August 2006

‘Jauron did not name a second or third string quarterback, but did say Craig Nall should get more playing time than Kelly Holcomb against Detroit.’

‘The news did not come as a big surprise after Jauron named Losman the front-runner two weeks ago in training camp. Ever since, Losman has taken the majority of snaps in practice and started the past two preseason games. “It’s good for him to actually say it, but I’ve been getting kind of comfortable here the last couple of weeks,” Losman said. “It’s exciting times but it’s time to really go to work now.”‘

‘"All of you saw it coming and certainly all the quarterbacks saw it coming,” Jauron said today after practice at Ralph Wilson Stadium.’

‘Head Coach Dick Jauron has officially announced J.P. Losman as the team’s starting QB.’

‘Rocca has an appointment to show off his booming kicking style to the Buffalo Bills and said arrangements were being put in place with a second NFL club. "Hopefully I can make a few contacts over there and go back and forth in the next three to four months and establish a base over there with a team," he said. Rocca is hopeful of becoming the third AFL player, after Darren Bennett and Ben Graham, to carve out an NFL career.’

‘”We didn’t know for sure when we were going to put him at center,” McNally said. “But we knew that before training camp was over he had to go back and play some center because obviously if he’s active in the game he’s got to be able to play center and guard. He’s got to be able to block and get better at those positions. But having a guy who does both is invaluable to us.”‘

‘The Bills have to cut 22 more players to reach the 53-man roster limit by 4 p.m. Saturday.’

‘”I take each play and think about what I have to do on that play, and then off the field I try to stay away from all distractions. I have a lot of good people around me. My parents, my grandparents, my high school coach (Ted Ginn Sr., father of Ohio State star Ted Ginn Jr.), coach (Jim) Tressel and the coaches at Ohio State that I keep in contact with. Some people, when they get to this level, they think everything is going so fast, but I don’t feel like that.”‘

‘”I wouldn’t say it was tougher, they’re all tough and they’re certainly a lot tougher on the player than it is on me,” Jauron said after the team’s practice inside Ralph Wilson Stadium. “I feel for them. They really gave us a great effort and they really wanted to play. It’s a dream of theirs to play. You’ve just got to make decisions and unfortunately, you can’t keep them all.”‘

‘Rocca admitted he would be more emotional about his farewell from football if he didn’t have plans to head to the US only two days after his final game to pursue a punting career in the NFL, similar to those forged by former AFL players Darren Bennett and Ben Graham. “I’m heading over Tuesday morning, next Tuesday, and I’ve got a trial with the Buffalo Bills over there,” Rocca said. “It’s not necessarily a trial, it’s just a kick with one of their coaches there so he can help me out a little bit, and I’ll be speaking to another club over there as well, but it’s still up in the air with that one.”‘

‘Kangaroos forward Saverio Rocca is set to end his AFL career against Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday after securing a punting trial with NFL club Buffalo Bills in the United States.’

‘The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder has since played with the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos, New York Jets and last spring played with the Jets’ NFL Europe affiliate, the Colone Centurions. There he completed 58 of 102 passes for 633 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions for a team that finished 4-6. He joined the Bills this past summer.’

‘Buffalo’s head coach, Dick Jauron, hasn’t yet officially named Losman as the team’s starting quarterback, but it’s essentially a sure thing at this point. For, with Losman, it used to be about potential and unwarranted cockiness, but these days he’s about on-field intelligence, coolness and a far more humble attitude.’

‘Rookies Chris Denney and Martin Nance could end up on the eight-player practice squad, if the Bills like them enough. Evans, Josh Reed, Peerless Price, Roscoe Parrish and special teams ace Sam Aiken are pretty well locked, leaving Andre Davis, George Wilson and Jonathan Smith probably vying for one spot.’

‘"We’re going to leave it as it is," said Jauron. "J.P. is clearly the frontrunner and played pretty well the other night. We made a number of errors the other night as a team and as individuals and as coaches and we all have to improve. I think he’s improved every week and every day in practice. We’ll leave it like it is and if anything changes we’ll let you know."’