Archives for August 2006

‘On testing the starters versus Cleveland: It is (a test). We anticipate playing most of our starters, not all of them, but most of them through the first half and on into the second and they’ll come out and certainly start the third quarter. We’re looking forward to it from a lot of perspectives, performance wise and conditioning wise, we’ll get a sense of where they are. Though you work awfully hard in practice, it’s never like a game. It’ll be a good one.’

‘On Spikes and the coaches weighing the positive and negatives of him playing: There’s a little bit of both on both ends. Like I’ve said, I don’t need a preseason game to determine whether or not I’ll be ready for the season. I said it now, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.’

‘On playing the Browns this weekend: It’s a great feeling, growing up in Cleveland watching the browns growing up. Actually my DB coach at Ohio State is now coaching there, and I have talked to him. I’m looking forward to seeing him on Saturday so it’s going to be fun. I’m going to go out there and play hard, the Browns are going to go out there and play hard, and I hope we win.’

‘On Donte Whitner: He’s a work in progress. He’s making great strides as much as you can give him. Donte is working through his inexperience on game day, just a lack of playing time on Sunday. The more reps he’s getting, the better he’s getting and we’re seeing progress every day. He’s going to make me a better ball player and I’m going to make him a better ball player.’

‘On getting more snaps this week: I got a few more than I did last week, I’m 100% healthy now, and I think that has something to do with it. (Coach) has talked about me playing a little bit more this week, and getting a couple of extra reps so I can be prepared for that.’

‘On camp being over and where the team is at: I think we’ve gotten better from day one. We keep taking baby steps every day and at the end of the day it’s a big step. I’m confident with this group and everybody’s feeling really good about themselves right now.’

‘”The value [of training camp] is you’re away from all distractions and you’re together. You go through some hard times; you can’t just go home. This is your team, this is where you’re staying and you have to pull through it. In that aspect, it’s real good.”‘

‘But training camp is over, and a lot of things were revealed about the Bills over the past four weeks. Here’s a rundown…’.

‘”Our goal is to make our fans in Rochester feel like it’s not the Buffalo Bills but ‘our Bills,'” said Russ Brandon, executive vice president of business operations. “That was the foundation of our plan when we came here seven years ago.”‘

‘”I’m very pleased,” Levy said. “Dick was tremendously well organized, focused, a superb teacher. I loved the attention they gave to special situations, how they interspersed the kicking game into the meat of the practice. This is a coaching staff that is all on the same page. They’re good teachers who worked well with each other and the players know Dick is a straight shooter. He didn’t come in with a ‘This-is-the-way-it’s-going-to-be’ style.'”‘

‘”I have a lot of good people around me,” Whitner said. “My parents, my grandparents, my high school coach, coach Tressel and the coaches at Ohio State. … Some people when they get to this level, they think everything is going so fast, but I don’t feel like that. If you really want to be good, you have to be good early. You have to slow everything down, take everything as it comes and not get overwhelmed.”‘

‘The first 10,000 kids 14 and under will receive a stop watch.’

‘”I feel like it’s my first year,” he says. “I’m feeling anxious, just ready to get back started again. I have flexibility, mobility; all of that is back. It’s just a matter of time before I’m back doing what I do.”‘

‘OL- This unit has to be better. I don’t think they’re great by any means, but they can’t be worse than last year’s line.’

‘Quarterback J.P. Losman has emerged from camp as the front-runner for the starting job for the Bills’ season opener on September 10th. Losman and Craig Nall will see most of the playing time Saturday night. Nall made up for some missed time at camp due to a hamstring injury by performing well in the Bills’ second preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Nall crafted two scoring drives late in the game for Buffalo and is making his case to be considered as Losman’s backup in front of Kelly Holcomb.’