Archives for July 18, 2008

‘"Leodis is very quick and explosive in his movements," said Jauron. "He has a nice feel for things that occur on the field and he’s aggressive. James, you can’t hide the fact that he’s over 6’5" and has good hands and catches the ball well. The rest of it is going to be technique and familiarizing themselves with the game at this level."’

‘Both teams, especially the Bills, have done a better job in regionalizing their franchises, mostly to the east and north.’

‘”I remember the day they opened training camp [in 1998], I was golfing,” Kelly said. “I was on the first tee box when somebody asked me, ‘Wouldn’t you like to be at training camp right now?’I looked down and had a margarita in my left hand and my driver on my right hand. I said, ‘Naaah. I think I made the right decision.'”‘

‘The issue is that Preston is better known as a technical specialist, which isn’t necessarily a plus; it’s one thing to hear a classical guitarist pick away in an expertly mechanical fashion, but it’s much more viscerally enjoyable to listen to the late Johnny Ramone smash away at maybe four chords. A primal desire to crush bones into dust on every single snap is what makes this game great in general and what wins individual linemen jobs in particular.’

‘The Bills have been in a state of rebuilding for going on nine years.’

‘Second-year TE Derek Schouman enters camp No. 2 on the depth chart behind starter Robert Royal. With Royal missing offseason workouts after minor knee surgery, Schouman took advantage of repetitions with the first unit and enters camp brimming with the confidence. He was a seventh-round pick out of Boise State in 2007 and appeared in three games with one start.’

‘Who says the NFL is a cold-hearted business? During minicamp in June, coach Dick Jauron told rookie free agent linebacker Jon Banks to stay home and be with his wife who had given birth to a baby girl. There are bigger things than football, Jauron said. "He wanted to come back because obviously as a rookie he wants a chance to make the team," Jauron said. "We encouraged him to stay home. He’s going to miss three days. It’ll be all right. He’ll get back to training camp and will be ready to go."’