Archives for August 1, 2009

‘The offensive line had some good execution on Saturday. They executed a few screen passes in team work, which has been inconsistent in years past.’

‘”To have a guy like that will work wonders for us,” Stroud said. “He’s got that chip on his shoulder and is ready to make an impact.”‘

‘Spann (6’0″ 195) has spent most of the last three seasons with the New England Patriots serving primarily as a special teams player. He had been called up from the Patriots’ practice squad to the team’s active roster five times over that time period appearing in 19 games.’

‘Reed is still awaiting his ticket to the Hall of Fame, but whether he gets in or not he is pleased with how he represented the Lehigh Valley over his football career. "This is where I grew up," said Reed. "This is where it all started. This is where the foundation was laid. So anything I do is all reflected upon where I came from and what I have done. It’s always good to come back and see people."’

‘The Bills are scheduled to be off Sunday, but after practicing seven days in a row, coach Dick Jauron felt some of his star players deserved a break. “For some of them, they just needed a day off,” Jauron said. “They have worked awfully hard this first week.”‘

‘"He keeps hanging around," defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. "He’s like a boxer that keeps jabbing, jabbing and punching and doesn’t get knocked out. We have provided him some competition, but the thing that has happened is his experience, knowledge and know-how outweighs the athleticism the other guys have.’

‘"Drayton is a game-changer for us, especially with losing Jabari. Bringing him in, he’s the type of player we need; a veteran who has a lot of games under his belt and has made a lot of plays in the NFL," McGee said. "He’s such a smart corner who really knows the routes and formations and what to look out for. He makes great breaks on the ball."’

”’There are a lot of teams that are really jealous of what the Bills have achieved,” he said. ”They’ve made a very concerted effort to go out to the outlying markets to be sure (the team) has great relevance.”’

‘Biffle got to meet some of the Bills players, among them placekicker Rian Lindell. Biffle and Lindell are both from Vancouver, Wash., yet they had never met.’

‘"If things don’t work out there, (Mace) knows he can always come to Toronto," Rita, the Argos’ general manager, said. "We’re glad he will be able to have a chance to follow his dream."’

‘"This is exactly what we expected would happen, and just what we’ve told anyone in the CFL who would listen, that this was the most likely scenario," agent Paul Sheehy wrote in an e-mail yesterday. "As for his future in the CFL, he loves the CFL game and tradition. If the opportunity presents itself down the road at an appropriate time, we’d certainly be happy to revisit it."’

‘Through six games last fall, Edwards was establishing himself as one of the game’s best young passers, posting a 98.8 QB rating and punctuating it with a virtuoso Week 6 performance against San Diego. His numbers fell off from there, and a groin injury that took him out for two weeks didn’t help matters. Buffalo was 7-5 in games Edwards completed, but it’ll take more than that for the Bills to contend in the East-they’ll need the early-’08 version of their QB.’

‘"You can point the finger at me, and I’m the first person to do that. I’m my own harshest critic," Edwards told Sporting News. "Going into my third season, there’s still some growing pains to go through. Everyone evaluates themselves, and I’m in the process of trying to fix what I did wrong last year."’

‘”He’s an outstanding athlete,” Corner said. “He’s just an outstanding addition. He’s a playmaker, and the offense needed a playmaker.”‘