Archives for August 25, 2009

‘”Fred got hit on the thumb and we’re just hoping it’s okay,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “They took him in to look at it and they’ll probably x-ray it too. I don’t want to say it’s the thumb because he had fine movement in his thumb. It was in the wrist area.”‘

‘Jackson was having tests on his thumb after he was hurt on a running play. The player was in pain and immediately escorted to the training facility.’

‘”He won’t play this weekend,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “But he felt the best he’s felt today. He was working out here earlier with our trainers.”‘

‘”I think we’ve been successful identifying the right guys and bringing in the right guys,” said offensive line coach Sean Kugler. “There’s been a lot of change over not just at guard, but at center too. We’re really happy with the progression those guys are making. We feel real good about that.”‘

‘"He’s still trying to get his legs under him, and they (the coaches) are throwing a lot at him," said Kelsay, a seven-year pro out of Nebraska. "A lot of the plays, alignments and techniques come pretty naturally for him. … All-in-all, he came out and gave a great effort on every play. That’s what excites me more than anything. If you have a guy who can go out there and create game-changing plays for your defense, that’s what we’ve been lacking, that’s what we need and that’s what we think he can do."’

‘Offensive tackle Demetrius Bell was carted off the field Monday but the injury didn’t appear to be too serious. Jauron said he "twinged his back a little bit. … Hopefully it’s not bad."’

‘”What you see on TV, he’s nothing like that,” Johnson said. “Everybody says he’s this big team disrupter – and I’ll admit, it’s early here; maybe I just haven’t seen it yet – but he hasn’t been anything like that. In the receivers room, he’s always joking.”‘

‘The problem is as it’s been ever since he took over the reigns from J.P. Losman is he can’t get the Bills into the end zone.’

‘I would not say it is time for any panic, but there is every reason to be concerned. The good news is the Bills get a perfect opportunity to practice again this Saturday. There might not be a more realistic, regular season atmosphere than preseason game number 3 (for the Steelers) in Pittsburgh, when Dick LeBeau tries to see if his group is regular season ready.’

‘"I did a pretty good job of keeping myself in shape while everybody was in camp but obviously when you’ve got all this added weight on you it’s a little bit more difficult," said Maybin, who played at 236 pounds last season at Penn State. "But it felt great. I had a pretty good day today. Coaching staff, we’re going to sit down a little bit later on and evaluate things so we can get a more accurate assessment of where I’m at, but I feel good for the first day."’

‘Jauron, who always backpedals from criticism of his players after watching the film, backed off Monday. But for Jauron to utter the words "timid" and "fearful" in any context tells me there’s concern about Edwards within the coaching staff.’

‘Here are the numbers that get my attention: 38-3. That’s the combined score by which the Titans, Bears and Packers starters have outscored Buffalo’s first-stringers this preseason in less than four full quarters.’