Archives for April 2011

‘Asked about coaching Miller, coach Chan Gailey said, “I had first impressions and last impressions. The first impression was I heard so much about this guy he’s not nearly as big as I thought he was going to be. And the last impression when I walked out of there was I see why I’ve heard so much about this guy. He understands leverage, he understands blow delivery, he’s got amazing speed and quickness. He’s an interesting guy.”‘

‘Miller’s comfort zone is rushing off the edge in a 3-4 scheme. The Bills mostly ran a 3-4 last season, with disastrous results. A large part of that was because, in their first year of transition from a 4-3 defense, they didn’t have enough of the right types of players to fit the scheme.’

‘Ijalana’s height is not ideal for a tackle, but he has good feet and exceptionally long arms (36 inches). Some teams see him fitting best at guard. But given his good feet, whichever team drafts him is sure to give him a first crack at tackle. Ijalana is projected to be drafted anywhere from the second round to the middle of the third round.’

‘”He is a really good football player with a lot of upside,” said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. “He’s a He played a lot of the last four games with a double hernia. That’ll show how tough a kid he is. He’s got great feet, long arms. He’s not as tall as they like. He’s barely 6’4” so some think he might kick inside, but he’s got the feet and arm length to stay outside.”‘

‘”Jackson is a back you can win with.”‘

‘The exact times and dates for the Bills’ games will be announced at a later date. The Bills visit the Bears the weekend of Aug. 11-14. They visit the Broncos the weekend of Aug. 18-21. The home game against the Jaguars is the weekend of Aug. 25-28. The exhibition finale against Detroit will be Sept. 1 or 2. None of the Bills’ four preseason games are on the national television schedule.’

‘For the current lease year, which began last Aug. 1 and covered last season, the Bills are allowed $4.01 million. The final payment, 16 percent of the total, goes out by May 1. A similar amount will be set for the next lease year that starts Aug. 1 to cover the 2011 season — even while county government has cut support to libraries and cultural agencies to make ends meet.’

‘Tarpinian (6’2″ 235) has not been a highly touted prospect likely due to an injury history, but he garnered some attention after his performance at Iowa’s pro day late last month.’

‘The Bills will travel to Chicago in Week 1, and Denver in Week 2. The Bills and Broncos will meet for the eighth time in preseason play, and for the first time since 2004.’

‘The Bills will travel to Chicago in Week One of the 2011 preseason. The game will mark the 15th preseason meeting between the two teams. Buffalo last faced Chicago in the preseason in 2009.’

‘”Buddy has final say so,” said Bills head coach Chan Gailey. “There’s no question about it. He makes the decision. He asks Mr. Wilson’s opinion, my opinion and he asks the scouts’ opinion and the coaches’ opinion, but he makes the decision. That’s what he’s great at and we need to let him do that. That’s what his forte is and where his strength is. He should do that.”‘

‘"We gotta look at the big picture," Nix said. "Our goal is to win the Super Bowl. We’re not looking to make a splash the first six weeks of the season. We’re trying to see down the road, and that’s hard to do sometimes. If there’s a quarterback there, and I’ve said this time and again, that might be an eight- or 10-year guy that can be a consistent winner, and we’d be a threat every time we hit the field because of him (you take him). We were with Jim Kelly. We were with Phillip Rivers and Drew Brees (in San Diego). We knew we had a chance when we went on the field because of that guy. If that guy’s there, you’ve got to seriously consider taking him, whether he’s an immediate need or not."’

‘In her closing remarks, Mary Owen expressed her gratitude for the competing teams’ strategic solutions and indicated that, comprehensively, the teams gave the Bills front office quite a few things to consider in order to continue to develop the Bills’ ‘Regionalization Strategy’ in Canada.’

‘"I had always played the game with a hate, so to speak, or a rage, and felt like I had to go out and play with this anger in order to be successful on the football field," Fletcher recalled. "As a Christian, now I’m thinking, I can’t really play with this anger and this hate and still be successful. I’m the middle linebacker of the Buffalo Bills and I’m known for being this rough and tumble, physical guy. How am I going to do this and serve Christ? "To my amazement, my game actually got better. It’s amazing. I noticed not only did my life improve, but my game improved."’

‘The Bills are in need of run stoppers and pass rushers at this vital position. They ranked last against the run in 2010 and linebackers had just 9.0 sacks combined.’