Archives for May 2011

‘”We spend our time now working on things that we sort of cram in around OTAs,” Gailey said. “We’re able to take our time doing them now, which is breaking down preseason opponents and our early regular season opponents. So we’re able to get some general ideas against those teams and what they’re doing.”‘

‘"I’m definitely excited to get going, probably more excited than in the past," Fitzpatrick said. "As this thing drags on, you’re more excited and anxious. To me it’s fun right now being the guy and organizing those workouts and getting guys in and getting the chance to grow. We have a lot of young guys, young receivers, and that’s fun too, just because of their attitude and their willingness."’

‘Chief executive officer Russ Brandon confirmed in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Tuesday that the Bills had stopped paying into the 401K plan for the duration of the lockout and “will decide at a later date whether to reinstate them for 2011 based on our financial performance.” Brandon said all employees had been notified early on that the plan was being amended so that all team contributions would be discretionary for this year.’

‘”The hardest thing I’ve ever done last year was sitting through all the meetings and not being out there,” Batten said. “This is much easier. I enjoy working out. I strive for it. My motor’s kicking and I’m just eager to get out there.”‘

‘”The NFL needs to know the Hulk is coming,” Dareus told Yahoo! Sports at an NFL players rookies event at a school in Santa Monica, Calif. last week. “The Hulk takes control, he doesn’t let anything get past or anything get in the way. That is what I call myself and before I go out to play I get myself into that state of mind. It helps me get ready."”

‘I think he has good functional all-around speed. Numbers can be kind of screwy. (Some media outlets reported Rogers ran in the 4.5s). Some people had him at 4.39 at our pro day and 4.4 at the combine. I can tell you Justin has gone out and competed in the Atlantic 10 track meet for our school and he has posted pretty good track times.’

‘"We’re not doing a ton, just real basic stuff," said linebacker Chris Kelsay. "It was good to get everybody together. Kind of get that offseason workout feeling back that we’ve all been missing."’

‘”I go into every year with high expectations for myself and try to give myself the best opportunity to be at the level I know I can be at,” he said. “Every year is the same for me, and this year is no different. I’m going to come in and attack the season and try to make the best of the opportunities I get.”‘

‘Another guy trimmer is LB Aaron Maybin. He now looks like a WR and that does not bode well for a guy trying to be a rush OLB. He certainly is cut and in great shape, but he just doesn’t seem to get that he gets thrown all over the field by bigger and stronger men.’

‘The workouts were limited to running drills and a 45-minute weightlifting period.’

‘As a football player, I’d say his number one quality is his explosiveness. He has been the punt returner here at Carolina for several years and when you watch him return a punt you just see something that is hard to put into words. Not only speed, but that explosiveness – he gets up field right away. I think that is his best quality as a football player. That is what makes him as good as he is as a punt returner and it is also what makes him as good as he is as a safety, breaking on a ball once it is in the air or coming up in run support. I think he ran a 4.57 at the Combine which is really good, certainly that’s not blazing speed but his first step is a lot quicker than most other people I have seen at the safety position.’

‘”I can remember my days of playing against Darryl while he was at West Virginia,” said Smith who played his college ball at Virginia Tech. “He was that linebacker and that player that we as younger players strived to become and strived to emulate with his finesse, his resilience, and his approach to the game. It’s an incredible honor and it’s well deserved.”‘

‘Jones said he understands how unique his opportunity to play in the NFL is, noting that he plans to serve as a role model to young people here. Jones signed autographs, posed for photos and addressed to a group of young students during a Thursday afternoon meeting in the all-purpose room at the Y on Watchung Avenue.’

‘Michael Jasper was listed at 394 pounds on April 30, the last day of the NFL draft, earning him the distinction as the heaviest player selected when the Bills took him in the seventh round,”

‘Moats is currently working out in Harrisonburg during the ongoing NFL lockout. He does plan to attend player-organized workouts in the future, but he says given the opportunity, he’d like to be back in the future. He also said, the experience isn’t just fun for the kids; he gets something out of it too.’