Archives for August 2011

‘”This is a tremendous place for prepare,” Brandon told News 4 Sports, “and we have had a lot of discussions over the last month. The long and short of it is I think we are closing in on an agreement for St John Fisher to be the summer home of the Bills for many years to come.”‘

‘”St. John Fisher makes it work. The staff and everything about this campus and everything about this camp make this one of the best places to prepare in the National Football League. Obviously the proximity to everything we have here, the food service, the fields and the weight rooms and just how the community embraces this is incredibly important to our regionalization. (There are) no doubts we are going to be back here.”‘

‘The Bills have enough trouble trying to get quality free agents to come to Buffalo. They are at a disadvantage because of their recent track record on the field, their perceived lack of financial resources, the overstating of the weather and the accurate assessment of the ridiculous tax structure in the state of New York make it a big wall to climb. The commissioner of their league playing matchmaker and cutting them out is something they should not have to deal with.’

‘”I am the guy, but I still feel like they’re the guys also,” Johnson said. “We all have something to prove, so why don’t we all take this as a huge opportunity and make something of it.”‘

‘Coach Chan Gailey calls the decision to rest Merriman a precaution. He adds Merriman would have likely played if this were a regular-season game.’

‘”We got a lot of good work in,” said Fitzpatrick. “I think offensively the last few days we didn’t practice like we wanted to. That being said, we’ve got the three games to get ready for the season. I think we got a lot done here. I think we really grew as a team. We’re excited to get back to Orchard Park and start practicing there.”‘

‘”We’ve had a lot of discussions over the last month and the long and short of it is I think we’re closing in on an agreement for St. John Fisher to be the summer home of the Bills for many, many years to come,” he said.’

‘In order to realize his dream of claiming a permanent roster spot in the NFL, Forrest must do enough in the team’s three remaining preseason games to unseat Brian Moorman, a two-time Pro Bowler who has spent his entire career with Buffalo. “He’s one of the best ever to punt, so it’s definitely an uphill battle,” Forrest said. “He also has a year left on his contract.”‘

“He is a productive player,” said Chan Gailey, Buffalo head coach. “He is a very good athlete and not just pocket guy. He can make some things happen with his feet. He is a great competitor and has a strong arm, which you need to have to play up here.”

‘"I think it’s going to be more dramatic than what people even think," DeHaven said after a recent training camp practice. "Everybody I hear is talking about how there’s going to be more touchbacks because they’re kicking from the 35. The thing I don’t hear people talking about is how much further down the field the coverage team is going to be when you’re trying to bring the ball out."’

‘"At the end of the day, I never went out to prove naysayers wrong or anything like that," he said. "Whenever I step on the football field, I want to be the best player that I can be and I want to help my team win football games. That’s always been my focus and that’s what it’s going to continue to be."’

‘"It means a lot to me that everybody passed on me four times but the fifth time these guys didn’t get it wrong," said Williams, a former fifth-round pick. "So I want to be here. But as far as all the contract stuff, it’s early, they’re just talking and we’ll see where it goes."’

‘”He definitely thinks I’m the guy. Hopefully a lot of people draft me and I can get them a lot of points. But right now I don’t really think about (starting). I’m just out here doing my job. That’s out of my hands, it’s up to the coaches, and if they decide to go that route, that’s what they’ll do.”‘

Aaron Maybin, former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills, signs with the Jets; Nick Mangold back (New York Daily News)

Maybin happy to join Jets (New York Post)

Maybin excited about fresh start (Newsday)

Aaron Maybin arrives at Jets practice, looks to assert himself as a pass-rushing option (Newark Star Ledger)

Jets roll dice with linebacker Aaron Maybin (Bergen Record)

Jets no magic touch with underachievers (Bergen Record)

Aaron Maybin signs deal with Jets (ESPN)

Jets agree to terms with former Bills bust Maybin (AP)

Jets take a chance on LB Maybin (The Sports Network)

‘A 5-11 record is a distinct possibility. Buffalo might well win just one intradivision game, when it hosts Miami on Dec. 18, but matchups versus Oakland (Week 2), at Cincinnati (Week 4), versus Washington (Week 8), and versus Denver (Week 16) look promising. The result will be a seventh straight losing season, but at least it will represent a slight improvement on 2010’s 4-12 finish.’