Archives for August 2011

‘Parrish was running a fly pattern during a full-field drill when he came up limping and grabbing his left leg. Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey expects him to miss extended practice time.’

‘”We’ve talked preliminarily about the starters going somewhere around the first quarter, maybe a little bit less, maybe a little bit more, it depends on how many plays we get.” Gailey added, “The one thing I know is if you go out and get guys hurt because you left them out there too long and they’re not ready to play September 11th, that’s not a good thing. So you gotta find ways to keep pushing them to be ready for September 11th without going over the line and I don’t know where that line is, it’s a feel. We’ll take this game more individually maybe more than we ever have taken a game.”‘

‘”It was just circulating through the locker room,” said Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson. “I don’t even watch Sports Center or nothing, none of that. But I heard about it in the locker room and was like ‘Probably not true.’ And now today, it’s like ‘Wow, maybe it is true.'”‘

‘Buddy Nix targeted him last season claiming him from the Cowboys. He actually pulled a fast one on Jerry Jones. Nix claimed Martin Rucker off the Cowboys practice squad. Jones didn’t want to lose Rucker so he signed him to the roster cutting Chandler. That freed up the guy Nix wanted all along and he claimed him in early December. Nix knew Jones thought a lot of Rucker and would likely keep him. Chandler said, “I don’t know how it all went down, but I’m pretty excited to be a Buffalo Bill.”‘

‘Returning on the defensive side from the injured list were linebackers Chris Kelsay and Kelvin Sheppard, defensive lineman Kellen Heard and cornerback Drayton Florence. Florence’s return was especially surprising in light of the fact that Gailey had previously stated that Florence could miss the preseason opener Saturday with a four to six-day prognosis.’

‘”It’s hard for me to comment on it now," Evans said. "It’s one of those things where you’ve got to find out how much substance is behind it and see what happens. You see some blogs and hear some things around the internet and on the news. So we just have to see what the truth is.”‘

‘”I think it just got caught in Wood’s shoulder pads,” Troup told Buffalobills.com. “I went to long arm him and I couldn’t really tell when it happened. I just went back to the sideline and I just felt the pain. I thought I may have jammed a finger or something, but they told me I had to go get it x-rayed.”‘

‘Gailey may want to develop what the Bills already have, but truthfully the team should be looking elsewhere for offensive line help.’

‘”He’s about close to 20 pounds heavier and he can carry it,” said Bills defensive line coach Giff Smith. “We knew when we drafted him he had the frame to get bigger without losing his athleticism and I’ve been real pleased with him.”‘

‘”Naaman is a lot like me,” said Fitzpatrick. “He’s going to maximize his potential with what he’s been given. It’s not like he’s not an athlete because he is. He’s just not going to go out there and play as a 4.3 (speed guy). He’s had a great camp. He’s such a solid receiver.”‘

‘But making the big play is exactly what is motivating the nine-year veteran, who has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons. In the 17 games when McGee has made an interception in his career, the Bills have a record of 14-3, but he hasn’t had one since Week 14 in 2009 against Kansas City.’

‘Starting this preseason and throughout the fall, the team will implement "Disney-style parking" on a trial basis in perhaps Ralph Wilson Stadium’s two biggest lots. That means parking-lot attendants in Lots 2 and 3, just west of Abbott Road, will direct each vehicle to park next to the one that entered the lot just before it.’

‘”The statistical year that I had isn’t what you think about or dream of,” he said. “Obviously, it wasn’t the year I thought I was going to have going into it. But everything was new to everybody. I didn’t spend much time dwelling on it, that’s just how it went.”‘

‘”The defense needs to show that it is more stout against the run and won’t get pushed around. Marcell Dareus must be an impact player right away. Chan Gailey is trying to change the losing culture in Buffalo, but if the trenches remain a mess this preseason it will seem like the same old, same old heading into the regular season.”‘

‘"At least,” he said, "I’m not holding back anymore. The problem last year is I wasn’t able to explode. I had a partial tear, a 20 to 25 percent tear, of the Achilles, and it wasn’t right. Just nagging all year. Then what happened is I tried to compensate for it, and other things started hurting. So it was good to have the entire offseason to make sure I got everything back to normal. That’s what it feel like now.”’