Archives for July 2012

‘”(As a rookie) you’re trying to make a play so they recognize you, that’s the No. 1 thing you’re doing,” Jackson said. “Especially being undrafted, you’ve got to make a splash. As a veteran, you try to come in and make sure everybody is on the same page and help those younger guys that are supposed to make a splash themselves.”‘

‘Successes of their stars can also be divided into distinct eras-Jack Kemp and Daryle Lamonica, keys to Saban’s first two title teams in 1964 and ’65 and then Jim Kelly, becoming the quarterback-engineer of those four Super Bowl teams with a passing arm that rewrote the team’s record book.’

‘"It’s not really a whole lot different. Everywhere I’ve been, we’ve run some form of a 4-3, all the way from college, so it’s not too much too different," said the 31-year-old Edwards, who played at Oregon State. "If anything it’s going to allow me to make some more plays and not have to tie up linemen as much, which will definitely be nice."’

‘”You know it’s not about talking anymore about what I can do or what happened in the past, or how good things were in the past. You just have to go out and do it. And that’s all I have been concentrating on. It’s not one of those things I really think about. It’s just going out every day and working.”‘

‘This is football country. Fans are loyal but frustrated. Bills fans have been sticking by their franchise, waiting for something to revive the memories of when Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith and other Bills gave them annual hopes of Super Bowls. The signing of the best free agent available in 2012, Mario Williams, shocked the league and jacked up the fans.’

‘”I don’t feel that way. I’ve been playing football all my life so as long as I do what I know, I’ll be alright. I don’t think just because I’m the number one pick , I mean if I was the 7th round pick, I’d still play like I play, that’s just how I know how to play.”‘

‘The Bills will be as good as Fitzpatrick, and he wouldn’t argue with that. However, Buffalo also has a defense that should keep the team in games, give Fitzpatrick more chances to succeed and maybe even contribute to a win. Or two.’

‘”It is very frustrating, but compared to where I was before, I really can’t say anything negative,” said Troup. “I’ve come from not being able to walk and being in pain every day, to getting back on to the field and close to full health.”‘

‘White’s recovery has been ahead of schedule. He tore the ACL in his right knee during a loss to the Dallas Cowboys in November of his rookie year, then had surgery a week later. That puts him just eight months into his rehabilitation for an injury that can take a year to be fully recovered from.’

‘"It’s nothing serious. No long-term damage. The way it looked on film, the way it felt on the field, I’m very lucky to have the diagnosis I got," Nelson said Sunday, after the Bills completed their first night practice of training camp at St. John Fisher College.’

‘You can see it in his body language as he stands on the sidelines, cooling towel over his head, watching the young cornerbacks like Stephon Gilmore, Aaron Williams, Justin Rogers, Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks taking reps, some of them his, pushing him closer and closer to the brink of extinction.’

‘It was such a solid outing that coach Chan Gailey called it ”dominating.”’

‘Buffalo coach Chan Gailey expects Nelson to miss between four and five days. The Bills get a day off Monday, before returning to training camp in suburban Rochester on Tuesday.’

‘”I came here for a reason – to help turn this thing around,” Williams said. “I came here ready to work and to buy into the system. Keep your mouth close and listen to how they want things run and retain it. Then go out and be able to put it back on the field.”‘

‘With the loss of Demetress Bell to Philadelphia, the Bills have a huge hole to fill protecting Ryan Fitzpatrick’s blind side. The good news is that they have two excellent prospects in Cordy Glenn, their second-round draft pick from Georgia and Chris Hairston, who logged seven starts as a rookie when Bell was injured. They are sharing time with the first unit early in camp. Coach Chan Gailey was most eager to see them perform in full pads. “We will find out a lot more in the next week,” he said. “We are going to keep alternating that until we find out which direction we want to go.”‘