Archives for August 5, 2012

‘Sheppard’s spot should be pretty safe, but Merriman is an enigma. He hasn’t stayed healthy long enough to show if he still has anything left in the tank.’

‘"He is a big, strong man," said coach Chan Gailey. "I mean he is a barrel-chested, strong human that has got pretty good movement for his size and is a very versatile player. He’s one of those tough guys you’ve got to have inside. That’s what I think Urbik brings to our football team. He brings toughness and some strength to our team."’

‘”I think it is good to get out here and hit. I think it was a good gut check there at the end of practice,” Kyle Williams said. “With the heat and pushing through all day and then getting out there and going live it was good for us and good to get some weariness on your legs and seeing if you can push through.”‘

‘The main difference between the two has been consistency; Williams has had it, Anderson hasn’t.’

‘”I have lots of energy, I love the game, I love being around these young players,” said DeHaven, who has undergone two hip replacements. “That’s the best thing about coaching: the young guys keep you young.”‘

‘”If we had not gotten Mario (Williams) and Mark (Anderson) it would have still been time to start winning some games. We’ve done some things right, I think, and we’ve probably made some mistakes along the way. But it’s time to close it out and win some games and until we do it is not complete.”‘

‘Coach Chan Gailey raised a hint of concern Saturday. Gailey was surprised by how the team’s backup receivers failed to step up after regulars Stevie Johnson (groin) and David Nelson (sprained knee) missed practice.’

‘Nelson said he plans to work out on his own Saturday and also during the Bills’ day off Sunday. If all goes well, he expects to return to practice Monday.’

‘The team went live for eight plays — four for the first-team, and four for the second-team — as the players were able to tackle without repercussions.’

‘”I thought it was a gut check. It is not hot by a lot of people’s standards, but by these standards it is hot,” head coach Chan Gailey said. “So I thought our guys sucked it up, went out and practiced hard. I thought they gave good effort. And hopefully it will pay dividends for us in the long run”‘

‘”Defense won 5-3 and that’s the assessment because you either win or lose down there,” said head coach Chan Gailey. “There’s no in between. There’s no first down, there’s no nothing. You either score or you don’t. I thought it was a good session. I thought our guys wanted to hit. They’ve been wanting to go live for a long time, but this was the first time they were able to do it and it was good. It was good for everybody.”‘

‘On what happened to RB Fred Jackson today: He got stepped on or his ankle got twisted yesterday slightly, so we just held him today. He will be ready to go Monday.’

‘I really study and watch (Brian) Moorman a lot. Watching him punt. He has been here for a long time. He has been to Pro-Bowls. He is doing something right. We’re both going to be different, don’t get me wrong. There are certain techniques that every punter does and I want to see what he does. We really don’t study the rush team or anything like that, because we really don’t watch them. We’re head down, following through, that kind of stuff.’