Archives for July 2013

‘”The competition is going to be crazy because of the talent that we have,” Johnson said of the impending battle for the second receiver spot. “Not to take anything away from what we had in past years, but the talent that we have and the expectations that the talent brings in. These guys are pretty much the best of the best coming out of college and then you have guys that have been here in the league who have done their thing, but aren’t as established.”‘

‘”We had our own issues in New York stopping the run as well last year,” Pettine said. “All you had to do was watch C.J. Spiller go up and down the field on us twice last year. It’s something that we’re going to pride ourselves on here. Even though this has become a pass first league I still think you have to stop the run and force teams to be one-dimensional so you can focus on the pass rush and the coverage. That’s going to be a big part of building the foundation here, stopping the run.”‘

‘”Honestly all we’ve talked about is the tempo is going to be fast. Coach Hackett he’s up there talking during meetings and he’s super fast when he’s speaking,” said Stevie Johnson. “On the field we’re getting plays off every eight to 10 seconds.”‘

‘The next date for the Bills to watch is July 26, when players report to St. John Fisher for training camp. Without a contract, however, Byrd won’t be there and can’t be fined for missing practices or preseason games.’

‘A person familiar with the details of the negotiations said there were no talks today.’

‘Byrd skipped the Bills’ mandatory minicamp last month, and said at the time he’d stay away from the team until he has a contract. He has yet to sign his one-year, $6.9 million franchise tender.’

‘Now the two sides may only agree on a one-year contract, whether it be Byrd signing his one-year tender or the parties working out a separate one-year deal. Since Byrd has yet to sign his tender, he and his agent, Eugene Parker, could push to put language in to the contract to keep the Bills from placing the franchise tag on the safety again in 2014.’

‘Due to that ambiguity and lack of expectation, the Bills are likely quite hesitant to re-sign a player like Byrd to the safety of long-term, guaranteed contract. Byrd excelled in Dave Wannstedt’s vanilla 4-3 defense last year. Will he do the same in Mike Pettine’s brand new, aggressive scheme?’

‘”We worked very hard to come to a long-term agreement with Jairus, but unfortunately were unable to reach one before today’s deadline,” said Bills GM Doug Whaley in a statement issued after the 4 p.m. deadline passed. “Our attention will now be focused on a one-year agreement with him and on training camp with our continued efforts to prepare our team for the upcoming season.”‘

‘Stevie Johnson: The unquestioned number one receiver on the Bills roster has posted three consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards (the only Bills receiver to ever do so), but Johnson has yet to earn a Pro Bowl invite.’

‘”Just like anything I want it to be well now instead of waiting and waiting and waiting,” he said. “I’ve never been through anything like this before. I’ve had back surgery, I’ve had neck surgery, I’ve had all my issues and you know that’s going to take time, but I’ve never had it where they completely take the whole left side of your face out from the interior. It’s going to take time.”‘

‘”We try to teach them about life. Go to school, get a good education. As long as they’re staying positive, and that’s what we try to teach out here,” said Ross.’

‘With Danny Crossman now manning the helm of the special teams unit and an influx of young talent, the Bills will undoubtedly look to duplicate that success in the 2013 season. The question is will it be one of the veterans holding the primary return role, or will one of the new faces step up and claim the job? Four players have been in the mix through spring practices and will continue the competition in training camp.’

‘”People talk about changing the culture, and that’s the reason we’re here, and we have a great challenge in front of us,” he said. “I’d rather go after things like that rather than something that’s not as challenging."’