Two Bills Drive

‘Robert Hicks thought his career was about to blossom last season when he became a starting right tackle for the Buffalo Bills. But rather than improve each week, he became progressively worse. Thursday, he was released.’

‘"I’ve been with Gregg since my rookie year and there’s nothing more I want than to help him and this organization win a Super Bowl."’

‘But when the season ended, the fun-loving, quick-witted Cavil realized something. He was so busy having a good time, cracking jokes and reveling in his status as a NFL player, he didn’t really improve his game the way he would have liked.’

‘Hicks, who became a full-time starter in 1999 at right tackle in just his second season, played lethargically and lost his starting job last season.’

‘Outfitted with a brace on his left knee, rookie linebacker Brandon Spoon returned to the practice field yesterday. The hard-hitting fourth-round pick from North Carolina sprained his medial collateral ligament early in rookie camp three weeks ago.’

‘It’s this unthreatening nature, his close bond with Johnson and his knowledge of the Bills newly installed West Coast offense that makes Van Pelt a good fit as the team’s backup.’

‘"I don’t think it was a question of what we didn’t like, I think it was a question of what we liked about the young kids,” Bills president Tom Donahoe said during training camp at St. John Fisher College. “All we can evaluate is what we see, and we see some good things from our young people.’

"We made a roster move today, we released offensive tackle Robert Hicks, and you know it was not an easy decision. None of personnel decisions are, but we like a lot of our young tackles, and we feel that we have to get as much opportunity with them as we can these last three pre-season games, and get them as many reps in practice. That’s what we’ve decided to do, and move forward."

‘The Bills released Robert Hicks before Thursday afternoon’s practice, and Bills President and General Manager Tom Donahoe said that it was the impressive play of some of the team’s young tackles that led to the decision to release the four-year veteran.’

‘"It’s just bad luck, I guess," he said. "It’s stuff that’s really out of your control, like a freak thing like hitting your hand on a helmet. I did it once, and I didn’t miss a practice. I did it twice, and maybe I have to miss some time now."’

‘The Buffalo Bills and every other team will know almost every opponent for the next eight years under a scheduling format released by the National Football League on Wednesday. The scheduling was completed as a result of realignment, which begins next season.’

‘You would have thought that Bowens’ arrival would have been a wake-up call for Flowers. So far, it appears that Flowers is still asleep.’

‘Judging from the first preseason game, the Bills have a ways to go before they are a cohesive unit on both sides of the ball. The unsettled situation at right tackle has prevented the offensive line from coming together.’

‘Full contact NFL football is back. The Bills versus St. Louis matched the great offense of the Rams against a rebuilding and retooling Buffalo club. St. Louis carried the additional advantage of a full contact pre-season match the previous week."

‘Though an X-ray and a magnetic resonance imaging exam Tuesday night did not show a fracture, the swelling and pain Johnson has are real, so Williams decided to sit him out of yesterday’s and today’s practices.’