Two Bills Drive

With the heat this morning, linebacker Sam Cowart left practice with what coach Gregg Williams described as having "his back tightened up a little bit, and [he] got hot just from the heat." He added, "Just for precaution, we said back off a little bit and you’ll be fine."

‘Bills rookie Josh Whitman has been presented with some interesting changes in his first training camp for the pros. With the trade of tight end Bobby Collins to Green Bay, more opportunities are knocking for hopeful rookies such as Whitman and Notre Dame’s Dan O’Leary. Whitman is keeping cool with all the competition on the practice field though.’

‘Sam Cowart, the Buffalo Bills hard-hitting middle linebacker, has a soft spot for his big sister Lashawn. Her tragic death, she was gunned down by a disgruntled boyfriend in 1989, is a big reason Cowart is where he is today — coming off his first Pro Bowl season and considered one of the game’s emerging best at his position.’

‘Although his back remains stiff and he’s not sure if he’ll practice on Friday, Cowart said it’s nothing that would have kept him out of a regular season game.’

Early into the opening series of last Saturday’s Buffalo Bills scrimmage vs Cleveland Browns at Edinboro, it hit me like an anvil landing on Wiley Coyote.  For the first time in 15 years I could not recognize the majority of the players donning Bills jerseys.  Never mind picking out the faces out of the media guide, we are talking about simple matching of names to the jersey numbers.

“It started to look like [I would be moved],” Bowens said. “They drafted Jamal Reynolds, and the practice times and reps I was getting were getting reduced. I kind of thought there would be a change of scenery sooner or later, but I was happy it was sooner.”

Allen was in Bills 1999 training camp and saw action in preseason. Recently he spent the last year playing in the Arena Football League for the Buffalo Destroyers, where he played in 7 of 24 games and had 8 touchdowns for a total of 371 yards (15.5 avg.).

"We had an opportunity to improve the organization and the team, we had some depth at tight end," Williams said, comparing the situation to Buffalo’s moves on Draft day. "The same thing [happened] when this came about a few days ago prior to the scrimmage, because of our depth at tight end and [Green Bay’s] lack of depth. We posed back to being able to get another pass rusher in here, and it worked out for both of us that way.’

"Camp is actually tougher than I thought it would be, but I would rather be taking the pain right now and enjoy the benefits later," he said. Williams has his teammates and enthusiastic coaching staff to keep him going on the field in the scorching heat. "Coach Williams is a great motivator. When he notices our performance on the field it really makes us work even harder."

Entire squad will be available for autographs following practice which runs from 4:00-5:45 PM on Friday.

Packers: Bobby Collins ran his route and barely saw the ball from Brett Favre before it hit him in the numbers and ricocheted to the grass. Welcome to Green Bay, kid. Collins, traded from Buffalo on Tuesday for defensive end David Bowens, must adjust to Favre’s strength.

‘Finding a starter at right tackle was a point of emphasis for the Bills going into this summer. Midway through their second full week of camp, the issue remains unresolved.’

‘Defensive end David Bowens, obtained from the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday for tight end Bobby Collins, passed his physical and was on the field for the afternoon practice at St. John Fisher. Also joining the afternoon practice was wide receiver Reggie Allen, a free agent from Central Michigan.’

‘However, the fullback saw a two things in Buffalo that no one else could offer: The chance to play in an offense that will utilize his pass-catching skills and to get a headstart on a coaching career Centers may pursue when his playing days end.’

‘New Bills Coach Gregg Williams is taking full advantage of Carroll, a field judge in his seventh NFL season; Bob Wagner, an umpire in his 17th; Doug Rosenbaum, a side judge in his first year; and Tom Johnson, a head linesman in his 20th season. Also in camp is Jim Poole, who worked two Super Bowls during his 21 years as an official and who now trains officials for the league.’