Nevertheless, the preseason completion percentage of Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback Trent Edwards is remarkable.
In four games, the Bills’ third-round draft choice from Stanford University connected on 46 of 61 throws — 75.4 percent.
Good performances by the backup backs all preseason will cause some tough roster decisions when the coaches trim the roster from 75 to 53 players on Saturday.
Q: Explain what you mean about the rebuilding strategy.
The Bills sent Thomas to a hospital for tests to determine the extent of the injury before having the finger reset, coach Dick Jauron said. Thomas returned in time for the end of practice, which he watched from the sideline with his left hand heavily wrapped.
But all indications are that rookie Paul Posluszny will be in the lineup when the Bills host the Denver Broncos on Sept. 9.
Posluszny took all the snaps with the first-team defense during Monday’s practice and is expected to start in the Bills’ final preseason game at Detroit on Thursday. He also started in the second exhibition against Atlanta.
They were constantly in the ear hole of players during a hard two-hour practice Monday on the grass field behind club’s field house.
The coaches weren’t happy with the team’s performance in last Friday’s loss to Tennessee, and they let the players know it.
The team said goodbye to wide receiver Donovan Morgan, linebacker Roy Manning, quarterback Kevin Eakin, cornerbacks Reggie Lewis and Chris Thompson and punter/place-kicer D.J. Fitzpatrick.
Bills fans get it already. JP Losman can loft deep balls to Lee Evans for big plays and TDs. Everyone that wasn’t blind and deaf and that has an IQ greater than Poz’s jersey number gets that. The question for the ’07 version of the Bills, and something that will either validate or contrarily invalidate the Ivy League Dynamic Duo’s entire methodologies, even so soon as this season, is can the Bills do anything else correctly and well besides special teams. The answer, if Friday night’s game vs. the Titans is any guide, is no, they cannot.
Paul Posluszny, come on down.
This has been a trying summer for Nall. The 28-year-old has endured what has been — at least in terms of on-field performance — a lost summer, spent healthy but on the sideline, no small consideration because Nall has spent most of his career biding his time.
Outside of a couple of J.P. Losman bombs that produced a combined 120 yards and one touchdown, the Buffalo offense did not look sharp, and the defense often looked overmatched during a 28-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Friday night at steamy Ralph Wilson Stadium.
The Bills suffered a 28-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans before a kidsday crowd of 70,049.
Buffalo’s first-team defense was skewered in the first half by Tennessee’s spectacular quarterback, Vince Young. The Bills’ offensive line had trouble with the Titans’ tough defensive front seven.
The Bills got a bit of a scare when Terrence McGee suffered a concussion in the first quarter of their 28-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
McGee was hurt during the Bills’ first defensive series. He came off the field on his own power, but was escorted to the locker room and did not returnThat finally happened for the veteran defensive end last season when he earned his first Pro Bowl selection. On Friday, the Buffalo Bills also acknowledged his standing in the league by signing him to the richest contract in franchise and Buffalo sports history.
His passing game didn't look bad, either.
Playing only the first half, Young went 13 of 19 for 162 yards passing and a touchdown, and also scored a TD rushing in a 28-17 victory. It was a much-needed performance from Young and a starting offense that had failed to produce a score in eight possessions in a 27-24 win in sloppy and wet conditions at New England last week.
Buffalo's starting quarterback remains eager to get the offense on track after eight fruitless possessions. Tonight's game against the Tennessee Titans at sold-out Ralph Wilson Stadium offers the last chance before the regular season begins Sept. 9 against Denver.
The first-string offenses for both teams have yet to produce a touchdown this summer. So tonight’s game is a chance for the offenses to get some positive reinforcement before the regular season starts in two weeks.
LenDale White, a second-round draft pick out of Southern California last year, is trying to win the starting running back job. He sat out a week with a sore knee and ankle but returned to practice Wednesday. He is expected to start tonight.
Bills officials announced today that the local television blackout has been lifted for the 7 p.m. game with the Tennessee Titans.
The Bills worked without pads, and there was little hitting.
"We do get a lot of thudding done," coach Dick Jauron said as the Bills ended their four-week stay in Pittsford.
Al Wallace was working as an assistant coach at a Charlotte, N.C., high school, staying in shape and waiting for another opportunity to play in the NFL. That call came from the Buffalo Bills.
The veteran defensive end worked out for the Bills on Tuesday then officially announced his signing Wednesday morning. Wallace practiced with the team on the final day of training camp at St. John Fisher,
In dire need of depth at defensive end, the Buffalo Bills brought in veteran Al Wallace for a tryout on Tuesday and are reportedly close to signing him. Wallace, 33, spent the past five years with the Carolina Panthers but was released in a salarycap move in February.
But there are questions about Aiken’s ability as a wideout: Is he fast enough to get separation on the league’s best corners? Will he stay true on his routes?
But there aren’t any reservations about Aiken’s talent on special teams, where he’s been one of the top players on the unit the last three seasons. His job on special teams is in clear focus.
The 6-foot-6, 286-pound Watts is a long-shot to make the team. But he wants to enjoy the experience for as long as he’s here.
“I’m grateful to the Bills for giving me this opportunity,” he said. “I’m just taking it all in and trying to learn everything and see what happens.”
Finding the right guard going down to the line
The battle at right guard between Duke Preston and Jason Whittle remains close, but it could be decided this week.
Lineman shows signs he'll be ready, and healthy, to help defense this year
John McCargo, selected No. 26 overall by Buffalo in the first round of the 2006 draft, made a couple of nice plays that indicate that he might finally be coming around.
McCargo was in the right place at the right time when linebacker Coy Wire dislodged the ball from Atlanta running back Jason Snelling with a vicious hit. The ball popped right into McCargo's hands and he returned it five yards to the Falcons 37 to set up a Rian Lindell field goal.
On his next series McCargo broke through to dump Snelling for a one-yard loss on a third-and-1 play.
Going into the season there was some trepidation on the part of Bills fans about their defense, but after two performances in which they've held two opponents to a total of 23 points there might be reason for optimism.
Buffalo's defenders had a goal line stand to force a turnover on downs, a key third down stop to force an Atlanta field goal attempt, and posted three interceptions including one that provided fantastic field position for what proved to be the Bills only touchdown.
Injuries never come at a good time, but the Bills experienced a significant one at the worst possible position when defensive end Ryan Denney went down during the first defensive series of the game.
"Ryan Denney unfortunately broke a bone in his foot," said head coach Dick Jauron. "It's really unfortunate for him and for us."
There are numerous complications to learning a new position. When you add a full contact practice setting it becomes more difficult.
George Wilson's transition from wide receiver to safety began early in the offseason and took off in the Bills' OTAs and mini camp. During those weeks he was able to learn the intricacies of his new position playing in shorts and helmets. Playing in a non-contact setting allowed him to learn his assignments while not worrying about giving or receiving hits.
There is a story behind every tattoo. But, there are few tattoos that tell the story on their own. This offseason Donte Whitner had some stunning artwork inked onto his forearms.
But one thing is certain: The Bills have staked their future on their
top two rookies, running back Marshawn Lynch and linebacker Paul
Posluszny. In Friday night’s 13-10 exhibition loss to the Atlanta
Falcons, the Bills acknowledged what we knew all along. Lynch and
Posluszny may have been listed as backups during the preseason, but
they’re starters.
The Buffalo Bills’ defensive end depth has taken another big hit. Ryan Denney suffered a broken left foot Friday night. Denney
was hurt while covering the opening kickoff during the Bills’ 13-10
loss to the Atlanta Falcons and had to be carted off the field.
The Buffalo Bills’ defensive end depth has taken another big hit. Ryan Denney suffered a broken left foot Friday night.
Denney was hurt while covering the opening kickoff during the Bills’ 13-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and had to be carted off the field.
Sloppy play dooms Buffalo in loss to Atlanta
Ideally, NFL teams are supposed to get a little sharper as the
preseason wears on, but the Buffalo Bills seemed to take a step back on
Friday night.
Rookie running back Marshawn Lynch is likely to start the game and see extended action, Jauron said. Lynch saw very few snaps in the Bills' preseason opener in New Orleans last week.
Training camp visitors have caught glimpses of his explosive running, dynamic moves and silky smooth pass catching that led Buffalo's hierarchy to select the California running back with the No. 12 overall pick in the first round of the 2007 draft.
Where to run on play X. Who to block on play Z. What to do if there's a breakdown on play Q.
In his second training camp with the Buffalo Bills, Fred Jackson is confident that he knows the playbook.
First-round draft pick Marshawn Lynch is expected to get the start tonight at running back when the Bills meet the Atlanta Falcons in Ralph Wilson Stadium. It’s essentially the debut of the University of California product. Veteran Anthony Thomas started last week in New Orleans. Lynch played just seven snaps and carried two times for 3 yards. “It’s going to be my first home game, and I’m real excited about that,” Lynch said. “I got some action last week, and this week I’m looking to get a little more.”
Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman doesn't know when it happened, but he's thankful that a valuable lesson on quarterbacking has settled into his consciousness.
He understands he wouldn't be so excited for this season if he didn't
have his current peace of mind. He's reaching a level of clarity that
most quarterbacks, especially those who have struggled mightily, can
appreciate. As he said after practice on Wednesday morning, "I've
realized that football isn't life or death. I used to think it was that
way, and I played like it. Now I've learned that I have other things to
offer the world outside of this game."
As the Buffalo Bills' kicker enters his eighth season in the league, he appears to be entering his prime.
He converted 92-percent of his field goals last season, connecting on 23 of 25 attempts, the best percentage in his career. He hit his Bills career-long field goal, a 53-yarder against New England and a game-winner against Jacksonville.
The game will air Saturday night at 8:00 pm on WKBW-TV in Buffalo and WHAM-TV in Rochester.
The game will air Saturday at 4:00 pm on WTVH-TV in Syracuse. It will air Saturday at 7:00 pm on WSEE-TV in Erie, Pa.
Put him in a room filled with Pro Bowl selections, and the Buffalo Bills defensive end turns into a wallflower.
"I don't like to meet new people very fast. I like to observe," Schobel said, recalling how shy he was during his first trip to Hawaii in February for the NFL's annual all-star game. "It was sort of like being a rookie. You don't say much when you don't have to."
"I'm not Nate Clements and I can't be Nate Clements," Greer said. "I have to be the best Jabari Greer I can be and believe that will be good enough. I know that will be more than good enough."
He has been impressive in training camp so far, thrilling the crowd Wednesday night with two sparkling touchdown receptions at St. John Fisher College.
So how will he get playing time at wideout in the regular season?Yet on Day One of the free-agent shopping season in March, the Buffalo Bills targeted Whittle as a key acquisition and signed him to a contract. Why?
“Smart, tough, mean, nasty, plays to the whistle,” said offensive line coach Jim McNally. “He’s a good guy. He was a great guy to get.”
Backup quarterback Craig Nall missed part of camp last year with a pulled hamstring and thinks the Bills’ offseason training regimen has helped him. Unlike Nall’s old team, Green Bay, the Bills don’t have players stretch their hamstrings at all in the offseason.
It should surprise nobody that Van Pelt has chosen to make coaching his post-playing career profession. He's now in his second year as the Bills offensive quality control coach and loving every minute of it.
Steve Little has been helping coach the defensive line while Adrian White has the defensive backs and Nate Poole the wide receivers. The program gives them a chance to see things from the inside of an NFL camp with the idea they can pass along what they learn to their own players.
Reed needed to see his future with the Buffalo Bills from a better angle. One day in the offseason he hit the brakes and took a good look around. The passion to play was still there, along with the potential that once made him a second-round pick. But he wasn’t going anywhere unless he overcame demons that tested his resolve.
Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly entertained fans with a question-and-answer session before practice Monday, giving him a forum for this little tidbit: He’s interested in becoming partowner of the Bills if something happened to founder Ralph C. Wilson Jr.
“Yeah, I would love the opportunity when it does come up, but as long as he’s still around and he can do it, God bless him,” Kelly said. “I’m behind him 100 percent. If it comes to a point that he feels it’s slipping a little bit and he might want to do something, I would love to be the first one in line.”
Kelly and ex-Bills passer Jack Kemp have spoken several times about being included in an ownership group that would keep the Bills in Orchard Park. Both would most likely be minority owners. Under league rules, a team’s majority owner must control 35 percent of the team. It equates to an investment of about $200 million.
The team also wants to blunt the impact of the $10-per-game parking increase in stadium lots, at least for season-ticket holders, who recently received $5-off parking coupons for each game.
The Bills announced last month that the cost to park in most Ralph Wilson Stadium lots is increasing from $15 to $25. So season-ticket holders will see that figure rise to $20.
Rare was the play that Evans needed to beat only one man in order to catch a pass from J.P. Losman. That's the deal when you take your game to a higher level, when no other receiver on your team is able to command enough respect to pull attention away from you.
The announcement was made shortly after Buffalo's night practice got underway. Former Bills special teams standout Steve Tasker hopped on the public address system and made everyone aware of the presence of a Bills legend.
"And standing right now at the seven-yard line on the sideline is the newest member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the Buffalo Bills, number 34 Thurman Thomas," Tasker announced.
"I want to apologize to Ralph Wilson himself and the whole Bills organization, the Bills' fan club, to my family, my friends, anybody who is affected by this," Hargrove said. "The last two weeks have been rough from the incident at the club to here, now. I'm trying to put those things behind me and move on and be a better man.''
"He's come a million miles, but I always follow that up with
there's a million more miles to go," said Buffalo's tight ends coach,
Charlie Coiner.
In other words, as Everett works out day to day
in training camp at St. John Fisher College, he is finally starting to
resemble the player the Bills thought they were getting in the third
round of the 2005 draft.
Bills quarterback J.P. Losman took off on a 12-yard scramble in Friday’s preseason game in New Orleans and hit the turf with a head-first slide to get a first down. A lot of quarterbacks employ a feet-first slide because defenders are not allowed to hit a quarterback hitting the deck in that fashion.
Losman, however, doesn’t like the feetfirst slide because it leaves the quarterback in a more vulnerable position if a defender comes in late to make a hit or can’t stop himself from making the tackle.
"We didn't execute at a top level and you generally don't in your first exhibition," he said. "Would you like to see it? Yeah, you'd like to see it. We're not happy with some of the things that occurred. We need to correct them and get better."
Some random observations on the Bills' 13-10 preseason-opening victory over New Orleans at the Superdome:
- The competition at cornerback opposite Terrence McGee might just have gotten tighter.
Troubled Buffalo Bills defensive end Anthony Hargrove was suspended for four games without pay by the NFL on Saturday for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
Bills Training Camp Gallery Monday, July 30 2007
Here we go! Day 4 of Buffalo Bills Training camp. The players finally came out wearing pads and had some hitting for a change. That was nice to see. They didn't do a lot of hard hits, but this was the first time that full contact was made. This also led to some sloppy play, as the players had to get used to the contact and wearing the full pads. The Bills worked on a bunch of 11-on-11 drills and also some more special teams drills, along with the usual 7-on-7 and individual drills.
Just like always, the Bills started off with the special teams work. They worked on punt coverage and punt return technique. Bobby April spend the time explaining the different positions that they should be in during the return and also worked with a couple guys on their footwork. After the horn went off, the players worked on goal-line formations without helmets. They didn't wear the shoulder pads either, as there was no contact. The drill is basically used to warm up and work on the different play calls at the line and have everybody be in their positions. The full team stretches were done immediately after this drill.
The hard work began right away as the team worked on the no-huddle drill in the 11-on-11. Shaud Williams was the starting back for this drill and got all of the carries. JP Losman started off right away by hitting Lee Evans near the sideline for about 6-yards. Shaud Williams ran up the middle next for 4-yards. Losman then threw another pass to Evans, this time for 14-yards. However, JP Losman overthrew Lee Evans on the next play. Shaud Williams got another chance to carry the ball and ran left guard for 7-yards. However, he was stuffed on the next play by John McCargo. Losman finished off the drill by finding Evans again, but there was good defensive coverage that forced the incompletion. The players then went to work on their individual drills.
Following the individual drills, the team merged back together again for a full 11-on-11 drill. This time the focus went from mixed passing and running to strictly running the ball. Anthony "A-Train" Thomas got the ball first and ran up the middle for 4-yards. He then ran around the right tackle for 18-yards. He finished the drill off with a run behind the left guard and had a gain of 5-yards. Marshawn Lynch was up next. He ran around the right tackle and gained about 6-yards. Lynch was then stuffed for a short loss on the next play by John McCargo. He finished the series off with a tough run up the middle for 7-yards. Fred Jackson got a chance next and ran for 4-yards. Dwayne Wright then had a couple runs for 4-yards a piece. Shaud Williams had 1 carry and he gained about 5-yards. Marshawn Lynch then carried the ball and was stuffed by Paul Posluszny on the first play, then gained 4-yards on the next carry. Josh Scobey tried running up the middle, but only gained about 2-yards. Dwayne Wright finished the drill off and was stopped by a bunch of the defensive players after a short gain.
Next up was more special teams work. This time Bobby April had the players use what he taught them earlier in practice and actually practice covering and returning punts. The punt returners would receive and "punt" from the jugs machine and the drill was basically just to help the gunners out. Roscoe Parrish, Shaud Williams, Peerless Price, Jonathan "Fast Freddie" Smith, and Donovan Morgan were the returners. Roscoe Parrish was the most impressive out there. He had a couple good returns and showed his speed. Shaud Williams looked kind of slow out there.
The special teams practiced for about 10-15 minutes and then the team went to work on some 7-on-7 passing drills. JP Losman started it off with a 18-yard pass to Lee Evans, who made a great catch. Losman then threw a bullet to Evans for 25-yards. Josh Reed had the next pass thrown his way, as Losman checked off and dumped the ball off for a 4-yard gain. Losman finished off the set with a 7-yard pass to Evans. Craig Nall came in and threw a pass to Marshawn Lynch for about 5-yards. He then found "Fast Freddie" Smith downfield for 15-yards. Trent Edwards came in and hit Marshawn Lynch for a 10-yard gain. However, he was then intercepted by George Wilson who made a great leaping catch! JP Losman came back on the field and connected with Peerless Price for 16-yards, followed by a nice 21-yard pass completion to Lee Evans. Losman went back to Evans for 6-yards on the next play. JP then looked downfield and no one was open, as the secondary had blanket coverage. He instead tried to dump it off to Dwayne Wright, but he Wright wasn't paying attention and looked surprised to see the ball. Craig Nall came back in and found Donovan Morgan for 15-yards. Trent Edwards ended the drill with a couple passes for about 6-yards each. The first one was to Roscoe Parrish, who made a nifty leaping grab and the second one went to Josh Scobey.
The players then switched sides and the offense worked on a red zone drill. JP started it off with a quick pass to Dwayne Wright for 5-yards. Losman then threw a beautiful pass thru the coverage to Robert Royal, who tip-toed into the end zone for the 20-yard touchdown. Losman then started to feel the pressure as the linebackers chased him and would have sacked him in a real game. You could tell that he first thought about running with the ball, as he would have gotten some good yardage, but he told himself not to do it. JP Losman tried to recover with a good play, but overthrew a wide open Lee Evans in the end zone. Losman finished the drill off by hitting Josh Reed for 6-yards, and then finding Marshawn Lynch, but Lynch dropped the ball.
Following the 7-on-7 drills, the team went to their 11-on-11 full team scrimmage. This was when the defense really turned it up a notch and the offense started to struggle. On the first play, JP Losman found Lee Evans downfield and launched the long ball, but Jason Webster had solid coverage and tipped the ball away from Evans and almost had an interception. Anthony Thomas started in this drill and got a carry next. A-Train took the ball and ran behind Derrick Dockery, who opened a huge hole, and would have been gone for the long touchdown. He showed some that he didn't lose his speed and power, like I first thought. JP threw a 8-yard pass to Peerless Price next. He then found Lee Evans, who made another great catch for 19-yards. Craig Nall then came in and found Roscoe Parrish, who made a nice catch near the sideline for 7-yards. Marshawn Lynch then got his first chance to carry the ball and gained about 3-yards. Trent Edwards was next up and threw a bullet to Roscoe Parrish for 12-yards. He then threw a screen to Donovan Morgan for 4-yards.
JP Losman came back in and was against the defensive starters and struggled big time. Right off the bat, JP underthrew Peerless Price. He then felt the pressure from a safety blitz, as Donte Whitner had the sack. Losman tried to recover from that and you could tell he was getting frustrated. He threw an ugly pass over the middle, but Angelo Crowell read it like a book and intercepted the ball. Crowell ran the other way with it and had the easy touchdown. Trent Edwards came in and worked with the starters and backups and found Peerless Price downfield, but Price dropped it. Edwards then changed the play at the line after looking at the coverage and hit Jonathan Smith for an 8-yard gain. Jabari Greer and George Wilson blanketed Donovan Morgan on the next play and forced an incomplete pass. Craig Nall came in for one play and found Scott Mayle for 7-yards. After this, the players switched sides of the field and worked on the red-zone offense again. Dwayne Wright had the first carry and was met in the backfield by Kyle Williams for a short loss. Marshawn Lynch came in and ran around the right tackle for 3-yards. JP then decided to throw a pass and hit Josh Reed right in the hands, but Reed dropped it! He went right back to Josh Reed on the next play, but this one was too low, and Reed couldn't hang on. The defensive play of the day came up next as John McCargo came into the backfield and destroyed Josh Scobey for a loss of 5-yards. Losman then redeemmed himself on the final play of this drill when he floated a 10-yard pass to Josh Reed for the touchdown. The horn sounded the end of that drill and the team went back to work on some more special teams stuff. They continued to spend time on punt coverage and returns.
The Buffalo Bills went back to the 11-on-11 drills one last time. This time they focused solely on passing. JP Losman had Peerless Price let him down again, he he hit Price in the hands, but the ball was dropped. Losman then threw an ugly pass that was tipped by John DiGiorgio and intercepted. JP went back to his comfortable target right after that and found Lee Evans for 7-yards. However, he felt the pressure on the next play and threw a bad pass towards the defender. This time JP got lucky as John DiGiorgio couldn't quite get hold of the ball. Losman made up for that by hitting Josh Reed right in the numbers for 17-yards. But he overthrew Roscoe Parrish right after that. Craig Nall came in to stop the bleeding and hit Donovan Morgan, who made a great catch with his hands, for 9-yards. Losman then got one last crack at it and threw a screen to Roscoe Parrish, who didn't get anywhere as Jim Leonhard read the play perfectly and tackled him at the line. He did go back to Parrish again, and this time connected for a 13-yard gain. Trent Edwards finished the ugly drill off by underthrowing Jemalle Cornelius.
The team finished the day off by taking the helmets off and focusing on run drills. The drill seems to be a goal-line drill with no contact. Anthony Thomas took all the starter reps and did a good job finding the hole. The players then met at midfield for a huddle as Ralph Wilson addressed the team. It lasted about 10 minutes. After he left the field, the veteran players did their stretches and then the rookies, 2nd and 3rd team players stayed and worked on some plays as the vets headed to the locker room.
Extra Points:
1. JP Losman had his worst practice of the year as the defense seemed to frustrate him from the 7-on-7 drills and the last few 11-on-11 drills. He seemed to be very tentative in the pocket and took too long to throw the ball. Once he did throw the ball, the passes were either too low or too high. Something seemed to be bothering him. I'm wondering if maybe his back was hurting him a bit as the practice went on and he was wearing the pads for the first time this year.
2. Our 2nd receiver spot scares the heck out of me. Josh Reed seems to have no rhythm with Losman out there and has developed a major case of the dropsies. Peerless Price is also dropping too many passes and seems to be going with the motions. I'm starting to think we might see Roscoe Parrish at number 2 if this keeps up.
3. John McCargo looked very good out there. He was in the backfield quite a few times and showed good burst at getting to the runner. He also pressure Losman a couple times. Let's hope he can keep this up.
4. John DiGiorgio could be a diamond in the rough. He has been making plays each day and really shined today. I could seem him pushing Posluszny for the starting spot or maybe even Ellison. Either way, Dick Jauron is going to have a very tough job at deciding who to bench. All 3 players have looked pretty good so far.
5. Our secondary doesn't bother me as I believe that McGee and Webster will be a solid duo and will get a lot of help from both Donte Whitner and Ko Simpson, who look even better this year! I'm not sure about Youboty yet. He seems to be very raw.
6. I'm saying this right now...If McNally wants to give the best players a chance to start on the offensive line, he needs to give Brad Butler a chance. I have watched him quite a few times pancake McCargo and some of the other Defensive tackles. He seems to be fighting hard for the job, I just hope he is given a shot!
7. Props go to Robert Royal and Anthony Hargrove. Both players were joking around and chatting with the fans at the fence. They were very personal and kept telling Paul Posluszny, Marshawn Lynch, and Trent Edwards to come to the fence to sign autographs. Seeing how they are rookies, all 3 of them came over. It was nice to see. Also, major props go to Trent Edwards who stayed around for about an hour after practice to chat with fans, and he signed autographs for every single fan at the fence. He even walked to the railing at Growney Stadium and signed a few more before heading to the locker room.
Overall, it was an average day at camp. It was nice to see the pads on and hear the hard hitting, but the offense looked bad. Things were definitely not crisp out there. Let's hope they can fix that on Tuesday night for the first night practice of the year.
Three bad plays doom New Orleans in 13-10 loss
But as a whole, the Saints couldn’t overcome three bad plays.
Olindo Mare had a 37-yard field goal-attempt blocked to end the Saints’ first series and rookie quarterback Tyler Palko, who played decently at times, tossed a pair of interceptions while playing the final three quarters.
An interception by Bills cornerback Jabari Greer in the end zone ended one drive in the second quarter and Greer got Palko again in the third quarter, which led to a 17-yard touchdown run by Fred Jackson and a 10-3 lead.
The Bills sandwiched field goals of 36 and 54 yards by Rian Lindell around the Jackson touchdown. His second field goal of the night, with 3:23 to play in the contest, was the game-winner.
Several Bills return to play in Superdome for 1st time as pros
Walker stopped an early scoring chance by New Orleans by blocking a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter of the Bills’ preseason opener against the Saints.
Quarterback J.P. Losman and the starting offense had only 12 plays and two possessions. Much is expected of the offense this season with a retooled offensive line and most of the players having a full year to digest coordinator Steve Fairchild’s system.
While the offense has shown flashes in training camp Friday night showed there is still plenty of work to do.
Assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Bobby April, tight end Robert Royal, cornerback Chris Thompson and linebacker Thaddaeus Washington are natives of the Crescent City.
Several others either were born or played collegiately in Louisiana.
After arriving in Buffalo, though, Webster feels like it may have been the best thing to happen to him. He feels like he has found a home in the Bills' secondary. The veteran recovered from a hamstring injury early in camp to beat out Ashton Youboty for the starting right corner back spot.
Webster brings experience to Buffalo’s young defensive backfield with 86 games played in his career. Safeties Ko Simpson and Donte Whitner are in their second seasoRunning back also has finesse moves
"He's a big, powerful guy who can run," Bills' running backs coach Eric Studesville said the other day. "You look at him, at 230 pounds, you think he's kind of a thumper, an inside-the-tackle guy, and that's what I thought after watching him on tape. But he's come out here and he's good in space. He can move a lot better than I had anticipated.
McNally would like to keep it like that, away from the spotlight. It's a reason he responded with a wink when asked who has the bigger target on them: the Bills' new, improved and very expensive line, or McNally, who has to mold this group into a successful unit.
"I'm going to put it on them," McNally said, showing he's learned more than a thing or two entering his 28th NFL season as an offensive line coach.
"Well, really, in all seriousness, (Derrick) Dockery's played for four years, right? And Langston Walker's played for five years, right?" McNally said, referring to the team's two high-priced offseason additions. "So, bottom line, most of their molding has been done. So it's up to them. And I'm certainly going to help them."
Bills Training Camp Gallery Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Here we go! Day 12 of Buffalo Bills Training camp. There are only 9 more days left of practice, as it continues to fly by. Coach Jauron gave the players a break from the pads and the players came out wearing shorts and jerseys. It was definitely a lighter paced practice than usual and took place on the field turf, under the lights at Growney Stadium. The Bills worked on a bunch of 11-on-11 drills and also some more special teams drills, along with the usual 7-on-7 and individual drills.
Right away, the Bills started off with the no-huddle drill. On the very first play from scrimmage, Ashton Youboty made a sweet diving catch to intercept JP Losman. JP then shook it off and connected with Lee Evans near the sideline for a gain of 10-yards. Anthony Thomas was the next target for JP and caught a pass in the middle of the field for about 15-yards and showed some good speed, getting by the defenders. Jabari Greer then came in and almost intercepted JP, but couldn't get the ball, so he just broke up the play. Anthony Thomas finished the drill off with a nice run up the middle for about 12-yards.
Next up, the team worked on the individual drills for a bit. As usual, some units worked together on a few drills. The Buffalo Bills team then got together for special teams practice. The focus this time was punting and punt coverage. Brian Moorman was back on the field after missing a couple practices for personal reasons. He continued to wow the fans with his long, high and far punts. Moorman even forced to punt returners to step back farther for his punts. He was kicking them between 45-70 yards. As for the returners, they all seemed to struggle holding onto the ball for some reason. Roscoe Parrish, Jonathan "Fast Freddie" Smith, and Scott Mayle all dropped at least one punt. Parrish couldn't even fair catch properly.
After the special teams drill, the team went to work on the 7-on-7, while the linemen worked on blocking drills. Right off the bat, JP Losman hit Roscoe Parrish over the middle for about 40-yards. He then found Peerless Price for 6-yards. Losman then threw a screen to Anthony Thomas, who gained about 12-yards after a nice run. Craig Nall came in and found Kevin Everett, but he dropped it. He did connect with Fred Jackson for 7-yards on the next play though. Ashton Youboty got his second interception of the night when he jumped in front of the pass from Trent Edwards. Edwards recovered by hitting Donovan Morgan right after that, for 15-yards. JP Losman came back on the field and was forced to take the ball and run, after the defense covered all his receivers like a blanket. JP then threw a bullet to Roscoe Parrish, right over the middle of the field and thru a lot of traffic. Parrish took it, juked Jim Leonhard and ran for a gain of 26-yards. Leonhard made up for that on the next play with a nice pass breakup. Losman then connected with Josh Reed, who was hit instantly by Jason Webster. They then had a little argument about it as neither player was wearing pads and Reed seemed a little surprised. Craig Nall came in one last time and threw a high pass to Shaud Williams who was drilled by Mario Haggan. This forced him to miss the ball and it was intercepted by Jabari Greer and would have been returned for a touchdown. Trent Edwards finished the drill off with two passes to Dwayne Wright for 12 and 7 yards.
The team then switched sides as the offense focused on red zone drills. JP Losman started off with a nice pass to Robert Royal for 18-yards, just a few yards shy of the end zone. However on the next play, Losman was intercepted by John DiGiorgio who continues to shine and make Jauron's job tougher. Losman then found Shaud Williams for 9-yards. He finished the drill off with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Sam Aiken, who made a nice leaping catch. Craig Nall had one try and hit Peerless Price for 5-yards. Trent Edwards then came in and threw an incomplete pass to Lee Evans, but it probably would have been pass inference as Riley Swanson was all over Evans.
Following the 7-on-7 work, the Bills came together for the full 11-on-11 drills. Anthony Thomas started it off with an 8-yard run behind the right guard. Kyle Williams then got in there, with a little bit of help from Angelo Crowell on the next play and stopped Marshawn Lynch for a short gain. Keith Ellison then came in on a blitz and would have had the sack on JP Losman as he came in untouched. JP Losman then threw a pass that was tipped by Ryan Denney at the line, but it still made it right in Anthony Thomas' hands for a 7-yard gain. Shaud Williams had his shot to run the ball and took it around the left tackle for 13-yards. Fairchild then decided to try some trickery and had Roscoe Parrish run the reverse, but the defense read it and stopped him after a gain of 4-yards. Trent Edwards came in next and found Fred Jackson for 18-yards. He then hit Donovan Morgan for 6-yards. JP came back and threw a nice looking pass to Sam Aiken for 17-yards. He then threw a screen pass to Parrish for 6-yards. Losman then made a bad throw when he bounced the ball at Josh Reed's feet. He finished the drill off by dumping the ball off to Josh Reed again for 4-yards, after feeling the pressure from Ryan Denney. Craig Nall came in and threw a screen to Dwayne Wright, who tripped and had a short loss. Wright recovered on the next play when he ran up the middle for 18-yards and showed nice burst.
Next up, the offense and defense switched sides and worked on the red zone drills. JP Losman started it off by overthrowing Lee Evans. Fairchild then showed some more trickery by putting Josh Reed in the backfield and Reed gained 6-yards, Losman even went out to block Anthony Hargrove for him. JP then felt the pressure from the defense again. This time it was Mario Haggan in a blitz. Haggan would have had the sack, but Losman still found Robert Royal for 19-yards. Shaud Williams then ran up the middle for 3-yards. Fred Jackson carried the ball next for 5-yards. JP finished the drill off with another bad pass. This time it landed near Lee Evans' feet.
The horn sounded again and the team went back to work on special teams. This time the focus was kickoffs. Jonathan "Fast Freddie" Smith was the primary kickoff catcher, as McGee was working with his unit on some individual drills. Rian Lindell showed some good power on his kickoffs when he kicked the first one to the 1-yard line. Lindell also would have had a touchback. DJ Fitzpatrick kicked it short once and it would have gone out of bounds, but did okay on the other try. The special teams also practiced on the bunched up onside kick, where everybody is bunched up for a kickoff, but they fake it and do an onside kick. The drill didn't last that long and then the team worked on some goal-line formations without their helmets on the opposite end of the field. They then did their stretches and practice ended about a half hour early.
Extra Points:
1. Anthony Thomas is not going to let go of the starting job without a fight. He has really kicked it up a notch since he realized how good Marshawn Lynch has been looking. I am very impressed with his power and speed. He's been getting past the first tackle pretty quickly.
2. Roscoe Parrish continues to be a big part of this offense. I have a feeling that we will be seeing him out there a lot this year. He has good relationship with JP Losman and they seem to be getting better at connecting on the big plays. It's nice to see him get more involved.
3. As always, Brian Moorman is the best! He drew a bunch of cheers as he kept booming the punts 50, 60, and even 70-yards downfield. It was nice to see him back tonight.
4. Ashton Youboty is finally waking up. He seems to be getting more comfortable in the defense and is fighting hard for the nickel spot. I could see him winning it, if he keeps it up. He finished the day with 2 interceptions and had solid coverage all day. However, he also has strong competition from Jabari Greer and Kiwaukee Thomas. Both of them are doing very good covering their players and have batted down a few passes.
5. I'd hate to be Dick Jauron before the season. He is going to have to make a bunch of tough decisions. I think that the biggest one will be who gets the Inside linebacker spot. Paul Posluszny has not done a bad job, he's actually done pretty good. However, John DiGiorgio has been one of the stars of the camp. He's been all over the field and making plays left and right.
6. The other tough decision will be at running back. I have a feeling that Jauron will be keeping 4 running backs, but I'm sure yet who they will be. Anthony Thomas and Marshawn Lynch are neck and neck for the number 1 job, Dwayne Wright should have the #3 job locked up if he has a good preseason. But that 4th spot is where it gets interesting. Josh Scobey hasn't shown much, but Fred Jackson and even Shaud Williams have made big plays and have showed that they have the speed and hands that Fairchild is looking for. I think it will come down to special teams and if Fred Jackson can come up big on special teams, he will win the job.
7. Props go to JP Losman, Craig Nall, Duke Preston, Larry Tripplett and Jim Leonhard for staying around to sign autographs after practice. Losman signed for a bunch of fans before his interview and then went back to signing. This was also a full team autograph signing day, so he already signed a bunch of autographs before practice.
Overall, it was a decent day at camp. The offense looked good at times, but also struggled a bit. I would have liked to see them practice in pads, but I think Jauron wanted to make it a little easier on them as they have a game in 2 days, plus it was pretty muggy outside.
Bills’ ex-Gators face new roles
Seven months later, Cornelius and former Florida cornerback Reggie Lewis are dark horses once again as they try to fight their way onto the Buffalo Bills roster. “It’s a long shot, but at the same
time there are a lot of people who wish they were in our shoes right now,” Lewis said.
If there’s one player on defense for whom the Bills need this sentiment to ring true, it’s defensive tackle Kyle Williams.
The running back held a camp for youngsters in his hometown of Oakland before reporting to his first training camp to assume the challenge of replacing Willis McGahee.
Lynch was that eager to serve as a role model.
"I come from the 'hood. We didn't really get to see too many athletes who made it," Lynch says. "We saw ones who had the potential to make it and got caught up in something. Thank God I'm one who made it this far. I just want to show kids it's possible."
They believe Ellison fits that bill, based on how he played last season as a raw rookie who was thrown into the starting lineup for a pair of lengthy stints, first when Takeo Spikes was injured and later when Angelo Crowell went down.
All that jazz
The father of Bills rookie safety Trevor Hooper is famous jazz drummer Nesbert “Stix” Hooper of the band “The Crusaders.” The band, formed in 1960 in Houston, has produced more than 35 albums and achieved national acclaim among jazz fans. One of their songs, “Young Rabbits,” was used as the musical background for a Ford Mustang TV commercial. Trevor Hooper, who went undrafted, started 29 games in his college career at Stanford. He was second on the Cardinal in tackles as a senior and earned honorable mention All-Pac 10 honorsPut aside the numbers.
They made a rock-solid case for Thurman Thomas' induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but they are not the starting point for a discussion about what made him an ultra-special player.
The starting point is his attitude.
Thomas produced Hall of Fame numbers because he was one of the most incredibly driven athletes ever to play any sport. Yes, any sport.
That is not an overstatement. That is a fact.
How often do they wind up starting in the same defensive
backfield as rookies? These guys should be buying Lotto tickets
together.
"We're tight on the field and off the field," Simpson
said after walking off the practice field at St. John Fisher College,
where the Buffalo Bills are getting ready for the season. "Off the
field we chill together, and on the field we're just trying to get the
job done."
J.P. looks sharp
Losman drew a huge applause after several pin-point passes, one of the best being a connection with tight end Kevin Everett on a beautiful deep seam route. He also threaded the needle in the teeth of the defense, including a couple to receiver Josh Reed, who made leaping grabs between two defenders each time.
Pass defense on the ball
The defense has been getting their hands on a lot of balls, recording
numerous interceptions and pass breakups. Cornerback Kiwaukee Thomas
had a nice pick on a Losman pass over the middle. Linebacker John
DiGiorgio also stepped in front of a Craig Nall pass to receiver Scott
Mayle.
Derrick Dockery was faced with a difficult decision last year's NFL season came to a close.
Dockery could have stayed in Washington, where he spent the first four years of his career, or test the free agent waters. He made the tough decision to leave D.C., and he landed north in Buffalo.
After spending time in Buffalo, it’s a decision he said looks better every day."RPD officers were dispersing a large crowd at the corner of St. Paul and Andrews when a large white SUV with Florida plates turned the wrong way northbound on St. Paul. A black male now known as Terrance Hargrove was given verbal commands to get back in the vehicle. Terrance Hargrove started verbally assaulting the officer. Then he became physically combative. He was restrained by RPD and myself. He was resisting arrest. At the same time a very large black man came towards the officers in a combative stance. He continued toward the officers and was sprayed with mace. He continued to try to fight the officers until he was in handcuffs."
While the faithful have good vibrations about the Bills, those feelings aren’t shared by the rest of the country. There is very little national buzz about them. A number of football prognosticators don’t have a high opinion of the team either.
Several well-known NFL preview publications have picked the Bills to finish no higher than third place in the AFC East. A few of them have the Bills finishing last in the division.
Perhaps the lack of respect is based on the fact that the Bills have only one winning season since 1999, the last time they went to the playoffs. They also suffered some key personnel losses in the offseason and face the league’s toughest schedule, based on their opponents’ 2006 won-loss records.
"Him being the best special-teamer who ever played in the NFL and living right here in town, it would be stupid of us not to try to get that knowledge out of his head," said Josh Stamer, one of the best special teamers on the current Bills roster, about ex-Bills star and proud western New Yorker Steve Tasker.
This past June, Haggan, along with 19 other former and current NFL players took part in the leagues’s inaugural four-day “Broadcasting Boot Camp” at NFL Films in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey.
Bill Polian can’t believe Reed hasn’t been elected. “It’s a no-brainer,” Polian said Saturday at a pre-induction reception. Recently, an indignant Jim Kelly cornered Peter King of Sports Illustrated and asked what King used as his criteria for voting wide receivers into the Hall.
Reed, who made the cut to 15 this year, isn’t likely to g