Thomas Inducted: Thurman Thomas gave a nice nearly 10 minute speech in his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Thomas thanked Ralph Wilson right away and made a plug for him to get into the Hall of Fame. He also thanked many of his former teammates, as he rattled off names he emphasized future Hall of Famer for Andre Reed and Bruce Smith. He praised Marv Levy and said he worked harder for him. The highlight of his speech was when he thanked his wife Patti who he has known 20 years. He said he wanted to spend another 20 years with her and asked her to marry him all over again during the speech. Thomas concluded by thanking the Buffalo fans saying they are the best in sports.
Levy Presents Thomas: Marv Levy was eloquent as ever when he presented Thurman Thomas for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Levy also presented Jim Kelly back in 2002. Levy spoke of the high character Thomas had and mentioned how he is third all time leading receiver in club history. He took that time to mention that Andre Reed was number one and he expects to see him inducted into the Hall of Fame very soon. He closed with one of his fancy, educated words and said "look it up Thurman". He used the same line during his Hall of Fame speech in 2001. He explained then that he always had to tell Thomas to look up words that he would say.
Live Hitting Today: The team focused on the two minute drill during today's practice and did some live hitting at the end of practice with mostly reserve players. The offense did not score on either two minute drives. This was the first time in camp that there was live tackle-to-the-ground hitting. Coach Jauron said the live hitting helps evaluate some of the backup players. Brian Moorman was excused for personal reasons and he's expected back Monday or Tuesday.
Neufeld Hurts Knee: Another practice, another injury, Ryan Neufeld suffered what Dick Jauron is calling a hyperextended knee during 11-on-11 drills in today's practice. He was able to walk off and Coach Jauron doesn't consider the injury serious. Jason Peters is still bothered by a sore calf. As we reported he suffered that injury Thursday night when he was rolled up on by a defensive lineman. He was limited today and participaed in only a few reps. As we reported earlier, John DiGiorgio was back on the practice field today but he was limited to 7-on-7 drills. They hope with the day off tomorrow DiGiorgio will be close to full go next week. Injury Page.
DiGiorgio Returns: John DiGiorgio returned to practice when the Bills hit the field according to Chris Brown's blog on the team's website. He had missed most of the week with a hip flexor. Christian Gaddis also returned after missing a few days with a knee problem. The rest of the walking wounded remain out although Brown reports that Jason Webster was working on the sidelines with trainers which probably means he's close to returning to practice. Injury Page.
Thomas Induction Tonight: Thurman Thomas becomes the 7th member of the Bills to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame tonight. The ceremonies will shown live on ESPN and the NFL Network at 6pm. He is one of six people in the class of 2007. He is scheduled to be inducted fourth. His presenter is Bills GM Marv Levy who will speak for about four minutes. Thomas says his speech is around 8 minutes. Many former teammates of those great Bills team are expected to be in attendance for the big night.
Friday August 3, 2007
Red Zone Drills: The Bills did extra work during today's practice in the red zone on another hot, sticky day. They ran the red zone drills in both 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 formations and both sides got some good plays in. The team concentrated on pass plays in the 7-on-7 drills and run plays during the 11-on-11 drills.
McCargo Leaves Practice: Add one more to the growing list of walking wounded for the Bills as training camp enters its second week. John McCargo left this afternoon's session with a strained oblique muscle. Dick Jauron would not comment on how long McCargo will be out but did say he hopes it won't be too long. He watched the rest of practice with his stomach heavily wrapped. Also being held out of practice are the usual suspects, Jason Webster, John DiGiorgio, Brad Butler, Josh Scobey, Anthony Hargrove, and Christian Gaddis. Some bit of good news, Jason Peters took part in the morning walkthrough and the afternoon full practice as he is ok after getting his leg rolled up on during last night's practice. Injury Page.
Webster's Job To Lose: Coach Jauron confirmed after practice last night that the right cornerback job is Jason Webster's to lose. The hamstring injury he is suffering from hasn't hurt his chances of getting the starting job. Jauron said he would be very hard to unseat that just want him back soon. Jabari Greer has been getting the majority of first team snaps in his place.
Hot, Steamy Night Practice: It was another hot and humid day in Western New York and practicing at night did a little to cool it down. Dick Jauron said since it was so hot if the practice was scheduled for the afternoon it would have probably been moved to the night anyway. It was a pretty even practice according to reports with each unit making some plays. Brian Moorman gave the fans a show with some towering punts. Jauron said it still looks like training camp as both sides looked good at times and sloppy at times.
Peters Shaken Up: Jason Peters was shaken up late in last night's practice. he got his leg rolled under by a defensive lineman and was down for a while. He walked off gingerly under his own power and did not finish the practice. Coach Jauron doesn't expect the injury to be serious. All the walking wounded remained out except Anthony Hargrove who returned but could not finish the practice as he tweaked his injured hamstring. Brad Butler has the most serious injury at this point as his hamstring is expected to keep him out a week. Injury Page.
Thursday August 2, 2007
Night Practice Ahead: The Bills will hold their second of seven scheduled night practices tonight. All free tickets have been distributed by Verizon Wireless for tonight's practice. The team seems to get more pumped up for the energized crowd at night. The team was last in the league in amount of two-a-days according to a USA Today report. The Bills have already had their three two-a-days for the year. The report did not take into consideration all the morning run throughs that the team is having and it did take them into account for a couple of the other teams. Tuesday's run through went for 90 minutes which really made that another two-a-day.
Wednesday August 1, 2007
Defense Gets Edge Today: Today was one of those days that one side of the ball dominates a practice. Under the sweltering heat at St. John Fisher College it was the defense that ruled the day. Keith Ellison added to his team leading interception total with his fourth one of the camp. They got their hands on many balls and also dominated the run downs. The heat got to at least one player as Roscoe Parrish was taken to the cool down pool as a precaution. He didn't overheat but it was coming on and they wanted to stop him before he became totally dehydrated. Dick Jauron was concerned about the hottest day of training camp so far. He had the team take a five minute break midway through the workout to drink fluids and also ended the practice 15 minutes early.
Hamstring Injuries Mount: Brad Butler is the latest Bills to succumb to an apparent hamstring injury. He hurt his hamstring during today's practice session and Coach Jauron hopes it's not serious but they will be cautious. Jason Webster and Anthony Hargrove remain out with hamstring twinges. John DiGiorgio also missed practice again today with a hip flexor giving Paul Posluszny more first team reps and increasing his chances to earn the starting role. Josh Scobey also missed practice with a strained calf muscle. Injury Page.
Night Practice Notes: The team held it's first night practice on Tuesday in front of a packed house at St. John Fisher College. They put on their throwback helmets and watched Roscoe Parrish electrify the crowd. He hooked up with J.P. Losman for a 60 yard touchdown reception. John DiGiorgio did not participate because of a hip flexor. Hamstring injuries cut short practice for Jason Webster and Anthony Hargrove. Paul Posluszny took all first team reps at middle linebacker but also was slowed when he turned in ankle. Injury Page.
Extra Reps For Rookies: Even though two-a-days are over, the team had a morning "walk through" that lasted double the time it was scheduled for. This gave the coaches an extra look at the rookies and other backup players to see what they have. Craig Nall and Trent Edwards were able to get more reps with the extra time in the morning that was seen by Sirius NFL Radio. They were broadcasting live during the morning from the camp.
Tuesday July 31, 2007
Practice Time Changed: The Bills changed the time of Saturday's practice. They moved it up just over two hours to 10:10am. This allows them more rest time with Sunday off and more time for team officials to watch the Thurman Thomas Hall of Fame Ceremonies that takes place in the evening. It also may be the precursor to announcing that they will have a scrimmage on Saturday.
Bills May Scrimmage: Coach Jauron said he is leaving open the possibility of holding an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday. He said he left room in his schedule to have a live portion of practice especially the young players.
Bills Not Crisp: Dick Jauron admitted that the team wasn't very crisp during Monday's practice session. He said that is to be expected considering it was the first day in pads after three straight two-a-days and under a very hot sun. He felt it was a good day's work since they fought through it but they need to get a lot better.
Monday July 30, 2007
Everett Held Out: Kevin Everett was held out of today's practice session with a sore foot. He's expected to be day to day according to the team's website but may be able to take part in tomorrow's night practice session. Injury Page.
Pads On Today: The Bills hit the practice field today at 11am for the first time with Pads after three two a days and a closed practice without them. The team is now down to single practices for the remainder of camp but there will be a lot of morning walk throughs to go along with the one practice a day. The first night practice takes place tomorrow night.
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Hargrove Arrested: The Bills couldn't fully escape the growing trend of players getting in trouble with the law. Early this morning at around 2am Anthony Hargrove was arrested and charged with several misdemeanors after an altercation with police outside a Rochester nightclub. He was one of hundreds of people involved in the melee. He was arguing with a bouncer when police arrived and is accused of shoving the officer in the face and breaking his glasses but not injuring him. Hargrove has been charged with harassment, resisting arrest, and criminal mischief. He was released from Monroe County Jail on Sunday afternoon on $1,100 bail. The Bills had today off and many members of the administration were travelling back from the Hall of Fame ceremonies. A spokesman says the team is aware of the arrest and gathering all the facts. They will have more comments tomorrow when the team returns to practice.