The Buffalo News - Bills http://www.buffalonews.com Latest stories from The Buffalo News en-us Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:41:36 -0400 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:41:36 -0400 <![CDATA[ NFL tree rooted in Athol Springs ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130616/SPORTS/130619338/1082
Some will go on to become doctors and lawyers. Others will choose civil service or education as a career.

Still others may defy the seemingly infinitesimal odds and become general managers in our country’s most popular sport.

On consecutive days this winter, two graduates of this small Franciscan school on the shores of Lake Erie made headlines in the National Football League.

David Caldwell was first. A 38-year-old member of the Class of 1992, Caldwell was named the Jacksonville Jaguars’ general manager Jan. 8.

A day later, Caldwell’s teammate on the 1990 St. Francis varsity squad followed him into the NFL GM ranks when Tom Telesco accepted the job with the San Diego Chargers. Telesco, 40, is a Class of 1991 graduate.

If that weren’t amazing enough, another teammate on that squad, Brian Polian, became the head coach at Nevada on Jan. 7, one of only 125 such jobs in the country.

Polian, of course, is the son of Bill Polian, architect of the great Buffalo Bills teams of the early ’90s and one of the best executives the NFL has ever known. The elder Polian is also the man who gave both Telesco and Caldwell their first jobs in professional football.In his introductory news conference in San Diego, Telesco promised to work “365 days a year” to turn the Chargers into winners.

Reserved by nature, he’d prefer to do that work behind the scenes, but he hasn’t shied away from making bold moves in his first five-plus months on the job.

Since Telesco took over, he hired Mike McCoy as coach, committed to Philip Rivers as the team’s quarterback and traded up to take one of the most polarizing players in the 2013 NFL Draft in Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o.

“The draft process is essentially a 12-month process of getting ready, so we squeezed a lot of work in,” Telesco said during a recent phone interview with the News. “There’s been a lot of transition here and it’s natural in this business and professional sports in general that you’re going to have transition. Everyone here has embraced it and worked really hard, so it’s gone smoothly.”

The NFL does not keep records on the backgrounds of executives, so it’s unknown if two general managers working at the same time have ever come from the same high school. But regardless of how historic the circumstance may be, Telesco and Caldwell both agree this is no time for reflection.

“I’m not a big reflector, anyway,” Telesco said. “Everyone has a job to do, and you come in and just keep working on it. So we haven’t had a chance to sit back and see where we are. I’d be afraid to do that anyway, because the more time I spend doing that, the less I’ll have getting better here.”

Caldwell squeezed time in for a phone interview with the News during a drive from Jacksonville to Atlanta earlier this month. He was going back to the city where he spent the past five years working in the Falcons’ front office to help relocate his family to Jacksonville.

“I don’t know if it ever stops, where you get a chance to breathe,” he said.

Caldwell likewise has been at the forefront of several major decisions in his brief tenure. His first move was to fire Mike Mularkey as coach and subsequently replace him with Gus Bradley. Caldwell also made it clear – at his introductory news conference – that the Jaguars would have no interest in bringing in hometown hero Tim Tebow to play quarterback.

“We used to laugh about it back when we were scouting assistants: ‘Could you ever imagine being a general manager?’” Caldwell said. “And here we are about 17 years later.”

While Telesco and Caldwell come from the Polian tree, the real roots of their success stem from the seeds planted in the tiny hamlet of Athol Springs.

“I guess our careers are a little more interesting just because it’s the National Football League and there’s a lot of exposure to it, but there are so many successful people that have come out of St. Francis in all different walks of life, doing all different careers,” Telesco said. “The school, academically, did a great job preparing me for college. But more so, there are just great people there. The teachers, the faculty, to me they always showed a lot of interest in the students both in the classroom and outside the classroom.”

The thread that ties together not just Telesco, Caldwell and Brian Polian, but thousands of kids who have come through the program, is 25-year football coach Jerry Smith and his assistant for that entire time, John Scibetta.

“Jerry and John just have a great passion for the game and it kind of rubs off on everybody and it rubbed off on me,” Telesco said. “Everything I learned fundamentals wise in football that I use today is from John and Jerry.”With his shaved head and goatee, and a voice that sounds like he gargles with gravel, the 54-year-old Smith looks like he’s come to the sidelines straight from Central Casting.

In the 65-year history of their football program, the Red Raiders have won or shared 14 Monsignor Martin titles. Smith owns 12 of those, including a run of five straight from 2000-04.

Just don’t ask him what his career record is.

“I’ve always told the kids that I’m not in it for the ‘Ws’ and ‘Ls,’ never have been,” he said. “That takes care of itself if you do things the right way.”

His career record, for the record, is 131-109-4.

Smith has a simple reason when asked why he’s made St. Francis his home.

“Quite honestly, it comes down to the kids themselves. They get in your heart,” he said. “When you show them that you truly care, they bust their hump for you in everything. Not only in the athletic end of it, but the arts end of it, the academic end of it. Just being that Renaissance man.

“You see it every year, the talent that these guys have. Here, if you don’t try to be smart, everybody gets on your case. They say, ‘you’re not doing the work. You need to do the work.’ That’s what’s amazing.”

Smith arrived at St. Francis in 1981, starting as an assistant for his mentor, legendary coach Ray Karney. His plan was to stay for about three years, then go off to a graduate assistant job.

It’s been 32 years and counting, and Smith still hasn’t gotten that GA job. Scibetta’s been at his side the entire time.

“They don’t get enough credit for how long they’ve been at that school for. They’re still as passionate now about coaching and developing young men as they were then,” Caldwell said. “They lay the foundation of ‘this is how you work. This is how you take care of your business.’”

Caldwell learned that lesson in a sit-down conversation he had before his junior season in 1990. Described by Smith as “a little wild back then,” he and Scibetta wanted to know if Caldwell was going to commit himself to doing things the right way.

“He ended up making the decision that he did. He said, ‘You know what, I’m going to do it the way I’m supposed to do it.’ I’m going to take it a little bit more serious. I would say it changed his life,” Smith recalled.

“Football is such a team-oriented sport – the ultimate team game – and you have to have a childlike faith in your teammates and your coaches. I think the loyalty aspect of it was really instilled to us at St. Francis,” Caldwell said. “I think that has carried me in this business. Throughout my career, and in college, when I said I was going to do something, I think my bosses knew I was going to follow through. And those are the things I learned at St. Francis. Follow through and be loyal to the people you work for and that will carry you a long way, not only in this business, but in life.”

Karney served as a father figure for Smith, who was just 8 years old when his own dad passed away. That has been the guiding principle in his coaching career.

When Brian Polian was at the school, the Bills were at the height of their success. Bill Polian was very much in demand.

“My dad was very public at the time, with a TV show or a radio show or whatever he was doing. He wasn’t home a lot. I love my father and I have a great relationship with him, but John and Jerry were like surrogate dads to me when I needed one,” Brian Polian said. “Part of my strong feelings toward the place and toward the program has a lot to do with that.”

“It’s very humbling to hear, I’ll tell you that,” Smith said. “A lot of times, we really don’t realize the effect we have on guys. If you’re in this profession, especially at our level, you’re really not in it for the money. You’re in it to give a guy an opportunity to make the right decisions and carry it through their lives. They’ve done that, so it feels like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Smith’s first victory as a head coach in 1988 came with Brian’s older brother, Chris, at quarterback. Caldwell hired Chris Polian last month to serve as the Jaguars’ director of pro personnel.

Telesco played two years of varsity for Smith as a wide receiver, in 1989 and ’90.

“Tommy was a skinny little guy. If he was going to hit someone, we were more concerned about him getting hurt than anything else,” Smith said.

Growing up in Hamburg, basketball was Telesco’s first love. He was childhood teammates with Brian Polian, and that’s how he first came across Bill Polian, who was refereeing one of Telesco’s grammar school games.

“I was probably in eighth grade at St. Peter and Paul and he was reffing one of our games,” Telesco said. “I remember meeting him then, and then got to know him much better through St. Francis.”

Polian’s sons were part of the Hamburg Little Cagers program, and he would volunteer as an official from time to time. It was a passion of Polian’s long before he got into player evaluation.

“Which is ironic,” Brian Polian said, “because nobody was tougher on officials than him.”

“That isn’t entirely true,” Bill Polian said. “We have a difference of opinion on that.”

Caldwell was on varsity in the ’90 and ’91 seasons. As a senior, he was joined by Brian Polian and Brian Daboll – currently an assistant coach with the New England Patriots – on a team that went 8-0-1 and won Smith his first league title.

The next year, the team went 8-1 to win another league championship. In the only loss of the season, 20-18 against Lackawanna, Daboll – who was one of the team captains along with Brian Polian – didn’t play because of a broken thumb suffered the week before.

“I still think to this day if we have him on defense in that game, they’re not completing what they did,” Smith said. “I don’t think there was anybody on the team that could match his intensity. He coaches that way now, too.”

Daboll went from St. Francis to the University of Rochester, where he played for two seasons. His big coaching break came when he was a graduate assistant under Nick Saban at Michigan State in 1998. He’s gone on to serve as the offensive coordinator for three teams – Cleveland, Miami and Kansas City – in the NFL.

“Jerry and John had a big impact on just about everything that I’ve done since I’ve left there,” Daboll said. “The way they handled you as young men, the discipline they taught you, not only were they very good football coaches, but they were really good mentors.”

The St. Francis connection to the NFL continues beyond those members of the graduating classes between 1989 and ’93.

Kyle Smith, the son of former Bills executive A.J. Smith, is an ’02 graduate working as a regional scout for the Washington Redskins.

Luke Tasker, son of former Bills great Steve Tasker, is an ’09 graduate who is an undrafted free agent receiver signed by Telesco with the Chargers. The GM said he’s been impressive so far.

“They’re all pretty much the same as they were in high school. They just have a little bit more mature outlook to things,” Smith said of the high-profile members of his program. “But their work ethic is the same. They were relentless in what they did. They knew how to work hard and they knew how to have a good time after they did.”One of Brian Polian’s favorite memories – at least that he can tell in a family newspaper – is of Caldwell’s “speech” in English class.

“David got up, he had to give a verbal report, and he did the ‘Art of Silence’ and stood there and stared at the class for two minutes,” Brian Polian said. “I’m not quite sure how Mr. Malloy took it.”

Not well, in Caldwell’s recollection.

“I think I had to do it over,” Caldwell said. “It probably wasn’t one of my finer moments, but we did have a good time. And those are some of things that built our camaraderie and the relationships that we have. Hey, you live and you learn. I was a good student, but I probably wasn’t the most well-behaved student.”

Smith and Scibetta weren’t the only ones to set Caldwell straight.

Rev. Joseph Benicewicz, the former principal of the school, has remained a mentor to Caldwell.

“We still keep in contact, and he’s been an incredible influence on my life,” Caldwell said. “In some of the instances where I did run awry and do some of the stupid things like I did in Mr. Malloy’s class, he’d take me aside and say, ‘now why did you do this?’ He helped me mature over the years.”

Caldwell, who grew up in West Seneca, said the biggest impact the school had on him is the relationships built over four years.

“We have a running email with 20 or 25 guys from our graduating class that still get together. It’s a very tight-knit group,” he said. “Last year we got together for the 20th reunion and we just left off like it was 1992. It’s funny how much things change but the people stay the same.”

The football field is only one area where the group bonded.

“My favorite memories have very little to do with football, actually,” Brian Polian said. “It was usually the mischief I was involved in. Hanging out at David Caldwell’s house with his family. His sister, Judy, used to cut our hair in the basement of their house. I mean, we go back that far.”

The friendships would only get stronger.Chris Polian was the first to head west on the I-90 for college at John Carroll University, the small Division III school in suburban Cleveland with a rich history of graduates moving on to the NFL.

Telesco followed soon after, as did Caldwell and Brian Polian.

“Chris was a couple years ahead of me and during the Thanksgiving break I’d hitch a ride with him,” Caldwell said. “There was some familiarity there, which was a good thing for all of us. It was when we were in college that we became much closer friends.”

Chris Polian and Telesco played wide receiver for the Blue Streaks, while Caldwell and Brian Polian – who were roommates – were linebackers.

Chris Polian graduated college in ’93, missing out on John Carroll’s Ohio Athletic Conference championship a year later.

When he was getting ready to graduate in 1996, Caldwell knew he wanted to pursue a career in football. He just wasn’t sure in what capacity.

One night when Bill Polian was in town, Brian suggested that Caldwell might be interested in an internship. After a John Carroll game, Caldwell and Bill Polian, who was the Carolina Panthers’ general manager at the time, discussed the possibility over dinner.

A job as a scouting assistant eventually opened up, and Caldwell jumped at the opportunity. Telesco – who had worked as a summer intern with the Bills during training camp between the 1991-94 seasons – had taken the same job a season earlier in 1995.

“To their credit, both of those guys took entry-level positions that paid next to nothing and have turned it into one of 32 jobs in the league,” Brian Polian said.An open door is one thing, but it’s what you do after walking through it that really resonates.

Chris Polian’s first job in football came as a player personnel assistant with the Sacramento Gold Miners, America’s first team in the Canadian Football League in 1993.

Brian Polian started as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in 1997, the year before Daboll arrived. From there, he worked for the University at Buffalo, Baylor, Central Florida, Notre Dame, Stanford and Texas A&M.

When Telesco and Caldwell started with the Panthers, they were making less than $25,000.

“All four of those guys have made it strictly on their own,” said Bill Polian, who was Panthers GM from 1994-97. “Every one of them started at the bottom and worked their way up. The only thing that helped was the fact they knew somebody in the business, but that’s where it ended. Everything else, they did on their own.”

Caldwell was only 22 years old at the time, without a family, which afforded him the flexibility to be the first one in and last one out. That work ethic – which was shared by Telesco – quickly made an impression.

“It was pretty obvious that they were going to be top-flight people in the business from a relatively early age. As time went on, we gave them more and more responsibility,” Bill Polian said.

Polian said it was apparent “almost from the get go” he had two future stars on staff.

“They always went that extra mile in terms of doing everything that it took to get the complete picture of a player. They had personalities that exuded leadership and professionalism, and at the same time were very, very easy to get along with,” Polian said. “Obviously, they came to Indianapolis with us, and by that time it was clear they were headed for big things.”

With the Colts, Telesco served as an area scout (1998-2000), pro scout (01-03), director of pro scouting (2005), director of player personnel (2006-11) and vice president of football operations (2012).

“He’s a mentor, but he’s even more than that,” Telesco said of Bill Polian. “They’re like family to me just because I’ve been with them so long and they’ve been so good to me. I obviously keep in contact with him. He’s such a great resource that it’d be hard not to. At a young age, he gave me a little bit more responsibility than I’d even earned at that point, but it was just part of his teaching process.

“You’re a product of who you’ve worked with and worked for. I was just lucky enough to work for, in my estimation, one of the best team builders in any sport, not just football.”

Caldwell joined Telesco and Bill Polian in Indianapolis in 1998, working as an area scout from 1998 to 2007 before joining the Falcons as director of college scouting (2008-11) and director of player personnel (2012).

Telesco had a good laugh when asked if he’s made his first trade call to Caldwell yet.

“No, but shoot, I’ll trade with anybody. It doesn’t have to be him, as long as I get a deal done,” he said. “But it does make it easier knowing the person on the other end of the phone really well.”Caldwell and his wife, Joelle, had their son, David Michael, baptized in the chapel at St. Francis. So did Brian Polian and his wife, Laura, with their daughter, Charlotte, who joined older brother Aidan.

“For me, and I know my brothers feel this way, Buffalo’s home and will always be home. I’m the only guy in America who over spring break in March, I go to Buffalo,” Brian Polian said. “We christened my daughter there St. Patrick’s Day weekend in the chapel at St. Francis. I miss being back there.”

Polian was determined to pay it forward after getting his first head coaching job. One of his first moves was to hire a graduate assistant – Pat Denecke – who’s a 2006 St. Francis graduate.

“I always said when I got my first job that I was going to get somebody from home and give them their first break,” Polian said. “Pat played for John and Jerry. He’s been great.”

It all begs the question: How does Smith keep up?

After all, he’s got more than 30 players currently on college rosters, bringing the total number of players he’s sent to the next level to nearly 200.

“With technology the way it is, I can put all the schools in my phone and get the updates on each,” he said. “My phone blows up on Saturdays and Sundays.”

As for knowing what to root for when Telesco’s and Caldwell’s teams meet Oct. 20, he’s already thought about that.

“Simple. A tie.”

email: jskurski@buffnews.com ]]> Sun, 16 Jun 2013 13:05:24 -0400 Jay Skurski
]]> <![CDATA[ Bills’ coach Marrone needs to be careful ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130616/SPORTS/130619337/1082
Here’s a quote from Fred Jackson, one I’ll store away for future reference:

“When a new coach tells you we’re going to the playoffs this year, that changes the mindset of some guys,” Jackson said Wednesday. “It’s not a guy coming in and saying we’re rebuilding.”

That’s no surprise. Rookie coaches don’t usually come in and tell people to prepare for the suffering. They’re young and full of themselves. They’re competitors who expect to win. And they’re in charge of a bunch of confident athletes who expect to succeed, too.

So when Marrone says the Bills can make the playoffs, Jackson takes him at his word. He’s a captain, a leader, the most respected guy on the squad.

Look, I don’t expect the Bills to contend this season. It is a rebuilding year, despite what Marrone says. But he needs to tread carefully. A new coach has to be consistent with his players, especially his veterans. If he talks playoffs, he has to back it up.

That leads us to the quarterback issue. There’s a school of thought that says Marrone should make rookie EJ Manuel the starter from Day One. Throw him out there and let him learn on the job. What do you have to lose, right? They’re not going to the playoffs, anyway.

Tell that to Jackson or Eric Wood, or Kyle or Mario Williams, who have never appeared in an NFL playoff game. If they’re buying into the notion that the Bills have a shot, it’ll be hard for Marrone to sell roster moves that compromise the team’s ability to win in the short term.

Remember 2005? It’s understandable if you’d rather forget. That was the year they unloaded a fading Drew Bledsoe and handed the starting job to J.P. Losman, who was in his second NFL season.

Losman was a disaster. Mike Mularkey, in his second season as coach, yanked him twice in the first four weeks, then gave the job to Kelly Holcomb. The veterans, who had expected to contend after winning nine games in ’04, were against the Losman move from the start.

That was the year when Takeo Spikes and London Fletcher talked about making history on defense. When Losman struggled, there were mutterings in the locker room that Mularkey was hurting their playoff chances by playing Losman.

There were suspicions that Mularkey was taking his lead from Ralph Wilson and Tom Donahoe. He lost the locker room. He had a falling-out with Eric Moulds. At the end of the season, Mularkey, Donahoe and Moulds were all gone. It was one of the most embarrassing seasons in team history.

This situation is different. Manuel is a rookie. No rookie has won the Bills’ starting QB job out of camp since Jim Kelly in 1986, and Kelly was 26 at the time, with two years of USFL experience.

Manuel is an exciting athlete with a big arm. But he’s raw, and he’s likely to struggle against NFL defenses at the start. He might be even less ready than Losman was as a second-year pro in 2005.

Sure, it’ll be great if Manuel is a revelation, if he picks up the NFL game in training camp and dazzles us in preseason games. Management is surely hoping he’ll win the job, raising the hopes of fans who believe they have a true franchise quarterback at last.

But Marrone has promised a competition at every position. Manuel will have to fight Kevin Kolb for the starter’s job. That’s why they cut Tarvaris Jackson, to reduce it to a two-man battle and give Manuel enough practice reps to prove himself.

Manuel signed his rookie contract on Friday: A four-year deal for an estimated $8.9 million, commensurate with the 16th overall pick on the rookie wage scale. It’s good to have Manuel locked up early, ensuring that he will be happy and in camp on time.

That’s a fairly modest contract. A four-year, $8.9 million deal is what you pay an average offensive lineman nowadays. In 2009, Aaron Maybin got $25 million over five years as the 11th overall pick. Maybin got $14.2 million in guarantees.

So there’s no urgency to play Manuel right away to justify the investment. I don’t buy the notion that management must “sell him” to the public by playing him right away.

The Bills are great at selling hope to a captive audience. They’ve done a nice job by restructuring the organization, putting young faces in the key management and coaching positions, and drafting a potential franchise quarterback and hot young receivers.

Bills fans are a patient, forgiving lot. They won’t disappear if it takes Manuel time to develop into an NFL quarterback. He doesn’t have to be Andrew Luck, Cam Newton or Russell Wilson to justify the pick.

Kolb has the upper hand right now, in deference to his experience. I asked Kolb if he needed to be the clear-cut winner to get the No. 1 job. He just smiled. He said he’s played every role in quarterback competitions. He knows how the game is played.

These things have a way of working themselves out. Kolb has been more prospect than producer in his career. He’s been prone to injury, partly because he holds the ball too long in the pocket and doesn’t handle pressure well.

If Kolb exceeds expectations and the Bills get off to a fast start, fans will be thrilled. It’s more likely that he’ll falter and Manuel will get his chance. Of course, there’s also the chance that Kolb will have an uninspiring camp and Manuel will do well enough to win the job.

Marrone’s job is to conduct a fair competition. He said during minicamp that he expects the winner to become evident during training camp.

“I think it’s going to be something that we’re all going to see, not just a decision that’s made,” Marrone said. “I believe that we’ll be able to see it at training camp. I think the players on the team are going to be able to see that separation, and that’s the most important thing.”

It’s interesting that Marrone would talk about the players being able to see the separation. He’s saying it won’t be that close, which leads me to believe that he doesn’t expect Manuel to be ready.

Marrone’s words also show that he’s sensitive to his players. He knows they’re watching to see if he’s true to his word. The last thing Marrone needs is for players to suspect that the quarterback decision is being influenced by the men upstairs.

Quarterback is by far the most important position in the NFL. But don’t forget, the Bills also have a rookie head coach. He’s trying to find his way, too.

email: jsullivan@buffnews.com ]]> Sun, 16 Jun 2013 00:29:58 -0400 Jerry Sullivan
]]> <![CDATA[ Manuel has fifth option year in deal ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130618/SPORTS/130619136/1082 By Mark Gaughan

The rookie contract signed by EJ Manuel last week is worth $8.88 million over four years. However, it's possible Manuel will be locked up through 2017, not 2016.

In all first-round deals since the 2011 collective bargaining agreement was signed, the club has an option for a fifth year. The club can't exercise the option until after the player's third season. Once executed, the amount is guaranteed for injury, meaning he gets paid that fifth-year money even if he can't play due to injury.

That fifth-year money is guaranteed for skill and cap reasons as well if he's still on the roster on the first day of the league year (in March) that fifth season. That means he gets the fifth-year money at that point, even if the team decides afterward it doesn't want him on the roster.

Because Manuel was drafted between 11th and 32nd, the amount of the option-year salary for him would be equal to the average salary of the third- through 25th-highest-paid quarterbacks in the league at the end of his third season.

If Manuel had been drafted in the top 10, then the amount of the option-year salary would be equal to the top 10 players at his position at the end of his third season. That's a lot higher, obviously.

Because the Bills traded out of the top 10 and took Manuel 16th overall, they would get a less expensive fifth-year option. Obviously that's a benefit because there still could be some uncertainty over his play after his third season.

Of course, if Manuel plays well enough to still be the clear-cut starting quarterback after his fourth season, then it's likely the Bills would want to sign him to a big contract extension before his fifth season rather than have him play out his fifth season.

But you never know. The Baltimore Ravens let quarterback Joe Flacco play out his contract last season, then signed him to a big extension after he won the Super Bowl.

It's a problem the Bills would welcome. If Manuel is still in a Bills uniform in 2017, then it's overwhelmingly likely he will be "The Answer" the franchise has sought.

]]> Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:05:57 -0400 <![CDATA[ Ex-Bill Kelso helps tackle issue of youth league safety ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130616/SPORTS/130619334/1082
Lanier, a former Kansas City Chief, played with a protective pad on the outside of his helmet, as Kelso did for the last five years of his Bills career in the 1990s.

“I said, ‘Willie, did that work for you?’” Kelso recalled. “He said, ‘I don’t know, Mark, because after my rookie year when I had a couple concussions, I never used my head again involved in a tackle.’”

That’s a lesson Kelso is preaching across Western New York these days in his new role as an ambassador for USA Football, the national governing body for the sport at the youth level.

USA Football, with the considerable financial backing of the NFL, is waging a nationwide “Heads Up Football” campaign to promote safety in the sport.

A group of 35 representatives from youth football leagues across Western New York were at the Bills’ Fieldhouse Saturday to learn about the campaign.

“It’s all about a comprehensive, consistent message across the country at all levels of football on what the proper tackling technique is,” Kelso said. “How to teach it, how to make sure kids are using it properly, and how they’re developing muscle memory to engage themselves when they’re playing in a game and don’t have time to think about it.

“It’s also how to engage the local community so they have proper medical protocol for recognizing, diagnosing and treating concussions, and re-entry to play rules for concussive like symptoms.”

The Bills donated $25,000 through the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation to support the program, which will in part allow all youth coaches in USA Football to become certified in the program.

The campaign comes at a time when the NFL is facing increasing pressure over the issue of concussions, including lawsuits from roughly 4,000 former players.

“The NFL, I think, feels some responsibility and accountability, which I think they have, and which I think I have as an ex-player.

“Shoot, I was taught to tackle with my face. Put your facemask in his chest. That’s completely gone now.”

Kelso thinks a lot of the risk of concussion can be taken out of the game by teaching proper technique. So does Ken Stoldt, chairman of the Western New York (or Section VI) high school football federation.

“I think they’re trying to change the whole culture of this game,” Stoldt said of USA Football. “And I really believe strongly in what USA Football is doing because they’re starting at the grass roots.”

Coaches at all levels have been talking about tackling with the head up for years. Creating a standardized teaching program on tackling and delivering it nationwide is new.

“The difficult thing for coaches is going to be the terminology,” Stoldt said. “Bite the ball. Mask in the chest. All of those different phrases, we’re trying to get rid of those.”

Wrapping up is another phrase USA Football is avoiding.

“When we wrap, the arms go out and automatically our head goes down,” Stoldt said. “They’re trying to create a movement here that’s an upward force, as opposed to putting the shoulder down and wrapping. … It used to be we wanted the kids to hit with the top of the shoulder.”

Now coaches and players will be taught the aim-point is the front part of the shoulder, or the upper chest area.

“Now it’s a little different technique to say we’re going to shoot the arms through and we’re going to rip to the top and take our eyes to the sky more, so we keep our head completely out of it,” Kelso said. “You’re going to elevate yourself so that you’re below the facemask of the player you’re trying to tackle. Then you get into the shoot position so you shoot your arms through and rip up through the tackle and come up from underneath their pads so your head and face are all up.”

The 35 representatives at One Bills Drive Saturday will go back to their leagues and pass on the coaching drills, as well as conduct clinics for coaches, parents and players on concussion rules and proper helmet-fitting.

Regarding return-to-play rules after a concussion, USA Football has adopted a five-step process for allowing a player to get back on the field. Each step takes at least 24 hours.

“A kid can not even start the five-day return-to-play protocol until he’s received medical clearance to do so,” Stoldt said. “If a kid shows symptoms at any point between steps, you go back to the first step and the clock to return starts all over. … If a team gets clearance from a player’s doctor on a Tuesday, there’s no way that kid’s playing Friday night.”

Bills coach Doug Marrone spoke to the participants in the clinic.

“I’ve always been told to make sure your head’s up and never put your head down,” Marrone said. “We’ve always been told never use equipment as a weapon. I think somewhere along the line we’ve lost that message. I think we have to be proactive in making sure we realize that we’re promoting a safer game, at every level.”

email: mgaughan@buffnews.com ]]> Sun, 16 Jun 2013 00:52:55 -0400 Mark Gaughan
]]> <![CDATA[ Bills sign Manuel to four-year contract ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130614/SPORTS/130619475/1082
Terms were not announced but the deal is expected to be worth a total value of about $8.9 million.

Manuel was the last of the Bills’ eight rookie draft picks to reach a contract agreement, and his signing came a full six weeks before the Bills open training camp at St. John Fisher College.

Since the NFL instituted a rookie wage scale in the new collective bargaining agreement in 2011, rookie contract negotiations have become far less complicated.

Manuel, the 16th overall pick, became the eighth of 32 first-round picks to reach agreement on a contract.

No. 5 overall pick Ziggy Ansah of Detroit is the highest pick to sign. Manuel’s deal came in the wake of the signing of No. 17 overall pick Jarvis Jones by the Pittsburgh Steelers on June 3. No. 15 overall pick Kenny Vaccaro signed with New Orleans about a month ago.

Manuel’s signing bonus is expected to be about $4.8 million.

When Bills training camp begins on July 28, Manuel will compete with veteran Kevin Kolb for the starting quarterback job.

Manuel was 25-6 as a starter for Florida State and had the third most victories in school history. Manuel ended his career as the Seminoles’ career leader in completion percentage (66.9), and finished with 7,736 passing yards, third most in school history.

email: mgaughan@buffnews.com ]]> Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:33:33 -0400 Mark Gaughan
]]> <![CDATA[ Break time for Alonso, Bills teammates ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130613/SPORTS/130619553/1082
Alonso, the rookie linebacker from the University of Oregon, has been the Bills’ man in perpetual motion the past month.

At every turn of the head, Alonso was sprinting into the flat to cover a running back, chasing sideline to sideline or running in stride down the sideline with C.J. Spiller. He got a ton of snaps, and it was obvious the Bills’ coaches put Alonso on a crash course to prepare for a starting inside linebacker job.

Physically, at least, he looked up to the challenge, which was one of the main developments of the Bills’ 13 practices over the past month.

“I love playing football, so it’s great getting a lot of snaps,” said Alonso, after Thursday’s final minicamp workout. “It’s pretty similar to Oregon, where we always ran up-tempo, and it’s the same thing we do here.”

“I think Kiko has done an outstanding job, he really has,” said Bills coach Doug Marrone. “There’s been a little bit of ups and downs, but that’s not a knock on him. That is what happens with young players. I’m extremely excited to see him perform when the pads come on.”

The Bills’ practices featured a lot of no-huddle offense. Plays were run at a much faster pace than in the past.

“We’ve reached our goal as far as teaching the players what our tempo is, how we want to practice,” Marrone said.

Marrone also said he’s happy with the buy-in he received.

“Our goal was to make sure that we build and earn that trust, and in turn, they go ahead and do that to us,” he said. “Really building a relationship, making sure that we’re all part of one team, was important, that there wasn’t any separation. I think we’re able to do that.”

Here are other observations from the four weeks of spring sessions:

• The aggressive defense is ahead of the offense. The Bills’ defense blitzed the least amount in the league last year. Those days are over. The defense sent a myriad of rushes at the quarterbacks.

• Left guard is wide open. Colin Brown, a 6-foot-7, 326-pounder who missed much of last season with a torn hamstring, worked as the starter. Newly signed Doug Legursky, who has more credentials (17 career starts) but a much smaller frame, got some snaps with the starters this week.

• Right tackle likely will be a battle. Incumbent starter Erik Pears, who missed half of last season, was back only part-time the past month. Chris Hairston, who has started 15 games the past two years, figures to push him hard. Hairston sat out most of the spring due to injury. Both are expected to be ready for camp.

• Edge rush jobs are open. Mark Anderson, who needed two surgeries to repair a knee injury that kept him out 11 games last season, was not able to work in team drills. He did individual drills. That gave younger players plenty of snaps.

Jerry Hughes, acquired in the deal that sent Kelvin Sheppard to Indianapolis, looked very quick off the edge. Jamie Blatnick, on Denver’s practice squad last year, and Marcus Dowtin, an undersized former Jet who plays multiple positions, are in the backup mix.

• The first-team defense has yet to assemble. Defensive tackle Kyle Williams is rehabilitating from heel surgery. Cornerback Leodis McKelvin did individual drills, no team drills. Strong-side linebacker Manny Lawson worked with the second team this week. Safety Jairus Byrd has not signed his franchise-tag offer.

• The receiving corps is very young but talented. Robert Woods, the second-round pick, looked promising, as advertised. T.J. Graham and Marquise Goodwin are blazing fast. Both are smart, too. Da’Rick Rogers is physical and sneaky fast. Fourth-year man Marcus Easley was out with injury most of the spring.

• Rookie safety Duke Williams, the fourth-round pick from Nevada, got some snaps with the starters at free safety Wednesday. Thursday he showed his versatility, working at cornerback. Aaron Williams got most of the starting work in place of Byrd. Williams had an interception all three days this week. Undrafted rookie Nickell Robey of Southern California looked aggressive and confident.

• Rookie kicker Dustin Hopkins, a seventh-round pick, has a stronger leg than last year’s rookie kicker, John Potter. So far, Hopkins didn’t appear as accurate on field goals as Rian Lindell.

• Much more will be learned about the team when it actually practices in pads in the summer. The Bills are off for six weeks. The first training camp practice is July 28.

“I do think that when it comes on and the pads come on and we start playing preseason, I think that’s where people start separating themselves,” Marrone said. “And that’s where the players have to understand that’s where we’re looking for them to make something happen, to make plays. You see it around here a lot – don’t confuse effort with results. Everyone’s trying hard and everyone is doing that, but at the end of the day it’s about making the plays.”

email: mgaughan@buffnews.com ]]> Fri, 14 Jun 2013 22:55:43 -0400 Mark Gaughan
]]> <![CDATA[ Bills notebook: Johnson reveals he fractured a vertebra ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130613/SPORTS/130619555/1082
Johnson’s rigid fingers were taped at the knuckles. He declined to clasp hands.

It has been a delicate offseason for the Bills’ top wide receiver. He’s recovering from a twisted left ankle and revealed for the first time his previous back injury wasn’t merely a strain. He broke it.

Johnson acknowledged Thursday he fractured his L-5 vertebra in March while filming a workout session for BuffaloBills.com.

“It got to the point where, ‘It’s got to be something more than a strain or something’ because every time I sit down it’s hurting,” Johnson said. “Every time I stand up it’s hurting. I lay down, it’s hurting. I went through rehab and it wasn’t helping.

“So I got the MRI, and it was a slight fracture.”

Johnson said he was given a cortisone shot and an epidural as part of his recovery.

Johnson’s offseason workout approach came under fire when he told radio host Jim Rome his training consisted mostly of basketball and road work.

The Bills wanted to show fans that Johnson really does take training seriously by filming a session. Johnson said the back injury occurred while doing a power-rope exercise.

Then on the first day of voluntary workouts, Johnson twisted his ankle while making a catch during an individual drill. He spun clockwise, stepped awkwardly on a cone and hurt his left ankle.

“The back wasn’t cleared up yet. I was just dealing with it,” Johnson said. “Then I came back to see if I could get out there and wiggle with my back and ended up stepping on a cone.”

Johnson has had a list of injuries over the years, particularly with his groin, but he hasn’t missed a game since he became a regular contributor in 2010.

“I try not to miss a game,” Johnson said. “You never know how long you’ll be here.

“I don’t want to be stupid about it. There probably was one game I was stupid about playing through an injury, and that was the Houston Texans game last year. I got kneed in my thigh on a slant early in the game, and it was bad.

“But I love being out there, trying to make a difference.”

...

While they’re unlikely to be the words the NFL would use, Buffalo Bills pass-rusher Mario Williams summed up defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s philosophy thusly:

“He usually says ‘Kill ’em or hurt ’em.’ That’s what I always hear.”

On the final day of spring workouts and before taking a six-week break before training camp, Williams exalted the Bills’ new defensive scheme for their aggression and entertainment value.

This year’s defense certainly should be more creative than last year’s under Dave Wannstedt.

“The biggest thing from last year to this year is there’s a lot more moving parts,” Williams said. “It can be pretty complex and a lot to digest in a short period of time, but once you get the grasp of it, once you know, say, a third of it you can piece it together. As long as you know our key words and hand signals, even if you don’t have the best grasp on it, you can get the hang of it.

“I will say from going against the offense, it seems to be pretty difficult for them to pick up.”

I asked Williams if he agreed with the criticism Wannstedt’s defense was too simple.

“If I were to compare two apples, you would have to say that,” Williams said. “Not saying anything about last year’s defense because that was last year, but this year’s defense is totally different.

“I don’t even know where I’m going to be half the time. That’s definitely new. We got guys all over the place.

...

The Bills have passed along new NFL guidelines for items, particularly bags, that can be brought into Ralph Wilson Stadium this season.

In a news release, the Bills stated they “strongly encourage fans to not bring any type of bags,” but the NFL will allow:

• Clear-plastic, vinyl or PVC bags that don’t exceed 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches, or a one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag.

• Small clutch bags, “approximately the size of a hand,” in addition to one of the clear-bag options.

• An exception will be made for medical necessities after inspection at the gate.

Prohibited items include:

• Purses larger than a clutch bag.

• Coolers.

• Briefcases.

• Backpacks.

• Fanny packs.

• Cinch bags.

• Luggage of any kind.

• Seat cushions.

• Computer bags.

• Camera bags.

• Any bag larger than the permissible size.

“Our No. 1 goal on game days at Ralph Wilson Stadium continues to be providing our fans with the best game day experience possible,” Bills vice president of event operations and guest experience Andy Major said in the release, “and this policy addresses both public safety and stadium entry efficiency for all Bills fans.”

...

Bills great Thurman Thomas watched practice Thursday. ... Central Florida head coach George O’Leary, former Syracuse aide, Georgia Tech head coach and mentor to Marrone, watched practice Wednesday. So did Marrone’s father-in-law, Boots Donnelly, former Middle Tennessee coach who two weeks ago was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

email: tgraham@buffnews.com ]]> Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:22:28 -0400 Tim Graham
]]> <![CDATA[ Defense takes spotlight as Bills wrap up minicamp ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130613/SPORTS/130619607/1082
]]> Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:31:43 -0400 <![CDATA[ New Bills had time off ‘fathered’ in ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130612/SPORTS/130619663/1082
They both became dads, Lawson for the first time and Branch for the second. Both free-agent signees by the Buffalo Bills are taking part in this week’s mandatory minicamp.

“I spent a lot of that time going through that first couple weeks of trying to learn from the little one because at that point they dictate everything,” said Lawson, whose wife, Stephanie, gave birth in Scottsdale, Ariz. “What coach said to me makes a lot of sense: ‘If you’re not happy at home, you’re not going to be happy here.’ So he allowed me to go back to my family and tend to my family’s needs.”

Branch’s wife, Ashley, gave birth to the couple’s second daughter. It’s been catch-up time for both defenders since coming back to Buffalo.

“It felt good to get out there and just compete a little bit, get my hands on somebody and get back into the flow of things,” Branch said. “They put some plays in during OTAs, so I missed out on that. That and how we’re practicing, the tempo that we have, it’s kind of hard, because you can’t second-guess yourself. The ball’s going to get snapped. Just being sure of myself is the main thing I have to keep in mind.”

Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has little doubt both Branch and Lawson will get up to speed quickly.

“It was family first,” Pettine said. “It was more important for those guys to be at home, but they’re professionals. They had their iPads. They had access to what we were doing, the practice tape, the installations. So those two guys, to me, would be the least of our worries going into training camp.”

Sweat was pouring from Branch’s bald head after Tuesday’s minicamp session. Between heavy breaths, he said the Bills are practicing faster than any team he’s ever been on.

“You can’t practice that tempo,” he said. “That’s one thing I’ve realized from this team. The tempo is different.”

Lawson, likewise, was sucking wind after practice.

“I definitely feel behind,” he said, “like my wind is not up to where it should be. But just being out here and and continuing to work out with the guys, I’m sure everything will be in its rightful place.”

For Lawson, that means with the starting unit. That’s not where he is at the moment, though, as he’s worked with the second unit in minicamp.

“It’s definitely not a position I want to be in. Anybody that’s competitive, you don’t want to be on the second team. You want to be a starter,” he said. “That’s what I’m going to strive for, getting that starting position back. You’ve got to prove everything out here. New coaching staff, and whatever you did in the past doesn’t mean anything now. You’ve got to start from scratch.”

Lawson, 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, was the first player the Bills signed in free agency this offseason. He has started 81 of 96 career games and had 47 tackles and two sacks last season.

“Manny’s a veteran player, so we got a good chance to study him on tape,” Pettine said. “He’s a professional. We’re looking forward to taking advantage of his skill set. It’s tough for him to have not been here for the meetings and actually get those reps. I think from a conditioning standpoint given the tempo that we’re going at … he’s predictably a little bit behind where he should be, but I have full confidence that he’ll more than make that up heading into training camp.

“He’s not just one of the smartest players on the team, but one of the smartest in the NFL, so I don’t think the mental part of it’s going to be an issue for him at all.”

Branch has also been running with the reserves, bouncing between the second and third teams. The 28-year-old, 6-6, 325-pounder said Pettine’s scheme is perfect for him.

“It’s something that actually benefits me and the way I play. I’m big, I can hold a point, but at the same time, I’m not held to being in a certain spot,” he said. “That’s perfect for me. I feel like I can play all the way on the outside as a big end; I can play nose. I just got to get my head in the book and learn the rest of the calls all throughout the line and I’ll be fine. I can play any position they put me in.”

Lawson, who was looking to return to a base 3-4 defense, was sold on joining the Bills after talking with Pettine about how attacking it would be. He’s seen it in practice.

“We’re going to get after guys. We’re going to get after the offense. We’re going to get after quarterbacks. That’s what they said prior to me signing, and that’s how it’s been since I got here. They’re holding true to their word,” he said. “From the scheme that our coaches are putting together, we’re going to be a really good defense. We’re going to be a defense you’re really going to have to study on film and play hard against.”

email: jskurski@buffnews.com ]]> Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:01:50 -0400 Jay Skurski
]]> <![CDATA[ Bills’ Fred Jackson feels the burden of proof ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130612/SPORTS/130619664/1082
“I’ve got a lot to prove,” the veteran running back declared Wednesday after the second day of mandatory minicamp.

We’ve heard that one before, haven’t we? Jackson has been proving people wrong since his high school days in Texas. He played at Coe College, a Division III school. Dismissed as too small for the NFL, he spent two years playing indoor football and another year in NFL Europe.

Jackson was underestimated when Marv Levy gave him a shot in the NFL. He had to prove he belonged, then he had to prove he was worthy of starting. As soon as he established himself as a featured back, people said he was getting old. Then the Bills drafted C.J. Spiller in the first round.

In February, Jackson turned 32, which is old for his position. But barely 18 months ago, at age 30, Jackson was a leading MVP candidate and threatening to break O.J. Simpson’s team record for scrimmage yards when he broke his leg and missed the last six games.

Even at that, it was a year to remember, a career year. But Jackson still thinks about that season, about how it felt to perform at his absolute athletic peak, and what might have been if he’d stayed healthy.

“All the time,” Jackson said. “That’s the number one thing. I know what I’m still capable of doing. I’m sure that the ‘He’s too old’ thing will be out there. ‘Is he at the end of his career?’ Which is all the more reason to go out and prove people wrong.”

Jackson isn’t likely to have a year like 2011 again. Doug Marrone says there’s an open competition for every job, but you know he’ll want to get more touches for C.J. Spiller, who gained 1,703 yards from scrimmage and reached 1,000 yards rushing in the fewest carries of any back in 78 years.

There’s also the injury issue. Jackson missed six games with right knee injuries and a concussion last year. He has played 10 games in each of the last two seasons. Last year, he averaged 3.8 yards a carry, a career low.

Jackson says he was sickened by what happened a year ago. He said it was the worst year of his career. But he said his knee is “100 percent ready to go.” He knows there’s an imperative to get Spiller more work. But physically, he believes he can be the player he was in 2011.

“Without a doubt,” he said. “I still feel like I can play at a very high level, and all I need is the opportunity to do so. Yes, I had some injuries last year, but I feel without those I could have done some things for us.

“That’s not to take away from C.J. He did some phenomenal things last year. He’s a tremendous player. They’re expecting big things of him. But I feel like I can still compete, still do whatever I need to get out there and make plays. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

The Bills are eager to find out. Finding enough touches for Spiller and Jackson is a problem, but it’s a good problem. There’s been a lot of talk about the rookie wide receivers, but fans shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that running back is the team’s best position.

For two years in a row, the Bills have led the AFC in yards per rushing attempt. The problem was, Chan Gailey didn’t run enough. So for all the talk about inventive passing schemes, Marrone and Nathaniel Hackett’s primary concern should be maximizing the production at their best position.

“For anything we’re doing, we always want to hand the ball to a back,” said Hackett, the 33-year-old offensive coordinator. “We want to have the running backs carry the load. That’s always the case. We’re very lucky because we have both of those guys. When in doubt, give it to a back. That’s our motto.”

Invariably, there will be questions about giving both running backs enough touches to keep them in rhythm.

“Run a lot of plays,” Hackett said. “Run a whole lot of plays so everybody gets a lot of touches. That makes everybody happy.”

Jackson said he’s impressed with the new coaching staff. He likes their energy and the fact they expect to make the playoffs. He loves hearing Marrone say he’ll ride his backs and use them in multiple roles.

“We think that this offense should go through us,” Jackson said. “We feel we’re capable of making plays for this team and taking us where we want to go. We have to set the tone early. If we get the running game going early, it takes a lot of pressure off a lot of different people – whether it’s Kevin Kolb or EJ Manuel, or the receiving corps.”

Personal achievements matter to Jackson. He hates seeing that 3.8 per carry next to his name in 2012. But winning is the ultimate goal. If you knew you would make the playoffs as a backup, I asked, would you take that?

“Without a doubt,” he said. “I’m a team player first and that’s what this is all about, getting the opportunity to win a championship. Of course, I want to be out there making the plays that get us to the playoffs. That’s why we play. You don’t want them to say you didn’t contribute.

“As long as we win football games and get to the playoffs, I’ll play any role they want me to.”

Jackson has been saying for years that he’s young for his age, that getting to the NFL late saved some wear and tear on his body. As usual, he has to prove it. But the new coaches should make sure they find out for sure just how much this consummate pro has left in him.

It’s an old story, I know, but the man has been underestimated before.

email: jsullivan@buffnews.com ]]> Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:01:21 -0400 Jerry Sullivan
]]> <![CDATA[ Bills’ Dowtin a veteran in Pettine’s ‘D’ ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130612/SPORTS/130619666/1082
That’s because those three games came last season with the New York Jets, making Dowtin the only player on the Bills’ roster who has played under Pettine.

“I know a little bit more than the other guys, but I don’t consider myself a vet,” Dowtin said. “I haven’t really played a year in the league yet. It’s one of those things where if I do know a little more, I can help the guys around me. We’re all learning together.”

The Bills acquired Dowtin, 6-foot-2 and 226 pounds, off waivers from Philadelphia in April. He spent the early part of last season on the Jets’ practice squad before being elevated to the active roster in October for those three games, during which he made four special teams tackles.

Dowtin played primarily as an inside linebacker with New York, but he’s working outside with the Bills.

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve been rushing the passer a lot – pretty much every down,” Dowtin said. “It’s great. I love to get after the quarterback and try to create a mismatch with the offensive line.”

Dowtin gives the Bills another defender who provides what Pettine craves – versatility.

“He’s another player that has some position flexibility,” Pettine said. “He’s athletic enough; he can play inside; he can play outside. He can do some safety-type jobs; he can do some defensive end-type jobs. That’s the type of player that we’ll always have a role for in our system, with that amount of versatility.”

Dowtin started his collegiate career with Georgia, then played his senior year at North Alabama. It wasn’t until he got to the NFL, however, that he started working at so many different positions.

“Each day I try to refine my game in every aspect because I want to play so many different positions, he said. “Safety, linebacker – inside and outside – I try to do as much as possible. I’ve got to work on different things every day. I try to work on my footwork, try to work on my hand-eye coordination, my pass-rushing skills. I can never say I’m comfortable in one spot.”

He might not be comfortable, but Dowtin does feel at home with the Bills.

“With Coach Pettine and those guys who came over from the staff, I’m in a great spot,” he said. “I love the coaches, so I’m so happy for this experience.”

...

The Bills’ defense ended the second minicamp practice of the week in all-out piranha mode Wednesday.

It was a feeding frenzy of sacks as the Bills’ first-string offense under quarterback Kevin Kolb tried to move downfield in a two-minute drill in need of a touchdown.

Kolb managed to elude a rush and improvise a quick-thinking throw over the middle to Fred Jackson for a gain of about 25 yards on a third-down play.

After that, Pettine dialed up four straight blitzes and ended the series with four straight sacks.

“I’m glad Coach Pettine’s on our team, that’s for sure, and all those guys they have out there,” said offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. “They’re bringing everybody from every place and you have to do your best to try to get a foundation and make things happen.”

Newly acquired edge-rusher Jerry Hughes, who gave tackle Cordy Glenn trouble much of the day, broke free off the left side of the offensive line on what looked like a heavy blitz for the first sack. Then rookie cornerback Nickell Robey got a sack blitzing off the edge on second down. Hughes again got around Glenn for a sack on third down. With the offense in backpedal mode, Pettine sent an all-out blitz on fourth and long and safety Duke Williams tagged Kolb down.

Aaron Williams, who has been manning the starting free safety spot, worked a lot at cornerback, in part because two corners were injured.

Ron Brooks had what looked like a muscle issue. Crezdon Butler appeared to tweak his knee. Williams came up with his second interception in two days, picking off a pass from EJ Manuel down the right sideline while in tight coverage against speedy Marquise Goodwin.

Snap counts for the quarterbacks were about the same as Tuesday, with Kolb getting 46, Manuel 36 and Jeff Tuel 12, unofficially.

Colin Brown got most of the snaps again with the starters at left guard, ahead of Doug Legursky.

The Bills hold their last spring practice today. It’s closed to the public.

(News Sports Reporter Mark Gaughan contributed to this report).

email: jskurski@buffnews.com ]]> Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:50:16 -0400 Jay Skurski
]]> <![CDATA[ ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130612/SPORTS/130619745/1082 By Mark Gaughan

As part of the annual Hunter's Hope telethon and auction on WGR, Jill Kelly was a guest on "The Howard Simon Show" this morning and gave an update on her husband's recovery.

Jim Kelly had surgery Friday to remove cancer from his upper jaw.

"We have quite a road ahead of us. In fact, we have an important doctor's appointment this afternoon. But that road, obviously though, has bumps in it. It's a road that we're thankful he's heading down. It's a road of healing, and it's one day at a time, one minute at a time and ultimately one prayer at a time.

"He's doing OK. It's hard. This is a hard time right now for him, and he's just kind of getting accustomed to what has taken place, and not only that, there's a lot of changes that have to continue to happen and results that we're still waiting on. All that kind of stuff. People that are listening that understand anything about cancer, you know that it is a road. It's not a momentary or daily thing. It's simply a road that you travel down. We're very hopeful, and Jim is incredibly tough.

"He was a very, very good patient in the hospital and got excellent care at ECMC. But, yeah, it's one day at a time and thank you for asking."

Jill Kelly later tweeted:

]]> Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:48:32 -0400 <![CDATA[ What tricks are in store with Tebow? ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130612/SPORTS/130619792/1082
At first, I was baffled. What could Bill Belichick be thinking? Tebow is a good guy and a terrific competitor. But he’s simply not good enough to play quarterback in the NFL. As the Jets discovered last season, the circus atmosphere that surrounds Tebow isn’t nearly worth the trouble.

Tebow is more curiosity than NFL star at this point. If he signed with any other NFL team, I’d laugh it off and turn my attention to the Bills’ lack of linebacking depth. Why all this fuss over someone’s third-string quarterback?

The problem is, it’s not just any team. This is the Patriots and Belichick, their evil, hooded mastermind. I know Belichick hasn’t won a Super Bowl in eight years. He doesn’t hit on all his draft picks or free agents. Remember Chad Ochocinco? Joey Galloway? Albert Haynesworth?

But this is also Buffalo, where obsessing about the Patriots has become a civic pastime. I can just hear Bills fans, mumbling to themselves and wondering what Belichick might have up his sleeve. Oh, my God! He’s going to find a way to use Tebow, and he’s going to try it out on us first!

Assuming he makes the roster, Tebow will play his first game as a Pat in Orchard Park on Sept. 8. His long-awaited Jets debut last season came against the Bills, too, and was much ado about nothing. Maybe Tebow won’t even see the field in this year’s opener.

Still, Belichick must believe in him. Why would he take on the added distraction? His news conference Tuesday was carried on CNN. There were non-sports reporters in the room, asking a string of Tebow questions. In his typically dour monotone, Belichick offered up a stream of dull answers.

“We’re gonna do what we think is best for this football team, so, I don’t know, we’ll see,” was a choice sample. “We’ll see. I don’t know.”

Eventually, the media will tire of Belichick’s evasive answers. It won’t be the way it was in New York last year, when ESPN was allowed to set up a “SportsCenter” studio at Jets training camp. The Tebow story became a daily circus and his competition with Mark Sanchez a major distraction.

Tebow is no threat to Tom Brady. That much is obvious. He’s probably not a threat to Ryan Mallett, who has served as Brady’s seldom-used backup the last two years and is perceived as the heir to the No. 1 job when Brady retires.

The Pats gave Tebow No. 5, a quarterback’s number. Tebow says he wants to be a quarterback. But he’ll get no guarantees. He didn’t receive any guaranteed money from New England. No one tells Belichick how to run his show.

Maybe Belichick, in his supreme arrogance, feels he’s the one who can fix Tebow. Remember, his offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, has believed in Tebow from the start. As Denver’s head coach, McDaniels sent three picks to Baltimore to move back into the first round and draft Tebow in 2010.

McDaniels, who had served as the Pats’ offensive coordinator before taking the Denver job, was reportedly concerned that Tebow might get snapped up by another Tebow admirer – his old boss, Belichick. So you could say that Tebow is now united with the two men who believed in him most.

They have a big job on their hands. Tebow is still very raw as a passer. He needs to polish his throwing motion. He has to prove he can make all the different throws, to make his progressions and deliver then ball on target.

Belichick won’t give anything away, but you have to wonder if he’ll come up with inventive ways to channel Tebow’s determination and skill. Maybe use him some as an H-back? Try him at tight end in case Rob Gronkowski’s injury doesn’t heal in time?

You can’t rule anything out where Belichick is concerned. No one is better at going through the football junkyard and finding rusty old parts to stick under his hood.

Belichick took a veteran wide receiver, Troy Brown, and turned him into a defensive back. Remember Brown picking off Drew Bledsoe that awful night in Foxborough? He used Julian Edelman the same way. He took Wes Welker from the Dolphins and made him into a superstar.

A few years ago, the Jets cut Danny Woodhead. Belichick grabbed Woodhead and turned him into a valuable spot player in a great offense. There was a stretch in one Super Bowl when Woodhead was Brady’s go-to guy on offense.

Buffalo fans have ample justification for worry. The Patriots have won 23 of their last 25 games against the Bills. In the last six meetings with the Bills, the Patriots have averaged 40.2 points a game. Go ahead and make fun of Belichick’s offensive judgment.

Sure, the Tebow signing could be a sign of Belichick’s expanding ego and fading genius. But if he turns Tebow into a functioning NFL quarterback, a player he can trust to make big throws and win games if Brady goes down, it would one of his greatest coaching achievements. If nothing else, maybe Belichick wants Tebow to be a character guy in the locker room, a professional example, the way he did with Doug Flutie at the end of Flutie’s career in 2005.

Hey, maybe Tebow knows how to drop-kick.



email: jsullivan@buffnews.com ]]> Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:16:58 -0400 Jerry Sullivan
]]> <![CDATA[ Kolb, Manuel begin journey for Bills’ starting job ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130611/SPORTS/130619794/1082
“When you go in there … and two people are competing, I think it’s going to be something that we’re all going to see, not just a decision that’s made,” Marrone said. “I believe that we’ll be able to see it at training camp. I think the players on the team are going to be able to see that separation, and that’s the most important thing.”

The two-man competition got underway on the first day of the Bills’ three-day minicamp, as veteran Kevin Kolb and rookie EJ Manuel shared the majority of snaps with the offense.

Kolb, the six-year veteran signed in free agency from Arizona, took the first snaps in team drills with the starting unit. He got 49 snaps overall, compared with 39 for Manuel and 11 for third quarterback Jeff Tuel, the undrafted rookie from Washington State.

Monday’s release of veteran Tarvaris Jackson allowed the coaches to get longer looks at both Kolb and Manuel, which Marrone said was precisely the reason for the roster move.

“When you look at it from a standpoint of reps … there’s just not enough reps to really do a good job evaluating,” Marrone said of a three-way competition. “I think it’ll be a lot clearer for all of us, or especially for myself as a coach, with the amount of reps that Kevin and EJ will get. … If you’re going around and you’re giving three players reps, it’s tough to keep track of that, honestly. And we keep track of everything.”

Neither the quarterbacks nor the offense exactly lit up the grass practice field behind the team’s fieldhouse.

The pass rushers got good pressure on the quarterbacks. Nobody connected on pretty deep balls. There were a lot of short, quick dump-off passes. The offense ran mostly in a no-huddle mode but did huddle up for one 12-play section.

Manuel probably looked a little smoother than he has in a few of the practices in previous weeks.

“With EJ we just want to make sure we’re taking it in a natural progression,” Marrone said. “He’s not seeing the same type of things that Kevin’s seeing out there right now. We’re just working ahead and building him up.”

Kolb threw an interception to safety Aaron Williams. He also hit a few more on-rhythm slants than Manuel. Manuel closed with a good reaction to a blitz and a 10-yard completion to Brad Smith, followed by a 15-yard well-thrown sideline pass to wideout Chris Hogan.

Both Kolb and Manuel thanked Jackson for being a helpful teammate, then acknowledged the benefit of more work.

“I’m excited about more reps with the ones and we’ll see where it goes from there,” Kolb said.

“I get a chance to make more plays, get more reps,” Manuel said. “Your body gets to stay warm, you don’t take three reps and you’re done. So it’s a great opportunity.”

“I’m still trying to learn, still trying to get a great feel for my teammates, still trying to earn the respect of the veteran guys as well as the rookies,” Manuel said. “We’re all just trying to get on the same page.”

Given the fact most of the players are new to each other and everyone is learning a new system, it’s going to take a lot more practice sessions for the Bills’ offense to become efficient.

Getting used to the different ways each receiver runs deep routes is just one small example of the kind of timing the quarterbacks must develop. Throwing deep to Stevie Johnson is a little different than throwing deep to T.J. Graham, Marquise Goodwin or Da’Rick Rogers (each of whom has shown the ability this spring to get open downfield.)

“We had maybe six or seven deep balls that were just right there,” Kolb said. “The one that sticks out in my mind was one to Stevie early. It was a post route. He came back to the sideline and I said, ‘Hey, it’s OK, man, I’ve never thrown a deep ball to you since I’ve been here.’ So that stuff we’ll work out. I’m not worried about it.”

Kolb was encouraged by the speed with which the offense operated.

“Our defense gives us a lot of different looks,” he said. “There’s a lot of communication that has to go on at the line. You can even see through practice, our tempo was picking up as practice went. That was good. There were times we didn’t have to say what was happening because we were getting a feel for it.”

email: mgaughan@buffnews.com ]]> Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:54:37 -0400 Mark Gaughan
]]> <![CDATA[ Legursky quickly moves into action ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130611/SPORTS/130619796/1082
Doug Legursky, a fifth-year veteran signed as a free agent from the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, worked mostly with the second unit at the Bills’ uncertain left-guard position. Then late in the practice he got some series with the starters.

“It feels good after spending so much time in free agency and not on a squad to have a team that wanted me to be a part of their organization and trusted me to come in here and take some pretty quality snaps,” Legursky said. “Coming to a new organization, I have to prove everything again, and I’m fine doing that.”

Legursky is a 6-foot-1, 323-pounder who was undrafted out of Marshall in 2009. He started four games in 2010, 10 in 2011 and three in 2012, working at both guard and center for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh has a first-round draft pick, David DeCastro, coming back from a season-long injury this year and opted not to push to sign Legursky when he hit free agency.

Legursky’s frame is smaller than the prototype at guard, which is why he didn’t get drafted.

Legursky got good coaching the past three years from Sean Kugler, the Lockport native who coached the offensive line in Buffalo before shifting to Pittsburgh in 2010. Kugler now is head coach at Texas-El Paso.

“Kugs is family to me now,” Legursky said. “We went down to Texas-El Paso for his golf tournament. He’s like another dad to me. He’d probably get mad if he heard that. ... But he’s just a great guy and a great coach. I pride myself in not making mistakes. ... I pride myself in implementing what I learned from him and trying to be the person he is every day.”

Colin Brown took most of the first-team snaps at left guard before giving way to Legursky.

The Bills are working without No. 3 tackle Chris Hairston and backup guard Keith Williams, who are rehabilitating from injuries. Sam Young, who has worked a lot at guard, has shifted back to his natural position, tackle.

“Sam moved back outside a little bit,” coach Doug Marrone said. “I liked the job he was doing inside. Then we became short inside. I became concerned, so I wanted to bring another player in. Fortunately for us Doug was out there.

“I think he adds to the mix. ... We threw him out to see what he could do.

“I think he’s a pretty good swing player. He’s shown that before, to play guard and center. He’ll compete for one of those positions. ... Colin’s in there, Doug’s in there. We might put some other players in there.”

...

Safety Jairus Byrd was the only player not in attendance. Byrd has not yet signed the franchise-tag offer the Bills made to him in February to essentially keep him in the fold. Because of that, he is not holding out, and he is not subject to any fine from the team.

The Bills have until July 15 to reach agreement on a long-term deal with Byrd. After that, he would have to play on the one-year franchise tag offer, which is worth $6.9 million.

“The way I’ve always looked at it, it’s kind of like you have rights,” Marrone said of a player with a franchise tag.

“He has a right not to be here. And I respect him for that. For me, I’m not going to worry about things that are out of my control and I’m going to concentrate on the players that are here.”

...

Veteran free-agent signees Manny Lawson and Alan Branch were on the practice field for the first time since the voluntary veteran minicamp prior to the draft. Lawson worked with the second unit, Branch worked with the second and third units.

Besides Hairston and Williams, other players who were held out due to injury were defensive tackle Kyle Williams and tight end Lee Smith.

email: mgaughan@buffnews.com ]]> Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:39:40 -0400 Mark Gaughan
]]> <![CDATA[ ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130611/SPORTS/130619858/1082 By Alan Pergament

Local independent station WBBZ today was officially awarded the broadcast rights to the NFL Network's coverage of the Buffalo Bills game against the host Cleveland Browns on Thursday night, Oct.3.

This blog reported almost two weeks ago that WBBZ was the likely winner of the broadcast rights to the game after a bid that was believed to be much higher than those of rival stations in the market.

WBBZ, which primarily carries classic TV shows and several of its own locally-produced shows, also aired last year's NFL Network game with Miami. The NFL Network and ESPN both sell the broadcast rights in the markets of the two competing teams so the games can be seen by people without cable, satellite dishes or FiOS.

Bob Koshinski, WBBZ's general manager, confirmed that the station was told today it had the rights to the game.

"We are very excited to have The NFL Network game for the second consecutive season," said Koshinski. "We hope to build on the success of last year."

Koshinski said the station plans to have a two-hour pre-game show as well as a post-game show, and he hopes viewership will be higher for this year's game than it was for the Miami game last season.

"People are more educated about WBBZ and where it is than they were a year ago," added Koshinski.

apergament@buffnews.com

 

 

]]> Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:45:28 -0400 <![CDATA[ Tebow is ready to sign with Patriots ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130611/SPORTS/130619869/1082
The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made, told the AP on Monday that Tebow was headed for Foxborough.

ESPN first reported that Tebow would sign with New England.

Tebow will need to pass a physical before a contract becomes official. Even when Tebow signs with the team, there is no guarantee he will make the Patriots.

One of the NFL’s most polarizing players, Tebow spent a lost season in 2012 with the New York Jets, playing sparingly behind struggling starter Mark Sanchez. Some fans thought he got a raw deal and deserved more of a chance; others thought he lacked the skills to be a pro quarterback. He was released in April.

Tebow won two national titles at Florida and was a first-round draft pick in 2010 by Denver. As a rookie, Tebow threw just 82 passes in nine games, starting three. But in 2011, he started 11 games, throwing for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions and taking the Broncos to a wild-card win over Pittsburgh before an AFC divisional playoff loss to New England, 45-10.

Despite the Broncos’ playoff run, he was traded to New York the following offseason when Denver signed Peyton Manning. Tebow threw only eight passes for the Jets, completing six, and ran 32 times for 102 yards.

“Unfortunately,” coach Rex Ryan said in a statement when Tebow was released, “things did not work out the way we all had hoped.”• Former Buffalo Bills linebacker Shawne Merriman was taken by ambulance from a Los Angeles nightclub to a hospital Sunday night to be treated for dehydration, his publicist and a friend said. Merriman returned to the club after receiving fluids at the hospital, his publicist, Denise White, said.

• Maurice Jones-Drew doesn’t want to be a distraction for the Jacksonville Jaguars. His health and a potential legal issue make that unavoidable, though.

Jones-Drew held a news conference Monday but didn’t say much about an alleged bar fight over Memorial Day weekend. Jones-Drew spoke to reporters a day before the team opens a three-day minicamp because he “would rather get it done today than take away from what these guys are doing.” ]]> Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:31:21 -0400 Associated Press

]]> <![CDATA[ Commentary by Tim Graham: Dropping the R-word is the right thing to do ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130611/SPORTS/130619873/1082
My plan is to change me and how I operate.

Beyond the period at the end of this sentence, I intend never to use the word redskin again.

I say “intend” instead of “vow” because I very well could slip up and accidentally say it again in casual conversation or during an interview. For any sports fan, the word simply falls from the lips without thought.

And that’s the problem with uttering a racial slur so cavalierly over the years: We don’t think about the R-word’s meaning anymore.

We must not take for granted anything so harmful to other people.

There are folks who’ll see this and instinctively moan about political correctness and bleeding-heart liberalism or the loss of old-school traditions. And a vast majority of those readers will be white men. Almost none of them will be Native Americans.

We don’t get to decide what’s offensive. The people about whom we speak do.

“It’s an incredibly offensive word,” said Samantha Nephew, the marketing and communications specialist for Seneca Holdings in the HSBC Tower. “White people came in and didn’t call them what they called themselves. It was a way of belittling them, almost dehumanizing them.

“It does take a lot for someone who has something that’s called white privilege to sit back and go, ‘Why is it OK to keep saying it?’ ”

Every few years, there’s a push for Washington’s NFL team to change the nickname because it’s a racial epithet. Two weeks ago, 10 members of Congress sent a letter to owner Dan Snyder and urged him to stop.

Similar letters were sent to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, FedEx CEO Frederick Smith (Washington plays at FedEx Field) and the other 31 NFL owners.

“We’ll never change the name,” Snyder told USA Today. “It’s that simple. NEVER. You can use caps.”

Upon reading Snyder’s mulish comment, I realized I didn’t need to wait for his blessing to drop the R-word from my vocabulary.

The R-word long has been sports white noise.

Merriam-Webster’s definition states the R-word is “usually offensive,” and the Merriam-Webster dictionary for people learning the English language states: “The word redskin is very offensive and should be avoided.”

“We don’t like it,” said Chief Darwin Hill of the Tonawanda Band of Senecas. “Black people don’t like the words that are used for them. Hispanics, Jewish people, everybody has been called different things that we don’t say anymore. When does it end?

Hopefully, soon.

Last week, the Canisteo-Greenwood Central School District south of Hornell announced it was dropping the R-word as its nickname. Just a month ago, Cooperstown Central School students forced a change, leaving only two schools in the state still using a slur to identify their sports teams.

A report in the Hornell Evening Tribune quoted the Canisteo-Greenwood superintendent as saying officials didn’t want to be the last New York school clinging to a pejorative nickname.

Lancaster and Oriskany, you’re on the clock.

Nephew was a media-relations intern for the Bills in Toronto series two years ago. That’s when Buffalo played Washington in the Rogers Centre. Part of her job was to type news releases and transcripts from interviews with the coaches and players.

She referred to the visiting team as only Washington whenever she could, but part of her job was to type out the interviews verbatim. She seethed every time her fingers clacked out that personal, racial insult.

“I feel it every time I hear it,” Nephew said. “It stung to have to write out the team name.”

The trouble with using the R-word isn’t limited to the word itself. There are so many ancillary abuses that can be even more offensive.

Fans have a tendency to push the boundaries of a theme. They’ll carry out the R-word as theater. There are mascots, costumes and chants. Insensitive media outlets will use punny headlines or drop a flippant reference to Native American culture.

Other sports teams such as the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians have made similarly unfortunate mistakes.

But only one major professional sports team proudly uses a racial smear as a nickname.

Nephew relayed a story from Buffalo’s preseason loss to Washington last year in Ralph Wilson Stadium, where a Buffalo fan was overheard yelling at a Washington supporter that despite the score, “It’s OK! We stole your land!”

“People need to stop taking this so lightly and understand it gives people some kind of license to make light of my ancestors,” Nephew said. “Ralph Wilson Stadium is right on the territory that would have been our land.

“It comes down to a lack of compassion, really. And it hurts that people don’t have that respect to know that our land was taken away under really horrible circumstances. To make light of that at a football game doesn’t make sense to me, and that’s what the Redskins name does.”

FedEx Field is located in Maryland partially because lawmakers, including former Colorado Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, wanted the team to change its nickname before the public would secure land for a new D.C. stadium in 1993.

Washington football fans still arrive at games in over-the-top Native American regalia, feather headdresses and all. Some whoop and stomp like they imagine they’re supposed to, based on what they saw in John Wayne movies.

“A good many Americans don’t know any Indians,” Kevin Gover, who runs the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, recently told CNN. “The Indian you see most often in Washington D.C. is at a football game – at the expense of real Indians, real history, real culture. The petty stereotype has become expected.”

In late April, Washington’s star black quarterback, Robert Griffin III, tweeted against the push to strike the R-word. Griffin called it the “tyranny of political correctness.”

Two months earlier, at a Smithsonian symposium called “Racist Stereotypes and Cultural Appropriation in American Sports,” Nighthorse repeated a question he frequently has asked African-American R-word defenders.

“How you would like for us to change the name of that team to the Washington Darkies?” Nighthorse said.

The R-word would be embarrassing to say if we hadn’t heard it from the time we became conscious of NFL teams and logos.

The R-word should not tumble from our mouths so effortlessly, so thoughtlessly.

“It’s a matter of respect,” Nephew said. “I wouldn’t call anybody whatever racially derogatory term there is for them even if I don’t understand why it’s offensive. Why would I do that? I’m not in the business of offending people.”

I won’t speak for anybody else, but neither am I.

(From the News’ Press Coverage blog)

email: tgraham@buffnews.com ]]> Tue, 11 Jun 2013 08:07:39 -0400 <![CDATA[ Bills opt to part ways with Jackson ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130610/SPORTS/130619895/1082
The move came on the eve of the team’s mandatory three-day minicamp and clears the way for rookie first-round draft pick EJ Manuel to get more quality practice time and compete for the starting job.

Jackson, 30, spent an unsatisfying season as the Bills’ No. 3 quarterback last year, unable ever to move ahead of lightly regarded Tyler Thigpen and become the backup to Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Nevertheless, the Bills re-signed him to a one-year contract in February. The decision to release Fitzpatrick had not yet been made at the time, and the team didn’t have any other quarterbacks on the roster.

Jackson received a $450,000 signing bonus and a $50,000 workout bonus, which he keeps. He was due to receive another $1.25 million in base salary if he had made the team.

With Jackson out of the way, Manuel gets a better chance to compete with veteran Kevin Kolb.

The Bills begin three days of mandatory practices today. Training camp opens July 28.

Manuel, the 16th overall pick in the draft, got far fewer practice snaps than Kolb or Jackson over the course of the team’s 10 voluntary spring practices last month. Kolb and Jackson got virtually an equal number of plays each session.

Manuel has had six weeks to get familiar with the playbook. Now the Bills can get the Florida State graduate more intensive and meaningful work against the first- and second-line defenders.

The move also is a boost to undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel of Washington State, the third quarterback on the roster. He was one of the top rookie free agents the Bills targeted after the draft and got almost no practice snaps this spring. Now he figures to get a little more work.

Jackson entered the NFL as a second-round draft pick of Minnesota in 2006. He has a 17-17 record as a starter.

Jackson was philosophical about his position two weeks ago.

“I’ve been in this league going on eight years now,” Jackson said. “Hopefully, I’ll make it eight. But I know how it goes. Like I said, I just come out here and do my best. In certain situations your best might not be good enough. They invested a lot in a player in the first round.”

Jackson went 7-7 as Seattle’s starter in 2011 but lost the Seahawks’ QB competition last summer to rookie phenom Russell Wilson.

Seattle traded Jackson to Buffalo last August for a seventh-round draft pick.

Jackson never was able to win enough confidence from former coach Chan Gailey to get on the field last year.

...

Participation at this week’s practices is mandatory for players under contract, but safety Jairus Byrd is not expected to attend.

He has not signed the tender offer the Bills made him when they placed the franchise tag on him in February. Since he has not signed, Byrd is not subject to being fined for being absent.

email: mgaughan@buffnews.com ]]> Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:56:29 -0400 Mark Gaughan
]]> <![CDATA[ Monos is ready for work ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130610/SPORTS/130619896/1082
“Hard work,” said Jim Monos, the Bills’ director of player personnel, in his introduction to the media Monday. “It’s going to be hard work. There’s no easy way. Doug’s always been about that.”

Monos, 38, comes to Buffalo after eight years as the Saints’ scout for the Southeastern United States, the most important region of the country for the NFL Draft.

The Saints have been one of the winningest teams in the league since coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees arrived in 2006. They have made the playoffs four times and won the Super Bowl in 2009. They have drafted well, especially in the middle to later rounds.

What are the Saints doing right?

“I would say it’s almost the same thing,” Monos said. “It’s the hard work element of it. We were out there at pro days, hitting every single thing we could up until the draft to know as much as we could about those players.

“You want to stick to what you believe in. Draft smart, hard-working, productive football players. It sounds simple but if you stick with it, the hit rate seems to be pretty good. We did a good job as a staff of being on the same page. Everybody knew what everybody wanted.”

Whaley clearly wanted Monos, even though the two never worked together. Immediately after Buddy Nix stepped down as general manager a month ago, Whaley went to work to put his new scouting executives in place. Just four days later, Monos was hired, along with Kelvin Fisher, the Bills’ new director of college scouting.

Monos said he never before had talked with Whaley about working for the Bills and that the call from Whaley to come to Buffalo for an interview came out of the blue.

“In the scouting world, it’s a fraternity,” Monos said. “You meet people on the road, all-star games, the combine. So over the years Doug and I got to know each other and became friends. We have a lot of the same beliefs. … I always liked bouncing things off him. I knew he had experience and was sharp. It’s not a surprise where he’s at right now.”

Monos’ father, Jim Sr., has been head coach at Division III Lebanon Valley for 20 years. The younger Monos played for his father and knew he wanted a career in football. He broke into the NFL in 2000 as an intern with the Philadelphia Eagles, whose personnel department at the time was run by Tom Modrak, who previously had been a mentor to Whaley in Pittsburgh and later would become Bills assistant GM. Monos spent four years as the Eagles’ Northeast scout before jumping to the Saints.

Monos (pronounced Moe-nis) will oversee both Fisher and Tom Gibbons, director of pro personnel. He has not worked the pro side of scouting before.

“We’ve done little projects like that as area scouts with the Saints,” Monos said. “But working with Tom Gibbons is going to be good for me. Tom’s been doing it for a long time, and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

“Really, it’s an honor for them to go in this direction and to want me to be a part of it,” he said.

Fisher, 44, is a Pittsburgh native who played running back for Arizona State from 1988 to ‘91. He worked as a juvenile probation officer in Arizona after college, then spent a year recruiting for the Arizona State football team before getting his break with the Steelers in 2000.

He spent five years as the Steelers’ scout for BLESTO, the eight-team scouting alliance that does preliminary scouting of all pro prospects. Then he spent eight years as the Steelers’ scout for the western United States.

Whaley left the Steelers in 2010 to work under Nix in Buffalo.

“When he left, I told myself that one day we’d be working together and it happened,” Fisher said.

email: mgaughan@buffnews.com ]]> Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:25:08 -0400 Mark Gaughan
]]> <![CDATA[ Tarvaris Jackson out; EJ Manuel, Kevin Kolb to battle in QB duel ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130610/SPORTS/130619914/1082
4261 bills Scull 56
Tarvaris Jackson was released by the Bills.

 

By Tim Graham

Tarvaris Jackson couldn't get on the field for the Buffalo Bills last year because he didn't get the snaps in practice.

He won't get them this year either.

The Bills have seen enough of Jackson, releasing him on the eve of mandatory minicamp. The move clarifies the Bills' quarterback competition, leaving Kevin Kolb and first-round pick EJ Manuel the prime contenders.

Jackson was philosophical about his situation two weeks ago, when he spoke with reporters at One Bills Drive.

"I've been in this league going on eight years now," Jackson said. "Hopefully, I'll make it eight. But I know how it goes. Like I said, I just come out here and do my best. In certain situations your best might not be good enough. They invested a lot in a player in the first round."

The Bills traded a conditional draft choice (that became a seventh-rounder) to the Seattle Seahawks for Jackson before the final preseason game. Jackson played briefly in the final exhibition and then didn't dress again. He was a healthy scratch for 16 games.

The Bills re-signed Jackson on Feb. 15, when Ryan Fitzpatrick still was on the roster. Neither of them is now.

]]> Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:46:31 -0400 <![CDATA[ Kelly’s cancer surgery called a success ]]> http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130608/SPORTS/130609222/1082
Doctors removed part of his upper jaw in order to extract squamous cell carcinoma, which was discovered about two weeks ago.

Squamous cells are thin cells found on the surface of the skin and the lining of body cavities, including the mouth. Nearly all head and neck cancers start in squamous cells.

ECMC released the following statement from Dr. Thom R. Loree, clinical director of the Head and Neck Surgery Department, and Drs. Maureen Sullivan and Mark S. Burke:

“At Mr. Kelly’s request, we thank everyone for their concern and well wishes for him and his family. Today, Mr. Kelly underwent a partial maxillectomy to remove a squamous cell carcinoma of the upper gingival caused by chronic irritation at the gum site. He underwent reconstruction with a dental obturator. The surgery went very well.

“We are hopeful for and anticipate a speedy recovery and successful outcome,” the statement continued. “Mr. Kelly is recovering comfortably at this time. He is in the capable care of the great nurses and staff here at ECMC. He will remain here at the hospital until he feels comfortable to go home.”

A partial maxillectomy is a removal of a portion of the upper jaw, commonly including bone, some roof of the mouth and teeth.

Upper gingival means the upper gums. A dental obturator is a prosthetic device that replaces structural components removed from the hard palate. It seals gaps and holds skin grafts in place and will allow the patient to swallow and speak after recovery.

Kelly’s wife, Jill, expressed thanks via her Twitter account to the many fans who offered support for the Pro Football Hall of Famer.

“And JK is recovering! He’s cracking jokes but has no idea what he’s saying,” she wrote Friday afternoon.

Kelly, 53, made the news of his surgery public at his charity golf tournament on Monday. He said then that he was hopeful he would not need follow-up chemotherapy or radiation treatment after the surgery.

Kelly has had pain in his jaw for about six months. In March he had surgery to remove a cyst about the size of a nickel from his gums and nasal cavity. Kelly said Monday he was encouraged by doctors that they had caught the cancer before it had spread and that his prognosis for recovery was good.

Head and neck cancers account for about 3 percent of new cancers in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. The institute estimates that more than 52,000 men and women in the country were diagnosed with the condition in 2012. The cancers are more common among men than women.

email: mgaughan@buffnews.com ]]> Sat, 8 Jun 2013 00:03:32 -0400 Mark Gaughan
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