Official Buffalo Bills Thread!!!!

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***Left Guard Battle***

Ruben Brown's departure to Chicago opened up the left guard position. Mike Pucillo is penciled in as the starter and has been seeing the most action in that spot. Ross Tucker is still in the running and as of right now the battle is too close to call.

"We've had some injuries and we've had to move some guys around so that position is still sorting itself out," Clements said. "Mike Pucillo has done very well. He hasn't had to bounce around positions too much. With Chris Villarrial being out for a bit we had to do some shuffling and that allowed Lawrence Smith to come in and get some playing time. Ross Tucker is a competitor and he's battling. It's a good competition and the whole line has been working pretty hard. Right now, it's a toss-up. We'll have to see how it goes."

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Lee evans all the way baby.. Leads the east with 13 TD catches and 1150 yards D:D

Jay

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I hope Evans can perform well this year. Last year Bledsoe had no targets (Moulds injured almost all season but played through it, Price gone, Reed sub-par performing). Lee may be one of his main targets which will mean great things for Bills fans!

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***Henry Wants Out***

Travis Henry told the media that if he doesn't win the starting RB position that he would want out of Buffalo. Looks like it may be that way because McGahee is tearing up the field!

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***BUFFALO BILLS PRESEASON UPDATE 1-0***

The Bills defeated the Broncos 16-6. McGahee was the games MVP rushing for something like 58 yards on a few carry's and a TD.

Here's a breakdown:

-First team offense struggled to run. Henry made the most of nothing, and ended up with 5 yards.

-First team offense struggled to pass. The timing was good. Bledsoe released the ball quickly but the results were never very good. His deep ball to Moulds was a 'jump ball' throw, by design. Moulds simply couldn't bring it in. The early sack was Pacillo's fault, as his guy got through and knocked Bledsoe's timing off.

-Our first-team D looked really good. Our secondary is absolutely solid. Kelsay looked pretty good in there, but props to Denney for his interception.

-Lindell made his kicks (finally!).

-McGahee looked like a man among boys against the second stringers. He ran through the first tackler on every carry, as if they were nothing. This guy is gonna be a STUD.

-Losman was OUTSTANDING. He was very composed, very tough, very aggressive, very smart, and very athletic. He ran well, threw well, and made great decisions with the ball.

-Evans didn't do much. None of the receivers really did.

-Wire didn't impress many. He was in with the 2nd and 3rd stringers, so he should've looked great, but he missed a few tackles, seemed out of place at times, and in general seemed kinda lost out there.

-McGee is great. This guy could be a starter soon. In the mean time, we have ourselves an EXCELLENT nickel back.

-Shelton was solid at FB.

-Tight Ends were basically invisible.

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***Article***

It took only three plays for the Bills to get their first turnover of the preseason. On third down of the Broncos opening drive, cornerback Terrence McGee picked-off a Jake Plummer pass and returned it to the Denver 22-yard line. It was the first step in the Bills' plan to create more turnovers this season, something that eluded the NFL's second-ranked unit in 2003. "Getting a pick early in the game really boosted my confidence," McGee said. "It was great for our defense to come up with a turnover so early. I'm much more confident on the field than I was last year."

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***Roster Update***

The Bills released Oliver Gibson.

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***Article***

Source: McGahee wants starting job or trade
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John Wawrow / Associated Press

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - Running back Willis McGahee has asked the Buffalo Bills to trade him if he is not their starter on opening day, a source told The Associated Press on Friday.

McGahee's request was not issued as an ultimatum, but the player made clear he won't be happy playing backup to incumbent Travis Henry, said the source, who is close to McGahee, and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold said, "There is no truth to that whatsoever."

McGahee was not available for comment, as the Bills were off Friday in preparation for Saturday's preseason game against Tennessee. McGahee's agent Drew Rosenhaus declined comment.

After hosting Tennessee, the Bills close their preseason with two road games in preparation for their season-opener against Jacksonville on Sept. 12.

Questions about how the two running backs can work together have been raised since the Bills selected McGahee 23rd overall in the 2003 draft.

Henry is now coming off his second consecutive 1,000-yard season while McGahee missed his entire rookie season recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee.

The former Miami star was considered a top-three pick before he was hurt in his final college game, the Hurricanes' loss to Ohio State in the national championship, the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.

Rookie coach Mike Mularkey has said that both players can work together this season, but has maintained that Henry is his starter.

That's been evident through camp, where Henry has worked exclusively with the starting unit, while McGahee has worked mostly with the second string.

McGahee has looked good so far.

In his preseason debut, he had 13 carries for 58 yards, a 9-yard reception, and scored the go-ahead touchdown from the 1, in Buffalo's 16-6 win over Denver last Sunday. McGahee also shone, scoring four touchdowns from within 2 yards, during a controlled scrimmage against Cleveland earlier this month.

While Henry and McGahee refer to themselves as friends, it has been an uneasy relationship.

Henry initially called the Bills' decision to draft McGahee a slap in the face.

He's since backed off that claim, saying the two can work together.

Henry, however, has previously said that he's not prepared to be a backup to McGahee. Henry has also said that he expects one of them to be traded after the end of this season.

Henry is signed through the 2005 season. McGahee has four years left on a contract that could potentially be worth $15.53 million if he meets all the incentives

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***BUFFALO BILLS PRESEASON UPDATE 1-1***

I'll just post an article I found on the game. I really dont' feel like typing anything out, lol.


Brown carries Titans past Bills
Story Tools: Print Email
John Wawrow / Associated Press
Posted: 11 hours ago



ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - The Tennessee Titans won the game. The Buffalo Bills got a reminder of why they might need two capable running backs - Travis Henry and Willis McGahee.

With much of the focus on the Bills' potential running back controversy, Titans kicker Joe Nedney pulled out the team's 16-15 preseason win with a 22-yard field goal as time expired Saturday.
For Nedney, who hit all three attempts, it was an important performance in showing he's fully recovered after missing all but last year's season-opener with a knee injury.

"It's a big step for him," coach Jeff Fisher said. "It was good to put him in position to hit a winning kick."

For the Bills, they avoided a scare when Henry left the game in the second quarter with bruised ribs. Henry described the injury as minor, although he's not sure whether he'll practice when the team resumes training camp on Monday.

Just as important, on a day in which team president Tom Donahoe reiterated that he has no intention of trading either running back, was the Bills seeing McGahee's capacity to fill in. McGahee finished with 11 carries for 28 yards and scored on a 3-yard run, his second touchdown in his second game.

"My reaction was, 'I hope he's all right,"' McGahee said of Henry. "Everything's good. I just filled in a little. It wasn't anything major, but I'm up for the challenge."

Nedney's kick slipped just inside the right goal post, capping third-string quarterback Jason Gesser's strong effort in driving the Titans 61 yards on 13 plays.

The Titans (2-0) won their sixth straight preseason game, after going 4-0 last year.

Titans starter Steve McNair had his second consecutive strong outing, finishing 8-of-11 for 93 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown pass to Tyrone Calico. Running back Chris Brown also had a strong game, finishing with 10 carries for 61 yards.

Bills kicker Rian Lindell hit field goals of 33, 37 and 49 yards, but missed wide left from 46.

Much of the game's focus settled on the Bills running backs, particularly after The Associated Press, citing a source close to McGahee, reported Friday that the running back has asked to be traded if he is not the starter on opening day.

Selected 23rd overall in the 2003 draft, McGahee missed all of last season recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee.

Afterward, McGahee played down the report, saying he's never asked the Bills to trade him.

And yet, when asked if his agent Drew Rosenhaus might have made the request for him, McGahee smiled and said: "You'd have to talk to my agent about that situation. I'm here in Buffalo trying to play."

That's not to say he doesn't think he's capable of being the Bills' starter.

"I'm ready for whatever's thrown at me," McGahee said. "Nobody's been through so much stuff like me. I'm pretty sure I can handle anything."

The Bills intend to open the season using both, with Henry the starter, coming off his second consecutive 1,300-yard rushing season.

McGahee scored when he deked safety Tank Williams in the backfield and then beat two defenders to the right corner to put the Bills ahead 12-10.

Henry was hurt 10 minutes into the second quarter when he was hit hard by Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck while attempting to catch a pass at the Tennessee 20. Favoring his left side, Henry slowly made his way off the field and was carted from the sideline to the Bills locker room.

Bulluck weighed in on the Bills' running back issues by favoring Henry.

"He's the best running back they've got," Bulluck said. "I don't understand what the controversy's about. ... (McGahee) doesn't hit the hole as hard as Travis. To me, he didn't really pose the threat when he was back there. But he's a young back. He has time."

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***Injury Update***

Starting running back Travis Henry was forced to leave Saturday's preseason game against Tennessee after being hit by Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck with 6:19 left in the second quarter.

Henry was attempting to haul in a Drew Bledsoe pass thrown on the run when Bullock drove him into the turf. Henry was assisted off the field by a pair of Bills trainers and was carted off to the locker room where he received X-rays on his ribs that turned out to be negative.

"I threw it back in there, and it just looked like he caught a good shot," said Bledsoe. "I probably should have given him the ball a little bit sooner, either that, or taking it and running it myself."

Henry said he knew right away that he had brusied his ribs.

"It was the same thing that happened to me when we played against Miami," said Henry. "I'll be ok. When he hit me and I hit the ground I landed in an awkward way and it put some strain on my ribs but I feel all right. I felt the same type of symptoms that I felt when I hurt it the first time. It was the same exact spot so I knew what it was."

Although there's never a good time for an injury, Henry is relieved the injury occurred early in the preseason.

"It's not good but it couldn't happen at a better time considering it's still the preseason and we've got two more games before that first regular season game," he said. "If something bad could happen, it happened at the right time."


Meanwhile, Bills punter Brian Moorman was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

"It was just a precautionary thing to hold me out this week," said Moorman. "I wasn't going to kick in the second half anyway. I look forward to getting back into the swing of things next week. Anytime I can't play is frustrating. I want to be on the field. I could have talked coaches into letting me play but then maybe something happens and it's an injury that lingers into the season."

Rookie Mike Shafer punted four times in Moorman's place, averaging 32.5 yards. Running back Joe Burns (ankle) and offensive tackle Marcus Price (foot) were also held out of the game.