Bills Gab

ESPN.com reports that a couple other Bills rookies might break the starting lineup in 2009: Eric Wood and Andy Levitre:

A decent amount of pressure rests on the young shoulders of Eric Wood and Andy Levitre. The Buffalo Bills need these rookies to perform straight away for an offensive line that’s going through a serious overhaul slathered with skepticism. “We’re going to have five guys probably playing in new positions up front for the Bills,” Wood said at a youth football camp during the four-day NFL Rookie Symposium, which ended Wednesday at PGA National Resort and Spa. Wood and Levitre are projected to be the starting guards, positions they weren’t known for in college.

The Bills official site is doing a little foreshadowing of the future, as reports are rookie DE Aaron Maybin could break the teams starting lineup come opening day:

Maybin’s strength against the run will ultimately decide whether he’ll be able to compete for a starting role at defensive end. At the very least he’ll be a situational pass rusher. Defensive line coach Bob Sanders believes Maybin read run plays well during spring practices, how he holds up when the pads are on will be the determining factor as to whether he can be an every down player. “Aaron is a high energy, talented, and determined young man,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “He gets a little bit better every day through his effort and the application of techniques that are being taught.”

Bills LB Paul Posluszny likes what he sees so far from new teammate - WR Terrell Owens. Posluszny said of Owens so far in his short time with the Bills: “He’s actually been the exact opposite of what everyone had said before. He’s been a great teammate. He’s very quiet in the locker room and at practice, he just goes about his business. Works extremely hard at practice and does everything he can to help us. He’s going to help us win.”

By Mike Kemmeter - Football.com

During the last three seasons, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Lee Evans has had to deal with almost constant double teams. That should change in 2009, with a surprise addition to the passing game.

The Bills shocked the league months ago by signing Terrell Owens to a one-year, $6.5 million contract, after Dallas waived the controversial wideout.

“The reduced attention should allow (Evans) to produce more big plays and get into the end zone more than three times,” said Jason Fritz of Buffalo Rumblings. (http://www.buffalorumblings.com)

“Evans is one of the best deep threats in the league, so seeing more single coverage should free him for some more of the big plays we’ve grown accustomed to seeing out of him. I don’t expect him to put up huge numbers, simply because ‘T.O.’ will get his, but 1,000 yards and six to eight touchdowns would be a nice complement to Owens’ production.”

Evans has been the main receiving threat in Buffalo since 2006, when Eric Moulds was released after refusing to take a pay cut. As the No. 1 receiver, his yards-per-catch average was consistent, between 15.4 and 16.1, but his week-to-week production was spotty.

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New Bills WR Terrell Owens gets all of his apologies for the 2009-2010 football season out of the way now.

Footage courtesy of Comedy Central

There is a lot of promise for the Bills in 2009, and that is not being lost on the fan base, which to date has gobbled up 53,048 season tickets. The Buffalo News reports that the team should be able to easily hit about 55,000 season tickets this season.

Reports say that the club feels that they have a shot at matching last season’s total of 56,011, second only to the 57,132 sold in 1992. Group tickets went on sale to the public Saturday. The Bills already have sold out the first four of their seven regular-season games in Orchard Park, and fewer than 3,000 tickets remain for the Miami game which is November 29th.

“We’re really on the cusp of being able to sell out season tickets in the not-too-distant future,” said David H. Wheat, senior vice president of business operations.

Offseason work concluded on a positive note for starting cornerback/return specialist Terrence McGee, who landed hard on his shoulder earlier in OTA work while covering Terrell Owens. McGee practiced in mini-camp even though coach Dick Jauron said he could’ve taken it easy.

“Our medical staff cleared him and he kept pushing them to clear him. Once they said he was OK, and he really wanted to go, that was it,” Jauron said. “I didn’t feel any need for him to practice. Terrence is a player that I have a lot of admiration for, the way he plays the game, how he prepares. He loves to play, so it was good. It worried me a little bit, he was on the ground a couple more times, but it didn’t seem to bother him, so it worked out well.”

Mike Florio of SportingNews.com wrote the top 10 moves of the offseason, and has the Bills grabbin T.O. at number six. Read below:

6. Buffalo Bills Sign Owens

Though it was time for the T.O. circus to dismantle its big top in Big D, the Bills made a bold move to add Owens to the fold for 2009.

The move has generated enormous local excitement and significant national interest in a team that had been overlooked in most seasons since those four straight Super Bowl appearances.

Sure, at some point in the not-too-distant future the folks in Buffalo might decide that it’s time for T.O. to hit the road. For now, however, it’s a winner for a franchise that has been of late a perennial loser.

The Buffalo News reports that the Bills on Thursday hosted about 100 players in for a possible tryout:

Three University at Buffalo products — guard Jeff Niedermier, offensive tackle Ray Norell and safety Adekunle Akingba — were among 100 players showcasing their skills during a tryout with the Buffalo Bills on Thursday. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Niedermier previously worked out for the Cleveland Browns during their rookie minicamp. Norell (6-6, 306) had an earlier tryout with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Democrat and Chronicle reports that the Bills have sold out their first three home games of the 2009 schedule:

If you haven’t purchased a ticket to one of the Buffalo Bills’ first three home games, you’ll have to buy a season ticket to get in. Individual game tickets for the home opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New Orleans Saints and the Cleveland Browns are sold out, the Bills said on their Web site. On Saturday, season-ticket sales surpassed 52,000 tickets for the second straight year.