Bills Camp-Day Eight
By: John Kucko
Updated: August 3, 2012
The Bills dodged the heat at practice on Friday. Below is a transcript of the post-practice comments beginning with head coach Chan Gailey:
On LB Kelvin Sheppard's participation in
practice:
(Sheppard) came back and pushed through. He did not look
full speed to me. But he came out and got work in, which he needs to
do.
On T Cordy Glenn getting extra
reps:
We were trying to get (Chris) Hairston some at right
(tackle) since (Erik) Pears has been out. We have been trying to find a way to
get him some at right, so that made more reps for Cordy. We were trying to get a
three man rotation a little bit in those first 12
(plays).
On if it is a major concern that T Erik Pears has not
returned to team drills:
I am not ready to put the word major on it. It is a
concern.
On the team's work on the red zone offense and
defense today:
We installed our red zone offense and red zone defense.
Our situation today was talking about how to handle it when the quarterback
scrambles, what you do. It was all geared around red zone today. We have had
some reps of it in OTAs. Today we were very rusty in doing what we needed to do.
Hopefully we will get back into it. We will continue with some red zone a couple
more times.
On why WR Stevie Johnson sat out a portion of
practice:
He did not even strain it, just his groin got tight. We
just backed him out of there for that.
On if that is a small concern since he has previously
injured his groin:
(The previous injury) was the other side.
On if RB Fred Jackson got nicked in
practice:
Yeah, he got stepped on or something with his ankle.
They said something with his foot. He finished. George Wilson got stepped on and
he finished. There are a couple of guys who are going to be in the training
room. But they finished.
On if WR Stevie Johnson will miss any
practice:
I do not know. Let me see what they say after treatment
tonight and tomorrow.
On if tomorrow will be a standard live
practice:
We have goal line. Goal line goes in
tomorrow.
On what CB Leodis McKelvin's status
is:
Leodis has been a guy who has played in a lot of
football games. Hopefully he can help (our young corners). At the same time, he
is in competition with them. We are trying to play Leodis in there in some
nickel situations because he is a good athlete. We are hoping he will get his
confidence level up. Back there he would struggle some outside last year. So we
are hoping to get his confidence level and then he is going to compete for an
outside job, too. He will compete out there.
On C Eric Wood's progress back from
injury:
Very well. Today I think he had taken more than he took
all of team camp. So we will evaluate how he feels tonight and tomorrow morning
to get a better feel of how far we are able to push that.
On free agent S Jim Leonard's workout with the
Bills:
To be honest with you, I did not see him. I knew he was
here. Buddy (Nix) keeps me up to date with all of that. I did not watch any type
of workout or anything like that. I just know what Buddy had told me and it is
probably better to talk to Buddy about that. If he is here I will coach the
dickens out of him. If he is not here I will not worry about
it.
On if he had a conversation with
Leonard:
No.
On G Kraig Urbik's
strengths:
He is a big, strong man. I mean he is a barrel-chested,
strong human that has got better good movement for his size and is a very
versatile player. He is one of those tough guys that you have to have inside.
That is what I think Urbik brings to our football team. He brings toughness and
some strength to our football team.
On naming LB Kelvin Sheppard to the
middle:
If you recall that, everybody says that I said that. All
I said is that I know Shepp will be in the middle. He will not be on the
outsides. He will be in the middle. If he wins the job, he wins the job. He will
be in the middle. That is where he is going to play. That is his position, is
middle linebacker because he is a big, strong guy that can go North and South to
fill gaps. There are no real locks for a lot of places on our football team
right now. But we feel like he fits the best at MIKE
linebacker.
On all of the drops today by the
receivers:
It was not a little case, it was a huge case of the
drops. The quarterbacks had to be, they would never say it but I'll say it for
them, that is unacceptable. We cannot have that. If we drop the ball that much
we will not win any games.
On CB Terrence McGee's
health:
Getting a little better. He could not play if he had to
play today. But he is getting a little better. It is not big leaps, no major
breakthroughs with Terrence's health. It is little gains that we are making
right now.
On the play of the Bills' young
linebackers:
We have got a good problem right there. There is a
logjam of some very good young linebackers at all three positions. That is going
to be a battle. And it is going to be a battle for us if they continue to play
as well as they have played and progress as well as they have progressed about
what we do there. That is going to be a tough decision. We already have some
other tough decisions, that is just going to add to
it.
On what he saw from WR Derek Hagan and where he has
come from:
I said it yesterday, I do not care where he has come
from. I really do not. If somebody wants to come here and perform, we will take
a look at them and give them an opportunity. We are open to anybody winning a
job anywhere. We do not care. If you can play well, you will probably have a
spot on our football team.
On the chemistry between Hagan and QB Ryan
Fitzpatrick:
From time to time, I do. It is not as consistent as we
need right now. We are working on it and it is getting better. I saw flashes
yesterday and then not as much today. We have to get some consistency going
there.
On having six different coaches in six different
years being difficult on Hagan:
Yes, it can be very
difficult.
On what he does to try and help
Hagan:
The best thing I can do to help a guy be consistent is
be consistent myself. If I am consistent and he hears the same things every day,
then he knows what to expect. And there is nobody giving better effort out there
on our football field right now than Derek Hagan. And that is a great thing for
him.
On why rookie OL Zebrie Sanders took first team
reps:
I think what happened is we got winded there at right
tackle and he was the next guy up so they put him in there a couple of reps. It
was not planned to happen during the course of the day that
way.
On practicing in the extreme
heat:
You would take more than one (of these days) and we are
supposed to get another one tomorrow, so it will be good. You have to fight
through mentally and physically on days like today. Four practices in a row with
pads or afternoon after a night practice, you have to fight through that. I told
the players that. You gain toughness for finishing in the fourth quarter in
December now. That is when you gain it. If you can mentally push through this,
you know you can push through in December in the fourth quarter. Hopefully we
are using this as a building block.
WR Stevie
Johnson
PM Session - Friday,
August 3, 2012
On why he left practice
today:
I just got pulled out for a little
ding.
On if it is his
groin:
Coach will talk about everything when he comes up to the
podium.
On how frustrating it is to be all the way back and
then be limited today:
It is very frustrating. But I will be back though, so I
know it is nothing major. I guess they are just looking out... They do not want it
to be anything like it was last year, where I play through it and something
happens. I might be playing through an entire season with something. So we are
just being extra cautious.
On when he first felt
it:
Individuals. I do not know exactly what it is. I went
in, got a few tests and everything and I think they gave everything to coach. He
will come up with everything.
On if it was his groin acting up a little or
something else:
No. My groin is good. My groin I had surgery on, I do
not feel anything over there. But it is just, I guess through individuals I felt
something (different).
LB Kelvin
Sheppard
PM Session - Friday,
August 3, 2012
On how it felt being back in team
drills:
It felt pretty good, of course, to get back on the field
with my teammates and everything like that. So I just have to continue to
progress every day.
On if he is full-go
now:
Yea, I am back at it. But just like I said, just have to
take it day by day.
On how he
feels:
Good. I finished practice, didn't I?
(jokingly)
On the how his transition to middle linebacker is
going:
Well it wasn't much of a transition. I have been playing
the middle linebacker spot for a couple years now. This is almost the identical
defense that I ran at LSU, so I am kind of familiar with it. It is just getting
into the groove with these guys and the new defensive personnel, really.
On how worried he was about missing an extended
amount of time like last year:
This is nothing like last year. This is a totally
different deal. I am healthy, body-wise, so this is a totally different deal.
On the biggest difference between what he is doing
this year compared to last year:
It is pretty much all that bottled up in a jar.
Responsibility: being the middle linebacker, making the calls and checks. And
the confidence: I have to have the swagger that I am out here, I know my
playbook and I can help anybody. They should be able from the D-line to the
secondary turn to me and ask me questions, and I have to answer them on the
spot.
On if his skillset is better suited for this role
than last year's:
Like I said, the 3-4, that was my first and only time
ever being in a 3-4 defense. So I guess I have to say
so.
On if the injury bothering him these last few days
was the same thing bothering him at
minicamp:
Yea, it is similar.
