Lindy Ruff's New Job

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff spent the past two days on the golf course. Not unusual for the offseason. But Lindy wasn't playing, he was caddying at a PGA Tour event. Ruff is friends and Clarence neighbors with PGA pro Dudley Hart, the WNY native. After talking about it for years, Hart let Ruff handle the bag at the Crowne Plaza International at the Colonial in Forth Worth, TX. I tried to get an interview with Lindy before he left, but the Sabres coach was nervous and worried, so he politely declined the request.

Things didn't go so well during the first two rounds. Hart was in 5th after the first round, but was six-over on Friday and wound up mssing the cut.

"I kind of had to guide him around a little bit because he's used to casual golf with his buddies," said Hart, in a interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "I'd start whistling and he knew to stop moving. I picked Colonial because it's as easy a walking golf course as we have on tour. It's not spread out. We're having a good time."
Ruff admitted he was nervous caddying for Hart for the first time. Ruff caddied once before on a celebrity tour in the early 1990s.

Normally a guy who gives lots of advice and instructions, Lindy kept quiet.
"The only club selection I gave him was when he was on the green and I gave him his putter," he joked. "A couple of times I forgot to do that even."

(Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

WNY Cup Streak Continues?

Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik has a chance to keep WNY's Cup winning streak alive.

The past two years, a native son has won the Cup: Kevyn Adams of Clarence in 2006, Todd Marchant of Williamsville in 2007. Orpik is also from East Amherst. He has emerged as tough, physical member of the Pens' blueline. He pairs with Sergei Gonchar to form the Penguins top defensive pairing. He'll be busy trying to stop Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Franzen.

Orpis an unrestricted free agent this summer, so he's in position for a big payday. I wonder how much he'd like to come back home and play for the Sabres? He's exactly the physical D they're looking for. Plus, Brooks' brother Andrew is a Sabre draft pick.

So keep an eye on Pittsburgh's #44. Do you think he'd look good in Sabres blue and gold? What does it say for WNY hockey that another native player can win the Cup?

DiPaolo Award Winners

We didn't have time to get it on the air, but we need to take some time to congratulate the scholarship winners, from the annual Ilio DiPaolo Scholarship Awards Night. I attended tonight's affair along with several hundred other fans to salute the high school wrestlers who were honored. The entire event is named after the late, great Ilio DiPaolo (above) who passed away 13-years ago. His son, Dennis, is vice chairman of the scholarship committee and a gracious host for the banquet. Bills Trainer Bud Carpenter is the chair, and the driving force behind the event. Among others in attendance tonight were Hall of Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly, and Bills alumni including Lou Piccone, Charlie Ferguson, and Al Bemiller.
Congratulations to the scholarship award winners:

Ilio Dipaolo Award-Christopher Conti-Frontier HS
Gary Castanza Award-Matthew Metzler-Salamanca HS
"Destroyer" Wrestling Award-Robin Broda-Eden HS
St. Francis Captains Award-Delano Fabor-St Francis HS
Bill Hein Dedicated Wrestler Award-Mark Lewandowski-Lancaster HS
Tom Sestak and Tom Day Lineman Award-Corey Balcerzak-Lockport HS
Cauliflower Alley Club-Eric Velez-Medina HS

Need a Raise Anyone?

Are you under contract at your current job, but feel you’re underpaid? It appears that’s how Bills left tackle, Jason Peters feels. He has yet to show up for any of the teams OTA’s, which Dick Jauron did say were not mandatory. But let’s face it, it does seem as though it’s highly encouraged to be there. Peters has 3 years left on his current deal which he signed in 2006. He will get paid roughly 4 million dollars if he hits all incentives, and the rumblings are that it’s not enough for him. While his agent and the Bills have yet to comment on this topic, it does seem to be contract related. It’s pretty outrageous if that’s what this is about. I mean, where else can you sign a contract and feel you’ve outperformed your current deal, so why not rip it up.. right? It’s crazy! What if the Bills do renegotiate his current deal, and he doesn’t play to the level he did last season? Will he give money back? I don’t think so. I know he’s not the only player out there that has done or will do this, but this practice is hard to fathom for fans who can’t understand how 4 million a year is just not enough. The bottom line is: he did agree to his current deal at one time and sign it. It was good then, and at the time he must have felt the length of the deal was also what he wanted. Let us know how you feel about professional athletes that take this stance with their contracts.

Peters Principle

It's only a voluntary session, but it's nice to see such a large turnout of veterans at the Bills Organized Team Activity this week. There have been some notable absentees, however. Lee Evans missed Wednesday's workout, after participating on a limited basis the first two days. Evans is coming back from offseason shoulder surgery. J.P. Losman was on hand Monday, but he's been out the rest of the week. Losman had some family considerations that took him away from the team.
Pro Bowl OT Jason Peters has been the most mysterious absentee. He hasn't been around all week, and it could be a contract problem. We put in a call to Peters' agent earlier today, and we're still waiting for a callback. But team sources say Peters may be looking for a new deal, to replace the one he signed two years ago. At that time, Peters signed a five year contract that pays him about $4 million annually. He may be able to make the argument that he's outperformed that contract, especially when he compares it to some of his teammates on the offensive line (Dockery, Walker, for example). Peters also underwent surgery for a hernia in the offseason, so that may be what's keeping him away from the voluntary minicamp. Head Coach Dick Jauron may provide some answers when he meets the media tomorrow.

Bills OTA Lineups

I thought Bills fans would want to know how the starting lineups looked at the OTA practices that began this week. Keep in mind, some players (Jason Peters) are missing from the voluntary workouts. Some injured players (Lee Evans) are also missing from their normal positions.
But here's how it looked through the first two days of on-field workouts:

Offense

QB: Trent Edwards
RB: Marshawn Lynch
FB: Darian Barnes
WR: Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish (Evans hurt)
TE: Derek Schouman (Robert Royal hurt)
LT: Kirk Chambers (for Peters)
LG: Derrick Dockery
C: Duke Preston (Melvin Fowler hurt)
RG: Brad Butler
RT: Langston Walker

Fred Jackson and Dwayne Wright were the backups at RB. Teyo Johnson, Courtney Anderson and Derek Fine backed up at tight end. James Hardy was 2nd team wide receiver with Justin Jenkins.

Defense

DE: Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay
DT: Marcus Stroud, Kyle Williams
LB: Angelo Crowell, Paul Posluszny, Kawika Mitchell
CB: Jabari Greer, Terrence McGee
SS: Donte Whitner
FS: Ko Simpson

Leodis McKelvin got some snaps with the starters Tuesday as Terrence McGee sat out parts of practice. William James was the other 2nd team cornerback. John McCargo and Spencer Johnson were the 2nd team DT's. The 2nd team linebackers were Keith Ellison, John DiGiorgia and Alvin Bowen. George Wilson and Bryan Scott were the 2nd team safeties. Ryan Denney and Chris Ellis ran backup at defensive end.

Any surprises for you? Any disappointments? Anybody you don't think is in the right spot? Let us know. Post your comments.

OTA Observations

Both Paul Peck and I were on hand today for the first day of the Bills Organized Team Activity (voluntary minicamp). More importantly, most of the Bills were on hand, as well. The only veterans missing on day one were punter Brian Moorman and LT Jason Peters. These are only voluntary practices, so players may be in and out over the next 3 1/2 weeks, but it was good to see such a strong turnout.
A couple of sideline observations from Monday's workout:

-Josh Reed (above) has become a pro's pro. He was clearly the most impressive player in practice, catching every pass thrown his way. He went over the middle and made great grabs in traffic. He used his hands to catch passes that were slightly off target, and went about his business in a brisk, businesslike fashion. Can the Bills get better at WR this year? Absolutely. But Josh Reed is not going to hand his starting job to rookie James Hardy--he'll have to earn it.

-One of the most impressive things in today's NFL is the way second-year players make tremendous conditioning and body building strides, compared to their rookie seasons. A couple of noteworthy examples today: QB Trent Edwards. He clearly looks bulkier and stronger in his upper body. His shoulders look bigger, his face is slightly fuller. I wouldn't be surprised if Edwards has put on 10-15 pounds of muscle since the end of last season. Another example: Safety Dustin Fox. Although last year was not his rookie year in the NFL, he seems to have made amazing strides physically in the offseason, getting bigger and stronger. Credit Strength and Conditioning Coordinator John Allaire and his staff for working hard in the offseason building up the young players, and teaching them about nutrition and conditioning.

-It's been said before, but you can't overemphasize the impact injuries had on the Bills last season. Watching today's workout, it was great to see key players like Paul Posluszny and Ko Simpson back on the field, trying to pick up where they left our last year. Their return should bolster the Bills special teams, as well. Look for John DiGiorgio and Keith Ellison to become key coverage men on teams, now that they are not likely to be starters this season.

-The Buffalo defense is operating this week without the new helmet-headset system the NFL approved this year. The Bills tell me the helmet manufacturer is still working on installing the headsets in the helmets of two selected players on defense. I'm not sure how it will work during preseason, when the two selected defenders may be off the field by the 3rd quarter. For now, Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell was calling out the defensive signals, which were signalled in by hand by linebackers coach DeMontie Cross.

Let us know what you'd like us to look for during the Bills OTAs in the upcoming weeks. Paul Peck and I will be regular observers at the practices, and I know many Bills fans are eager to find out what the team looks like now, rather than waiting until training camp.

Bills Debut "Boombuster"

The Bills unveiled a wacky new special teams device at Monday's OTA workouts. Its called the "Boombuster" and its made by Gilman, a football equipment company. Its a punt block machine, used in drills to help players block the ball off the foot of a punter. As you can see in the picture, ts a rubber leg (black) with a football attached to the foot. Levers allow a coach (or today, kicker Rian Lindell) to raise and lower the leg/ball to different heights to help the rushing players adjust. The players dive at the ball, and fall on a large matt placed near the machine.
Steve Tasker, a master at blocking punts, was there helping the players. The device is crazy looking but it allows the team to practice live punt rushing, something they could not do without risk of injury to the punters.
Special teams coordinator Bobby April is always on the cutting edge of workout techniques. This is just another example. There was some laughs and smiles from the players, who probably thought it was just as weird looking as the media did. Some even commented that the leg reminded them of the lamp in the famous movie "A Christmas Story."

Bills OTA Notes-Day 1

The Bills began Organized Team Activities Monday in the Fieldhouse. They will have three weeks of these voluntary workouts, then a mandatory minicamp in June.

*Attendance was nearly perfect. Only three players were missing from Monday's session. Punter Brian Moorman, offensive tackle Jason Peters and rookie fullback Michael Viti. Moorman has missed OTA's in years past, and his attendance may not have been required. Viti may be restricted by NCAA rules that prevent a player from working out until his class has graduated. Dick Jauron did not address the media, so we don't know the specific reasons.
Even Aaron Schobel was there, and he's rarely attends these OTA sessions.

*A few players were there, but watching. Lee Evans just ran, and did not catch passes. He had a shoulder procedure during the offseason, and says he's taking it easy. Melvin Fowler and Robert Royal watched.

*Evans was asked about this contract situation. He didn't say much, but did say an offer was made. I assume he means from the team. Lee will become a free agent after this season.

*J.P. Losman (above, right) was in attendance. He refused to speak with the media. But Evans did, saying he's talked with J.P. about his situation backing up Trent Edwards. He believes Losman will be a good teammate and play his role without any behavior that will be detrimental to the team.

*James Hardy was apologetic about his recent brush with the law in Indiana. But he denies pulling a gun on his father, as police reports stated. Hardy almost seemed glad to be out of his hometown, and into a different atmosphere in Buffalo.

*Hardy had the catch of the day. He hauled in a deep sideline pass, about 30 yards downfield, over the top of Terrence McGee. It was a perfectly thrown, outside shoulder ball by Edwards. Its one of those catchs only a 6-5 receiver could make. I was impressed seeing him get that far downfield with such speed.