A New Dawn for Buffalo Football?

First of all, I promise, I do care about other sports. I know the last couple posts have been a little pigskin-centric, and I apologize for that. We are getting into my favorite time of the year though, so I would ask for a little forgiveness regarding the plethora of football related posts.

That being said, went to training camp last night at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, NY, about an hour drive east of here. Great night for watching football practice; not too hot, not too chilly, and the sound of pads popping on the field. You heard me right. There were pads on the players on Day 2 of a Buffalo Bills training camp. And I have to tell you, there were really no instances of players standing around with twiddling their thumbs like in years past either. BOTH fields were being used; offense and special teams on one, and defense on the other, which was a huge shift from the Dick Jauron era. (For those unfamiliar, the special teamers used the practice field and basically kicked for 2 hours every practice, while the offense and defense shared the main field, leaving most of them to stand around and watch. Silly really.) I have to say, the practice had a completely different feel than it had. There were several instances where players got a little engrossed in what they were doing and perhaps hit a little harder than they normally would, and that certainly elicited oohs and ahs from the crowd. Those of us who go to camp every single year were definitely taken aback by the intensity in the practice. There were few lobbed balls, and every single receiver and running back ran through to the end zone even if the play was called. It really was refreshing to see. That's not to say there weren't a couple moments where the mood was a little lighter. We saw Corey McIntyre practicing his golf swing with one of the training stakes, and Rian Lindell practicing kicks down the sideline to the screams of 'Laces Out.' And on the subject of McIntyre, can I just say the man looks like a bowling ball on legs?! And I stand by my previous assertation that Marshawn Lynch was an Uruk Hai from the Lord of the Rings in a former life. (No disrespect meant in any way. The man deserves the moniker Beast Mode. . . he's a scary looking dude.)

All in all, I have to say I can't wait for the first preseason game. I'm not going to be as pessimistic as some of my friends and say 4 wins. . . I could say I could see 10-6, if the O-line gels well and the QB of choice is able to get the ball down the field a little more than last year. And in case you wondered, I'm pulling for Brohm. Boy had Brett Favre ahead of him. That's gotta count for something!