The Buffalo Bills began their Organized Team Activities (OTA’s) Tuesday at One Bills Drive in Orchard Park, New York. The OTA’s are voluntary, however, the Bills had near-perfect attendance with only two players missing. Defensive end Shawne Merriman was absent due to doctors appointments and defensive back Delano Howell couldn’t attend because he is still enrolled in school at Stanford University. Other than the absences, the first day of OTA’s was deemed successful in the minds of head coach Chan Gailey, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and defensive end Mario Williams. They addressed the media after practice and expressed their excitement about the upcoming season and how much they are looking forward to working hard and improving.
Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey was extremely optimistic when talking about this upcoming offseason and how the first day of OTA’s went. He said, “(There was) a lot of energy and a lot of quickness. We looked and we felt bigger on the field… We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Gailey is confident that with the motivation and determination he is observing from his players and the time allotted for them to prepare in the offseason, the Bills will have the chance to fix their flaws before the season starts. He admitted to focusing on the offensive side of the team today at practice and Gailey was pleased with what he saw.
Both Gailey and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick spoke to the media about their new quarterback coach David Lee and how he is going to help this team get to the next level. Gailey and Fitzpatrick both overwhelmingly agree that Lee will do nothing but improve Fitzpatrick’s skills and jump start the team’s offense. Fitzpatrick told the media, “[Lee]’s a guy that’s going to stay on me. He’s going to challenge me and really just try to get a lot of the fundamental stuff that we’ve been doing and get out there and do it in those team-like situations. He’s going to be really good for me this year.”
Fitzpatrick thought the first day of OTA’s went well and knows the team needs to play fast and understand what the Buffalo Bills organization is trying to accomplish. When asked about newly acquired quarterback Vince Young being at practice today, Fitzpatrick commented on how great he gets along with Vince Young, Brad Smith, and Tyler Thigpen, and how much he enjoys working with them.
Another player who had his first team practice at One Bills Drive today, Mario Williams, took questions from the media regarding how he was feeling about practicing in Buffalo with new teammates. He was impressed with the Bills defense stating, “We have a boatload of talent. At the end of the day I think the biggest thing we want to get across is the mentality. Coming from the defense from last year that’s what it was about.”
Williams understands there is a psychological piece to the game of football and really wants to help the other defensive players get into the “winning” mindset. He did have a slight scare at practice, hitting knees with one of his fellow defensive teammates, but Williams stayed positive about the incident. He said it doesn’t worry him and stated, “It is what it is. We’re all going hard and just trying to get the proper reads.”
Head coach Chan Gailey said he did not observe Mario Williams too much at practice on Day One, but he can definitely see Williams taking on a leadership role. It has been clear since Williams signed with the Buffalo Bills that all he wants to do is help this team move up and get to the top. Williams expressed the same mentality after the first day of OTA’s at the Buffalo Bills practice facility and it seems as though he is going to do whatever it takes to make his teammates just as determined as he is.
Overall, the Bills had a great first day of practice as a team but there was one key player who was in attendance, but not able to do much. Wide receiver Stevie Johnson, who is recovering from groin surgery, was only able to do ladders and strides on the first day of OTAs and is not sure of his future in regards to coming back to practice. Johnson was not able to tell members of the media when he is going to return to practice, but he is feeling good and is ready to get out there and be on the field with his teammates. The Buffalo Bills are working towards a playoff season this year, following a twelve-year playoff drought, and it seems as though the team is not lacking hard work and determination. The players are aware of the high expectations the team has from their fans and the Buffalo community and the Bills are ready to overcome hurdles and challenge themselves in order to be a successful team this upcoming season.
