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HOT TOPIC
Veteran defensive back Troy Vincent, starting his 15th NFL season, has been around plenty of coaches to know when someone is trying too hard.
That was his impression of head coach Mike Mularkey, who quit on the Bills after last season's 5-11 finish after a promising 9-7 record in 2004.
Mularkey, in his first stint as a head coach in the NFL, had conflicts with key veterans and some assistant coaches as he tried to impart a tough-guy philosophy on the Bills. Things unraveled badly.
"He was trying to impart a personality that I'm not sure was us," Vincent said. "You can't teach a show dog how to fight."
That's why Vincent is encouraged about the Bills' future under Dick Jauron, who has previous head coaching experience with Chicago and Detroit and is a man comfortable in his own skin.
Jauron's calm, fatherly presence has been welcomed around One Bills Drive this spring as scores of new players try to blend with some returning veterans.
Owner Ralph Wilson consulted with Vincent during the search for a new coach.
"For where we were as a club, a coach who hadn't had any head coaching experience might have been the worse way to go again," Vincent said. "Two years ago we were one game away from the post-season, a play away. A year ago, we had a lot of personality conflicts but we still had the ingredients to win and we showed it at times. But we self-destructed. A penalty. A missed tackle. Not getting off the field on third down. Those things add up.
"But seeing Coach Jauron come in, that experience, and just going 'Hold on, men. Stop practice. Come together. Now we want to win and we can't do that.' That's experience talking. That's wisdom talking. That's a person not trying to put his personality on something. I have great respect for Coach Mularkey, but that 'Arrrrrrrr.' That was Bill Cowher and not what we were as a group."
Vincent said in today's NFL, where free agency changes every roster every year, it's not so much about star power that wins. It's about being fundamentally sound. That's where a coach like Jauron can be effective teaching a simple, sound philosophy -- where a team that doesn't beat itself with mistakes has a chance to win. That was the makeup of Jauron's 13-3 Bears team in 2001.
"Because of what history has taught me, I feel good," Vincent said. "We've got a guy who is just saying, 'I'm going to coach and I'm going to make the most of what we have here, get the most out of this talent.' You don't see that very often. I've talked to many coaches, many players and to find that is a true rarity."
PLAYER NOTES
--The Bills, who wrapped up three weeks of voluntary organized team activities, will conduct a three-day mandatory camp June 12-14. RB Willis McGahee, a key component of Buffalo's offense, skipped all of coach Dick Jauron's OTAs, creating a concern he may hold out for a new contract. It has been learned that Buffalo's chief negotiator, Jim Overdorf, and agent Drew Rosenhaus have had recent discussions but only in general terms about his situation. McGahee, coming off a poor season in which he failed to gain 100 yards in seven of his last eight games, still has two years left on his rookie deal. McGahee's absence from their facilities this spring did concern the club enough to send running backs coach Eric Studesville to Miami recently to make contact with the player.
--LB Takeo Spikes, recovering from Achilles' tendon surgery, is wearing a gray T-shirt with the words "COMEBACK, SEPTEMBER 2006" on the front. The two-time Pro Bowler is doing more agility drills and running on his own, but is still being very cautious about pushing too hard. "I have time on my side and we'll take advantage of that," he said. "Coach Jauron has a schedule set for me to where they know what I can do. Once a dog bites, you can't take that away."
--Jim Kelly's 20th annual dinner auction and celebrity golf tournament last weekend raised more than $200,000 for his various children's charities. When Kelly started his golf tournament in 1987, his second year with the Bills, he didn't know how long it would last. Since then, he has raised more than $4 million for charity.
"It's unbelievable," Kelly said. "After about the fifth one, you wonder how long you're going to do this. You want to think you're going to have some impact in the City of Buffalo."
Added the Bills Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback: "When you present a check to charities in western New York for $10,000, $15,000, $5,000 and they look like they've won the lottery, it hits home. It takes on a special presence in your heart knowing that you've helped these people."
Celebrity athletes on hand this year included fellow Hall of Famer Dan Marino, who made the event for the 18th time, Super Bowl winning QB Ben Roethlisberger, who made it to town after a whirlwind weekend that included a visit to the White House and a ceremony in Pittsburgh to receive his Super Bowl ring, and Indy Car racing star Al Unser, Jr. Scores of ex-Bills played including Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, Steve Tasker, Kent Hull, Fred Smerlas, Will Wolford, Phil Hansen, Kenneth Davis, Chris Mohr, Butch Rolle, John Kidd, Kurt Schulz and Quinn Early. Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian, who built Buffalo's four Super Bowl teams, also played. The top auction item at Kelly's dinner? An autographed framed set of No. 12 jerseys worn by Kelly, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Namath and Roger Staubach, that went for $10,000.
--QB J.P. Losman, who is battling for the starting quarterback job he held a year ago, is pretty confident he'll be around Buffalo for awhile. Or maybe he's just a good investor. The third-year pro, who has been renting, recently purchased a Georgian-style historic mansion in downtown Buffalo for $650,000.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Buffalo added another name to the mix of players who will vie for the fourth defensive end spot on their roster, signing free agent Joshua Cooper.
Cooper, the defensive MVP of the Cotton Bowl in 2004 for Mississippi, spent his rookie season on the San Francisco 49ers practice squad and was out of football last season. He earned another NFL shot by playing in NFL Europe this spring for World Bowl champion Frankfurt. He had 26 tackles and two sacks on the season.
After starters Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay and backup Ryan Denney, Buffalo's defensive end situation is a question mark. Free agents Mark Word and Eric Powell will get a look in camp with Cooper, but OLB Jeff Posey will also be tried more as a rush end on passing downs.
Meanwhile, the Bills were forced to pick up another quarterback for training camp after injuries playing in NFL Europe sidelined Craig Ochs and Tory Woodbury.
Claimed off waivers was Kliff Kingsbury, a backup for the New York Jets last season. Kingsbury, from Texas Tech, appeared in one game, completing two passes for 17 yards against Denver on Nov. 20. Kingsbury spent this spring playing for NFL Europe Cologne.
The Bills used their roster exemptions on Woodbury and Ochs to sign Cooper and Kingsbury.
--The Bills released veteran OG Bennie Anderson, who started 15 of 16 games a year ago, clearing the way for free agent Tutan Reyes or second-year pro Duke Preston to assume the starting left guard position. Reyes previously started for Carolina.
Anderson, a free agent success story for the Baltimore Ravens from 2001 to 2004 where he helped RB Jamal Lewis gain stardom -- including a 2,066-yard campaign in 2003 -- plugged a need in the middle of Buffalo's line last season.
But he never rose beyond a serviceable player as Buffalo's run game sputtered. He was due to earn $1.9 million this season.
Anderson's status was tenuous through the spring as the Bills signed Reyes, former Bears starter Aaron Gibson, and drafted Aaron Merz.
In other moves, the Bills also waived free agent LB Greg Carothers and undrafted rookie free agent DE Matthew Rice.
MEDICAL WATCH: FS Jim Leonhard (hamstring) returned to practice after being injured last month. ... LB Takeo Spikes (Achilles' tendon surgery) is doing more agility drills and running on his own but is still many months away from being ready to play in a game. The two-time Pro Bowler is shooting to be ready for the season opener in September, and it's doubtful that he'd risk playing in any preseason games.
FRANCHISE PLAYER: CB Nate Clements (tendered at $7.226M; re-signed).
TRANSITION PLAYER: None.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
--QB Shane Matthews (not tendered June 1).
--OG Lawrence Smith (not tendered as ERFA).
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED
--WR Sam Aiken: RFA; terms unknown, had been tendered at $721,600.
--CB Nate Clement: FFA; $7.226M/1 yr.
--DE Ryan Denney: UFA; 4 yrs, terms unknown.
--CB Jabari Greer: ERFA; $425,000/1 yr.
--LB Mario Haggan: RFA; terms unknown, had been tendered at $721,600.
--OT Greg Jerman: UFA; $1.27M/2 yrs, SB unknown.
--OT Jason Peters: ERFA; $425,000/1 yr.
--WR Josh Reed: UFA; $10M/4 yrs, $2M SB.
--LS Mike Schneck: UFA; terms unknown.
--WR Jonathan Smith: ERFA; $425,000/1 yr.
--LB Josh Stamer: Potential RFA; terms unknown.
--RB Shaud Williams: ERFA; $425,000/1 yr.
PLAYERS ACQUIRED
--S Matt Bowen: FA Redskins; $2M/2 yrs, $300,000 SB.
--WR Andre' Davis: UFA Patriots; $1.3M/1 yr, $500,000 SB.
--C Melvin Fowler: UFA Vikings; $7.2M/3 yrs, SB unknown.
--OT Aaron Gibson: FA; terms unknown.
--OT Matt Morgan: Not tendered as ERFA by Rams; terms unknown.
--QB Craig Nall: UFA Packers; $4.27M/3 yrs, $1.3M SB; 2006 cap: $1.033M.
--WR Peerless Price: FA; $10.3M/4 yrs, $1.8M SB/$500,000 RB '07-09; 2006 cap: $1.25M.
--G Tutan Reyes: UFA Panthers; terms unknown.
--TE Robert Royal: UFA Redskins; $10M/5 yrs, $2.5M SB.
--RB Anthony Thomas: UFA Saints; terms unknown.
--CB Kiwaukee Thomas: UFA Dolphins; terms unknown.
--DT Larry Tripplett: UFA Colts; $18M/5 yrs, $5.5M SB.
--LB Courtney Watson: Trade Saints.
PLAYERS LOST
--DT Sam Adams (released).
--OT Bennie Anderson (released).
--DT Justin Bannan: UFA Ravens; $8M/4 yrs, $3M SB.
--TE Mark Campbell (released).
--DT Ron Edwards: UFA Chiefs; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--S Tim Euhus: Traded Saints.
--S Lawyer Milloy (released).
--WR Eric Moulds: Traded Texans.
--C Trey Teague: UFA Jets; 2 yrs, terms unknown.
--OT Mike Williams (released).
MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.
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