Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills Links, 8/17

Schobel to make retirement official - BuffaloBills.com
"By no means did I ever try to get out of Buffalo," he said. "That’s not what it was about. I just didn’t know if I wanted to play. (Playing again) was something I did not want to do, but financially should I do it? That’s where I was at for the most part. I was scared that I would regret it if I didn’t do it, but ultimately I decided I didn’t want to do it."

Practice Notes - Day 14 - BuffaloBills.com
CJ Spiller was the main guy at running back. See practice notes from the morning and evening practices here.

Ellis turning heads among coaches - The Buffalo News
Allen WIlson profiles Chris Ellis who has had a heck of a time transitioning to OLB but who is quickly making an impression at the new position.

Open QB Job Still? Gailey: "Oh Yeah" - WGR 550 SportsRadio
"Oh yeah, sure it is. Every day we evaluate everybody, that's the way it has to be," said Gailey. "You can't let anybody sit there and say to themselves it's locked up, and I can't say that to myself either. That's not fair. If I say that to myself then I should tell them."

Training Camp news
Bills Roundup: Lynch Prognosis, Night Highlights (3:01) - BuffaloBills.com
A wrap of Chan Gailey's press conference and Monday's two practices.

Bills Roundup: Jackson and Lynch Watch Practice (2:57) - BuffaloBills.com
As Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson watch from the sidelines, the Bills got back to work yesterday morning.

Chan Gailey Monday Night Update (4:11) - BuffaloBills.com
The Bills head coach updates all the injuries, talks about how they affect the practices, and who might play Thursday night. Brian Brohm will get all second team reps.

Bills add RB and WR - BuffaloBills.com
Anderson (5’11" 212) played his college ball at Tulane, where the running back was a 1,000-yard rusher in his senior season when he led the Green Wave in rushing yards (1,016) and touchdowns (8). Blessed with 4.5 speed, Rhea is considered a deep threat that also offers return ability. He posted 59 receptions for 809 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2009 for Stephen F. Austin.

Brohm’s strengths – Inside The Bills
"Head coach Chan Gailey was asked to outline Brian Brohm’s strengths. Here was his response."

Lynch back by preseason finale? – Inside The Bills
"I think it’s not a major injury by any stretch of the imagination and I would think [Marshawn] could be back by the last preseason game," Gailey said. "That’s what we’re hoping anyway."

Bell, Wood should play Thurs. night – Inside The Bills
"According to head coach Chan Gailey there’s a good chance that the Bills will have starting left tackle Demetrius Bell and starting right guard Eric Wood in the lineup for preseason game number 2 Thursday night. Gailey also indicated that Paul Posluszny, Chris Kelsay and Keith Ellison, all of whom missed the first preseason game could also see some brief action."

Brohm to follow Trent Thurs. night – Inside The Bills
"Trent will start and then we’ll put Brian Brohm in the game and then if there’s some snaps left, Levi Brown will play," said Gailey. "Fitz (Ryan Fitzpatrick) won’t play in this one. He played last week and Brian didn’t play."

BillBoard: A daily dose from Bills training camp - The Buffalo News
"I want to get back as soon as I can,'' Jackson said after Monday morning practice. "My thoughts are that I definitely want to be back by the [regular-season] opener."

C.J. Spiller takes No. 1 role with Buffalo Bills | Democrat and Chronicle
"Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch will both miss time with injuries, but their backups are looking to take advantage of those opportunities."

Bills Resume Practice; Two Players Signed - WGR 550 SportsRadio
Joe Buscaglia updates the roster and talks about yesterday's morning practice.

What can Brohm do for the Bills? | WIVB.com
John Murphy looks ahead to Thursday night's game against the Colts to see who will play and how much.

Griffin: Bills’ rookie coach has a lot to learn about Toronto - thestar.com
"It’s pretty unique," Gailey admitted. "It’ll go in the book. This is one of those special things that you get to write about. And of course Toronto’s a great city. I enjoyed going up there the time I was up there and I think the Bills have enjoyed a great relationship up there. We hope to make it a home-away-from-home type deal. It’s as big up there as it is in Ralph Wilson Stadium."

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - NFL - Bills still learning to walk
"We’re still in the process of crawling before you walk, walking before you run. We’re still in the crawl ... It’s a process, it’s not going to happen (overnight). If you think that the first game, you’re going to go out there and look like a million bucks ... There were some positives to take out of it. If we can take the next step, that’s the goal."

Bills seek immediate improvement - The Globe and Mail
"You watched the game, right?" Gailey said when asked during a Monday conference call about what side of the ball Buffalo needs to improve most upon. "All sides. We need every rep we can get and you just keep your nose to the grindstone."

Spiller's time is now - Canandaigua, NY - MPNnow
Bryan Sullivan looks at the default starting running back.

Five Bills Starters Expected Back For Thursday’s Game : Buffalo Sports Daily
"Left tackle Demetrius Bell, right tackle Cornell Green and right guard Eric Wood will make their debuts as the offensive line should have all five of its expected starters together. The defense gets a boost with linebackers Paul Posluszny and Chris Kelsay taking the field for the first time in game action."

Bills Night Practice Quotes - 8/16/10 | WKBW Sports
"Below are quotes from the Buffalo Bills following their evening practice on 8/16/10:"

Joe from NYC Blog: Um, do we still have a QB competition?
"Sure, Edwards deserves a shot at the starting quarterback job, but it shouldn't be handed over to him on a silver platter. By having the other quarterbacks sit out preseason games and complete passes to 4th stringers, it will only help Edwards to succeed. Fitzpatrick and Brohm have every right to winning this job. If this was legit competition, then Brohm or Fitzpatrick should be starting this Thursday against the Colts. Edwards had his chance and sucked against the Redskins. It's only fair to see what the other guys can do. Of course, it's all about smoke and mirrors for the Bills."

I Thought We Knew They’d Be Bad | The Goose's Roost
"Don’t get riled up. The preseason has as much meaning as Adrian Brody’s acting career post-"The Pianist." Thursday’s game will probably be just as painful to watch, but this is the hand we’ve been dealt. Don’t fold ‘em just yet."

Aaron Schobel retires
Aaron Schobel announces retirement from Buffalo Bills | Democrat and Chronicle
"I really didn't have a lot of fun playing last year," Schobel said. "The passion wasn't there, so it was time. I took as much time as I felt like I needed to make the decision, and I think I made the right one."

Fellow sackmaster says 'Schobel wore out' - AFC East Blog - ESPN
"Aaron Schobel wore out," New York Jets outside linebacker Jason Taylor said. "Plus, losing will do that to you, too. When you're winning, everything's a little easier."

Former Bills LB Aaron Schobel retiring | Houston, Texas
"My kids are getting older and I didn't feel like it was fair," he said. "It was getting to the point where it was starting to affect them, so that was the reason not to go back to Buffalo. It wasn't just the physical part, but the mental part, too. After the Bills released me, I weighed all my options and I just decided that at this point, this is what I wanted to do. I was tired of going back and forth. I just decided that this is what I was going to do."

Other Bills Links
NFL.com news: Injuries alter fantasy value of backfields for Texans, Bills
From a fantasy outlook, CJ Spiller just started to look a little better with the injuries in the backfield says Michael Fabiano.

Enter the red zone | National Football Post
"The over/under on total wins for the Buffalo Bills this season is 5.5, meaning if you bet the under, you’ll make bank if the Bills win less than six games. This pick is my lock of the year. No chance Buffalo puts six wins on the board with the schedule they’re facing."

Spiller, Troup, Carrington visit Red Wings - BuffaloBills.com
"The Buffalo Bills top three draft choices visited the Rochester Red Wings Triple A minor league baseball team and their fans at Frontier Field in Rochester, NY on August 15."

AFC East training camp one-liners | ProFootballTalk.com
Brian Galliford gets his first PFT link in the AFC East links post.

Steelers' Dennis Dixon Deserves a Vote of Confidence - Behind the Steel Curtain
"Steelers quarterback Dennis Dixon deserves a vote of confidence from Steeler Nation." BTSC mentions the Bills as team that could be interested in trading for the QB.

Sports, Ink - Blogs - The Buffalo News
August 17, 1973 - A crowd of about 80,000 jammed into the building in Orchard Park to see the Bills play in a truly big-league stadium, as the Washington Redskins provided the opposition for the first home exhibition game.