When he finished explaining why his players weren't signing for a certain group of teenagers, Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey spent some time talking about his young receiving corps at the close of training camp Tuesday morning. In short: he doesn't like everything he's seeing.
"I thought we had improvement," Gailey said of the group. "We are mentally not where we need to be with that crew, but physically there's some talent in that group. We've got to continue to work with them to get them exactly where we need them to be, down in and down out. I'm pleased with where we can be. We're not there yet."
Gailey shared similar feelings about third-year pro Steve Johnson on Sunday night, saying that Johnson had talent, but needs to pay closer attention to details. One receiver Gailey is definitely comfortable with, however, is sixth-year pro Roscoe Parrish.
"I'm excited. I'm not just comfortable, I'm excited about Roscoe Parrish and what he's going to bring to our football team this year... We're going to work to try to make sure he's a major part of this offense."
Parrish, a second-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, has never caught more than 35 passes in a season, and infrequently saw the field of play as a receiver in recent seasons. He has been a mainstay as the slot receiver with Gailey's first-team offense.
Gailey summed up his thoughts on the group as a whole: "We've got some good players to work with. We need to develop them."