Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills News, 7/22

Quality depth puts defensive jobs on the line - Bills & NFL - The Buffalo News
Mark Gaughan notes that some good football players are going to find themselves on the wrong side of the roster cuts. He also goes through the best defensive battles you'll see during training camp.

Leo Roth: Buffalo Bills sporting an attitude, which is nice to see | Democrat and Chronicle
Motivated Bills resist complacency, look like they finally mean business. "I hear a lot of times, ‘Well, maybe we can be second and we can make a wild card,’ " he told buffalobills.com. "I don’t concede any of that and I don’t concede anything to New England. I think we can win and our goal needs to be to win the division. Then you don’t have to worry about whether you’re going to be in (the playoffs) or not."

Inside The Bills | Merriman set on 4-3 change
"It feels like I’m right at home because even in some of the schemes we played in 3-4 we were in nickel which is putting my hand in the dirt anyways," said Merriman. "It’s just like I’ve been doing in the past."

Inside The Bills | Lesson learned for Merriman
"I’m a much smarter player and much more technical now," he said. "I know a lot more about the game. When you don’t have those physical tools the last three years and being able to blow by a guy or great pass rush ability you start to learn more about the game and you get a little bit more technically sound. And that’s what happened. Now my body is ready to take that on again along with the knowledge I’ve picked up over the last few years. It’s going to be good."

Williams provides solid foundation for Bills - Bills & NFL - The Buffalo News
With that kind of fame and fortune in his life, Williams understands the importance - make that the necessity - of staying grounded. He sounds grateful for his manual-labor experience. "In the summertime," he said, "most kids were talking about what they were going to do on vacation, and I was like, 'I'm going to lay bricks."

Poll results: Bills heading to the playoffs - AFC East Blog - ESPN
"In our latest AFC East poll, an overwhelming majority of our community voted Buffalo to win nine to 11 games this season. That most likely will be good enough to earn a wild card in the AFC; an 11-5 record might even push the New England Patriots for a division title. "

Bills must make long-term commitment to this region | Democrat and Chronicle
"Though it would have been quite a treat for Buffalo Bills fans had management exercised its option to minimize television blackouts, there’s still an even more meaningful way to reward extraordinarily loyal Bills fans: Owner Ralph Wilson must commit to the club’s long-term presence in western New York."

Partnership between Fisher College and Buffalo Bills is enduring | Democrat and Chronicle
"Buffalo Bills and St. John Fisher College have much in common, says the school's president." He also discusses how the partnership came about.

Bills, Browns, Steelers face 3 big questions entering training camp | Erie Times-News
For the Bills, it's how Stevie Johnson will react to his new contract, Ryan Fitzpatrick's backup, and the new-look defense.

Early Miami Dolphins kicker G. Booth Lusteg diest at 73 - Obituaries - MiamiHerald.com
"Lusteg, who died last Thursday at 73, led the American Football League in kick scoring during his first season with the Buffalo Bills. He moved onto the Miami Dophins’ roster the next season and made every extra point he kicked. He also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers."

Rank The Last Three Buffalo Bills Regimes' First-Round Picks - Buffalo Rumblings
"In two-plus years as GM of the Buffalo Bills, Buddy Nix has selected RB C.J. Spiller, DT Marcell Dareus and CB Stephon Gilmore in the first round. How does that group stack up against the first-round picks of previous (and much-maligned) regimes?"