Pittsford, NY -- On what was the hottest and most humid day so far at Buffalo Bills training camp, the weather quickly shifted and a rather ominous sky started hovering over the practice field at St. John Fisher College.
Three strikes of lightning in the distance was enough, as Bills' officials sounded off the air-horn twice to signify that they'd be moving indoors for the rest of the practice.
"At least we've got something to go in and get the last 30 snaps and get a feel for it and get communication, said head coach Chan Gailey. "That's about what it's for, communication only."
When you remove yourself from the practice field, ditch the helmets, shoulder pads and cleats and ratchet down the tempo, you have to wonder whether or not the team can still accomplish what they set out early on in the day to do.
Mario Williams said it's different, but there's still plenty that can be done in that scenario.
"We just come in and take the physical out of it, but you have to be mentally prepared and on top of your game," he said. "So it's kind of a good way to come in and actually see things a little slower and mentally be on top of your game."
The Bills were without a handful of players on Tuesday afternoon, but one notable name did put the pads back on. Starting right tackle Erik Pears took part in the individual portion of practice, but did not participate in 1-on-1 or team drills. The game plan for Gailey and the Bills is to bring both he and center Eric Wood back slowly.
"We've heard too many stories of people trying to get back too quickly and now they've been set back a lot," the head coach remarked. "We're trying to be smart, be patient. That's not one of the things a coach has a lot of normally. But we're trying to be patient with those guys that are injured and bring them back slowly."
Wood was worked in to a pair of team drills on Tuesday, the first he's done in that capacity to this point of training camp.
Not participating in the session were running back Johnny White, cornerback Justin Rogers , safety Josh Nesbitt, defensive tackle Kellen Heard and wide receiver David Nelson. During team drills, reserve running back Chris Douglas appeared to have injured his leg. The injury happened when safety Delano Howell tackled Douglas, which is a bit of a no-no when the team isn't in a full-out tackling drill.
The Bills next practice on Wednesday night for their second evening workout since the start of training camp. It's open to the public, but fans need a ticket to enter the facilities.
E-Mail
Print
