THE BIG CHEESE
I started my Monday trip to St. John Fisher College (SJF), the Bills’ training camp field, by punching in the wrong address for Mendon High School into my GPS. Quickly corrected, my girlfriend and I managed to find our way to Mendon, which provided shuttle service to SJF. I was impressed by the affordable price: a buck for round-trip shuttle service. New shoe laces cost more.
Photo Credit: T. Bennett
As luck would have it, my girlfriend and I won the front seat of the big cheese. I opened the window to get ventilation, something that improved the bus ride better for my old school chum. She got motion sickness almost every morning during our high school days, blaming it on the bus driver’s stinky hair gel.
This bus driver didn’t have bad hair gel, but a bad sense of timing as he drove through a blatant red light. Nobody seemed to notice, as football conversation started. A guy next to me lamented over losing to the Jets last year.
“A lot of close games,” he explained. Too many I thought to myself, as we drove past Pittsford farmland, a picturesque creek bordering our wheels. Happy that the driver didn’t take a short-cut through the water, I thanked him when we exited the bus.
“The Bills have to stay HEALTHY,” another fan said, my feet whizzing through the SJF gates.
THE ARRIVAL
Photo Credit: T. Bennett
Snagging a spot by SJF’s railing, I found a great location for snapping pictures and taking notes. So, how did the team do? Chan Gailey said it best with his words to blogs.buffalonews.com about Monday’s training camp:
“Both sides made plays today. I think that was positive in some respects. Offensively, you want to limit the turnovers. Defensively, you can’t allow them to get in the end zone,” said Gailey.
SPELLBINDING MOMENTS
The following moments received ballpoint pen stars in my notebook.
Photo Credit: T. Bennett
11- on-11. Fitzpatrick connected to Donald Jones on a long ball. Jones made a great reception in coverage, scoring a TD.
C.J. Spiller had a breakthrough run mid-day, breaking tackles and cutting up the middle of the field.
7-on-7. Fitzpatrick connected on a deep ball to Scott Chandler, who catches the ball with much finesse and ease. Chandler caught another ball from the Bills QB during 11-on-11’s.
Vince Young had a couple standout plays. He aired a great pass to Kamar Aiken in 7-on-7 and aired a well-thrown 25- yard end zone pass to Chandler for a TD.
Photo Credit: T. Bennett
Tyler Thigpen threw a deep ball to Dorin Dickerson, the fullback scoring an impressive TD.
Shawn Powell punted the ball deep inside the ten yard line. Naaman Roosevelt backtracked a few yards to catch it.
Photo Credit: T. Bennett
Fitzpatrick hit WR Derek Hagan on a short, impressive 11-on-11 pass.
WR T.J Graham’s displayed his quickness, catching two short passes from Fitzpatrick and Young.
MVP OF THE DAY
WR Derek Hagan wins hands down. I saw Hagan catch 7 passes all over the field in 7-on-7’s and 11-on-11’s. Fitzpatrick hit him 6 times, Hagan grabbing a tough pass in heavy coverage for a 15-yard gain. Thigpen also connected with him. Hagan knows how to get open and pull in the football.
THE BILLS DEFENSE
Photo Credit: T. Bennett
With all the defensive off-season changes, have the Bills improved their D? Let the numbers speak for themselves. The defense had 5 interceptions for the day, split between George Wilson, Leodis McKelvin, Nick Sukay, and Jairus Byrd, who picked off two of Fitz’s football flubs.
CATCH OF THE DAY
So, out of everybody in the house, who made the best catch? The female fan who caught two of Rian Lindell’s 40 plus yard field goals. Her screams alone make her deserving of the honor.
ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS
The day ended with a relaxing ride back to the Mendon High School parking lot. Things worth mentioning:
- Eating a hot dog and taking football notes requires concentration.
- I did not see female press on the field.
- Buses still confuse people.
- To the three guys who cut ten people in the bus line, you were caught. Congrats! You made this article.
Photo Credit: T. Bennett
A long, but fun day. Time to relax and unwind. Signing off for the evening, this is Erica N.
