Roscoe Parrish and Josh Reed do the same job in the most different way imaginable. With the utilitarian Reed still absent last Sunday, Parrish tried to do a little possession receiving against the New England Patriots in his team's 20-10 loss; still, the speediest Buffalo Bills wideout remains dreadfully underused.

(buffalobillsinsider.com)

ORCHARD PARK — Roscoe Parrish doesn't say a whole lot, but the pint-sized wide receiver lamented his lack of playing time the other day after the game in Miami, and then reiterated his point Wednesday in the Bills' locker room following practice.

"I don't know Josh Reed's status, but I'm always here," Parrish said Sunday after learning that Reed would miss some time after suffering ankle and Achilles' tendon injuries in the 25-16 loss to the Dolphins.

"I always want a bigger role on offense. That's what I came in for, not to be a special teams player. I don't want to start a conflict, but I want to have more on offense and do what I do which is make plays and do whatever I can to help the team."

After running with the first string the past two days while Reed has watched practice wearing a protective boot on his foot, Parrish did not back down on his request to become more involved in Buffalo's offense.

"I don't want to make an issue about it, we're winning games and we're doing good," he said. "But you don't have to do special things to utilize me. I heard before you have to use gadget plays, but it's not true. I run routes, I do everything. Just call my play."

Whether that will start happening more frequently come Sunday — when the Bills play host to the New York Jets and Reed won't be on the field — is uncertain, but quarterback Trent Edwards sure likes the fact that Parrish has expressed his opinion.

"I'd expect a guy like Roscoe to say that," Edwards said.

"I want to have receivers in my huddle that want the ball. I'm very happy that you told me he said that. That's what I respect about Roscoe Parrish and hopefully we can do that on Sunday."

Parrish has established himself as one of the NFL's premier punt returners, but his contributions on offense have been limited given his status as a second-round pick in the 2005 draft.

In his first three seasons the 5-foot-9, 168-pounder had 73 catches for 820 yards and 4 TDs, and this year he has tacked on only 10 receptions for 82 yards and 1 TD.

He has one career 100-yard receiving game — against the Jets in 2006 — and he has three six-catch games, but his highest yardage total in those was only 56 yards. Among his 83 catches, only four have gone for 40 or more yards which is perplexing considering his big-play ability.

Asked if it's difficult to get Parrish the ball in spots where he can do something with it, primarily because of his size, Bills coach Dick Jauron neatly sidestepped the issue by saying, "We definitely have plays for Roscoe. Size-wise, clearly Roscoe plays in a league of big men and he succeeds. He really performs well in this league in whatever he does."

Edwards was asked the same question, and he said it's more a function of him getting in sync with Parrish, which is tough to do because he doesn't get as many practice reps as Lee Evans and Reed.

"The thing with receivers is that you have to get in rhythm with them and I'm slowly coming around with Lee, I'm slowly working around with Josh, and it comes with a lot of repetitions and game repetitions," he said.

If Parrish gets the start in place of Reed, rookie James Hardy will be the No. 3 receiver, and like Parrish, Hardy has been largely invisible on offense thus far, though being a rookie gives him special dispensation. Hardy has just seven catches for 66 yards and one touchdown.

"The thing that held me back the most is that most of the stuff I've learned here, I hadn't learned at Indiana," Hardy said. "I have so many things being thrown at me at once and I have to pick my poison to see what I need to get better at in each category. I can't do it all at once, but it's starting to come."

The Bills need both players to produce because without Reed, things are only going to get more difficult for Evans. Evans leads the Bills with 31 catches, and his 20.5-yard average is tops in the NFL among receivers with at least 20 receptions.

However, he's going to get blanket coverage with Reed out, and it's not going to stop unless Parrish or Hardy can pull some defensive attention their way.

"We know we have to pick it up," Parrish. "We know what we have to do with Josh down. Lee is a big part of our offense. Whenever a ball comes our way, we have to do what we can do. We want to make plays."

(democratandchronicle.com)

The bye week has apparently done the Bills quite well. Not only was Trent Edwards back throwing passes and taking snaps with the starting unit, but receiver Roscoe Parrish also participated in practice for the first time since undergoing thumb surgery more than two weeks ago.

“Everything went pretty well,” said Parrish following Monday’s practice. “It went better than I thought it would be. I went out there and ran routes pretty good, caught the ball pretty good and caught punts.”

Parrish participated only in individual position drills for the first 15-20 minutes of practice, and did not take snaps during the team portions of the workout.

The first thing he did was catch punts knowing the impact on his hand would be less severe than catching passes from Buffalo’s quarterbacks. But he did run routes and catch passes and was pretty satisfied with how his thumb felt.

“The training staff did a good job of supporting my thumb with a pad and everything, so I didn’t really feel a lot of pain,” said Parrish. “It was just uncomfortable and I had to get used to (the pad). As far as the pain I didn’t really have any pain.”

The Bills wideout and return specialist is just trying to get his full endurance back by Sunday. Not practicing with his teammates the past three weeks left him slightly winded after running routes during individual position drills.

Moving forward the plan is to have Parrish participate fully on Wednesday, and how he comes through that practice will largely determine his status for Sunday.

“Everything right now is looking pretty good,” he said. “I’ll be full go on Wednesday and we’ll see from there. I feel pretty good about Sunday. I have a real good chance.”

(buffalobills.com)

Receiver/punt returner Roscoe Parrish practiced for the first time since surgery to repair ligament damage in his right thumb that forced him to miss the past two games.



(espn.com)

Buffalo Bills receiver Roscoe Parrish is busy this week carrying a Nerf football.

The Bills hope it won’t be too long before he’s grabbing a real pigskin.

Parrish said he is recovering well from the torn ligaments in his thumb, which he suffered in the Bills’ win over the Oakland Raiders on Sept. 21.

“Everything went pretty good with the surgery,” Parrish said after Bills practice this week. “The surgery was only 20 minutes, so it wasn’t a long process. We have everything going pretty good right now, and I’m just taking it day-by- day.”

After his surgery, it was estimated he would be out of the lineup for four to six weeks. So he is expected to miss the Bills’ next game, against San Diego, on Oct. 19. The four-week mark is Oct. 21. So there’s a chance he could be ready for the game in his hometown of Miami on Oct. 26. If Parrish were to miss six weeks and have no setbacks, he would return for the game at New England on Nov. 9.

“I don’t want to say I’m going to be back on this day, I’m just taking everything day-by-day and I’m going with my rehab every day,” Parrish said. “This bye week is helping me out a lot.”

Parrish was watching practice inside Ralph Wilson Stadium this week. He suggested he might try to do some sort of limited practice work in the coming week.

He was walking around the locker room this week squeezing an orange Nerf football to build up strength in his left thumb.

“Each day I’m feeling better about it,” Parrish said. “I’m squeezing the Nerf ball to get the strength back. As far as the movement of it goes, I have that back.”

Parrish adds an explosive element to the Bills’ offense and special teams. He had seven catches for 60 yards and a touchdown in the first three games. The TD came on a 14-yard pass in the fourth quarter of the Oakland game. Parrish actually had injured the thumb before the touchdown play. But it wasn’t too painful so he went back in the game.

On punt returns Parrish is averaging 15.2 yards on 11 returns, with a 63- yard score, which came in the season-opener against Seattle.

Parrish broke his left wrist during training camp of the 2005 season. He came back and played with a cast on his wrist over the final 10 weeks of the regular season. Parrish said he’s expecting an easier adjustment this time.

“It’s a much different process than the wrist injury,” Parrish said. “If you look at it, I still finished the game with the injury against Oakland and caught a touchdown pass. It’s not as difficult this time. With the wrist injury, I was in pain when it happened and wasn’t able to do anything.”

(buffalonews.com)

Receive Roscoe Parrish provided an update as he appeared in the locker room for the first time since his thumb surgery.

“Right now I’m just taking it day by day and everything is going pretty good," said Parrish. "I don’t want to say I’m going to be back on a specific day. I’m just taking it day by day and going with my rehab every day.”

The stitches were still in Parrish's hand from surgery, but he said it was a quick surgery. He's hopeful that he'll be able to practice next week. BuffaloBills.com

(buffalobillsinsider.com)

Well, those of you that hit the waiver-wire on Sunday night or Monday to nab Bills' WR Roscoe Parrish, your effort was all for naught.

Parrish underwent thumb surgery to repair a damaged ligament.  He suffered the injury late in Sunday's win over Oakland.  He played through the injury the rest of the game, including his touchdown late in the fourth.

Replacing Parrish will be rookie James Hardy and second-year vet Justin Jenkins, who is yet to register a stat this year.  On special teams, rookie Leodis McKelvin will resume the punt return duties, where he has experience during his years at Troy.

“Roscoe, we anticipate, will be out for a good while,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “We’re hoping four to six weeks, in that range. That obviously sets us back a little bit."

It's really a shame based on Sundays break-out performance, but it's in Parrish owners' best interest to drop him, and ignore his replacements.  Parrish's real value was in the asset of his punt return ability, but now the Bills will have a separate player (McKelvin) to fill in.  Parrish isn't expected to return until their first meeting with New England on Nov. 9.

(sportingnews.com)

Roscoe Parrish was limited in practice today while nursing a sore knee, according to the Bills' official website. He has also been dealing with a rib ailment.




(rototimes.com)

Roscoe Parrish's big 4th quarter punt return was HUGE, gving the Bills a field position advantage with the game on the line. If the Jags had been able to pin the Bills back in their own territory in a one point game, the Bills might have had a much more difficult time holding onto the lead. Edwards missed Parrish on a deep throw earlier in the game, but Parrish looked to be more of a threat that the defense had to be concerned with in this game than in the Bills' win over Seattle.

(billszone.com)

Bills receiver Roscoe Parrish was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against Seattle in which he returned a punt 63 yards for a touchdown. Parrish said he heard from his college buddy, Chicago Bears star return man Devin Hester, after Sunday’s game.

“We’re always calling each other throughout the week,” Parrish said. “He actually called me because they had the night game. He texted me, saying, ‘Good play, good play, I play tonight so don’t forget about that.’ We just feed off of each other, and that’s a good thing. . . . I always enjoy watching him.”

Parrish sat out practice with sore ribs and a sore knee but is expected to play Sunday. Also sitting out practice was linebacker John DiGiorgio (back). Reserve tackle Matt Murphy, who injured his shoulder last month, returned to practice. The Bills worked out on the grass field behind the stadium. Jacksonville has a natural- grass field.

(buffalonews.com)

Maybe this is the year.

From the time wide receiver Roscoe Parrish arrived, Buffalo Bills coaches have talked about getting him more involved on offense. The plan didn’t have a chance to get implemented during his rookie year because a broken wrist robbed him of much of the season.

Parrish has been healthy the last two years, but he’s still waiting for the Bills to maximize his receiving talents.

Is this the year? Parrish hopes so.

“It’s been three years since they’ve been saying they will get me more involved,” he said after Saturday’s preseason opener against the Washington Redskins. “But I just don’t let that get into my head. I do what I can when I get my opportunities and make the best of them.”

Parrish had limited opportunities Saturday night, but he made them count.

He had three catches for a team-high 50 yards during the Bills’ 17-14 loss. Quarterback Trent Edwards said Parrish was the lone bright spot in an otherwise sputtering offensive performance.

“It was good to get back into a game situation,” Parrish said. “I wish we could have played better as a team, but we’ll get it together and make some things happen.”

Already one of the best punt returners in the NFL, Parrish led the NFL with a team-record 16.3-yard average. But he had just 35 catches for 352 yards and one touchdown. He also ran the ball three times, including a 24-yard touchdown.

Parrish believes he’s ready for a bigger workload at receiver because he is a better player than he was coming out of the University of Miami.

“As a veteran now, I have a better feel for the game and knowing coverages and running routes better,” he said. “My playing ability just steps up a little notch every year and I try to learn something new every time I come to training camp and continue to progress.”

Parrish is quick enough to break in and out of routes without breaking stride. He showed that on his first catch, gaining separation on a defender to haul in an 18-yard pass from Edwards.

Parrish’s 30-yard reception from J. P. Losman in the second quarter was the offensive highlight of the night. The pass was underthrown, but Parrish made an adjustment on the ball and pulled it in while being wrapped up by backup Redskins cornerback Byron Westbrook.

“I turned and saw the ball coming before the defensive back did,” Parrish said. “J. P. laid it up there for me, so I had to go get it.”

The Bills have been hesitant to use Parrish too much, concerned that the 5-foot-9, 168-pounder wouldn’t hold up under a heavier workload.

But head coach Dick Jauron acknowledges that Parrish has too much ability to remain off the field.

“He’s such a unique player,” Jauron said. “As we know, he’s very small for our league. But boy, he plays big. He just makes plays. He’s a great competitor and he competes all the time. He competes in practice, competes in the games and competes in the kicking game. I feel happy we have him and we’ve got to keep working with him and give him chances.”

That was music to Parrish’s ears.

“I’m always ready,” he said. “I’d love to get more playing time on offense, but that’s everybody’s goal in the National Football League.”

(buffalonews.com)

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Roscoe Parrish has already demonstrated that he’s proficient in the West Coast offense, sort of. Specifically, his most prominent knack, namely the ability to juke gunners on punt returns and then race downfield, is similar to the offensive system’s reliance on yards after catches. While he’s been most spectacular on kicking plays and not out of a traditional formation, the man who has too often been left idling could finally be energy efficient in the Bills’ 2008 system, especially considering that he’s already made himself mildly noticeable at training camp.

While offensive coordinator Turk Schonert seems intent on installing a scheme using Bill Walsh’s principles and not the late genius’ wholesale structure, it’s still apparent that the Bills will be inclined to use quick drop backs, brief routes, and plenty of targets. The primary beneficiary should be quarterback Trent Edwards, as his penchant for delivering accurately thrown short passes and capacity to supervise are good skills for quarterbacks mentally residing on the West Coast.

But Parrish could get a payoff from the new philosophy, too. He’s only compiled 73 receptions over his three campaigns, and the Miami product’s career average of 11.2 yards gained per catch isn’t overwhelming, either. A bit of math leads to an outcome of 820 career yards gained on offense, a threadbare total even for a specialist who isn’t counted upon to be a top two receiver.

So what could change his fringe status in the offense? The key is the same as it’s been his first three seasons, namely finding a way to use what he does well. Lawfully, Parrish must be referred to as a “speedster” in any piece about him, and it’s for good reason: His fleetness is his defining characteristic as a footballer, even though he’s also showing an uncommon toughness for his frame by absorbing licks at recent practices to complement his displays of velocity. But he can’t use said pace without first making a reception.

The fact that coaches have failed to get the ball in his hands to begin with has impeded Parrish from becoming a kinetic threat, as his potential remains bottled. It’s like watching an American-produced Jackie Chan film and seeing the star’s talent go to waste, as people who have no idea what to do with an individual’s skill set nonetheless get to misuse the poor soul.

But the good news for the Bills is that former offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild is now preparing to bore a college team (Colorado State) to death by leading it to a wretched performance, and new boss Schonert is sympathetic toward concepts that should benefit frustrated yet dynamic components such as Parrish.

Quick throws in his direction will allow him to send prospective tacklers out of position before racing downfield, especially if the staff uses Parrish on slants where he could jet past cover men either before, during, or just after making a catch. If it helps him visualize success, he can pretend that he’s just fielded a punt.

With Parrish, it’s not a matter of sending him long; rather, it’s sending him short and then letting him sprint away after the reception. A style of offense utilizing rapid connections will allow Parrish to do his best work, specifically by schooling secondary members the same way he’s already embarrassed so many special teams foes.

(realfootball365.com)

After watching punt returner Roscoe Parrish stop on a dime and spring backwards three feet to avoid a would-be tackler, and then spring forward and be back up to top speed in an instant earned a doffing of the cap from April. It was a pretty amazing display of athleticism as Parrish seemed to almost hover for a second before darting forward again.

(buffalobills.com)

Roscoe Parrish was the Bills' first-team slot receiver as the team began training camp practices.
Josh Reed appears to be a step behind. Buffalo says it wants to open up the offense, but we can expect a conservative approach from any Dick Jauron coached club. That may not be conducive to many three-receiver sets.

(rotoworld.com)

Roscoe Parrish, who has been primarily a slot receiver for the Bills in three-receiver sets, got extensive work on the outside. That allowed Josh Reed to work more in the slot, a role that fit him the best and was recognized as the season concluded.


(espn.com)

Roscoe Parrish made perhaps the most difficult catch in practice. Parrish fell down at the top of his comeback route, but still managed to get to his feet and get to the end of his route to make a diving catch just as the ball arrived. The offensive line deserves credit on that play as well as they effectively picked up the blitz on that play.

(buffalobills.com)

Roscoe Parrish also snared some difficult passes outside his body frame. Parrish was also part of what was likely the play of the day as he pulled in a pass over the middle from Trent Edwards. Edwards had accurate placement dropping the pass in between three defenders.


(buffalobills.com)

4. Andre Johnson
Houston Texans
Johnson is big (6-3, 219), physical, runs solid routes and makes plays. In terms of physical tools, he is every bit as good as the three guys in front of him. He may have been overlooked in the past because of poor quarterback play (see David Carr 2003-06) but should improve as he works more with Matt Schaub. Johnson's numbers last season (60 catches, 851 yards) would have been more impressive if he had not missed seven games with an injury.

5. Reggie Wayne
Indianapolis Colts
The only real knock on Wayne is that he has always been 1B to Marvin Harrison, who was 1A. That's no longer the case as he is Peyton Manning's top option now. Wayne has sneaky speed, which can catch a corner off guard. He has a great feel for Indianapolis' system and the ability to find holes in a defense.

33. Santana Moss
Washington Redskins
Moss is small (5-10, 200), but few players in the league can rival his deep speed. He gets pushed around too much, can wear down and has trouble staying healthy. Also, he was tied for third in the league with 10 drops last season, according to Stats LLC. However, with new coach Jim Zorn expected to throw more often than the Redskins did in the past, Moss could have a resurgence. It is clear he will never be a top red zone option or a No. 1 wideout who can consistently handle double-teams, but Moss can be a difference-maker as a complementary option. Zorn will get the ball in his hands.

51. Roscoe Parrish
Buffalo Bills
Parrish has been a versatile player for the Bills. He is a No. 3 receiver who is best in the slot and using his quickness and run-after-catch ability in space. His biggest contribution, however, may come on special teams handling punts and kickoffs.

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