Roscoe Parrish gets another chance

Roscoe Parrish is in a happy place now.

Frustrated for years by a lack of participation on offense, the Buffalo Bills' veteran wide receiver feels he'll finally get a chance to show what he's got.

Of course, he has heard that before. Each of the Bills' last two head coaches and their offensive coordinators made the same assurances that he would be more involved. But promises weren't kept, leaving Parrish disappointed and angry.

But he believes — make that hopes — things will be different under Chan Gailey, who announced after his hiring that everyone will have a fair shot to play.

"I feel better about my situation this year," Parrish said after a recent practice. "It's a brand new coaching staff and open competition, even with some of the same guys here. So that's a plus. Everything is looking good so far."

Parrish's biggest contribution to the Bills has been on special teams. One of the most dynamic punt returners in the NFL, he led the league in yards per return in 2007 and 2008. He went into last season with the best career average (13.1) in NFL history and holds the Bills record for most punt return yards (1,445). He has returned three punts for touchdowns.

The most activity Parrish has gotten on offense came in 2007 when he had a career-high 35 catches for 352 yards and one touchdown. It has been downhill since.

Last season was the low point of Parrish's career. The arrival of Terrell Owens pushed every receiver except Lee Evans down the depth chart. Parrish was relegated to token appearances on offense, if he got on the field at all. He finished with a career-low three catches for 34 yards.

Even worse, he was stripped of return duties after fumbling away a punt to set up Cleveland for a field goal that resulted in a 6-3 loss in Week Five. He was inactive the next four games, though he dressed as the team's third quarterback twice.

Parrish went into last season thinking it would be his last in Buffalo. He was rumored to be on the trading block before the season began and he expected to be dealt by the NFL trade deadline in October. But no trade materialized.

Parrish never really wanted to leave the Bills. He just wanted to play. If another team was going to give him that opportunity, he would have welcomed it.

This season, Parrish is focused solely on making the best of his situation.

"I'm going into my sixth year, so I'm taking the approach that whatever is going to happen will happen," he said. "You can only control what you can control. In my younger days, I would get mad over certain things I couldn't control. But now I'm at a point in my career where all I can do is work hard and hope for the best."

Parrish didn't attend organized team activities this week, but he has been a regular since the Bills began offseason practices. He is getting a lot of snaps as the slot receiver in the Bills' three-wide receiver formations. He has consistently flashed his speed and quickness by beating defensive backs on long pass plays.

One of the knocks on Parrish was that his diminutive 5-foot-9, 168-pound frame made it difficult for him to beat press coverage. But he has spent this offseason trying to improve his route-running and getting in and out of breaks more quickly, which will allow him to separate from defenders more consistently.

He loves Gailey's offense and how it features wide receivers in a variety of ways.

"It is wide receiver-friendly because you can be in any situation," Parrish said. "A slot can also line up outside and vice versa. It's not going to be easy to game plan for us because we can be in different positions."

While Parrish is fighting for a spot in the receiver rotation, that doesn't prevent him from taking time to help younger teammates. As the second-oldest member of the group after Evans, the 27-year-old Parrish said veterans have a responsibility to guide less experienced teammates.

"That's just part of the game," he said. "I had guys who took me under their wing in my first couple of years. When your time comes to do that same thing you have to know how to handle those situations and don't be selfish about anything because everybody out here has talent. You've got to help one another and make sure everybody is on the same page because you never know when the guy you're helping might have to come in and win a game for us."

So Parrish is working hard to earn a prominent role on offense. And he's smiling while doing it, something he hasn't done much of in recent years.

"I'm very excited," Parrish said. "I'm just really looking forward to this season. Everybody is going to get an opportunity, and I can't ask for anything more at this point. That's all I ever wanted."

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(buffalonews.com)