Parrish the thought, trade Roscoe

Dick Jauron had spoken for six minutes Monday when a Bills public relations staffer informed us there would be time for one more question. All I could feel at that point was gratitude. I can barely stand to listen anymore.

It's not just Jauron, either. Hardly anyone has anything interesting or sincere to say nowadays. Trent Edwards tells us Jauron is leading the team in the right direction. Alex Van Pelt says Edwards played his rear end off Sunday. I have the urge to yell out, "Please, somebody say what you're really thinking!"

There is at least one player with the guts to speak his mind. It happens to be the smallest guy in the room, Roscoe Parrish, who makes no secret of the fact that he wants out of Buffalo.

Parrish has been unhappy for some time about his role in the offense. He wants to be a regular receiver. He feels he has been labeled a "gadget" player whose only value is returning kicks.

He's playing like a guy with one foot out the door, like a man in a rush. Parrish is no longer getting time at wideout. He has one reception for 5 yards. His other 20 yards receiving came on desperate lateral plays at the end of losses. Gadget plays, if you will.

So Parrish desperately tries to make things happens in his brief appearance on punt and kickoff returns.

And he is killing the Bills.

Parrish tried to scoop up a rolling punt late in Sunday's game and muffed it, allowing the Browns to kick a game-winning field goal. Earlier, he reversed his field on a punt return and lost 15 yards. He fumbled a punt against the Saints, leading to the go-ahead field goal.

"No doubt, it's on my mind," Parrish said Monday. "I'm not used to this situation, just watching the offense. When I get a punt return, I try to take advantage of that situation even more than I ever did. I'm always going all out, but I give that extra twitch now."

Sure, he was just trying to make a play Sunday. So was Leodis McKelvin in New England. But there's no excuse for dumb football. If Parrish is so desperate to get out of town that he takes unjustifiable risks, the Bills should grant his wish.

Parrish complained about his limited role in the offense last June. The Bills tried to trade him, to no avail. Maybe teams weren't offering enough in return or maybe they balked at his three-year, $10 million contract.

That's a lot for a punt returner. Parrish whines about playing time. But he hasn't made a case for himself. He's averaged 10.8 yards a catch in his career, pathetic for a reputed game-breaker. At 5-foot-8, he's not much of a target.

The coaches deserve some of the blame. But they've evidently given up on Parrish as a wideout. Van Pelt has been using mostly two-wide receiver sets. They're barely getting the ball to Lee Evans and Terrell Owens.

James Hardy is eligible to come off the six-week injury list after Sunday's game at the Jets. Hardy says he's ready to play. That's one more receiver to work into the mix. Then there's Stevie Johnson, who showed promise a year ago but has been inactive all season.

"I know what I can do," he said. "If not here, I know I can do it somewhere else. So it doesn't bother me. If you know how to play ball, you know how to play ball. Every system might not be for you."

The Bills are going nowhere this season. Why hang on to a player who wants out? There must be some team that can use a punt returner. The trade deadline is a week from today. Parrish and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, have made it clear they'd like to move on.

"We have," Parrish said. "We've been doing that all season. Nothing is happening. It's out of my hands. There's nothing I can do, so I just keep working."

He's trying to do too much. It's as if Parrish were already gone. The Bills might as well make it official.



(buffalonews.com)