--Buffalo's offseason voluntary workout program begins March 25. A mandatory camp for rookies takes place May 2-4 and the first of four voluntary organized team activities is May 19-22. A mandatory minicamp for the entire team takes place June 11-13.

--OL Jason Whittle was re-signed, giving the Bills some needed veteran depth. Whittle spent most of last year on IR after tearing a hamstring in Week 3. He can back up both center and guard and play special teams. Whittle, an 11-year veteran, figures he gained a year in football age because he barely played last season. "I didn't put in the hours these others guys do, but I'd work out and hang out with the guys," he said. "We have a pretty tight group."

--Bills TE Kevin Everett made a tour of Western New York book stores recently to sign copies of his book, "Standing Tall: The Kevin Everett Story." Everett was paralyzed after making a tackle on kick coverage in the Bills season opener last September against Denver, but made an inspirational recovery to the point where he is walking again and using all of his extremities. The unconventional use of cold saline by the Bills' medical and training staff to lower Everett's body temperature on way to the hospital has given the medical community much to debate and study.

--This won't be the first time new offensive coordinator Turk Schonert calls plays in the NFL. When he was quarterbacks coach in New Orleans in 2005, he called plays when the Saints went no-huddle and were in the two-minute drill. Schonert has a lot of interesting observations about play-calling, including this: It's not the play that matters; it's the players. "Players have to make plays," he said. "I'm going to call a bad play. Players have to make a good play out of it. You see that league wide. It's not always the greatest play but players make plays and ultimately that has to happen."

--Sean Kugler, a Buffalo area native, is replacing the retired Jim McNally, another Buffalo native, as Bills offensive line coach. He knows he has big shoes to fill, but has been preparing for this opportunity during a coaching career that began at the high school level in 1990. "It's hard to be Jim McNally's equal with his career, what he's had and he's an unbelievable coach," said Kugler, who was McNally's assistant last season when the Bills broke in three new starters and performed pretty well. "I just feel fortunate to have the opportunity to cross paths with him even though it was only for one year and learn many things from him. His vast knowledge and experience is really unbelievable. I just appreciate everything he did for me and I'm looking forward to just trying to improve as a coach and improve the group."

QUOTE TO NOTE
"Obviously we have to score a lot more points than what we have the last couple of years. So we have to sit down as a staff and put together an offense that we think is going to take advantage of our players' abilities. It is going to be a different offense. It's not going to be the same offense. When you struggle like we did last year and I think the year before we were 30th or something like that, you have to change." -- New offensive coordinator Turk Schonert, promoted from quarterbacks coach.

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