By Jay Skurski
ORCHARD PARK — Since becoming a member of the Buffalo Bills, Roscoe Parrish has waited for the opportunity to break a long play.
That chance came Sunday, and he didn’t disappoint.
Parrish took a short pass from J.P. Losman on the Bills’ second play from scrimmage and raced 51 yards to the end zone, showing the break-away speed he was known for coming out of the University of Miami.
“Everything worked good for us (on) that play,” he said. “It felt good to get involved .”
The Jets blitzed on the play and Parrish was Losman’s read.
“I just had to adjust and make the right read,” Parrish said.
The Bills had a number of big plays in the passing game Sunday, as Losman threw for more than 300 yards for the first time in his career. Parrish, Lee Evans, Josh Reed and Peerless Price all had multiple receptions.
Parrish came close to adding another touchdown in the second quarter, as he again took a shorter throw and turned on the jets. This time, though, Jets cornerback Andre Dyson made a touchdown-saving tackle at the 28-yard line.
The play turned out to be crucial, as on the next snap the Bills were stopped on a fourth-and-3 situation. The ball went back to the Jets, who promptly marched 74 yards for their first touchdown.
With four catches for 104 yards and the touchdown, Parrish had his most productive day as a receiver since becoming a Bill. But as is to be expected, he didn’t take much solace in individual accomplishments after his team’s defeat.
“We’ve just got to limit our mistakes and come together,” he said. “We’ll come to practice Monday, look over film and put this game behind us.”
Parrish’s career got off to a slow start with the Bills. After being chosen in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft, he suffered a broken wrist during training camp. The injury forced hime to miss the first six games of his rookie season and limited his productivity.
Prior to Sunday, he had served primarily as the Bills’ punt returner, a role in which he has performed well. He averaged 13.3 yards per return last season, which would have led the NFL had he met the league’s minimum attempts requirement. He entered Sunday’s game with a 12.9 yards per return average, the best in Bills history among players with at least 20 returns.
Contact Jay Skurski at 693-1000, Ext. 117.
