Didn't realize he was fighting for a spot: Josh Reed can now exhale. There was a feeling of relief for fourth-year receiver, who survived Saturday's roster cut. He was believed to be on the bubble because his continued problem with dropped passes during training camp and preseason games. He also faced a stiff challenge from Drew Haddad and Jonathan Smith. Haddad was the only receiver cut Saturday as the Bills decided to keep seven on the 53-man roster. That includes rookie Roscoe Parrish, who is out indefinitely with a wrist injury. "You try to tell people you don't think about it too much, but it was definitely like take a step back and breathe deep," Reed said. "There was a battle at the slot position going on and the coaches had a tough decision to make. Fortunately they have enough belief in me that I did well enough that they could use me again. I've got to make sure I go out there and continue to do my job and make sure that they're happy that they went in the decision they did." Mularkey cited Reed's overall consistency as receiver and blocker as the reason why the team kept him. Mularkey also was impressed with Reed's performance last Friday. Reed caught six passes for 68 yards against Detroit, though he had a critical drop that would have put the Bills in field goal range. "We purposely called some plays to really put the slot receivers in the spotlight and see how they could perform, and he did well," Mularkey said. While happy he still has a job in Buffalo, Reed knows he still have a lot of work to do. "It's not like you made it and everything's over," he said. "This is where it begins. The first step was making the team, and now that we have, we've got to go out there and continue to produce." http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050906/1063463.asp
