Archives for September 2013

‘The news is not as good for safety Jairus Byrd. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports Byrd will “miss some time” due to a plantar fasciitis injury. Rapoport says Byrd dealt with the same injury last season and took a couple of shots so he could play through it.’

‘An argument can be made — and I have made it — that the Bills do not have a single quality road win since. Two decades. A win that mattered. A win that really moved the NFL meter.’

‘It’s going to be loud and we expect that. We need our fans to be loud, but in order for them to do that, we have to do good on both sides of the ball. In all three phases of the game, we have to keep those guys into it. We saw a couple years ago when we won, how they helped us by being loud. It’s going to be our job to make sure we keep those guys in the game.’

‘Obviously the big question today was naming the starting quarterback, which we did this morning. He feels good; he’s 110-percent healthy, looks good out there. That’s what we’re going to go with. I know you guys probably have a lot questions on that and any other questions I’m more than happy to answer.’

‘Buffalo’s coaches chose to go with just two quarterbacks on their active roster, both of whom are rookies. Head coach Doug Marrone said experience at the position will have to be provided by himself and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.’

‘ Myself, I expect greatness all time. I know this is my first NFL game, but I’m not looking at it like that. I’m looking at it as the Buffalo Bills 2013 season, the first game of that. We’ve got to go out there, play hard and execute our offense and we know the defense will do a good job too.’

‘Head coach Doug Marrone made the announcement to the team at a 7:45 am meeting Wednesday. The athletic training staff and coaches put Manuel through a battery of tests over the past few days with the primary focus on his mobility. All parties wanted to be sure that Manuel was physically capable of escaping trouble in the pocket if and when it presented itself.’

‘”First of all what impresses me the most is the kind of kid he is,” Gruden told the John Murphy Show. “He’s got a charisma about him a vibe about him that’s just contagious. You like being around him. You feel enthusiasm and knowledge and excitement. When you sit next to him you see how big he is. You understand he has a lot of talent. I think he has a huge ceiling and Buffalo fans have a lot to be excited about.”‘

‘”I try not to focus on that, but I know there were a lot of people that counted me out. It’s understandable, I guess,” Easley said. “People say I’m injury prone – I’ve only really been hurt one or two times. One was an illness, so I wouldn’t really count that as an injury. If you want to write me off, that’s fine. I know what I’m capable of. I know my ability. I know I can still play. I’ve got a lot of football in me.”‘

‘”It’s not a great situation,” Marrone said last week, “but it’s an opportunity.”‘

‘”This looks a lot like the Jets’ defense, just different. This year, Buffalo looks like the Jets schematically.”‘

‘”Anytime you get hurt, you fear the worst,” Legursky said in a phone interview Monday night. “But we got it scanned and we have a great training staff. It’s an injury I’ve had to come back from before. It’s a common injury. Hopefully I can come back from it again and be at 100 percent soon.”‘

‘According to a source, Bills first-round pick EJ Manuel practiced on Tuesday and the quarterback is now “healthy and ready to go for Week 1.”‘

‘The Bills have not revealed Hopkins was hurt or how much time he might miss.’

‘The veteran kicker has been released by the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets since Aug. 14.’