Archives for September 2013

‘Leonhard, 30, did not make the New Orleans Saints’ 53-man roster out of training camp, but found work quickly by joining the Bills, with whom he signed as an undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin in 2005.’

‘”There’s nothing that seems to slow (Manuel) down,” said Bills head coach Doug Marrone. “These two guys are pretty darn good.”‘

‘According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bills are going to sign free agent kicker Dan Carpenter to an undisclosed contract. The move is in response to a groin injury suffered by Bills rookie kicker Dustin Hopkins during Monday’s practice according to the report.’

‘”They’re athletic. I give a lot of credit to the New England Patriots,” he remarked. “I haven’t played against Aqib Talib yet. I checked him out on tape: long, athletic and tries to play with vision. They play as one unit. I’ve got a lot of respect for Chung, I know him. I know him personally. McCourty, he’s been a Pro Bowl player, but I still think we can take advantage of their defense.”‘

‘Jackson and Williams each have been named a captain for their third straight season, while this will be the first year Wood has that designation. Jackson and Williams are the longest-tenured players on the roster, first getting to Buffalo in 2006. The trio were selected as captains by their teammates.’

‘Carrington and Pears were joined by cornerback Stephon Gilmore and guard Doug Legursky on the non-participant list. While the latter two will not play against the Patriots in Week 1, the reasons for the new additions not practicing have yet to be revealed.’

‘Obviously the big thing is at quarterback. Again EJ (Manuel) was out there taking reps with the first group and again it’s going. We’re going through a process, nothing right now that seems to slow him down. Couple of things that we’re testing as the week goes on to see where he’s at. Mentally we feel fine, it’s just a matter of physically. He went out there and did a nice job, so that’s where he is. Jeff (Tuel) also took first team reps too. We’re not worried because we’re kind of doubling the reps so we’re not getting shortchanged anywhere as go and we’ve had extra reps. We’ll probably have more reps as the first team than we’re going to have during the season. That’s where we are with that.’

‘Leonhard visited the Bills during their 2012 training camp last summer before ultimately signing with Denver where he played in all 16 games, but had just one start. The veteran safety was most recently in New Orleans camp, but was just released during final cuts.’

‘Fred Jackson, Kyle Williams and Eric Wood were the veteran players picked by their teammates to lead the squad.’

‘Coughman (6-4, 313-pounds) entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks in 2012 and spent a portion of his rookie season on the team’s Practice Squad. He joined the Dallas Cowboys on May 13, 2013 before being released prior to the regular season. Coughman played nine games during the 2011 season with the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League after a collegiate career at Shaw. He will wear No. 72.’

‘So brace yourself, Bills fans, for another sub-par won-lost record. I know that’s going to be difficult to swallow, but try to focus on the progress of the young guys. The experiences of this season could lay the foundation for a playoff run in 2014.’

‘”We were excited about it, but I don’t want to give the wrong impression,” Marrone said of Manuel’s participation Sunday. “Two or three days from now, I don’t want to be communicating, ‘but wait a minute, he looked good, you led us on to believe that he’s doing that.’ I don’t try to play any games.’

‘”I understand that it is a tragic event that took place and it’s going to take a while to cope with it, but at the same time, I can’t forget the task and the goal and the dreams that we have as a team and as an organization,” he said. “I want to be a part of that, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure that I’m ready to go.”‘

‘Coach Doug Marrone said following his team’s preseason finale that if Manuel could get back on the practice field by Wednesday, he’d have an opportunity to start against the Patriots — over fellow rookie, Jeff Tuel, who was undrafted out of Washington State.’

‘Nathaniel Hackett followed Marrone from Syracuse to Buffalo this offseason, and the NFL’s second-youngest offensive coordinator will bring a speed-based offense to the Bills. Hackett wants to ramp up the tempo, getting plays off with 20-25 seconds left on the play clock. He has weapons on offense to play with. In addition to holdovers C.J. Spiller and Steve Johnson, the Bills selected a pair of receivers high in April’s draft. The reality, though, is that Hackett may need to temper expectations on offense as he develops Manuel at quarterback. There’s big-play potential from this offense, but a heavy dose of Spiller may be the best bet initially.’