Archives for February 2015

'“Now, he might not get all the interceptions… [but] they're not completing balls on him,” Ryan said. “And so to me, he has got that kind of ability. We've got to catch the ball a little bit, sometimes go up and get more picks and things. But this guy's an elite guy, there's no question about it.”'

'“Will EJ Manuel have an opportunity to win a job? I believe he will,” said the Bills head coach. “He'll be given an opportunity certainly. I think he's gonna improve. I think he'll improve a great deal under the leadership, obviously with Greg Roman being our offensive coordinator. David Lee, in my opinion, is one of the best fundamental quarterback coaches that there is, so I think he's going to improve that way.”'

'“First off I understand the concerns,” said Ryan. “However, I’m also a guy that believes in second chances and sitting down and talking with Richie I truly believe that that’s in the past now. He’s really looking forward to putting that all behind him and moving forward. I wouldn’t bring a guy in that I thought would have issues like that in the locker room or in the community certainly.”'

'“We feel good about the guys we have on our current roster, but that doesn’t mean we’re done at that position,” said Ryan. “Whether it's a guard, tackle, center, if we think we can help ourselves we’re definitely going to explore that. I could definitely see us bringing in another offensive lineman to add to this mix.”'

'Quarterback has to be a top offseason priority. Without a first-round pick – and in a draft where the position isn’t considered particularly strong or deep – the Bills will need to find help in free agency and/or via trade. The most obvious name mentioned is Mark Sanchez, who is expected to hit the open market after one season with the Philadelphia Eagles, because he and Ryan were together with the New York Jets.'

'"It would just mean that they want me back in Buffalo for another year and I would suit up and get ready to win the AFC East," Hughes said. "I'm here to play football, and I love that aspect of it. I let the business side work its end out, and I go out and do my best to win ball games."'

'"I told them what I had learned from the whole situation," Incognito wrote in a text to NFL Network's Jeff Darlington. "That I needed to respect those around me more and that I needed to realize I may find things funny that other find offensive. This whole learning process was about becoming self-aware. About becoming a better person/teammate/leader.'

'“I told them what I had learned from the whole situation," Incognito wrote in a text message to NFL.com's Jeff Darlington. "That I needed to respect those around me more and that I needed to realize I may find things funny that other find offensive. This whole learning process was about becoming self-aware. About becoming a better person/teammate/leader."'

'"We mutually expressed that this would be my last chance and we should look at it as a positive," he told Darlington. "Take the opportunity to bring attention to a sensitive subject while proving to people that I'm not a racist jerk. We talked about possible ways to turn this situation around and ways we can impact the community. We had a good talk for about an hour. They met separately. They then came back and said they would like me to be part of the organization."'

'“I’m concerned about it. If it was just Incognito’s issues from 2013, that would be one thing. But there’s been a history of aggressive and violent and demeaning behavior that is hard to ignore.”'

'“We weren’t able to work out a plea today,” Caffery later told The Buffalo News. “A plea offer was made by the DA’s office to reckless driving, which I wasn’t willing to recommend for my client.”'

'Ryan, who has given Incognito a leash with one link in it, is that kind of player's coach. And after three other teams declined to sign him last season, Incognito has to know this is his last and best chance to keep playing. Mickey Rooney just landed in Boys Town. We'll see what kind of Father Flanagan Ryan is.'

'Dareus, who crashed his 2012 Jaguar into a tree during an alleged race with teammate Jerry Hughes in May of last year, did not speak during his brief court appearance in Hamburg, N.Y., during which the judge set the trial date.'

'Although a misdemeanor, the reckless-endangerment charge is the most serious facing Dareus, with punishment ranging to a year in jail.'

'The two sides are due back in Hamburg Town Court for a procedural hearing March 12.'