Archives for April 2015

'“When I set foot in the building here the first thing I did was speak with (current GM) Doug Whaley and (former GM) Buddy Nix. The first thing they said was, ‘Make them sorry,’” said Hughes in reference to the Colts. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do. Of course it’s been sitting somewhere deep in the back of my mind. I’ve always been that guy who has been kind of overlooked and that’s fine. I just take it all out on the football field.”'

'“I’m going to push him,” Jackson said. “Every time I get a chance to touch the ball, I’m going to make every play that I can when I’m out there. So, hopefully, by me doing that, I’ll make him take his game to the next level.”'

'“Without a doubt,” he said. “We’ll make sure that the tone is set on the football field. We’ll show who is accountable when we show up and play them on Sundays.'

'"He's not just a face, he is the foundation," said Gina Roberson, his aunt and the community impact director for Shades of Greatness. "He's delivering turkeys at Thanksgiving."'

'"I'll stand by my comments 100 percent, so yeah, looking forward to competing against anybody in this league, all of them," Ryan said. "And you know, (Amaro's) the least of my worries."'

'It doesn't take much detective work to see that Thomas and Kelly love the Rex Ryan hire and do not miss former Bills and Syracuse University head coach Doug Marrone.'

'"I think there's an obvious thing that we should talk about first," Ryan said. "My pitch actually made it to the plate. It was a little wide, but I understand somebody bounced it — I'm not sure who it was — but Tom needs to keep his elbow up a little bit more, I think."'

'"I think that's the major difference," Jackson said. "It's Rex Ryan. We all know what he's about. He's a guy who's a very out there person. He doesn't keep anything to himself. He tells you exactly how he feels, and that's the same way with us. He tells us exactly what he feels from us, and he expects us to do the same. Some coaches you can't be like that to. They expect you to get in line and go with what they say. Every one of these coaches wants to hear what we have to say, too. That's how we get better. The give and take."'

'Or it's probably that he's in a ripping mood after a "Sports Illustrated" cover story filled with Jets disses dropped.'

'Ryan on Wednesday didn't double down on that line. But he did stand by it — did you honestly expect him to take it all back? — while also trying to move past the issue. Good luck with that.'

'It isn't all that surprising that the Eagles would have preferred draft picks in lieu of Alonso, as they would have provided additional flexibility to possibly move up in the NFL Draft as well as hold more value than a player, as dominant as Alonso can be. However, the fact that it was Alonso who was netted in return for McCoy underscores Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and the front office's commitment to bolstering what has been a floundering defense over the past two seasons.'

'A 2011 fourth-round pick out of Clemson, Hairston made all 15 career starts in 2011-12 under D'Alessandris and assistant Andrew Dees, who both joined the Chargers in 2013. He worked at both spots.'

'"I don't take myself too seriously," Ryan said. "It's just who I am."'

'On Wednesday, Ryan said he stands by his comments when he was asked how much he is looking forward to the first game against the Jets.'

'“They can rush the passer and they can play against the run,” he said during a break in the second week of the Bills’ voluntary offseason conditioning program. “They’ve done a great job of putting it together versus the run and versus the pass, and I know the linebackers and the cornerbacks and the defensive backs really help with that. The cornerbacks and the DBs we have really give us a chance to rush the passer.'