Archives for June 25, 2015

'"I am still in contact with some of my teachers, even as early as my fourth grade teacher," Jackson said. "Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today. I want you guys to make sure that every chance you get, thank your teachers and let them know what they mean to you."'

'“Woahhh, now. Wait. That’s the challenge,” the Buffalo Bills defensive backs coach told me, sweat still dripping off his gray curly hair after a mandatory minicamp practice last week. “Today’s athlete, there’s two things I talk about with them. That music they listen to, and the money they make. It really forms who they are. They have a different work ethic. They love what they do, but they show it in a different way. Ya know, their passion today is not like some of the guys of old passion.”'

'It looks like Darby may be even ahead of schedule from where the team thought he’d be at this point. With Stephon Gilmore and Leodis McKelvin not able to fully practice the past few weeks, Darby has seen plenty of reps and hasn't looked out of place much, if at all. There are coaches on staff who would like to be a little more patient with Darby’s development. But in a passing league and injuries always impacting lineups, the Bills won’t have that luxury. And if Darby continues to play in training camp the way he did in minicamps, he may force the coaches to play him, anyway.'

'This is NOT a projection of what the depth chart will look like in week one. And it's not necessarily what I would do at each position. It's an educated guess of how coaches will set it up heading into next month’s training camp based upon watching offseason workouts, talking with coaches and front office personnel, and gathering information.'