Archives for July 2015

'I worked alongside Van Miller on the Bills’ broadcasts and learned virtually everything I know about broadcasting from him. And there was never a lesson plan. I learned by observing–by watching his total immersion in the moment, the way he would react to the game and to the crowd reacting to the game. He let himself get carried away by the emotions of the day and in that way, connected with his audience of Bills fans. He was the master of genuine, unforced enthusiasm and he knew how to convey that energy and enthusiasm to radio listeners in their homes, cars, and the seats in the stadium.'

'“I can’t wait to play and compete,” Ryan said. “That’s kind of the feeling you get when you get out there — I’m competing. That’s a great feeling. But then the physical part of it, I can’t believe how physically drained I feel right now because I did nothing. Physically, it’s like ‘wow.’”'

'He said he felt more nervous before big games than over the prospect of jumping into the wild blue yonder. Told that he'd be free falling for 60 seconds before his partner activated the chute, Ryan shrugged and said, "Pretty much my normal morning."'

'It’s not something he wants his players trying however. “For me, that’s fine,” he said. “Even if I would have broken a leg or something, it doesn’t matter. All I do is point.'

'The loudmouth, do-anything Bills coach leaped from an airplane in a tandem skydive Friday morning near Niagara Falls, livening up a dead period of the NFL offseason with an attention-grabbing aerial stunt.'

'"That was awesome," Ryan said moments after landing. "I'm ready to go again."'

'"Like I said, I'm not gonna go into anything else," Ryan said when asked about his plans to replace Kromer.'

'“When you get out there it’s like, ‘woo-hoo!’ Man you are just – well – you’re flying. That’s really what it is. All the way it’s just so awesome. You’re looking at the view and everything else and it was really incredible, man. It really was.”'

'Marcus Thigpen – Likely on the outside looking in due to the additions to the roster, Thigpen's best hope is to outduel any and all challengers for the main punt and kickoff return duties. It's a tough ask, mainly because of all the players that not only have experience doing it, but that are also quite effective at it as well. He's going to have to 'wow' the coaching staff and front office to stick, but he does have ability in the return game, so you can't totally rule him out just yet.'

'“I think we’re just taking it day by day,” said Incognito. “With a new system and a new scheme it takes a while to jell. We really won’t jell until we put the pads on and play a couple of preseason games, but we’re working to get better each and every day.”'

'“You almost can’t put it into words,” Polian said on a conference call Thursday. “The Hall of Fame is not something someone like myself ever envisioned. … It’s just an incredibly momentous occasion and an incredible honor to think that you’re there with people you’ve revered and looked up to all your life.”'

'In all, 85 percent of those tickets were distributed in 2014, according to a state report. That was a significant jump from the first year the state had access to the box, when 52 percent of the seats went unoccupied during the 2013 season, including two late-season games where the box sat empty.'

'“I think you’ve got to do a little more because you have to read off the line a lot more,” Brown said of his role as a sideline-to-sideline pass defender this year. “We’re linebackers so we’ve just got to back them up and go off of which way they go.”'

'All tickets will be made available on Monday, July 20 at 9:00 a.m. at the following locations and websites…'.

'“I make very quick decisions,” Williams said. “It may not be the best decision, the best read or the best cut but I don’t like to waste time getting to the line of scrimmage. … I played defense. I know how it feels to hit somebody very, very hard. The people who think too much running the football are the ones who get teed off on.”'