Archives for August 16, 2015

'“It’s a strong competition,” Lal said. “Everyone in the group, they’re all talented, but they bring different skill sets. So on any given day you see someone excel at a certain route, which is a good thing to see. The group as a whole is taking the coaching, the technique and the scheme, and applying it on the field.”'

'Saint Rex has granted second chances to several outcasts, but no player is more perplexing than Harvin. Cancer or competitor? Soft or soldier? Friend or foe? You’ve read all the Harvin headlines.'

'"We' re on a mission," Dansby said. "We've got a vision, but if that line gets crossed then we're going to cross it. Sometimes, it's unnecessary and sometimes you have to take it to the next level. If that line gets crossed, like I say, then it is what it is."'

'Darryl drove the RV with the same gusto with which he drove his Porsche. We descended the New Mexico terrain like we were on a bobsled. As we approached our hotel, we saw how close the RV was to a street sign. In chorus, Thurman, Patti and I yelled to Darryl to “watch out for the sign!”'

'But at least there were some encouraging signs. They combined to complete 16 of 24 passes for 171 yards with three touchdown drives, no turnovers, and just one sack, that the result of a poor shotgun snap to Manuel. Further, they were victimized by four flat-out drops, and also had a couple nice gains wiped out by penalties.'

'"Never played as well as I was hoping," Ryan said after the game. "I think he will learn from it. Obviously that big dude is tough to defend in some of those one-on-one situations. What we did though was feed him to the wolves. We flat played cover… if anything we put coverage away from him. So we put him out there by himself and let him learn. And that's what you got to do.'

'Reading through the lines of Ryan's postgame press conference, it certainly seems Manuel will have a tough time winning the starting job. Ryan announced that Taylor will start Thursday against Cleveland and get most of the snaps with the first team. Ryan was non-committal when asked if Manuel would get a chance to show what he can do with the starters in the third preseason game. He wouldn't even commit to EJ receiving any snaps with the second team Thursday in Cleveland.'

'Taylor’s biggest upsides include a strong arm. Best of all, as he did Friday against Carolina, he threatens a defence at all four corners and everywhere in between, because of his speed, evasiveness and willingness to run. That opens up the interior run game.'

'“I don’t condone what he did, but he’s being portrayed as a thug,” Stan Eggen, who was one of Enemkpali’s coaches at Louisiana Tech, said in a telephone interview. “When you get the image of a thug, that’s not IK Enemkpali, I can tell you that. I would trust him taking care of my house.”'

'This is a cutthroat business, but Ryan should have stayed away from Enemkpali out of respect for the Jets by refusing to give a job to a player who’d just committed an unforgivable act of workplace violence and who will likely get suspended by Roger Goodell for violating the personal conduct policy.'

'“The first thing I thought of was the old [1970s-era] Raiders,” a NFC personnel executive told The Post on Friday when asked to describe Ryan’s version of the Bills. “Those teams had some guys who could just as easily have been in jail. They won, but you can’t get away with that stuff now. Not even close. Rex had better be careful.”'

'“They called to see how I’m doing and called to check on me,” Enemkpali said of his former Jets mates after the Bills’ 25-24 loss to the Panthers in the preseason opener for both teams at Ralph Wilson Stadium.'

'It quickly became clear that Smith was far from innocent for his role in the altercation. Coach Todd Bowles and cornerback Darrelle Revis said as much later Tuesday.'

'The Browns boast one of the NFL's best offensive lines. The Bills feature one of league's toughest defensive fronts. There's Browns' safety Donte Whitner and his history with his former team. There's Bills bad boy guard Ritchie Incognito. There's truculent Rex Ryan, who in January said, "we're going to build a bully" in Buffalo.'

'Except Ryan and the Bills might be taking that last statement a little too literally. The Bills are quickly becoming the new Oakland Raiders, adopting a renegade persona and taking chances on several players — and even a coach — with a history of emotional issues and character risks.'