Archives for August 23, 2015

'His father was murdered. And not only that. His father, Jeffery Butler, was killed, sliced to pieces and stuffed into his own refrigerator inside his home 10 minutes away.'

'There’s always a risk involved with big contracts. The Dolphins took a chance on Suh, who has a history of dirty play on the field. Teams are willing to look past personal issues in the name of winning, but you can’t blame the Bills if they’re taking Dareus’s past into account.'

'“People feel certain ways but at the same time, we’re going to get over that hill.”'

'During 11-on-11 work, Taylor was the first quarterback through with the starters. He completed a swing pass to Jackson before getting “sacked,” then on the next play completed a pass to Thigpen. His best throw came late in practice to Goodwin, who was wide open behind the defense for a long gain.'

'Besides his production, he has been durable, missing only one game in four years with the Bills. That number will grow to at least two this year: He will be sitting out the first game against Indianapolis due to a violation of the NFL's substance-abuse policy.'

'"I don't remember anything before I was five," Kim said recently during a lengthy, exclusive interview at St. John Fisher College, where the NFL team she and her husband, Terry Pegula, now own was taking a break from practice. "I don't have any bad memories, nothing traumatic at all that I can think of. I just know somebody with the agency flew with me, and my parents picked me up at JFK, and that was the beginning of my life, really."'

'"We all know how I feel," Dareus said Saturday after the Bills wrapped up a training camp practice. "We all know how the team feels. I want to be a part of the Buffalo Bills. I want to be a part of the history we're going to make here. But at the same time, it's a business and we have to go through negotiations just like anybody else in any other career. So we just try to do what we can and move forward."'

'All three quarterbacks took some first-team reps Saturday in what was a low-key practice for the Buffalo Bills. Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor took the majority of the starters' reps, but EJ Manuel did mix in. The first-team offense worked against the second and third-team defense, so it was tough to take away too much from the reps. Rex Ryan said the team has not decided which quarterback will start the third preseason game.'

'"He looked pretty good," Ryan said. "I was happy to see him. He was doing more than I thought he was going to do."'

'"I made of it that he's probably in good position, I mean when you see what the numbers were and all that stuff," Bills coach Rex Ryan said Saturday's practice. "I might settle for those numbers, but I'm not sure. I don't play defensive tackle. But obviously that's his business and his agents and our team and things like that. I stay out of the negotiating-type stuff, obviously."'

'Undrafted out of Emporia State, the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Willis signed with the Oakland Raiders but was released on Aug. 18.'

'The Bills have leverage because they could assign Dareus, a two-time Pro Bowler and the third overall selection in the 2011 draft, the franchise tag next spring.'

'Rex Ryan said the Bills still haven’t decided on the quarterback rotation against the Steelers, and more importantly, who will get the start for the third preseason game of the year. Even more interesting, Ryan told reporters that it’s a “high, high possibility” that the team would keep three quarterbacks on the roster once final cuts are made.'

'The 5-9, 175-pound Emporia State product signed as an undrafted free agent with the Oakland Raiders after the 2015 NFL Draft before being released on August 18th. Willis totaled 127 receptions for 2,002 yards and 18 touchdowns in his four seasons at Emporia State.'

'After an aggravating string of nagging injuries, the Bills showed signs of getting healthier in their Saturday morning workout at St John Fisher College. Running Back Fred Jacksontook a full turn at running back, after missing the last several weeks of camp with a hamstring strain.'