Archives for August 2015

'I’ve tweeted about rookie wide receiver Andre Davis several times this offseason and how impressed I am with him. Today was his best day. He had a step on a Browns DB down the sideline in a 1-on-1 drill when Matt Cassel threw a perfect pass over his shoulder that he grabbed for a touchdown. He was running right at me in the corner of the end zone when it happened and as he approached me I could see a big smile on his face and then he said, “so sweet, so sweet!” to himself.'

'Manuel was in fact working with the second-team offense, but it wasn’t without yet another sign that he was clearly the third man on the quarterback depth chart. Tyrod Taylor took the first-team reps, followed by Manuel with the second unit, and then Matt Cassel trotted into the huddle. Except, instead of Cassel being with the third-team, the veteran quarterback was surrounded by the first-team offense. So, once again, Manuel was reminded that he was clearly third in the pecking order. The question to him after practice was simple. Does he think he’s gotten a fair shot at the quarterback position?'

'The 5-9, 190-pound West Virginia product makes his return to the Bills after entering the NFL as a 7th round (211th overall) pick of the Bills in the 2009 NFL Draft. In addition to spending the 2009 season and 2010 training camp with the Bills, Lankster has spent time with the New York Jets in each of the past four seasons. Lankster, a Mobile, AL native, has played in 49 career games, starting one.'

'Woods had five catches for an unofficial 115 yards and a touchdown against the Browns defensive backs, who were depleted as well without top corner Joe Haden.'

'“There is,” Williams said. “There’s a really good chance. But it’s part of the process. There are always ups and downs during camp. You never know who’s going to come back and how long guys are going to be out. You’ve just got to be able to take advantage of the opportunity in front of you every day. I’m going to continue to do that and hopefully that builds trust and confidence within the coaches in me to be able to play early.”'

'The Bills don’t have much time to get chemistry down. Of late, both of the top quarterbacks have found more of a rhythm with Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods and Charles Clay.'

'EJ Manuel: He may not get another first-team rep as a Bill.'

'"We'll conduct business as business is being done to us, I can promise you that," Ryan said Sunday following a no-pads practice under a blazing hot sun. "You don't want a pillow fight, you want to compete, and that's why it should be a higher intensity level anytime you're going against another opponent. But at the same time we want to practice football. If you just want to fight, we'll go to the local gym and grab some guy to fight somebody. That defeats the purpose, but we're not going to be bullied. I was hoping the idea was to get better as a football team."'

'“The D-line wanted some more snaps,” Ryan said of that units seven plays in the first two series. “I think that’s part of the conditioning more than anything else. Unfortunately we got more than we wanted (13 snaps on the possession) because they ended up driving down and scoring a touchdown.”'

'"Well, yeah, it was a lateral move and a lot of guys left didn't they?" Ryan said with a grin. "I wonder why that is? But you know I think everybody's … anytime you get a new GM it is like, 'Get out.' So that's kind of what happens and take a bunch of them with you … and then you realize, 'Wait a second, I'm still here and I have to coach.' So that's kind of what happens, but no, it was a good time to leave."'

'While Ryan continues to insist the quarterbacks are simply rotating, it's been more and more apparent that Manuel isn't on even footing in that rotation.'

'"Our relationship hasn't changed," Pettine said Saturday. "It was good then and it's good now. Good natured, we take our shots at each other. Some people interpret that the wrong way. Now, if you've ever been on the headset with us you'd think that we'll never speak to each other ever again.'

'"First game as an NFL pro," Darby said. "Just adjusting to the game speed, tempo, understanding things. First piece is the game, got it under my belt, so I'm just going to continue to get better each week."'

'Ryan called the injury "devastating" to both the Bills and Wynn, and said that Wynn will miss the season if an ACL tear is confirmed.'

'"We'll conduct business as business is being done to us, I can promise you that," Ryan said Sunday. "You don't want a pillow fight, you want to compete, and that's why it should be a higher intensity level anytime you're going against another opponent. But at the same time we want to practice football. If you just want to fight, we'll go to the local gym and grab some guy to fight somebody. That defeats the purpose, but we're not going to be bullied. I was hoping the idea was to get better as a football team."'