Archives for August 2015

'In its 25-24 loss to Carolina, Buffalo churned out 206 rushing yards on 45 attempts (4.6 avg.) with two touchdowns. Ryan stays coy on his quarterbacks. He has never, however, minced works with his running game. Since Day 1, the Buffalo Bills head coach has vowed to run, and run often. So he’s pleased with the preseason start.'

'“A true blessing” is how he described being reunited with coach Rex Ryan on the Bills.'

'"It's about winning; I hate losing," said coach Rex Ryan. "I don't care how bad you outplay a team, I hate losing. It killed a pretty darned good day."'

'The first-string defense gave up an 80-yard touchdown drive to the Panthers’ starters, but absolutely stuffed the run, permitting a mere three yards on five carries.'

'As the Bills attempt to gain some clarity on the quarterback competition between Cassel, Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel, Cassel is proving to be an unspectacular yet somewhat reliable option under center. His 5.6 yards per attempt on Friday was disappointing, and he's not going to keep defenses honest with his arm or his legs.'

'EJ Manuel played with the third-team offense, and that hurt him on the first two series he played. Manuel dealt with bad snaps and drops from his teammates that made it hard for him to get anything going. Then he made maybe the best throw he's made in a Bills uniform when he stepped up in the pocket under pressure and threw a 51-yard strike to Thompson for a touchdown. He finished the day 4-8 for 77 yards and stayed alive in the quarterback race. Three of his incompletions were on drops. His day was far from perfect, but he's not dead in this competition just yet.'

'"It wasn't tough at all," Enemkpali said. "Just the environment around — the staff, coaches, the players and the way they made me feel welcome — I couldn't ask for a better place to be at."'

'"I really like the way, obviously, the first three guys played. And it's different styles. You get Cassel, the veteran. He played to his strength. And then, Tyrod, you saw what he can do. He's got a little magic to him. And then EJ steps in … Overall, I was pleased with all three of those guys."'

'Bills head coach Rex Ryan said after the game that Taylor will get the start Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns. That will give Taylor some time to work with the first-team offense, which will help determine his status in the quarterback competition.'

'Though the Bills' third-string defense was on the field, it was still a disappointing loss for Ryan. He's the defensive-minded specialist who was fired by the New York Jets and took over in Buffalo after Doug Marrone stepped down on Dec. 31.'

'"Getting out there just cleared my mind," Enemkpali said following his Buffalo Bills' debut in a preseason-opening 25-24 loss to Carolina on Friday. "The staff, coaches, players, the way they made me feel welcome, I can't ask for a better place to be at."'

'Holley tore his right hamstring in practice on Monday, and placed on the reserve/injured list a day later. The move was announced on Friday, shortly before the Bills opened their preseason hosting Carolina.'

'Holley suffered a partially torn right hamstring during practice on Monday and was placed on injured reserve.'

'Asked whether he thought his career was over prior to being claimed by the Bills, Enemkpali responded, "I really don't want to get into all that."'

'Asked if there was a scenario in which Johnson could've kept him, Ryan said, "Maybe, but I'll tell you this: He couldn't do it. There's no chance he could've brought in another GM and kept me again. There's no way. It wouldn't have never worked in New York. They weren't going to allow it. The media wasn't going to allow it. It wasn't going to work."'