Archives for August 2015

'You'll probably hear a lot of this or that about depth and special teams. Just remember when you hear it that a starting rookie middle linebacker who played every snap on a good defense missed a whole season and in every measurable way the defense was better. (And, that talking about special teams as if it isn't almost completely random who's good from year to year is wasted brain matter.)'

'“Rex firmly believes in this guy,” General Manager Doug Whaley added. “I firmly believe in Rex and the Pegula’s firmly believe that if Rex says this is the type of guy on this team, we will support him.”'

'Rex Ryan said that he would look at the quarterbacks over the first two games, which could mean that the Bills will be tempted to narrow the competition down to two. It all starts against Carolina, and it will be a humongous evening for all three men. Cassel could go a long way to put a stronghold on the competition with a solid showing, while Taylor and Manuel could also get themselves back into it with a strong showing of their own.'

'How long Cassel plays is anyone’s guess at this point. The starting units on both sides of the ball are only expected to go a few series, but will the quarterback competition give Cassel the chance to play longer?'

'“I hate to say this because it’s going to sound like I’m tooting my own horn, but it’s the play of our top two picks,” Whaley said in a recent radio interview on Bills flagship WGR. “With the Leodis McKelvin injury Ronald Darby has stepped up and exceeded our expectations and John Miller has been rock solid. To go against the two Pro Bowlers every day in practice and hold his own has been very exciting to see.”'

'John Miller: The rookie right guard has done nothing to disappoint since being plugged into the starting role in the spring. He’s likely to play a bit longer than some of the other starters to get some additional game experience. How he fares against an interior defensive front with the likes of Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei will be interesting to see.'

'“IK, he made a mistake,” Ryan said, “there’s no question about that. We had IK last year, a lot of us were around IK and he was a good teammate – simple as that.”'

'The fact is, Ryan knows Enemkpali. He was part of the decision to select the former Louisiana Tech player with the 210th overall pick of last year’s draft. And he firmly believes he’s far more familiar with Enemkpali than the rest of us think we are, based on one ugly incident, and he used that to get the approval of Bills owner Terry Pegula before submitting the claim.'

'“I’m happy with where we’re at right now,” Roman said Wednesday prior to practice at St. John Fisher College in his first public comments since training camp began. “I thought we started off a little slow. I thought the first couple days, the passing game was a little out of sync. Around the fourth day, we started to get going. Guys are starting to really get it. We’ve been throwing a lot at them, and I think we’re right on schedule. It’s all about where we go from this point forward.”'

'Manuel's struggles continued Wednesday night. His first pass in 11-on-11 work was incomplete to tight end Nick O'Leary on a ball that maybe should have been caught, but also may have been slightly overthrown. Manuel did go 3 for 5 in his next set of 11-on-11, but his turn in the two-minute was a disaster.'

'If Ryan was willing to take on a player who had been suspended by the NFL and out of the league for nearly a year and a half due to a bullying incident in Miami, signing one of his former Jets just a day after Enemkpali slugged New York quarterback Geno Smith in the face and broke his jaw seems in line.'

'Did Ryan really think another team wanted his former Jets’ player with three career tackles so badly he couldn’t wait at least long enough to speak with him and get some facts behind an ugly incident that even by NFL standards was blowing up Twitter and giving sports talk enough fodder for a month of shows?'

'“It’s a true statement on the game when the fullback has basically been eliminated,’’ Ryan said. “(But for us) when you have a running game and Neanderthal football if you will … well to me, that fullback can be a vital part; and ours can run the ball, they’re great blockers and you can release them out wide because both guys can catch the football.’’'

'Tyrod Taylor may have been the best quarterback on the field Wednesday night. He continued to prove that he's a threat to make plays with his legs and was the only quarterback to get points on his drive during the two-minute drill. He'll work with the second-team offense Friday night.'

'"I'm not surprised at all. We are trying to get better and that's what those guys are doing. They're looking for anybody that can make us better and he happens to be a guy that they believe in. So when he gets here he's got a clean slate with us, we'll see how everything works out, but I'm excited to have him."'