Archives for August 2015

'“To think about the Hall of Fame, that’s beyond anyone’s comprehension,” Polian said before the induction. “That’s for Mickey Mantle and Frank Gifford, not guys like me. As a contributor, you don’t ever make a tackle, you don’t ever throw a block, you don’t ever throw or catch a pass. What you do is try to provide a system and players so that the franchise can flourish.'

'“Buffalo’s boys of autumn,” Polian said. “They brought a team, a town and a dream together like few others in NFL history. To all the players and coaches from all our teams, it has been such a joy to watch you grow and achieve so many great things. It has been a privilege to play a small role in your careers.'

'Bill has an enviable family foundation that is shaped by his wife, Eileen, therefore the family atmosphere he harvested within the Bills’ organization wasn’t as much calculated as it was human nature. He knew that a stable family was conducive to success and wanted it reflected within the body of people he was administering.'

'Wilson, who died last year at 95, was ultimately very good to this community. But let’s not forget: For more than a half-century, this community was very good to him.'

'“We got one touchdown the whole night, I get it, but when you go back and look, that’s normally what you get in a first scrimmage,” said Ryan. “It’s not surprising that we never lit it up. It’s not like we’re game-planning ourselves, we’re just putting the ball down and letting guys play. Overall, I think we did a few good things, we’ll learn a lot from the tape, and you move forward.”'

'Saturday night's scrimmage — which Ryan had considered a critical part of the competition — didn't answer all the questions.'

'Cassel didn't get much work during the scrimmage, completing just two of his six pass attempts for 27 yards. Throughout training camp, Cassel has gotten the most time with the first-team offense, and that will continue in the preseason game.'

'He added that he thought Manuel impressed at times, while he was "a little disappointed" that Taylor missed a few throws. Cassel, Ryan said, will likely get the start against the Carolina Panthers in the Bills' first preseason game on Aug. 14.'

'Polian began his career as a scout for Kansas City before eventually taking over as general manager in Buffalo in 1984. He put together the building blocks that became the core of a franchise that went to four consecutive Super Bowls.'

'“I’m used to having a great defense,” he answered when asked if he was disappointed in how one-sided the scrimmage appeared to be in favor of the defense. “I think sometimes, the defense, at this stage of the game is way ahead of the offense. So I’m not anticipating any points. We never give up any points in these things, going back to my Baltimore days as a coordinator. So it doesn’t happen a whole lot when you got to drive 70 yards and things like that against a good defense. So I’m not surprised about it at all.”'

'The low points for Manuel? Having more than a few misfires that missed, well, badly for the intended target.'

'During his induction speech, Polian thanked late Bills owner Ralph Wilson, saying: "To Ralph Wilson, to whom I owe a debt I'll never repay. He took, in his words, a chance on a young guy with promise and gave us the support to build one of the most memorable teams in league history."'

'EJ Manuel got the first chance with the starters Saturday and may have impressed his coach more than the other two contenders at the quarterback position, leading the Bills to their only touchdown of the night, a pass to Bryce Brown with the second-team.'

'“Buffalo’s boys of autumn,” said Polian. “They brought a team, a town, and a dream together like few others in NFL history. To all the players and coaches from all our teams, it has been such a joy to watch you grow and achieve so many great things.”'

'“I really thought EJ did a nice job,” said Ryan. “He had a real nice ball early to Percy (Harvin). Percy made a real nice catch and then (EJ) had that real nice run. So I was impressed by EJ. The other guys Matt (Cassel) we were running the ball specifically with him early and then he made some throws. I think Tyrod I was a little disappointed in him because I’ve seen him make those throws for a touchdown before. I think he’d like to have a couple of throws back. He did some nice things, but I think he probably wants a couple of throws back.”'