Archives for August 2015

'Polian oversaw one of sports’ greatest turnarounds. A decade later, he did it again with the Indianapolis Colts. In between, he nearly took a team to the Super Bowl in its second year of existence. He’s been named the NFL’s Executive of the Year six times, setting a standard for general managers today. Arguably no GM in NFL history mastered the art of the rebuild quite like Polian.'

'He loved Buffalo, and Polian says he left a big piece of himself in Western New York. Proud and defiant, competitive and impulsive, the possessor of a huge, generous heart, he came to reflect the essential Buffalo ethos. Deep down, he remains still what we call a Buffalo Guy.'

'Decision to draft Smith in 1985 was made by others on the Bills, but Polian stepped in for ailing GM Terry Bledsoe to get deal done with the Hall of Famer.'

'“I’m very motivated, and not just because of the one-year deal,” Harvin said. “It’s just me getting back to playing like I know I can play, like my earlier years in Minnesota. I want to take it to the next level … I think this is going to be a great year.”'

'“We’re good enough that we’re not going to have the first or second (overall) pick; we hope we’re not in that position,” he said. “Hopefully now we’re drafting in the teens and the 20s and the 30s. So you’re not going to get those college guys that are coming out. Franchise quarterbacks hit the free-agent market? Name one, unless they have an injury. So it’s going to be an onus on our scouting staff to find a guy in the lower first round, second or third round. We accept that challenge. It’s where we are and it’s been good that we have enough talent around that we’re in that situation, but it’s not an easy answer.”'

'"My (Bills) teammates accept me a little more," Harvin said. "What I mean by that, I felt when I went to Seattle a lot of the receivers took me as a threat rather than accepting me as a teammate. I always told those guys, I pulled them to the side several times after seeing the comments they was making to the media, 'Hey, guys, I'm here to ball with you, to take us to the next level.' A lot of guys were looking at (as if) they were established and they didn't need any help. I just took it as I never was kind of accepted in the receiver group by all the members.'

'"I think this team will ultimately go only as far as Matt Cassel can carry it," Bayless aid. "I do believe Rex will go with Matt Cassel as his game manager-type of quarterback. Despite a top-five defense and all those weapons on offense, sorry, New England wins this division, the other three beat up on each other."'

'"We'll have probably the biggest playbook in the history of the man in our running game," Ryan said. "Why? Because it's important to use. We want to be multiple in the running game, and that's what Greg (Roman) does. He's as multiple as … like some people are in the passing game, we can be that way in the running game as well."'

'No, McCoy's injury is not turf toe, Ryan said, but he did use the words soreness and swelling to describe what McCoy is dealing with. As an isolated incident, maybe that's not a concern. For McCoy, this isn't the first we've heard of this injury, though. He first dealt with it last training camp after the Eagles had a joint practice with the Patriots.'

'"It's going to be an onus on our scouting staff to find a guy in the lower first or second or third round. That's part of the challenge. It's where we are. It's been good that we have enough talent around them to be in that situation. It's not an easy answer."'

'Ryan has been a fan of Taylor throughout his career, even though he’s hardly stepped on the field. Reports back in the spring indicated that Ryan “hand-picked” him after previously wanting him on the Jets’ roster while he was still their coach.'

'"I know he's trying for a new contract so no, not really," Ryan said, with a smile last weekend. "I mean, you find these guys all the time with that kind of size, athleticism and all that. Yeah, they're a dime a dozen out there."'

'Ryan described the injury as "pretty substantial," and said the player could miss up to a month.'

'He added, "At times I kind of felt as I had to come in and be the guy to sit in the back of the room, not say too much, kind of walk on egg shells. That in itself drew frustrations on top of not being accepted in my receiver group, so I just kind of never was able to get comfortable in Seattle."'

'Right tackle Cyrus Kouandjio and defensive lineman Jarius Wynn both left practice early with knee injuries. Ryan said they don’t know how severe the injuries are, but didn’t think Kouandjio’s was serious and just wants to err on the side of caution.'