Archives for August 2015

'“The Bills are proud to partner with LISC and the National Football League Foundation on this project to benefit young people in the city of Rochester,” said Bills President and Managing Partner Russ Brandon. “As an organization, we concentrate on promoting fitness and health and safety within the Western New York community. We believe this field will provide a safe playing surface for Rochester students to use for youth football training in addition to a number of other fitness-based activities all year-round.”'

'The situation at running back is particularly worrisome.'

'“He just keeps elevating his performance, and that’s what we expect,” coach Rex Ryan said of Darby. “I don’t care about who we had on the corner last week or the lack of support we gave” in coverage. “I’d rather have him learn from it in the preseason and be ready to go out in the regular season. But I thought he did a good job.”'

'"Tackling the first part of last year was one of my downfalls, I had to get it right," he said. "Sometimes I beat myself up when I miss tackles because that's unacceptable. It was very important for us to make tackles in Schwartz's defense and he talked about that all the time in meetings — don't miss tackles, eliminate the gains."'

'I think E.J. is going down the same road as many have before him. See: Edwards, Trent; Losman, J.P.; Fitzpatrick, Ryan.'

'Taylor is the wild card. The fastest of the three players, Taylor was stuck behind Joe Flacco in Baltimore and has yet to show what he can do in the N.F.L. That means his upside is enormous, but so, potentially, is his downside.'

'Indeed, afterward Ryan maintained he wouldn’t name a starter until the week before the regular-season opener against Indianapolis. And, in fairness, he probably needs that much time.

'"That just shows how he's really growing up and really understanding the offense," defensive end Jerry Hughes said. "EJ comes to work. He puts a lot of extra time on his craft."'

'The Bills have offered Dareus more than $90 million over six years, per a source, but Dareus seeks more. All indications are that he wants to be paid on the level of Ndamukong Suh, who signed a six-year $114 million extension with the Miami Dolphins this past offseason. Dareus is scheduled to make $8.06 million this season.

'Manziel’s dynamic plays, following two McCown interceptions, might very well have changed the discussion about the competition for the Browns’ starting quarterback job, which McCown was thought to be leading before Thursday night’s game.'

'The Bills have offered Dareus more than $90 million over six years, per a source, but Dareus seeks more. All indications are that he wants to be paid on the level of Ndamukong Suh, who signed a six-year $114 million extension with the Miami Dolphins this past offseason. Dareus is scheduled to make $8.06 million this season.'

' I still say taking Manuel was the worst draft bust in team history.'

'For the second-straight week, it was near impossible to judge EJ Manuel for most of his reps because of the talent around him. The Bills' second-team offensive line had a brutal performance, making life tough on Manuel right from the snap. That said, Manuel, at times, looked comfortable avoiding pressure and stepping up in the pocket. He also delivered a few decent intermediate throws with the timing he has lacked.'

'Despite working with Bronson Hill and Ricky Seale at running back and with Deonte Thompson and Andre Davis as his wide receivers, Taylor completed seven of his 10 passes for 65 yards and also ran four times for 41 yards. He was carrying a Buffalo offense pieced together from spare parts, and doing so efficiently. Did he win the job Thursday night? Maybe not. But it's hard to think he didn't take a huge step forward, especially considering the circumstances.'

'We're very confident in all of the quarterbacks. It's not just one particular quarterback we have our trust in. All three quarterbacks do a great job of making plays. It's a tough decision for coach, but at the end of the day we know we have three quarterbacks that can play for this team.'