Archives for September 2, 2015

'Fred was the league’s oldest running back. In three of the last four years, he did not play a full season due to injury and he dealt with a potentially nagging hamstring this preseason. His role was backup running back … period. No special teams contribution.'

'“I’m not frustrated at all because I know what I can do and I know how good of a football player I am,” Williams said after the Bills’ practice Tuesday. “Whatever role I have, I’m going to fill it to the best of my ability. That’s what I’m worried about, instead of who’s on the field first. It’s important to some guys. Of course I want to be a starter, of course I feel like I worked for it, but with Corey being the starter, I’m going to back him up and help us win games.”'

'“It definitely was tough,” Jackson said Tuesday night by telephone from Seattle. “I’ve said all along that the goal was to finish my career as a Buffalo Bill. That ended yesterday. It was a tough pill to swallow, especially because I felt like I can still contribute. I didn’t get that opportunity.”'

'Sept. 25, 2011. Vs. New England. Jackson’s 38-yard catch-and-run play sets up last-second winning field goal as Bills snap 15-game losing streak to Patriots with 34-31 victory. Gains 161 scrimmage yards (74 rushing and 87 receiving).'

'“We’re the only team in the league that keeps a kickoff specialist. With that being said, you do that to make sure you’re giving your kicker a chance to focus on one thing and that’s field goals.”'

'"He missed a couple field goals and an extra point; that's concerning because he missed a lot of camp, so we have to see him kick better, quite honestly," Ryan said, reviewing Carpenter's shaky preseason performance to date.'

'"As a leader on the Buffalo Bills, in our community and an official partner of M&T Bank, we thank Fred Jackson for his contributions, we congratulate him on his accomplishments, and we wish him the very best in the future," said Chet Bridger, a spokesman for the bank. "Fred will always have a place in our community and in our hearts, and as such we will be looking at our marketing plans going forward."'

'There is plenty of reason to believe Whaley was the one pushing for the move. For starters, he's the one who traded a fourth-round pick for running back Bryce Brown, who is one of the players who took a potential spot for Jackson on the depth chart. Whaley was also the only one included in the team's statement regarding the release of Jackson, and he alone addressed the media about the move prior to practice Monday.'

'He showed up to camp in shape, passed his conditioning test and quickly overtook Cyrus Kouandjio at right tackle. On Tuesday, Rex Ryan named him the starter at the position for the regular season.'

'Playing behind a patchwork offensive line and with a mediocre quarterback in 2014, Jackson had 1,000 yards from scrimmage and set a career high with 66 catches while also having a career-low 3.7 yards per carry.'

'What’s worse is that, fuzzy sentiments pushed aside, the move doesn’t seem to make that much sense. It’ll be a big surprise if the “Ground and Pound” Bills don’t keep four running backs for the regular season, and three of those were going to be LeSean McCoy (alpha dog), Karlos Williams (newly-drafted rookie) and Anthony Dixon (short yardage/special teams). But Bryce Brown?'

'The fact that Fred Jackson won't be a part of this year's team doesn't diminish his accomplishments. It gives us the chance to celebrate them. But this is the life he chose, and this is how that life ends.'

'Jackson visited Seattle on Tuesday, and though there were reports that he might quickly sign, Carroll said after practice that the team had yet to make a decision and the there was no deal done at the end of the day. Carroll said Jackson, 34, would take a physical and hinted that the team would need to get a better understanding of Turbin’s situation before deciding how to proceed.'

'“I know Marshawn and him are very good friends and get along. Other than that, that didn’t feed into this,” said Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who noted that the relationship between Jackson and Seattle’s reclusive star running back was not the reason for the team’s interest in Jackson. “He’s just a heck of a football player who might be able to find a role.”'

'“There are always going to be people that judge you, but that’s OK,” Ryan said. “People should worry about themselves more than they should worry about me. They don’t have to agree with me, or whatever, but I got news for you: I’m not changing. I’m going to be myself. I don’t care if you like it, or you dislike it. This is who I am.”'