Archives for September 2015

'The question hovering over the heads of the Bills leading up to the contest with the Colts is whether their prize acquisition of the offseason would be ready to play. Running back LeSean McCoy has been, at the very least, working to the side with trainers for a couple of weeks now. Slowly, to not upset the hamstring injury, McCoy has been working himself into practice more and more — and now, at least according to Rex Ryan before practice, is a full participant at practice.'

'“I feel good. I feel like the (athletic training) staff has done a good job of preparing me so far,” said McCoy after Wednesday’s practice session. “Then just in practice I’ve been doing light loads and each day doing more and more. I feel comfortable. I’m not sure I’ll be exactly 100 percent, but I feel good enough to go out there and compete.”'

'Noel rejoins the Bills after being released by the team on September 4.'

'Buffalo signed him to a $4.5 million contract, way too much to pay a No. 2 quarterback, so they cut him and took the risk he wouldn’t be signed elsewhere. Then he was re-signed, very likely for the veteran minimum for his experience ($970,000) with an even lower cap hit ($585,000).'

'“What he’s thinking, what we’re thinking,” wide receiver Chris Hogan said. “We’ll obviously put in that extra time this week and I think it’ll be an every-week kind of thing. You have to make sure you’re on the same page.”'

'“It’s a long story,” Cassel said of how he went from being released Saturday to re-signing Tuesday and being named the backup to Tyrod Taylor. “I think it’s better if” General Manager Doug Whaley and coach Rex Ryan “explained it. I was caught a little bit off guard myself, but at the end of the day we were able to resolve it and I’m able to be here. Now the important thing is for us to get ready to go, for me to help Tyrod, and get this team ready to go and play Indy.”'

'“Right before Karlos got hurt, Karlos was at the No. 2 spot,” said Lynn, then citing fourth-year back Bryce Brown. “It’s been a good competition between him and Bryce, though. And in my opinion, it’s still going on. You just create a competition and whoever goes out and performs the best, they’ll get in the rotation.”'

'“What played in the back of my mind is how much New England turns over its roster,” Jackson said. “That has worked well for them, and you can’t blame them. But, at the same time, you want to be comfortable where you are."'

'“The Rex Ryan Show” is scheduled to make its debut at 7 p.m. Saturday on Channel 7 and one thing appears to be certain: He should be a more entertaining coach than the last Bills coach to have his own program – Mike Mularkey in 2005.'

'Bills officials say the 12 new metal detectors at Gate 3, along the west – or Abbott Road – side of the stadium will provide less invasive and quicker access than the hand-held wands still being used at the other gates.'

'Ultimately, it's a win-win for the Bills as they get some payroll flexibility in their quest to re-sign defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, and they get a veteran with 71 career NFL starts back to help mentor the young quarterbacks — and play if need be.'

'They vowed to put the Bickering Bills moniker behind them, but it was still a contentious summer for the Bills as three key players — Thurman Thomas, Will Wolford, and Shane Conlan — all held out for most of training camp.'

'Williams was cut by the Bills in December after the team traded a sixth-round pick to acquire him before the season. He caught only eight passes for 142 yards and one touchdown in his one season in Buffalo but made plenty of headlines away from the field for everything from his socks to his trade demands and injuries.'

'Bills quarterbacks coach David Lee was thrilled the team found a way to keep all three quarterbacks on the roster. Taylor went out and won the job, but Cassel's leadership has been an asset in the quarterback room and Manuel's future is still bright, according to Lee.'

'Predicted record: 8-8.'