Archives for March 23, 2016

'The difficult time Ryan referred to involved Blake's NCAA ban from recruiting players for three years due to an inappropriate business relationship with agent Gary Wichard. Blake, who resigned from his coaching position at the University of North Carolina in 2010, was accused of receiving cash benefits and loans from Wichard, leading to his three-year ban from college football.'

'"I have no idea," Ryan said via ESPN. "I just think it's unusual to have two guys that are like 6-(foot)-7 and can run, catch, block. So, yeah, it's going to be a major challenge. There's no doubt about that. It's scary when you look at them. Those are two huge guys. How we're going to defend them, I don't know."'

'“I think we're really close to getting a deal with Leonard Hankerson done,” he said, “so we're going to have a collection of guys that have had some experience in the league, and have produced in the league, to try to step up." The team is looking for wide receivers to step into roles after number-one wideout Sammy Watkins.'

'The Bills were considered for the series last year, but had the right to refuse based on having a new head coach. They don’t have the same ability this year. That’s one of three reasons teams can decline if they are asked to be the focus of Hard Knocks. The others are if the team has had a playoff berth in the past two seasons or if they have appeared on the show in the past 10 years.'

'The Collective Bargaining Agreement states players must have at least one day off during the week. Most teams have players show up Monday for injury check and rehab, then give Tuesdays off as the coaches prepare the team’s gameplan at the facility. Ryan gave his players off Mondays last season, then used Tuesdays for watching film, checking and treating injuries. Chip Kelly is another coach who has given his players Mondays off instead of Tuesdays since he entered the league as a head coach in 2013.'

'While Taylor’s agent is a little biased on the matter and clearly doesn’t agree, the fact is that the Bills are being smart with this situation. They have an entire season to figure out if Taylor is the guy they’ve been waiting for, and if he is, they’ll gladly reward him with a fat new contract.'

'Whaley thinks Harvin is closing on being ready to make up his mind. “He has an open invitation to come back to the Buffalo Bills,” according to Whaley. “We’re just going to wait and see when he makes a decision. Hopefully it’s in the next week or two. Hopefully he’ll chose us and come back and get on the field and perform at the level we know he’s capable of.”'