Archives for March 2016

'“I think when people see a uniformed presence at the facility, there’s that balance of making sure that people are having a great time but not going over the line,” he said. “There’s nothing more important on game day than safety; that’s our No. 1 focus.'

'"It's different because both of them are 6-7 or whatever," Ryan said. "They're huge red-zone targets. Hernandez was a big wideout. That was kind of what his role was. But now you've got two big guys that can block and they're giants, so that's not going to be easy."'

'It doesn't change that the Bills get associated with the behavior that is taking place in those lots. Considering the job the Bills have done to improve the in-stadium experience, maybe they can come up with a solution for what's going on around the stadium.'

'The not-so-subtle jab at Williams only furthers the idea that there was a disconnect. With the Bills set to play the Dolphins twice in 2015, Ryan laughed when asked if he thinks Williams will have the first rematch circled.'

'"We do police it," Brandon said. "We hired an additional 150 uniformed officers a few years ago, and they've been outstanding. I think when people see a uniformed presence at the facility, there's that art and balance of making sure that people are having a great time but not going over the line. We have one of the best people in the business in Andy Major. There's nothing more important on game day than safety. That's our No. 1 focus."'

'"No, I think the agent's probably the most disappointed of all, obviously," Ryan said at the NFL owners meeting Tuesday. "But there's a football team to run, not just one player. For the agent, you know, he's got a player, so I get it. But you have to do what's in the best interest of your team and not just one player."'

'"And I think, once you get that confidence, the ironic thing is once you play in this system and you can ask many of the guys (who have played in it), you don't want to play in any other system," Ryan said. "Once you get it dialed in, that's why it becomes great. You take advantage of the player's mind as well. But if you want to just line up and play physically, without doing the mental preparation, you're not going to be as successful."'

'"I know Donald Trump," Ryan said at the NFL owners meetings Tuesday. "I was wanting (Chris) Christie to be the president, but it would be great if … no, I'm not going to get into that, but I did want Christie to be the president. That's my lap-banded brother."'

'“Our game experience has never been better,” Bills managing partner and president Russ Brandon told a group of Bills beat writers. “It starts on policing outside the building. We have great support from law-enforcement officials. They have bought in to what we’re trying to do.'

'“Our entire organization believes in Tyrod Taylor, there’s no doubt,” Ryan said Tuesday during an AFC coaches breakfast at the NFL’s annual spring meetings. “But when you look at our situation salary cap-wise, anything that would include an extension for him would have to be in the best interests of both Tyrod and the Bills. I think right now, it’s kind of hard to bring those two things together with our cap situation.”'

'“I truly believed that we would make a run at it,” Ryan said Tuesday morning during an AFC coaches’ breakfast at the NFL’s annual spring meetings. “I thought we’d have a great shot to get into the playoffs. I was confident with Tyrod Taylor as the quarterback. I thought we had the playmakers with LeSean McCoy, Sammy Watkins, Charles Clay, that we’d be pretty explosive on offense and then on defense, I really thought that would be the strength of our team heading into the season, led by our front four.”'

'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.'