Archives for June 14, 2016

'"It’s going to best serve me because I’ve seen a lot my first year," he said. "I’m more comfortable with recognizing formations and just, communication-wise, with the vets and guys on the field, so the second year of being in the same defense will help me a lot."'

'The 6-foot-4, 284-pound Douzable began his NFL career in 2008, on the practice squad of the Minnesota Vikings. He was previously on the active rosters of the Jacksonville Jaguars, St. Louis Rams and New York Giants. He also had a practice-squad stint with the Detroit Lions.'

'Everyone around the NFL is watching the Browns' grand experiment closely. If it works, other teams will be inclined to give it a try. And if the Bills' playoff drought extends to 17 seasons, don't be shocked if they're among the clubs that join the movement.'

'Douzable has seven seasons of NFL experience, including the previous three with the New York Jets. He is reunited with Rex Ryan, who took over as the Bills coach last year after spending six seasons coaching the Jets.'

'Unofficially, seventeen players did not participate in the last Wednesday’s OTA session, the only one of the week open to the media.'

'"Any time you're on the field together where you can build chemistry, it's always good," Clay said. "You kind of had to switch game plans and switch your offense up a little bit whenever you got a guy [out]. You know like Shady [McCoy] goes down or Sammy [Watkins] goes down or Tyrod [Taylor], you have to switch your offense up a little bit. I feel like our guys did a real good job. You look at the last two games, we had a lot of guys out and they still went out there and played well. [We] definitely feel like we aren't far off, and we're looking forward to this year."'

'"I have to go through the trials like everyone else," Goodwin said to John Murphy on WGR on Monday night. "It's a two-day competition. We have prelims one day, and come back the next day for the finals. I'm very confident, and as long as I maintain health and stay focused on what I need to do, there's no doubt that I should make the team."'

'To make room on the roster, the Bills released defensive end Claudell Louis and tackle Keith Lumpkin.'

'The 2012 first-round pick is headed into the last year of his rookie deal after the Bills exercised their fifth-year option, guaranteeing the 25-year old $11.082 million this season.'

'Martin joins the Bills after being a member on the Texans and Patriots practice squads throughout the 2014 season.'

'Having already played in a Rex Ryan defensive scheme for two seasons in New York, the Bills head coach surely would love the familiarity that Douzable would bring to the defensive line, even only for training camp.'

'Continuity hasn't been the strong suit of the Bills offensive line over the years, but now Glenn will have the same left guard lining up next to him, and a really good one at that in Richie Incognito. The team will likely depend on the ground game as they did for the 2015 season, and using Glenn to help pave the way will be one of the strengths of their attack. He's healthy, fully paid, and it doesn't appear anything is standing in the way of him having another dominant season.'

'As was the case last season, Darby will once again be the staring cornerback on one side of the field, and Stephon Gilmore will man the opposite side. With the Bills committing even more so to Rex Ryan's normal defensive scheme for the 2016 season, the pressure on Darby will only increase as the Bills try to send unique pressures and blitzes at opposing quarterbacks. He'll be entrusted to play press-man coverage for the majority of the season, and to give the front seven enough time to make their mark, and in total, to help the defense get back to their lofty status from the 2014 season.'

'Hughes' sack production in 2015 wasn't great, registering only five for the Bills last season, but he put much more pressure on the quarterback than that number would indicate. This year, Hughes is no longer shackled to one side of the field, as he has been for the majority of the last three seasons. Over that time, the Bills usually kept Williams on the left side (against the right tackle), with Hughes on the opposite side versus the left tackle. That is, until around the middle point of last season, when the Bills started using Hughes, not Mario, as their matchup problem versus below average offensive tackles.'

'With Cordy Glenn’s contract already done, and with Tyrod Taylor having already shown his commitment to being at all the practices during OTAs, the last of the big names with expiring contracts is cornerback Stephon Gilmore.'