Archives for July 2016

'"You don't hear about other guys like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady getting into incidents like that. So I think sometimes you get so lackadaisical about being successful as a football player, and then you let all the minor, small things go. In a situation like that, [if" target="_blank"> you got security or you got even off-duty officers working for me at the time, and this thing never even gets out of hand."'

'“I called my owners, my coaches, to let them know exactly what happened,” he said. “I’m an honest person. I've never been in trouble a day in my life. I've been from nothing, a hardworking family, so I told everybody. I was honest and I was right. I didn't do anything wrong. And it was obvious. I mean you all read it. you all seen what happened. Nothing came out of it. It just sucks that your name gets dragged into so much negative press, you know, for just being in a situation that you had nothing to do with. But I mean but that's life. I'm not going to sit here and complain about it. It is what it is.”'

'"All contract situations are usually a long, drawn-out process, and we'll see where it goes," Whaley said Friday before the first day of training camp. Both Taylor and Gilmore are present for camp, even as they seen long-term deals. Gilmore has said looking in the ballpark of the record-setting contract signed by Josh Norman.'

'The Bills made a total of 10 roster moves, which includes two players being added to the Active / Non-Football Injury List, four players to the Physically Unable to Perform List, and four more players to the Active / Non-Football Illness List.'

'That much isn’t certain, but as opposed to how grim everything has sounded regarding Gilmore, optimism seems to be rising that something could be struck between the two sides ahead of the year, or more likely, into the season.'

'"What might have been a down year for him (last year), we all looked as 'this guy was awesome, he was a fantastic player for us'," Ryan said. "This is going to be scary because if he can play much better than he did last year, we'll sign up for that."'

'“It wasn’t really a long thinking process. I just sat down and said this is the smart thing for me to do,” said Gilmore. “It was a smart thing for me to come here and be with my teammates and work on my game and do whatever I can to improve myself individually and as a team.”'

'McCoy said he has a giant chip on his shoulder after not meeting his own expectations last season. Much more on McCoy in our feature story on the Bills feature back Saturday morning.'

'“Being the quarterback, guys look to you for motivation, they look to you for a number of things,” he said. “But more so, the execution starts with you. If you can get everybody in the right place, if you’re going out there and executing at a high level each and every play, the guys can trust you and rely on you. So it starts with me and I have to lead by example out there on the field and continue to spread the message to my teammates, offense and defense.”'

'General Manager Doug Whaley has made no secret about the tremendous amount of faith he has in Manuel as a backup. He has gone as far as to describe him as the best No. 2 QB in the NFL.'

'Defensive coordinators are going to play a safety over the top of Sammy Watkins a lot. But if Listenbee or Goodwin is a legitimate threat on the other side, opposing defensive coordinators will experience extreme pucker factor. I have to defend elite speed on both sides of the field? And I have to worry about LeSean McCoy’s elite speed? If the defense has to respect all three of those speed options, it will be as if the field is 70 yards wide and 120 yards long. It would give Buffalo a critical mass of elite speed.'

'Defenses will double Sammy Watkins and dare Taylor to make tough throws. He needs another playmaking wideout. Woods doesn’t fit the bill.'

'How many of the Browns' 14 draft picks will stick on the 53-man roster. Answering that question will begin to show just how far along the Browns' rebuild really is.'

'“We’re in the elevator and my dad goes, ‘My son is going to be the next Bruce Smith,’ " Ragland said of the chance encounter. “It’s crazy how it worked out. I’m going to play like Bruce, be like Bruce, but at the same time I know I have to create my own legacy.’''

'Foles would be an upgrade, though maybe not a drastic one. After a breakout season in 2013 in which he threw 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions, Foles has come back down to earth. He's started just 19 games the last two seasons and thrown 20 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.'