Archives for August 2, 2016

'"Me and Rex have had some battles, going back a long time, so we have history obviously from New Orleans (where Bush began his NFL career) to Miami," the running back said. "But I’ve always been a fan of Rex, and now getting the chance to play for him, I think’s going to be pretty cool and getting the chance to share some stories and some experiences and a lot of our battles going back."'

'"Well, the first thing you do is play like you’re not interested," Ryan said of his thoughts as Williams practiced. "But you keep looking over your shoulder a little bit and see how it is, because that’s really it. We all know he’s OK, but he’s got to know it himself and it will be good."'

'On the first snap of the second team period, the cornerback left his feet to snatch a Tyrod Taylor pass intended for Greg Little. That was Gilmore's second pick at the start of an 11-on-11 session. The first was on Saturday. In his pursuit of a long-term contract extension, he insists he knows his worth and, by all indications, he believes it's somewhere north of the five-year, $75-million free-agent deal Josh Norman signed with Washington. Ryan didn't do General Manager Doug Whaley or team contract negotiator Jim Overdorf any favors with this assessment of Gilmore: "He's a tremendous player, but I see his game as actually improving. He's been, by far and away, the most impressive guy out here."'

'Well, yeah. I think first off, with any player like in Reggie’s case, he’s just here on a visit, so we’ll see how that goes. You’ll see from time to time you bring guys in to work out, you do different things with different players, but this is an opportunity to visit with him so we’ll see what happens.'

'The wrong type of hit could result in some serious damage for a guy who experienced frightening temporary numbness after colliding with New England's Julian Edelman at Ralph Wilson Stadium last season. Williams tried coming back against Tennessee, and that proved to be his final game of the year. There will be more intensive contact when the Bills stage their intrasquad scrimmage Saturday, especially during a goal-line drill.'

'He joins a running back corps that includes LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams, Jonathan Williams, Mike Gillislee, Boom Herron and James Wilder Jr. It’s a pretty good group, but with Karlos Williams suspended the first four games, Bush would slot in as a veteran presence behind McCoy, plus he could bring some value as a punt returner, a duty that is still very much up in the air.'

'Still, until he really takes that first thump, there remains a hint of doubt. “At the end of the day it’s my neck, so of course I’m going to be worried whenever I’m in the open field and I have to make a tackle, but I haven’t had that situation yet to worry about it,” the sixth-year veteran said. “Right now I’m just worrying about knowing my assignments, make sure everyone is in the right spots and everyone is running to the ball every play. When that situation happens, we’ll worry about it then.”'

'“If the Bills are able to bring in Reggie Bush and have him here until Karlos Williams comes back, and even beyond, that would be great,” West Seneca resident Mike Trzybinski said. “He’s a veteran guy and if he’s over his injury issues, he could really help the team this season.”'

'The Bills could use Bush as an insurance policy to LeSean McCoy with Karlos Williams sidelined by suspension. Bush could also be a factor in the return game, an area in which the Bills could use help this season.'

'Bush has only played in 16 games twice in his career, his rookie season in New Orleans and 2012 with Miami. The back averages 4.3 yards per carry for his career and averaged 3.5 and 3.9 the last two seasons, respectively.'

'“The thing that I knew about him was his work ethic and his passion for the game and obviously his God-given ability,” Ryan said. “That was what I knew we were getting, but you never know how it’s going to be until a guy really gets out there and he’s the guy under center. Nothing was given to him. He came here and was the third quarterback on the depth chart last year, but he earned the starting job, so it was all him.”'

'Bush will have his work cut out for him once order is restored, however. McCoy will return as the top back after rushing for 895 yards in just 12 games last season, while Williams served as an explosive complement in his rookie season. Once both of them are at full strength, Bush might only make appearances in the return game, where he has made noise in his career previously.'

'"I'm in shape. I'm full strength. I'm ready to go," Bush said during a news conference at the Bills training camp facility in suburban Rochester. "It feels good to be back on a team and back to playing football."'

'"As I have previously commented, we are always looking to improve our roster," Whaley said. "We had targeted Reggie because we feel a player of his caliber can help us in a variety of areas."'

'“I’ve never once in my life worried about my job,” Ryan said. “I think if you spend time doing that, you probably do a worse job than you would if you just said, ‘Hey, I have a job to do.’ The only way to be successful is to do the best job you can, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”'