Archives for August 12, 2016

'In short, there’ll be plenty to look at Saturday night, but likely not much reason for optimism.'

'"How'd you like to be the other guys on this team? You lose one guy, and people say that the season's over. That's crazy," said Pegula, who added he felt most sorry for Ragland "because this is his life. He was making a significant impact at camp, as per the coaches and I guess you probably saw it yourself. Now he can’t play football this year. To me, it has more of an impact on him personally. Obviously the team’s going to miss him, but we’ve got to work our way through that."'

'"You could be the odd man out," he said after a recent practice at the Bills' St. John Fisher training camp. "That's just the simple fact of it. So you've got to go into each day trying to get better and that's what I'm trying to take on a personal level — trying to get myself better and make the team better by making plays, calling things out and just making sure that I need to be on the field showing the coaches that I need to be out there."'

'Whether Dareus factored the health status of either rookie into his measured outlook is unknown. You get the feeling that he might have offered the same response had both players been available for the entire season, especially after hearing him point out that third-rounder Adolphus Washington, starting next to him on the line, has his "rookie ways." Based on Dareus' own experience, rookies receive a rude awakening when it comes to getting accustomed to the pace and quality of talent in the NFL.'

'Lewis, a second-year receiver, was running a slant route and when Williams, a veteran safety coming back from neck surgery, ran over to cover him, they collided. The loud clatter of plastic on plastic and the sight of Williams and Lewis each going down in a heap caused the crowd at St. John Fisher College to let out a collective gasp before going mostly quiet.'

'The metal detectors are designed to be less annoying, quicker and more effective than the hand-held wands that had been a fixture since 2012. Fans still will have to remove their cell phones and glass cases, but not their belts, shoes, wallets, keys, coins or watches.'

'I think this is going to be a pretty straightforward type plan. But I want to see us communicate. I want to see us hit. I want to see us, you know, run to the ball and be productive. You know. Maybe playing a little more straightforward than maybe you would in a regular—you know last time we played the Colts was probably all but that. You know I think we, I’m not so sure we had a whatever regular coverage that whole game. This is going to be more straightforward. That’s probably how we’ll play it.'

'“Is it ideal? No,” Kromer said the other day. “Is it OK for us and good for us? I think it’s great for us. Everyone has to move up a unit and they have to play against better players. You want everybody to be able to get reps, but in this situation, it’s a great time for the young guys to have to step up and play against the ones.”'

'The collision came during 11-on-11 work. Lewis was running a crossing route, Williams tried to jump the pattern, and with both players looking for the ball, they inadvertently smashed into each other. As soon as it happened, the big crowd gasped in unison and the place went silent.'

'"When I went to the NFL broadcast boot camp, I really found out how hard the media's job is,'' Douzable said.'

'Students in the JROTC program at Rochester's Leadership Academy for Young Men will serve as the Color Guard before two preseason NFL games this weekend, including the Bills' home game against the Indianapolis Colts Saturday.'

'Head coach Rex Ryan indicated that starters would see very little time on Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts during the Bills preseason opener. Maybe a quarter. Those out include Glenn, Incognito, Sammy Watkins, and very little Bush and LeSean McCoy will be seen.'

'“There are a lot of supporters out there still. Sometimes negativity has a lot of volume, but at the same time you have to remember there are a lot of people who believe in you and at the end of the day you have to believe in yourself. That alone will help, that’s what I learned,” Manuel said.'

'The collision took place during a team drill. Both players stayed on the ground before eventually walking to the locker room under their own power. Lewis appeared to be holding his right arm as he walked to the locker room.'

'"It's crazy," Smith says when reminded of the nationwide attention she's drawn — including a retweet by Chelsea Clinton — in the eight months since Rex Ryan promoted her to be Buffalo Bills special teams quality control coach.'