Archives for August 2016

'In announcing the suspension, Dareus’ second of this nature, the league indicated he will be eligible to return to the Bills’ active roster on Monday, Oct. 3, the day after the Bills play at New England, which will be without suspended quarterback Tom Brady.'

'So while we all thought the Bills’ 19-18 loss to the Colts was meaningless — and by the way, we were right, it was — Jones was upset that he didn’t connect on the two-point conversion pass with time expired that would have given the Bills the victory. It wasn’t enough for him that he’d led Buffalo on an 83-yard touchdown drive in the final 1:03, hitting Jarret Boykin for the score, to get into position to win. He wanted the "W."'

'However, now the Bills have entered into new territory, and it’s a disturbing Dumpster fire of a look. Not only are their players not good enough on the field, several are not good off the field either, and there is no bigger and brighter example of this than defensive tackle Marcell Dareus.'

'And make no mistake about it: It is a new era under new owners Kim and Terry Pegula.'

'Already this offseason the Bills have dealt with major injuries to their top two draft picks on defense, Shaq Lawson and Reggie Ragland. Meanwhile, running back Karlos Williams is going to be suspended for the first four games of the NFL season, and safety Aaron Williams is dealing with a concussion. Add Dareus and Lawson to the mix, and the Bills are missing some key talent on both sides of the ball heading into 2016.'

'This is Dareus' second suspension. He was also arrested in May of 2014 for possession of a controlled substance. The Bills used the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft on Dareus and signed him to a contract extension in September of 2015 that carried $60 million in guaranteed money. Dareus released a statement on his personal Instagram page Tuesday afternoon.'

'Lawson would be able to appeal any suspension he could face. The veteran linebacker is expected to be a starter on the Bills' defense in the absence of rookie Shaq Lawson, who is recovering from shoulder surgery. Lawson returned to practice on Tuesday after injuring his pectoral muscle while bench pressing this offseason.'

'At the start of training camp, Lawson was placed on the active/NFI list after suffering a partially torn pectoral. The Bills have suffered their fair share of injuries at outside linebacker so Lawson's return comes at a good time.'

'Offensive linemen Richie Incognito (ribs) and Cordy Glenn (ankle) are also both out, but are expected to be ready for opening day.'

'His loss is figuratively as well as literally huge, because the Bills open with four tough games: at Baltimore, home four days later in prime time against the New York Jets, home against defending NFC West champ Arizona, then at New England. The Bills and Ryan cannot afford to start in an 0-4 or 1-3 hole, or hello hot seat.'

'"From ownership down, we have made it clear his behavior is unacceptable," the Bills said in a statement. "We are very disappointed Marcell chose to put himself first, before his teammates, coaches, the rest of the organization and fans through his recent actions."'

'"I can see how one would say being an outside linebacker's a jinx," Lawson said Tuesday. "Let's just hope the rest of the guys don't follow misfortune."'

'He posted an apology on his Intagram account (@cell57to99) Tuesday that read: "With deepest regrets I want to apologize to the @BuffaloBills organization, my fans, my family and the entire NFL football community for the incident that led to me missing 4 games for the upcoming 2016-17 season. I will not #makeexcuses for the events in question and will allow the process to proceed as is required by the @NFL; however, please know and understand I am committed to the game and am more committed to my #Billsorganization and fans. This temporary setback will only fuel my desire and committment to bring #Buffalochampionships and the #SuperBowl. I ask at this time that you continue to #believe in me and I will continue to invest all that I have to bring honor and respect to the organization and my fans and ultimately bring #Buffalomafia what it deserves – a #SuperBowl! Thank you for continuing to support me – I will rise above this setback, as with every challenge brings an opportunity for growth and supreme #success!"'

'The Bills need the reinforcements with first-round pick Shaq Lawson recovering from shoulder surgery and backup IK Enemkpali on waived/injured with a torn knee ligament on Monday.'

'Buffalo Bills star defensive tackle Marcell Dareus is facing a four-game suspension for another violation of the NFL's substance-abuse policy, league sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.'