Archives for April 21, 2017

'Kouandjio has played in 25 games with seven starts for the Bills after they drafted him out of Alabama in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. Ankle injuries have limited his playing time, and he needed surgery after injuring his hip in January of this year. However, he was expected to be back for training camp.'

'It's unclear what Kouandjio was doing or how he got into the field, located about a 5-minute drive from Bills headquarters. Zylka said the player's car was discovered abandoned on a nearby highway by New York State troopers later in the day.'

'"We're going through the process right now of gathering the information, and that's all I can tell you at this time," Bills coach Sean McDermott said Thursday.'

'Kouandjio, who was Buffalo's second-round pick in 2014 and has started seven games over the past three seasons, missed Thursday's minicamp session due to the incident.'

'Coaches and players are creatures of habit. They love routine and want to do everything the exact same way, every week. That's exactly what this schedule offers, outside of only two weeks.'

'Kouandjio, 23, was a second-round pick in 2014 and has started seven of the 25 games he’s played in over three seasons.'

'“Now that we have Sean here,” he said, “we’re just out on the field competing, flying around. Practice is fun. I’m tired. It’s been an eventful three days. We’re flying around…..(McDermott) is eager to compete. He is an energetic guy. He brings a lot of energy. He wants energy in the meetings. There’s a lot of energy around the building. We’ve got music playing in the hallways. We’ve got music playing in the lunch room. The juices are flowing…..there were some points I was running and didn’t even know where I was running. I just made sure my butt was in gear.”'

'Kouandjio required hip surgery after falling inside his home in January. He was not present for the media portion of the Bills veteran minicamp Thursday in Orchard Park.'

'It involves offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, who was taken to Erie County Medical Center for observation following an incident with police. Kouandjio had a run-in with police Tuesday on Route 400, and according to the Erie County Sheriff's Office, the player ran into a field just off the road before being approached by police.'

'Bills head coach Sean McDermott will be focused on winning the game, but he’s human too. There will likely be some emotions stirring within him leading up to the Week 2 date against the Carolina Panthers as his former NFC club hosts Buffalo Sept. 17th.'

'“Corner is an important position and you talk about affecting quarterbacks, right? I’m a big believer in trying to affect quarterbacks from the defensive side of the football, and cornerbacks are an important part of that in terms of that formula,” said McDermott. “That’s a position we’re looking hard at, just like the other positions. We’re taking a long time to detail our work and make sure we’ve got all the ‘I’s dotted and ‘T’s crossed.”'

'“I’m just going to continue with my preparation,” said Williams. “Nothing changes. Mike was one of my closest friends on the team last year. I hung out with him just about every day last season. But every day is a competition and I was trying to beat him out. I work every day to be the best I can be. So my preparation isn’t going to change. I’m still going to try to be the best running back I can be.”'