Archives for June 16, 2017

'The backup quarterback situation for the Bills is unsettled, to put it kindly. T.J. Yates will head to camp as the No. 2, but his performance this spring didn’t inspire much confidence that the Bills will be in good hands if their starter gets hurt. Behind Yates, neither rookie Nathan Peterman nor second-year veteran Cardale Jones looked particularly good, either. Jones heads to camp as the clear No. 4 on the depth chart, which doesn’t bode well for his chance at sticking on the 53-man roster.'

'"It's important that we win off the field first. That's how you set yourself up to win on the field. Now we handle this time off the field with class, No. 1, and then we put in the work to earn the right to win as a football team, myself included. That's what I expect. The players know that, the coaches know that."'

'If you want to catch the Buffalo Bills under the lights at training camp this summer, don't come late to the party. In fact, if you want to catch them at all, fans will have about one less week to do so than in years past.'

'"Watkins just can't stay healthy," said Schein. "And it is such a shame. I thought he had superstar potential before the 2014 NFL Draft. Remember the hands and athleticism and body control?! The guy has flashed spectacular play at the NFL level. In 2015, he eclipsed 1,000 yards and scored nine touchdowns in 13 games.'

'"I don't know if we won the offseason," McDermott said Thursday before the Bills' final minicamp practice. "I'm not into that. I'm into the process. I'm into where we are in our process and focused intently and only right now on that. That's what I'm focused on."'

'The Bills will have just one ticketed night practice at St. John Fisher College and will spend just over two weeks at the Rochester area college. The Bills will also hold a night practice at New Era Field, something they haven't done in recent years.'

'On July 27 and August 4, practice is slated for 5:30 p.m. On the August date, practice will also be held at New Era Field in Orchard Park, not St. John Fisher in Pittsford. The July date is the first day of practice.'

'Tyrod Taylor finishes with a strong day, opposite for Cardale.'

'If I were to award an MVP of a practice during OTAs — as ridiculous as that reads — it would go to Bills first-round pick and cornerback Tre'Davious White.'

'Here is where the Bills are: They still aren't good enough to compete with New England for the AFC East title, and unless several things fall into place, coupled with a few healthy doses of luck and good fortune, they probably won't make a serious run at a wild-card berth in the AFC.'

'Wide receiver Sammy Watkins continued to increase his workload, getting more reps in 11-on-11 work against the defense. In one of those sessions, Watkins caught back-to-back passes, including a wide receiver screen. Bills fans have been clamoring to see the team throw Watkins screens, something he was highly successful dong in college, but hasn’t been used for much at the NFL level.'

'“If the opportunity comes along, I’m going to try and take advantage of it,” Jackson said live in studio. “If it doesn’t happen, I still have 10 years to hang my hat on and I’ll be fine with that.”'

'The Bills open training camp with a 5:30 p.m. practice on the 27th that will require a ticket for fans to attend. The Bills will hold one other 5:30 p.m. practice during training camp back in Orchard Park at New Era Field on Friday August 4th.'

'It all kicks off on Thursday, July 27 at 5:30 pm, one of three practices at the college that will require a ticket for entry for fans. In a bit of a change from previous years, the Bills will hold an open practice for fans — with a ticket for entry — at New Era Field in Orchard Park on Friday, August 4. Training camp is scheduled to break on Tuesday, August 15.'

'Through six workouts that the media has been able to view during the spring offseason sessions, the best day we’ve seen from starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor was saved for the last day of school, so to speak.'