Archives for August 5, 2017

'The Bills signed Glenn to a five-year contract extension in May 2016 worth up to $65 million. He missed five games last season — two because of an ankle injury and the final three because of a back injury. With Glenn out in the spring, the team used rookie second-round draft pick Dion Dawkins as the starting left tackle.'

'“My third year (in the NFL), I broke both of my feet. I had the same thing Sammy Watkins had, except I had it on both of mine two months apart,” the Buffalo Bills’ receiver said after a recent training camp practice at St. John Fisher College. “It’s serious, man. It takes, I want to say, a good year off your feet to come back and really get going.”'

'"Hopefully with this system coming through, we get a chance to get out there," coach Sean McDermott said. "That's the goal at this point. It helps us work on our adaptability. I'm sure this won't be the only time we go through something like this during the season, so this will be a good dry run for us. There's always things that come up through the season, that again aren't in the little head coaches notebook that they give out from the league, right? So that's an important part of a good football team, and a good team in general, that we can be adaptable to whatever situation is in front of us. This one's no different. It's a good opportunity for us to check in on that end of things and make sure that we can handle, sometimes, the challenges that come up along the way."'

'"It helps us work on our adaptability," coach Sean McDermott said of dealing with the weather issues. "I'm sure this won't be the only time we go through something like this during the season, so this will be a good dry run for us. There's always things that come up through the season, that again aren't in the little head coaches notebook that they give out from the league, right? So that's an important part of a good football team, and a good team in general, that we can be adaptable to whatever situation is in front of us. This one's no different. It's a good opportunity for us to check in on that end of things and make sure that we can handle, sometimes, the challenges that come up along the way."'

'Cordy went and got a second opinion down in—ended up going down to Charlotte and was evaluated by Bob Anderson down there. He’s got some soreness. We’re going to hold him out tonight. Have to plan to look forward at this point. We’re just going to take it day-to-day at this point'

'Jones was signed Wednesday and will get an opportunity to win a job as the primary kick returner, but it's too early to forecast whether he can earn that role. None of the players projected to be cut have given the Bills overwhelming evidence that they should earn a spot, but there is time in the preseason games for that to change. The top four look secure in their roles with McCoy the obvious starter, Williams his backup, Tolbert as the short-yardage specialist and blocker and DiMarco as a versatile fullback.'

'QB T.J. Yates. Some might say he has looked better than starter Tyrod Taylor, and they might be right. But Taylor has usually had to face the first-team defense, and at this stage of camp, defense is always ahead of the offense. Yates looks like a solid backup quarterback, something the Bills haven’t had for quite a while, and he gives you the feeling that if something were to happen to Taylor, the offense wouldn’t take too much of a dip.'

'“That’s my town’s Super Bowl, the one time a year when the money rolls in,’’ said Joe Banyard, a free agent running back with the Buffalo Bills. “We round up as many rattlesnakes as possible and auction everything off related to rattlesnakes.’’'

'Interning during Bills Camp truly is a unique experience. Whether students are doing it for course credit or just to get involved, we get a glimpse of what our first jobs could entail, hopefully giving us the leg up on our competition as we apply for jobs post-graduation.'

'The Bills spent a second-round pick on offensive tackle Dion Dawkins, who has spent time working at both left and right tackle. Seantrel Henderson, the Bills' primary backup at left tackle, is suspended for the first five games of the season. Jordan Mills, meanwhile, has taken most of the first-team reps at right tackle.'

'The idea of the Bills returning home was to get in front of the fans. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. Lightning in the area forced fans to evacuate the lower bowl and delayed the start of practice. By the time practice started, the crowd was much lighter than anticipated.'

'"Showing the appreciation," Taylor said. "They come out here, some of them travel from different places to come to practice. One lady said she came from Alaska. You have to show them support as well, too. More so, show them that you're thankful for them coming out here and spending the time."'

'"I expect our team to improve," Belichick told reporters at his Friday press conference. "I think that coach Marrone and the program they have down there will be good for us to work against. I have a lot of respect for what he did in Buffalo. They were a very tough team to compete against when they were in our division. He did a great job throughout his career at Syracuse and as an assistant in this league. I have a lot of respect for Doug and the program he runs."'

'In addition to tonight's practice, there will be plenty of things for fans to do before the game. The team announced that they'd have football interactives, mini golf, lawn games and more inside of the gates near The Bills Store. Gates for tonight's practice open at 4:30 p.m.'

'To this point, Glenn practiced the first six days of practice but has not since. The Bills are entering Day 8 of training camp, but that practice has been postponed due to weather. The session was scheduled to take part at New Era Field in Orchard Park at 5:30 p.m. It will begin a short time after that time.'