Archives for August 2017

'"Just the business," Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins said of Smith's message. "Just to stay here another day. Come here every day and try to make a play. Just make it a business. These guys, the DBs are not our friends. I mean I love them to death, but at the end of the day I'm trying to feed my kids and I have a legacy I'm trying to chase. He's just telling you, 'You're not a bad guy is you're an a–hole basically.'"'

'After seeking a second opinion on his injured foot on Friday, Bills offensive tackle Cordy Glenn was back on the practice field on Sunday afternoon. After practice, Glenn said he hopes to be ready for the season and has a plan in place that he and the team agree on. That's a step in the right direction, but the Bills can't afford to be without Glenn for any extended period of time.'

'"Ryan's done a good job. I know he's got some background at guard and center. We know there's some flexibility there. Right now, he's with the new system, mastering that," McDermott said.'

'Tyrod, Peterman woes: Overall, Taylor did not have an awful practice. The team's starter went 10-for-13 on the day but tossed an ugly interception to Jordan Poyer on a seam route to his right and a sack from Jerry Hughes. Nathan Peterman struggled at times, going 6-for-12. Peterman did not turn the ball over but the quarterback did end Friday's practice with a pick-six. TJ Yates was consistent, he sacked once by Gerald Hodges and Matt Milano, going 11-for-14 on the day. Yates does not often take chances on throws though.'

'Glenn expects to be ready for the start of the regular season and answered, "No, not right now," when asked if he feels there is any risk of further damaging the foot.'

' After practice, he told the media, “my foot is fine…I actually got to go back out there and test it out and found out it was a little ankle twist. Ran a route, caught the ball, felt good about it.” Watkins also said he asked to run some plays to test it out after trainers weren’t initially going to let him. “Once I caught the ball and ran another route, I was like, ‘I’m fine,’ it’s no problem,” he said. Watkins says he will ice his ankle tonight and be ready to practice tomorrow.'

'Rod Streater, who you’ll remember most notably from his time in Oakland, has put in consistently good practices almost on a daily basis.'

'“We’re always concerned,” McDermott said. “Number one you always want to look and see what’s going on there. We got a good look at it and Dr. Anderson got a good look at things. Cordy is going to practice today and we’ll see how it goes. Really he’s day to day at this point."'

'Watkins got a total of just four reps, two in 11-on-11 and two in 7-on-7, but the fact that he did participate after the ankle twist was certainly an encouraging sign.'

'Camp observers have taken notice of the crisp, business-like practices at Fisher. There’s no time wasted between practice periods. The intensity seems high. The focus looks sharp. And Bills veterans seem to especially like the preponderance of early morning (8:45 am) workouts, saying they feel fresher on the field and more prepared to get to work.'

'“I just don’t do it. I’ve never been that guy to talk trash,” White said. “I just want to play. I really love the game of football and I love competing. That doesn’t come with talking for me. I just want to play.”'

'“It’s been awesome to learn the personal side of guys,” quarterback Tyrod Taylor said. “You know them as players, some people have grown up with others, but for the most part we’re here and we just know the outside, so for those guys to get up and be vulnerable and tell stories about their lives that people don’t know, it definitely brings you together — brings the room together.”'

'The play of Tyrod Taylor, T.J. Yates and Nathan Peterman has been uneven during camp, but it hasn't risen to the level of crisis. There are still four preseason games to go, and it is a new offense. Taylor deserves more time to get comfortable. As long as he stays healthy, he's the obvious starter.'

'Sandwiched between questions by partners of current players simply trying to obtain recommendations for a pediatrician or a hairstylist or a school in their new NFL city, were posts from partners of former players sharing their heartbreaking – and often horrifying – stories of life with a man she didn’t recognize anymore.'

'He’s a metaphor for a franchise that keeps going around in circles, only to end up back at mediocrity. They build up hope at the beginning of the season only to crash into disappointment by December.'