Archives for August 2017

'"Ramon is a very smart football player," Frazier said. "He has good athleticism, has some leadership qualities as well, but just watch his movement. He does a very good job of being at the right place at the right time. He’s displayed that for us, and is a guy who is opportunistic. He’ll make plays when he has opportunities to make those plays."'

'Reggie Ragland — In what was supposed to be a competition with Preston Brown for the starting job at middle linebacker, Ragland has yet to emerge. He has not been able to earn any first-team snaps to this point. The Bills also haven't tried Ragland at a different linebacker position with the first team — which had been raised as a possibility in the spring. There is still time for him to catch up, but Ragland is definitely trailing Brown thus far.'

'"I just wanted to get a bunch of time working on stuff that we may not be able to get to in practice, and also just get on the same page heading into camp and make sure we don't take any steps back," Taylor said in between signing autographs after a recent training camp practice at St. John Fisher College. "We finished out on a good note in the spring and wanted to continue to be building off that and make sure there was no step back in training camp."'

'LeSean McCoy has looked great at the start of training camp. The running back will lead the way on the ground and may become more involved in the passing game. Jonathan Williams is in line to backup McCoy, but he may have to fight off Mike Tolbert. The former Panther has played well through four practices and his ability to play running back and fullback should help him lock down a roster spot. If the team carries a fourth back, Cedric O'Neal may be the favorite to win the job. He's shown a good burst on the field.'

'Of course, quarterback is on my list. Until the Bills find their franchise guy, quarterback will always be on the list. Watching Bills quarterbacks at camp and wondering if they can become great has become more of a rite of summer for me than going to baseball games. I’m not sure how much stock I’ll put into camp practices with Tyrod Taylor though. I’ll be curious to see how he's picking up the new offensive system and whether or not he’s seeing the entire field when dropping back to pass, but the true evaluation of Taylor will only come in regular season games.'

'The Sportz Degree program will run side-by-side with current after school programming at East Middle School and is offered to students in grades 4-6. Jones, along with other staff, will provide instruction in various sports activities to give children a different outlook on sportsmanship, health and wellness.'

'“It’s a good relationship,” said Johnson. “We’re both competing for a job, and only one guy can win the job. There’s a level of respect for the both of us. At the end of the day, we’re putting the team first. My job is to put my best foot forward and help in any way to better the Bills organization. And his job is to do the same. Whoever produces the most and gives the team a better chance to win will come out to play.”'

'“I think a lot of receivers are asked to (line up in different places) especially young guys you know,” said offensive coordinator Rick Dennison. “And certainly guys that we draft have a chance to do a little bit of that. So, with Zay, I think we're moving him around a little bit to different spots. But, each guy, they'll learn their role.”'