‘Elam has not yet lived up to the expectations that come with being a first-round draft pick because he has not nailed down a starting cornerback job the past two seasons. Part of the reason last season was injury. He tore an ankle ligament in a preseason game and appeared in only three games on defense – Weeks 5 and 6 and the Pittsburgh playoff game, when he saw 52 snaps. Part of the reason is he hasn’t played well enough to beat out Christian Benford, who has vastly outplayed his sixth-round draft status.’
Archives for July 2024
Damar Hamlin pauses Cincinnati trivia game to praise Jeff Ruby: ‘He took good care of me’
‘”Jeff Ruby came and sat next to me on my bedside, man, and really put me deep to what was going on in Cincinnati,” Hamlin told The Enquirer on Monday while playing a game of Cincinnati trivia. “So shoutout to the Rubys. Him and his family, I really love and appreciate them, man. They made sure my family and the care team and all my nurses (were) good all week. … He took good care of me that whole week and some change that I was in Cincinnati.”‘
Dawuane Smoot’s Community passions shine through the Elsie Academy
‘“That’s been an important thing in our household, to give back, and especially since we have kids now we have to give back as much as we can so the community they grow up in will be a better place,” Smoot said.’
Which Buffalo Bills players are ready to emerge on defense in 2024?
‘A sixth-round pick in the 2022 draft, Benford was a surprise contributor his rookie season, earning a starting role out of camp. Multiple injuries derailed a promising Year 1 campaign but Benford came out stronger in his second season, solidifying himself as one of the top CBs on Buffalo’s roster.’
Bills training camp questions: What does a healthy DaQuan Jones mean for the defense?
‘Jones was well on his way to doing just that until disaster struck. Four defensive plays into the Bills’ Week 5 game against the Jaguars in London, Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle. That’s an injury that typically knocks a player out for the rest of the season, but Jones didn’t want to go out like that. He rehabbed the injury and returned by Week 17 of the regular season.’
Bills enter training camp with question marks at wide receiver
‘Perhaps no position group on the roster demonstrates the new faces better than the Bills receiver room, which has undergone an almost complete makeover since the end of the 2023 season. It also remains one of the biggest question marks heading into training camp — with practices commencing on July 24 at St. John Fisher University — and the regular season.’
Von Miller angry that ACL injury slowed 2023 season, pass rusher says he ‘shouldn’t have been out there’
‘”My biggest individual goal is just getting back to playing my style of football,” he said, via Sports Illustrated. “It’s crazy how you get injured, and you come back, and you really shouldn’t have even been playing, and people judge you by a product on the field. I could have easily sat out all of last season, but I couldn’t do my teammates like that. I felt like being later in my career, I didn’t want to sacrifice any of my years. But at the same time, I shouldn’t have been out there.”‘
Von Miller admits he “shouldn’t have even been playing” during sack-less season
‘Miller offered a lengthy answer about his recovery at the end of a promotional interview with Sports Illustrated’s Fan Nation about his line of eyeglasses, going as far as saying he’s “angry” about the way fans are judging him based on last season’s performance.’
Bills training camp questions: Ty Johnson or Ray Davis as No. 2 tailback?
Johnson started last year on the practice squad, was activated on Oct. 20 and finished with 45 regular season/playoff carries and eight regular-season kick returns. In 72 career games, he has 238 rushes for 1,057 yards (4.4-yard average) and four touchdowns, and 93 catches for 730 yards and four touchdowns. Davis was drafted in the fourth round (No. 128 overall) after a five-year career at Temple, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. He rushed 746 times for 3,626 yards (4.86-yard average) and 29 touchdowns.