Archives for February 13, 2015

'Let’s start with the concerns. Jackson turns 34 on Feb. 20, and that raises questions about just how effective he’ll be through another season. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for the Bills to make a major investment to retain Spiller, whose durability is an issue. If he departs, the Bills would need to find a replacement in the open market, which includes some big-name pending free agents in DeMarco Murray, Frank Gore, Justin Forsett, and Knowshon Moreno, or the draft.'

'Ryan was trying to do a bit of damage control after signing Incognito — the infamous ringleader of the Dolphins’ 2013 bullying controversy — as his first major move following a debut press conference in which the former Jets coach said he wanted to “build a bully” with the Bills.'

'The storyline is hardly new. We're a society that embraces second chances, and that's especially true in sports. Incognito is simply the latest of a long line of athletes who have resurrected themselves and their careers after facing public contempt.'

'“Now, he might not get all the interceptions… [but] they're not completing balls on him,” Ryan said. “And so to me, he has got that kind of ability. We've got to catch the ball a little bit, sometimes go up and get more picks and things. But this guy's an elite guy, there's no question about it.”'

'“Will EJ Manuel have an opportunity to win a job? I believe he will,” said the Bills head coach. “He'll be given an opportunity certainly. I think he's gonna improve. I think he'll improve a great deal under the leadership, obviously with Greg Roman being our offensive coordinator. David Lee, in my opinion, is one of the best fundamental quarterback coaches that there is, so I think he's going to improve that way.”'

'“First off I understand the concerns,” said Ryan. “However, I’m also a guy that believes in second chances and sitting down and talking with Richie I truly believe that that’s in the past now. He’s really looking forward to putting that all behind him and moving forward. I wouldn’t bring a guy in that I thought would have issues like that in the locker room or in the community certainly.”'

'“We feel good about the guys we have on our current roster, but that doesn’t mean we’re done at that position,” said Ryan. “Whether it's a guard, tackle, center, if we think we can help ourselves we’re definitely going to explore that. I could definitely see us bringing in another offensive lineman to add to this mix.”'