Archives for June 2015

'"There wasn't a brighter guy I've known than Van Miller," Levy said. "The last time I talked to him his voice wasn't as strong and he wasn't as mobile as he was before. But he still had that great sense of humor and he was still very warm-hearted, liked by everybody he knew and that includes me."'

'The Bills have six tight ends on the current 90-man roster. Aside from Clay there’s third-year veterans Chris Gragg and MarQueis Gray, rookies Nick O’Leary and Clay Burton, and former Canisius basketball player Chris Manhertz, who’s officially listed as a second-year player because he signed before last season ended, but has never actually played organized football before.'

'“I think Powell is the one that jumps out to me on defense,” Ryan answered immediately. “He had four interceptions through these camps and you can ignore it you want, but he makes plays. He’s smart.”'

'“I was grateful just to have a chance to play on offense,” Gray said. “Since I had been in the NFL, I’d been doing a lot of special teams, so to get that chance to showcase what I can do on offense was really a blessing for me.”'

'"He came in for a visit and he kind of blew us away when we got him on the board and our coaches were talking to him," Ryan said. "Mentally it's a big thing and a big challenge in this when you come from college to the NFL, especially as an offensive lineman. I think this young man seems to have the aptitude for it and that's going to allow him to showcase his physical talents, so we're excited about that."'

'The third week of the preseason typically is the dress rehearsal for the regular season, with starters receiving their most extensive playing time of the preseason. That means the amount of work Cleveland's Johnny Manziel and Buffalo's EJ Manuel receive in the joint practices should be a good indicator of where each quarterback stands.'

'"Oh, gawd, I didn't realize he was 22. I'm a little nervous," the Bills new coach said. "But no. He certainly has more of, I don't know if mature is the right word. But he's been around the game awhile."'

'"Although there's been some rough spots, it seems like we're on pace. I'm happy with the conditioning of our players, it seems they're all in shape, which is important when you hit minicamp. After that, they're on their own, so I think we have a pretty good start with that."'

'Mathis, an 11-year veteran, was cut by the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday night after a contract dispute. A 2005 third-round pick by the Carolina Panthers, Mathis has skipped all of the Eagles voluntary OTAs this offseason.'

'“I don’t think you back yourself into it. If I give you a date, and we come back around in week two (of the preseason) and there’s no starting quarterback, ‘well, you said there would be a starting quarterback.’ “I think I’ve learned you just let that thing sit there.”'

'“But when we started the OTAs, he came back and I said, ‘Woof! The guy’s impressive,’” Ryan said Wednesday, after the Bills’ next-to-last scheduled OTA session. “Now, it shouldn’t surprise me. I think his test score coming out” of North Carolina State before the San Francisco 49ers made him a first-round draft pick in 2006 “was the second-highest that I can remember for a defensive player next to Eric Smith, who’s one of our coaches now,” working as a special teams assistant. “He’s really a sharp guy.'

'“I don’t think we’ll see anything during minicamp that will say, ‘hey, this guy is our starter.’ That’s not going to happen,” Ryan said. “We’re going to keep that competition going and at least give guys opportunities when it’s time for football. But as far as being here, I feel good. I feel great about this team. I think there is going to be some competition at that position, and I think we have confident players at that position. But for us to say this guy’s the starter, that’s not going to happen.”'

'"It's safe to say we won't have LeBron at quarterback,'' Ryan said. "We may have a LeBron at defensive tackle and at defensive end, but we won't have him at quarterback.''

'"I think it's better," Robey said. "Last year, I was more just in coverage basically. Softer coverage, too. I didn't get to do everything I wanted to do as far as being aggressive and being able to play like I really like to play. This year, Rex allows me to do that."'

'Ryan insists he's not worried about the quarterback position, and the fact that he's willing to joke about it supports his words. Right now, it's the most glaring issue facing his team, and it's an issue he's familiar with from his time in New York. The only thing the Bills know at this point is that it's a long way from being settled.'