Archives for July 2015

'The team did not disclose the injuries that are sidelining the players. They all can come off the lists any time before the start of the season and begin practicing.'

'They are scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 2.'

'“I feel like daily I’m being asked about the quarterback competition, whether it's from friends, family, people on the street, whoever. And I literally have no idea. And I’m excited to see these guys in preseason games, in team settings in practice, getting to work with them with the pads on, with guys actually coming at them which is a big deal for a quarterback. I’m sure you guys are about ready for a starter to be named just like we are. But we got a whole lot of work before it will probably be announced.”'

'I can't say I have a strong conviction with this pick. I honestly would not be shocked if on opening day EJ Manuel or Tyrod Taylor are starting. The main reason why I chose Cassel is his experience. He has 10 years in the NFL and has made 71 starts so I'm thinking he could have an edge in getting a handle on Greg Roman's offense. I think the Bills are looking for a quarterback to manage the game and limit mistakes and I think Cassel, at this point, has a better chance of doing that than Manuel and Taylor.'

'It's going to be a difficult result to the summer for one of three wide receivers, but only Goodwin makes the list because of how high of a pick he was.'

'“I’ll definitely be out there,” said Watkins. “I don’t know what the circumstance will be with the (athletic training) staff and what I’m going to be doing or how limited I’m going to be, but I’m definitely going to be practicing.”'

'The NFI designation covers injuries sustained away from football-related activities. The club did not disclose the nature of the injuries sustained by the three veteran players.'

'“Attitude change, player additions, I think you would be lying if you said you didn’t see it or feel it. We’re excited about where we could go. But we have a whole lot of work before we get there. We’ve got a whole lot of work before we have that first game in September. Obviously, we’ve got some talented guys, but hopefully they understand that there’s a lot of work to get done before we can realize any kind of potential we have.”'

'“He’s not real accurate,” the executive said. “He has a weird, dart-throwing motion. For a big, strong-looking guy, he doesn’t throw the ball like one. … But sometimes it takes time. Sometimes, it’s tough when you’re thrown in there right away if you’re not Andrew Luck.”'

'“We have to show up. We have to win. Win games,” Watkins said. “Everybody’s buying tickets and everybody’s got this Super Bowl thing on us. We’ve got to come out here and win. Coming in Friday for practice, we’ve got to start it up. We’re not going to just go out there and win games because we have all these players. I think if we handle our business in practice, we definitely have a shot at the playoffs.'

'Goodell knows public sentiment is on his side. He also has the power that comes with knowing that his league is more popular and lucrative than ever, despite the recent scandals. If it’s a fight Brady wants, Goodell is saying that the NFL is bigger than any one player, even the greatest quarterback of all time.'

'“We’ve got some talented guys, but hopefully they understand there’s a lot of work to get done before we can realize any kind of potential we have.”'

'This year, Kouandjio had the better offseason and is in the driver’s seat, but now the pads go on. Incognito solidifies the RG spot, and Miller, a third-rounder in 2015, has been a nice surprise who was plugged in as a starter from the day the Bills picked him. Wood and Glenn are locked in, and Urbik will be the key backup at both guard spots and center.'

'Bradham and Brown are going to be the two inside linebackers. The outside positions, in theory, will be manned by Mario Williams and Hughes, but as I said earlier, they aren't going to be performing normal LB duties too often. In essence, this defense is more like a 5-2 than a 3-4. This is what you need to know: The Bills are going to line up seven guys in the first two levels, and it will be a mish-mash of players in a variety of alignments. Powell and Johnson are the front-runners to earn the backup spots at ILB.'

'"I don't really know how I feel about it. Honestly, there hasn't been a whole lot of precedent set in this regard. I felt that the consistency shown is refreshing, because sometimes it feels like they suspend a guy and then they always end up taking it away, or taking half of it back or whatever. The consistency is nice. I guess I don't know enough about the whole situation to determine what I think the punishment should have been but I did appreciate the consistency and I'm sure there will be a lot more going on from here."'