Archives for August 24, 2015

'“We’ve thrown a lot at this young man and we’re going to throw some more at him,” Ryan said after Saturday’s practice at St. John Fisher College. “Have him play some ‘MIKE’ also, which he doesn’t know about yet, but it’s going to be good.'

'“I came out, competed, was physical — that’s what my coach talked to me about today — but I have to stay consistent with it,” Lewis said. “I can’t go back anymore. I can’t digress. I have to continue to progress and get better.”'

'“You look at it as it is life, and you take what you’re given and you roll with and just do your best,” Manuel said. “I feel like I’ve been putting a good product out there on tape in these games and my main thing in practice is just be consistent. That’s all I work on every day.”'

'Matt Cassel: He took a team-high 14 reps by unofficial count against the scout team, although seven of those were run plays.'

'Ryan was asked whether the three quarterbacks – Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor, and EJ Manuel – might all get a chance to play with the first-string offense. With a smirk on his face, Ryan said to the inquiring reporter, "I'm not going to tip my hand, but you are very intelligent."'

'To which Dareus added, “We all know how I feel … we all know how the team feels. I want to be a part of the Buffalo Bills. I want to be a part of the history that we’re going to make here. But at the same time it’s a business and we all have to go through negotiations just like anybody else in any other career.'

'"I think they've had a fair shake all the way through camp. I don't think there's any doubt in that," Ryan said. "Everybody's had a ton of reps and things. I think I was honest with that and we're still evaluating it, so we'll just continue."'

'The family never got the closure of justice for his father’s killer, and they haven’t delved into Jeffery Butler’s struggles with drugs and divorce from Butler’s mother, he told the newspaper. The elder Butler's death shows up as one of 32 cold cases from 2000 still listed by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. His son, who was 10 years old at the time, couldn’t sleep for three full days after the murder.'

'Of course, "first string" would be a stretch. He had the No. 1 line, but all of the top skill position players were out injured. In fact, the top four receivers and top five running backs were all out, so it was rather unfortunate that Taylor didn't get the full benefit of the Bills' personnel in his big chance to start.'

'Ryan still will not say who will start Saturday and he did say all four could play. Will a decision be made afterwards? Ryan said, “We’ll see. We’ll get together as a staff and then with Whales and we’ll see if that’s the appropriate time or not, but we may make that decision then, I would anticipate that we would, but we’ll see how long we can keep it from you guys.”'

'With LeSean McCoy, Boobie Dixon, Karlos Williams, and Bryce Brown all still out, Fred Jackson is the number one running back. The first two plays in the first 11-on-11 session were Fred Jackson off tackle followed by a swing pass to the veteran.'

'"You know what I think, I like the schedule the way it is because your players don’t play the entire game. Things happen, there’s no question, but they can happen in a controlled scrimmage situation, they can happen anytime," he said.'

'So, the rotation we’ve seen over the last two practices — with all three quarterbacks getting time with the first-team offense — is likely to be a precursor to what we’ll see Saturday against Pittsburgh. Who starts the game will likely be merely semantics, and it appears the Bills are putting a lot of stock in how each of the three men perform in that game.'

'“I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemies,” Steward said of Powell’s injury. “But with [head coach Rex Ryan] it’s next man up … I’ve got to get out here and get the best work I can get and make sure I’m on top of my stuff because when my number’s called, I want to be ready.”'

'"I think collectively we’ve done a good job," said EJ Manuel. "Our biggest thing is being consistent and (quarterbacks) coach (David) Lee has done a great job coaching us up just same as all the coaches I think have done a great job. Coach (Greg) Roman’s done an awesome job as far as putting plays and putting us in good situations to have success out there, especially in these games. So the main thing in preseason games, you want to get the ball rolling—you want to get first downs, you want to execute, and obviously you want to win the game too. But I think we’ve all done a good job.”'