Archives for August 15, 2016

'“There’s a lot of some real positives in that game … the way some guys played,” the Bills coach maintained. “I loved the way the defense played when the (first team was) out there in particular … that was outstanding. I loved the way our quarterbacks played. It might not be reflected in the quarterback ratings … we had four or five drops but the quarterbacks can’t throw it and catch it. So that was certainly an issue. I was happy with a lot of the things we did defensively. We held them to 30 yards rushing (on 23 carries). That’s a good sign that we’re doing some good things, so we’ll see where it takes us from here.”'

'“Really excited about him. He’s a guy that in minicamp you saw the raw tools that he has,” Ryan said. “He’s got that speed. You know, he’s a smart young man and he’s got a passion for the game, loves to play. So yeah, he’s done extremely well.”'

'Enemkpali has been a starter for most of training camp with rookie first-round draft pick Shaq Lawson out following shoulder surgery and veteran Manny Lawson still on the half with a partially torn pectoral muscle.'

'RB James Wilder Jr.: He had more 15-yard penalties (two) than rushing yards (1) against the Colt. That's pretty much disastrous for a player locked in a roster battle. Wilder Jr. got five carries to produce that lone yard. Making things worse, rookie Jonathan Williams rushed eight times for a team-leading 44 yards.'

'Given the lack of depth on defense and a tough early schedule that includes games against the Patriots and Cardinals in the first month of the season, it’s reasonable to think they could be a much better team in the season half. By then, though, second-year coach Rex Ryan could be fending off reports that his job is in jeopardy.'

'Irsay's smiley emoji at the end of the tweet was likely an indication it was in jest.'

'Enemkpali twisted his right leg awkwardly as he was engaged with a blocker while rushing quarterback Scott Tolzien.'

'"Well, we just got to hope we get Manny back soon," Ryan said. "I think that will obviously be a big help. I'm not saying we won't look for other possibilities. We have Lorenzo Alexander, who I feel really good about. You guys saw the kind of impact he has as a special teams player. I purposely held him out of some of the [defensive] snaps because when he was starting on all of those [special] teams, I don't want him starting on defense, also. But he's a very capable player."'

'Enemkpali was picked up by the Bills last season on waivers from the New York Jets. In eleven games played last season with the Bills, Enemkpali registered 13 combined tackles. Enemkpali was taking a good amount of reps in training camp rotating through the first team and second team defensive units.'

'No, I’m not freaking out about penalties. The Bills had 11 in the game. A) Its pre-season so I’ll save my anger for when the game counts in the standings. B) Five of the 11 penalties came from guys who probably won’t make the opening day roster. C) Five of the 11 came from special teams which is a mishmash of guys who are trying to win one of the coveted 53 spots.'

'Enemkpali went down with 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter after his leg bent awkwardly while trying to shed a block from Joe Haeg.'

'“I remembered on the first punt I kind of got through, and we weren’t running any (punt) rushes really, we were just running some returns and I told the guys, ‘Maybe I should try to get this one,’” Gragg said. “So I ran a different move than I ran on the first punt and I got back there.”'