Archives for August 2016

'Ragland was expected to start at inside linebacker alongside Preston Brown in Buffalo’s defense in 2016. Seen as a three-down linebacker the Bills will now look to fill the void with veteran players like Zach Brown and the recently signed Brandon Spikes and David Hawthorne. Third-year player Randell Johnson has also made the conversion from outside to inside linebacker this offseason and has made good progress.'

'“I feel good about the guys that we have,” said head coach Rex Ryan. “Zach Brown has been doing a good job and the addition of (Brandon) Spikes and (David) Hawthorne, along with Randell Johnson, I think we have good depth. We have better depth this year than we did last year at that position.”'

'“I think the trainers did a great job, not with just the injury. We worked on things I need to work on. Fixed things that needed to be fixed with my body,” said Watkins. “We worked on routes and the technique part more so than just the injury and how I can protect the injury and help the injury out by not putting as much weight on it and run better routes. Those things can help me in the long run.”'

'“Me and Preston are always talking,” said Zach Brown. “We hang out as a linebacker corps so for us, it’s the Browns. People are always like ‘P. Brown and Z. Brown,’ so we are always hanging around, talking about plays. You know how the adjustments are going to work, and we just make the adjustments and we tell the coaches what we do.”'

'"The truth of the matter is — and I know reports are out there he's got this, he's got that — guys, there isn't one person that knows exactly what the injury is, the extent of the injury, until the swelling goes down," Ryan said. "Right now, it's clear that nobody knows that he has a torn ACL. The swelling goes down, we'll know exactly.'

'Unlike Monday, Watkins didn't do a whole lot in Tuesday's session, although he was wearing a helmet and pads at the outset before replacing his helmet with a bucket hat. Coach Rex Ryan said the team was following a "game plan" in the management of the receiver's recovery from the stress fracture he suffered in his left foot during the offseason.'

'Marquise Goodwin could have been in Rio, competing in the Summer Olympics, but he failed to qualify in the long jump. So rather than make the late arrival to camp that would have occurred had he reached the finals of his event, Goodwin has been here from the outset, competing for a backup spot at wide receiver.'

'No update on Reggie (Ragland), on Cordy (Glenn) and on Corey White. No updates there, so status is the same with those guys. We had (Jerel) Worthy out with a medical. He’ll be back Thursday, I believe, but he said he’s got a little medical thing. With that, I think that’s pretty much it. I was really encouraged today.'

'In short, last season’s offense maxed out under Roman. His creativity is underappreciated. We saw more variations of the toss sweep than John McKay (look him up) ever imagined. We saw traps and zone run plays out of every formation under the sun. Sure, they need to improve. They led the NFL in three-and-outs. But there’s good reason to believe Roman will squeeze out everything Taylor has to give in 2016.'

'“I thought me and my team should take a stand and that would inspire other students to not be afraid to share your voice,” Striker said in recalling the incident, which soon became national news. “As athletes, we can bring a positive change more than anybody on campus, so I said let’s use this. That’s what I was doing.”'

'This is the NFL in 2016, when any quarterback that can throw and chew gum at the same time gets paid like six Jim Kellys of two decades ago.'

'Starting with Tyrod Taylor’s offense, no surprises will be found at the offensive line as his returning unit of Cordy Glenn, Richie Incognito, Eric Wood, John Miller, and Jordan Mills are all listed as the first team unit.'

'"Everything," Watkins said. "That's what I've been fighting for the last three years is being healthy. And I think now I'm to the point where I'm getting there."'

'Of course, the Ragland injury wasn't the only one for the Bills as they began their second week of camp. The left side of the offensive line — tackle Cordy Glenn and guard Richie Incognito — are both out indefinitely. Glenn suffered what is believed to be a high ankle sprain in the Bills' intrasquad scrimmage Saturday and he is now in a walking boot. He may be out the entire preseason. Incognito suffered bruised ribs during practice Monday.'

'“It’s night and day, night and day from last year,” he told me with a hint of laughter when I asked about the difference in communication. “For the most part, everybody knows what they’re doing. The coaches made it a lot simpler. We spent a lot of time in the offseason really studying, really putting in the work. It’s just a different defense as a whole. Everybody knows what they’re doing. Everybody’s flying around. We don’t have any of those communication errors really like that anymore.”'