Archives for September 1, 2016

'Buffalo native Glenn Gronkowski survived the team's first set of cuts. He'll have to make a big impact tonight if he's going to either unseat Jerome Felton as the fullback, or impress the coaching staff enough to convince them to keep two FBs.'

'TE Blake Annen: The athletic tight end made a nice catch in last week’s game at Washington, but he’ll have to be more impactful against the Lions if he wants to steal the last tight end spot on the roster with Chris Gragg now on injured reserve.'

'How will Cardale Jones look? The Bills felt comfortable enough with the physical condition of their rookie quarterback that they released Austin Trainor just two days after signing him. That means Jones must be ready. He'll need to be, because he'll play the bulk of Thursday's game.'

'The Bills led the NFL in kickoff coverage last season, giving up just 17.2 yards per return. A big part of that goes to the hang time that Gay got on his kickoffs, which allowed the coverage unit to get downfield.'

'The Texas A&M product originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent of the Green Bay Packers, and has spent time on the practice squad with both Cleveland and Jacksonville.'

'"It’s important for evaluating," Ryan said. "It might not be as important on the scoreboard or whatever, although I think you’re out there competing, you want to win. But you’re looking to evaluate your guys and I think it’s an important opportunity. So the game matters … it’s just that you’re not going to play your starters."'

'WR Brandon Tate – Formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals, the 28-year-old Tate is a proven return man. He is the Bengals' all-time leader in punt returns with 1,411 yards, a career average of 9.2 yards per return on 149 attempts. He's also second in Cincinnati history with 3,517 kick-return yards. If the Bills aren't crazy about the job Reggie Bush has done as the primary return man, Tate could fit.'

'So is prevailing pressure on Ryan to improve his defense, and he and GM Doug Whaley have feverishly added several veteran linebackers since losing second-round draft pick Reggie Ragland and defensive end IK Enemkpali to season-ending knee injuries. Defensive end Shaq Lawson, the club's first-round pick, is also shelved at least six weeks with a surgically repaired shoulder.'

'“It means a lot because you’re not just playing for this team, you’re playing for 31 other teams,’’ wide receiver Walt Powell said. “So whether the Bills want you or not, somebody else may want you. It all depends because there are a lot of good guys on this team. They’re going to find a place whether it’s here or somewhere else.’’'

'On Wednesday, Williams posted a classy and heartfelt message on his Instagram account (karlos_29_sr), bidding farewell to the city, fans and the Bills organization. The post included an image of Williams, football in hand, bowing to fans in appreciation.'

'Lewis' addition to the roster could mean that the Bills are moving on from Ryan Groy or Fernando Velasco when the team trims their roster down to 53 players.'

'What would send Buffalo spiraling back? If first-round pick Shaq Lawson, who is starting the season on the PUP list, fails to contribute, and the run defense is subpar sans Ragland, that could spell trouble. There will be times the ground game and defense carry this team. LeSean McCoy can't be missing game days.'

'Humber profiles as a weak-side inside linebacker, which could help his chances of making the roster. That's a spot the Bills are thin at behind starter Zach Brown. The Bills have now added linebackers in consecutive days. On Tuesday, the Bills acquired Lerentee McCray in a trade with the Green Bay Packers.'

'Clayton noted that Buffalo has enough talent to make the playoffs as a wild-card team, and his ranking backs up this statement. Buffalo's eight blue-chip players tied them with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.'

'Humber has played in 92 career games while accumulating 141 tackles, 3.5 sacks, four passes defensed, eight quarterback hits, nine tackles for loss, one forced fumble and 50 solo special teams tackles.'