Archives for September 2016

'The Bills signed Nittmo in 1991 to test Norwood's mettle. What did he remember of Norwood's state of mind? But nobody seemed to know where Nittmo was. I eventually learned we might not even know who he is, that he has been using an alias, living somewhere in the Southwest and probably still reeling from concussions suffered while chasing an NFL career.'

'"Quite honestly, we have about 12 plays off of it," Bills coach Rex Ryan said after the game. "We haven't run any. We went into the game wanting to run all of them just to get it out there because we've been practicing it. It's part of what we do. Obviously Tyrod (Taylor) gives you an excellent athlete out there running it, but when Wilder went down we had no backs. That kind of blew that one out of the water."'

'"Guys like EJ Manuel become very hot commodities," Tasker said. "You can bet that the Bills are fielding inquiries about EJ's availability."'

'"Well now it's time to make a little bet," said Kelly. "Maybe some Maine lobster and I am going hunting in two weeks. Elk hunting and then I go moose hunting. So I can have you some good moose or elk filets."'

'"That was a really disappointing game — just a stinker," Bills coach Rex Ryan said.'

'Bills rookie quarterback Cardale Jones was 12-for-26 for 117 yards and an interception.'

'Glenn Gronkowski got a chance to carry the ball in the first half, rushing four times for 19 yards. Daniel Herron, Buffalo's only healthy and available RB, led the team with 38 yards on 15 carries. James Wilder Jr. left the game due to concussion protocol in the first half and did not return. In addition to Wilder, DL Jerel Worthy, S Colt Anderson (foot) and OL Marquis Lucas (ankle) and TE Blake Annan (neck) also left early. Of those players, only Worthy returned.'

'EJ Manuel struggled to find an early rhythm as he was sacked three times. Cardale Jones played the majority of the second quarter and all the second half finishing 12-for-26 for 117 yards and an interception.'

'Rex Ryan said it ahead of the game in Detroit, someone will make the roster based on how they perform in the fourth preseason game. That man is Glenn Gronkowski.'

'With mostly backups on the field from the start, the Bills fell behind early and has trouble answering on the scoreboard. Detroit scored on the third play from scrimmage on a 58-yard touchdown run by Dwayne Washington and was up 17-0 at the half en route to a 31-0 victory over Buffalo in the preseason finale.'

'“It sped up a little bit. It definitely sped up some. Coach Roman did a great job of switching it up and getting the ball out quick and the offensive line had some suggestions about changing up the snap counts because they were coming off the ball pretty good,” Jones said.'

'Taking no chances in sustaining any more injuries to key players with the regular season opener 10 days away, Bills head coach Rex Ryan sat almost all of his starting players Thursday night against the Lions.'

'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.'