Archives for August 21, 2017

'"I want to go out there and prove myself to my teammates. I want them to know that I'm tough, and I want them to know that I'm not the type of guy that wants to miss practice and just be there for games." Matthews said. "I'm extremely confident I will be ready to play for Week 1."'

'Anderson has yet to play an NFL game since being selected by San Francisco in the seventh round of the 2015 draft. He missed his entire rookie season because of an ankle injury. McDonald has no NFL experience and was signed by San Diego as an undrafted free agent in 2016.'

'"It gave me some courage," Jefferson said Sunday, referring to seeing Long support Jenkins, who stood with a raised fist. "Just seeing that togetherness on their team between different races, different people, I felt like that's all I wanted. I wanted togetherness to build awareness for that."'

'Boldin finishes his 14-year NFL career ranked ninth all-time in receptions (1,076), 14th in receiving yards (13,779) and tied for 23rd in receiving touchdowns (82). He won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens after the 2012 season.'

'The 5-9, 190-pound McDonald was an undrafted rookie signing of the San Diego Chargers in 2016. He spent his rookie year on the Chargers' practice squad but was released by the team last week.'

'Boldin has spent parts of the past two years on Capitol Hill fighting for criminal justice reform. His cousin, Corey Jones, was shot to death by a plain-clothed police officer in 2015 after Jones' van broke down on the side of a South Florida highway.'

'"I had a [knee] injury last preseason, unfortunately, and it kind of kept me out of some time when I was with the Eagles," he said. "But I was able to come back Week 1 and have a very productive game. I know how to take mental reps, I know how to stay in shape and I know how to make sure that I'm on top of the playbook.'

'For the Bills, this is a big blow. Their receiving corps is an unmitigated disaster. Remember: They already traded Sammy Watkins to the Rams, which means their best receiver is either Zay Jones (a second-round pick) or Jordan Matthews (currently hurt). The rest of their depth chart doesn't inspire much confidence…'.

'Boldin has played in 14 NFL seasons and ranks 14th on the all-time receiving yards list with 13,779. He has 82 career touchdowns, which has him tied with Brandon Marshall and Reggie Wayne for the 23rd most in league history. He recorded more than 1,000 receiving yards in seven of his seasons.'

'Behind Jones and Matthews on the team’s depth chart are Andre Holmes, Rod Streater, Philly Brown, Brandon Tate, and Walter Powell. However, Streater injured his toe in Thursday night’s preseason game against the Eagles and it’s unclear when he’ll be available to play, if at all this season. Powell is scheduled to serve a four-game suspension to start the season for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.'

'When asked if Streater may require surgery, McDermott said the team is still weighing their options.'

'Without Boldin, the Bills top six wide receivers consist of the injured Jordan Matthews, rookie Zay Jones, Andre Holmes, the injured Rod Streater, Brandon Tate, and veteran Philly Brown. With no word on how severe Streater's toe injury is to this point in time, it makes for an immediate hole on the roster and the wide receiver group now becomes one of the thinnest positions on the team.'

'The chip fracture in his sternum kept him on the sidelines through the past week, but head coach Sean McDermott made it known that Matthews was “improving.” And then, on the practice field on Sunday, Matthews had his helmet on and was taking part in some individual drills — although he didn’t have any shoulder pads on. And then after practice, Matthews said that it’s a pain tolerance thing, and while they aren’t rushing him to get on the field for a preseason game, he remains “extremely confident” that he’ll be able to play in Week One of the regular season.'

'ard, and then respect the process of what’s going on in this country and this world.'

'The statement doesn't come as a surprise for a player who won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2015. After receiving the award he said – "I realized my purpose in life was not to make it to the NFL and score touchdowns. God put me on this earth for something much bigger than that and I realized and understand what my purpose is now. … It's my prayer and my hope that I can live out the rest of my life honoring God and helping as many people as possible."'