Archives for August 2017

'Brandon Tate's value is limited to his return skills. Whether that's enough to secure a roster spot, especially with him entering his ninth NFL season, remains to be seen. Undrafted rookies Brandon Reilly and Daikiel Shorts got the attention of coach Sean McDermott with their strong showings at Philadelphia last week, but will they be able to gain some traction?'

'I think you're right. If Boldin had signed with a better team, one with the overall talent and receiver depth of New England, he probably would have waited another six months to devote himself fully to his community work.'

'Reggie Ragland has spent most of the summer working with the third-team defense. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said Ragland isn’t where he needs to be. Ragland knows he’s not where he’s supposed to be. The 2016 second-round pick is running out of chances to show he’s worthy of a role on this team.'

'The Bills' starting offense has struggled in two preseason games. Buffalo desperately needs to show some offensive chemistry on Saturday night. It'll be important for Tyrod Taylor to lead the team on some long drives against the Ravens in their dress rehearsal.'

'Kevin McMullen, founder of Oogie Games, posted on Twitter that every copy of Madden 18 sold in his store would have an Oogie Games sticker placed over Tom Brady's face.'

'Offensive line rotation: With left tackle Cordy Glenn (foot) out, rookie Dion Dawkins will start at left tackle. Glenn is expected to start opening day, but until recently, Dawkins has played right tackle. Also starting is Vlad Ducasse at right guard, in a bit of a surprise, because he hasn’t exactly impressed. Additionally, John Miller has played well the past few years there. McDermott said it’s still an open competition. Who will step up?'

'Two games in, so far, the end zone has been a place that has evaded the Buffalo Bills first-team offense.'

'Nearly one in five Bills fans said they would rather give up sex for a year than date a fan of a rival team.'

'“Every time (Zay) gets to go out there and create plays and make plays, it’s definitely important for him, a young guy in this league getting confidence early in the preseason. It’s big,” Taylor said. “I told him (Monday) he’s kind of like a rookie and a vet in the same year. A lot is being thrown at him. He’s taking it in stride, challenging himself to be better each and every day.”'

'“This is our full-dress rehearsal for the season. I'd like to see the offense find a rhythm,” said Richie Incognito. “I'd like to start picking up some chunks in the pass game and get the run game going. Everything kind of complementing one another. The defense has been putting us in a great position. We were killing ourselves with penalties and on special teams, starting backed up. I'd really like to start seeing the foundational pieces come together.”'

'“I’ve got a lot to improve on, and were still competing,” said Brown. “Camp isn’t over. We still have preseason games, so there’s still time left.”'

'On Thursday, he admitted “any player would get frustrated after hearing they’re getting traded.” But a conversation with both McDermott and General Manager Brandon Beane put McCoy’s mind at ease. According to McCoy, “the best thing” about being in Buffalo is “the guys we have, especially in the upper office, we can talk to them — and they’re honest. I asked them about it and it was false, some people making things up.”'

'“This is a lot going on with this whole Kaepernick situation. In this country you can believe what you want," McCoy said. "Freedom of speech. If guys want to stand, they can stand. I think maybe they can choose a better platform to state their beliefs. One thing I learned about just here in America is that people, they’re followers. There’s some that you may ask about these different topics, but they’ll say what they heard, not what actually know, even with the Kaepernick situation."'

'“The first thing I noticed was his leadership, and it hasn’t changed,” McDermott said of his seventh-year quarterback. “He’s just about the first one in the building and one of the last to leave. So from a head coach’s standpoint, I appreciate that. I know his teammates appreciate that about him.'

'“Reggie has made some progress. He’s getting more time at the linebacker spot. You can see more of a burst, but still not quite where we need him to be to make it a point where Preston would be in jeopardy of losing his job,’’ Frazier said. “It’s not at that point yet. Preston’s doing a good job for us. He’s had a good preseason (and) a good offseason in general. Reggie’s making progress, but we still need to see more and we’ll see what happens this week as he progresses even more.’’'