Archives for August 2017

'In the most simple terms, the Bills need Williams to be good this year. When Mike Gillislee signed with New England, the Bills lost a capable, trusted backup. Williams was one of the biggest unknowns coming into training camp. He was barely used as a rookie, and struggled with fumbles when he was called on.'

'"Now they've got a veteran presence in that receiving room who can help a Sammy Watkins and get him on track," said Wayne, the former Indianapolis Colts' great turned NFL Network analyst. "At the same time, he's going to be one of those guys who can come in on third down, make a tight catch, keep the chains moving. He's not going to be a guy who's going to take the top off the secondary. But he's going to be a guy who can work the inside … work in between the hash and the numbers. Just his presence on that team, he can kind of lead the way, show these young players how to be a true professional."'

'Just a few minutes later, though, Williams had good news – saying his injury was "not bad at all" and that he "could have kept playing if they needed me to." As it turns out, there was no need for Williams to get back in the lineup. This was the first exhibition game of the season, after all, and the end result – a 17-10 win for the Vikings in front of 60,459 at New Era Field – wasn't all that important.'

'"I like the signing. I think he can go in and contribute," Wayne said. "I don't see him having an 80-catch year. But if he can get somewhere in the 30s to 50 catches on the year, I think that will be real productive for him."'

'The youngest of four Rehkow boys was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in April 2016. Cameron was supposed to attend Austin's Senior Night last December, but an unexpected sickness prevented him from doing so. With Cameron on FaceTime during the Senior Night ceremonies, Austin told his younger brother he'd get to see him play again, not knowing if he'd be able to fulfill his promise.'

'"The Bills have a few under-25 starters in significant roles this season," wrote Scott Kacsmar. "Sammy Watkins is the team's leading receiver and a quality playmaker when he's healthy, though his presence here matters less for his team than most of these young players because the Bills did not pick up his fifth-year option. Cornerback Ronald Darby charted much better in 2015 than he did last year, but he's starter material. Kevon Seymour charted well in limited opportunities as a sixth-round pick last year and should compete for the nickel corner job, vacated by Nickell Robey-Coelman. Right guard John Miller is important to Buffalo's run-heavy offense, and he finished second at his position in snaps per blown block. Linebacker Preston Brown struggles to stop the run, but has a surprising knack for big plays and led the NFL with 31 defeats in 2016."'

'First preseason games present their own sets of challenges. By nature, they're sloppy, with an over-inflated roster loaded with players who not only won't be playing with the Bills, but nowhere else in the NFL after their release. So if the more disciplined and highly structured approach of the new coach is able to show up Thursday night, that will be a reasonably strong sign that the Bills will operate with with a level of efficiency that they didn't have in enough of their games last season. Especially on defense.'

'"The crowds at the stadium whenever the Bills won just rocks your soul," said the Buffalo native. "No place like home."'

'It continues to boggle the mind that the NFL gets away with charging regular-season prices for these games, but it’s the NFL, and it can do anything it wants because the American sports fan can’t get enough of its sport.'

'“We’ve got a long list of things to improve on and that starts with me. There’s a lot to learn from. Good coaches … good teams make the jump (to improve) from Game 1 to Game 2.”'

'"It felt great," Watkins said after the game. "Just to be getting hit. That was the best feeling to get back on the field. I think that's all it took was getting tackled, a couple of balls. The first game is like flying bullets out there. I just had to get acclimated."'

'Tyrod Taylor got three series with the first-team offense before the Bills’ pulled the starters out of the game. He briefly got checked by trainers after taking a sack but didn’t miss a play. The Bills mustered only three points on those three drives, but Taylor had some positive moments. He finished 5-for-8 passing for 46 yards and escaped a sack for a gain of two yards. The most encouraging sign from Taylor was how often he was looking Sammy Watkins’ way.'

'Eddie Yarbrough started in place of Shaq Lawson on Thursday night and the defensive end continued his strong play. Yarbrough finished the game with three total tackles, one sack and one near-sack during his time on the field. It seems that the defensive end is well on his way to making the Bills' 53-man roster.'

'Peterman hardly thinks he’s arrived. He knows training camp has been a struggle at times, and even his debut had some rough patches. But, man, did it feel good to just play.'

'"Now they've got a veteran presence in that receiving room who can help a Sammy Watkins and get him on track,"Wayne said. "At the same time, he's going to be one of those guys who can come in on third down, make a tight catch, keep the chains moving. He's not going to be a guy who's going to take the top off the secondary. But he's going to be a guy who can work the inside … work in between the hash and the numbers. Just his presence on that team, he can kind of lead the way, show these young players who to be a true professional."'