Archives for August 2017

'"It's funny to really think about, because he played with my uncle, Jeff Blake, at the Cardinals," Jones said. "I knew of Anquan Boldin. I watched Anquan Boldin, have a lot of respect for him. It's just awesome having him in our room. Phenomenal player. In my opinion, going to be a Hall-of-Fame player."'

'Today went well for a first day, but I’ve been doing this for quite some time now. You don’t put too much into that first day as far as knowing everything. Knowing you’re coming into a new system, it’s still like you’re a rookie. You have to learn everything and I’m still in that process so I’m still learning, still studying, doing extra meetings with my position coach – just trying to get caught up as much as possible.'

'"I think this team is close enough, if you ask me," Boldin said. "The thing you can't do is try to figure out which team is going to win the Super Bowl. I mean, there's a lot of experts out there that are wrong every year, and I just know that from playing football.'

'Could Boldin be the one making those two to three plays in a game that make the difference between winning and losing? That when you add them up, give the Bills the one to two wins they’ve been lacking for so long? The difference between 8-8 and 10-6?'

'“It was the craziest, weirdest feeling I ever had in my life,” said Wright. “I stood up and I was out of it, wasn’t sure what happened, and I couldn’t really feel the right side of my body. I tried to grab my mouth piece with my right hand and it fell out of my hand.”'

'“Everyone would like to have a better chance to view them,” she said. “When you’re here on the little field, you can’t see them at all. There were so many people in the stands, and they realized most of the practice was going to be here, so they all had to move and there’s not a lot of places to see them here.”'

'"I'm gonna go ahead and say it," Watkins said. "They all want me to say it. I'm going to say Gilmore. That's what everybody is looking for so I can't wait to go against him."'

'"The starters will go about a quarter, give or take," said McDermott. "You'll see some blending in there, but for the most part a quarter."'

'Anquan Boldin wasted no time making his presence felt. He was working with the first and second teams during team drills and caught a few passes from Tyrod Taylor. His route running, physicality and hands will help him stay productive in the league. He already was gathering the receivers after practice, so he hasn't been shy about establishing himself as a leader, either.'

'"I don't think I have anything to prove, but for me it's about leaving a legacy," Boldin told reporters at training camp. "You want to be in control of your legacy at the end of the day, how things play out. I think that's where I am in my career. I'm also playing to win another championship. That's the reason I play this game. That's the reason I'm here, to try to win a championship."'

'"You know what? I personally didn't know as much as I do now obviously," McDermott said. "Coach Waufle had some experience or awareness of Eddie from college. I'll just tell you, he's one of the nice surprises, not a surprise, but he continues to trend upward. And we're looking for depth along our defensive line and he's done a nice job. He plays extremely hard, he's intelligent, one of the first ones in the team meeting room in the morning. [Always] working on his craft. There's a reason he's been successful. He's done a nice job. He really has. Credit to Eddie and also to the defensive line coaching."'

'Boldin made his presence felt early in his Buffalo career while going about his business. Boldin has never been a burner in terms of speed during his NFL career, but he looked smooth during individual drills and team drills. Boldin mainly played out of the slot but also played outside at times. He jumped right in with the first-team offense.'

'He needs to embrace the concept of checking down. He needs to become a dropback first, scramble last quarterback.'

'“I don’t think I have anything to prove,” he said. “But for me it’s about leaving a legacy.”'

'When it comes to the kind of player Sean McDermott/Brandon Beane are looking for, Boldin checks everything on their list. McDermott talks about accountability, reliability, durability and availability. Boldin is all of that and more. He is still productive on the field, coming off an eight-touchdown season at Detroit in 2016. But he also brings leadership and a strong work ethic to a fairly young group of receivers. I’m sure the Bills are hoping Boldin will rub off on guys like Watkins and Jones.'