Archives for August 2017

'Rookie Zay Jones shows promise and Rod Streater is having a fine camp. But there's no proven commodity behind Sammy Watkins. It's a leap to assume a rookie can step right in and produce. Even if he's nominally the No. 3, Boldin will provide vital depth to the wideout corps.'

'"I just wanted to tell those guys to stay focused. Embrace the journey," Burroughs said. "Trust the process and enjoy the true essence of the sport and why we all started this."'

'Some lesser names got to shine during live action in Seymour's absence. Charles James intercepted Nathan Peterman over the middle and Bradley Sylve continued his strong work as a second-team cornerback. Our Jay Skurski currently projects Sylve, the former Alabama defensive back who hasn't played football in a year due to an Achilles injury, as the first cut among the cornerback group.'

' I was very confident that we were a team that he thought was a fit and we thought was a fit. We had a great visit back a couple weeks ago when he visited us in Buffalo. Everything went great, he left, the agent – everybody was very confident that the Bills were a good fit but I know he had some other options out there. The other thing; this was an important family decision. Sean [McDermott] and I preach family, culture, character and we’re not going to try to talk him into something that he doesn’t feel is a good family fit.'

'I think those are good at the right time, based on where you are as a football team. I’ve been a part of one of those situations in the past in Carolina and it worked well. You’ve got to do it with the right team, of course. We’re open to that.'

'The 36-year-old Boldin visited the Bills on July 24, and Beane and coach Sean McDermott both said the meeting was productive and enjoyable, and that essentially, the ball was in Boldin’s court. The Bills were clearly interested given their questionable depth chart at receiver, but Boldin – who lives in Florida with his wife and two sons, aged 13 and 7 – had to decide if Buffalo was the right place for him.'

'“I think those are good at the right time, based on where you are as a football team,” McDermott said. “I’ve been a part of one of those situations in the past in Carolina and it worked well. You’ve got to do it with the right team, of course. We’re open to that.”'

'"He understands what we want done," Dennison said. "It's just keeping him on the same page, listening to his feet and getting the ball out on time. That's the biggest thing for me and him working on. He's bought into it and he knows what he needs to do. He knows that the ball will get out. He knows where everybody is. That's the biggest thing for me. Distribution and if his feet are telling him to move on, he's got to move on. He can't wait for a route to open up. If it ain't getting there, something's wrong so he has to move on.'

'"We're giving him his time to do what he wants," Beane said last week. "He's gotta be all-in."'

'The signing is the latest example of the Bills' belief that they can be contenders in 2017. However, the low cost and Boldin's leadership give Bills general manager the belief that bringing in Boldin is a move for the long-term success of the team, too.'

'I was very confident that we were a team that he thought was a fit and we thought was a fit. We had a great visit back a couple weeks ago when he visited us in Buffalo.'

'Given the rough start to camp for Andre Holmes, it's fair to wonder if there is room for both he and Anquan Boldin on the roster. Holmes looks like the fourth wide receiver in the pecking order now. Consider he is one of the Bills' signings that counts toward the compensatory pick formula, they might be wise to move on from him.'

'"What a lot of people don't know is when I came in here, a month before that I couldn't work out because of my foot," Williams said. "I was sitting at home doing upper body lifts. I couldn't run or cut. So I just came out here for rookie minicamp and did the best I could do. I'm definitely 100 percent healthy now. I feel really good. I've been able to get a really good offseason in. I'm a lot healthier than last year and a lot leaner and excited to go."'

'Not only did Tyrod Taylor and company have their best drive of training camp, but they also added a playmaker this afternoon. Here are our takeaways.'

'Andre Holmes is listed as a starter at wide receiver along with Sammy Watkins despite an up and down training camp. Holmes has had issues with drops in camp and could be one of the few starters from the first unofficial depth chart to lose their job before the start of the season. Don't be surprised if the Bills' top three receivers in Week 1 of the regular season are Watkins, Zay Jones and Anquan Boldin.'