Two Bills Drive

'Coach Sean McDermott said Tuesday the Bills are "still cautiously optimistic" that wide receiver Jordan Matthews, who hasn't played or fully practiced since suffering a chip fracture of his sternum in his first workout with the team on Aug. 13, will be ready to play in the opener.'

'Here's the reality: The Bills have almost no chance of making the playoffs any time soon. Virtually every sign points to them adding another chapter to their long and wretched history of the 21st century. The regular season could amount to an extension of the preseason, a 16-game exercise in evaluating players for next year and beyond.'

'While the Bills and Jets have been busy hitting the reset button (either by introducing a new regime, parting ways with high-priced veterans or swapping former high-round draft-picks for future picks), and the Dolphins have been getting acclimated to the Jay Cutler experience, the retooled Patriots are preparing for another run at the Super Bowl with Rob Gronkowski, ex-Bill Chris Hogan and former Saints receiver Brandin Cooks.'

'Well we brought in Keith Wenning and we have Nate [Peterman] as well, so we’re going to monitor that. A lot of it depends on how quickly Keith gets up to speed, which it’s a short week so there’s a challenge. But Keith’s been in the system before in Baltimore and that was the main attraction with Keith. He’s a good football player, so I look forward to seeing him in action Thursday night. How much remains to be seen. The balance of Nate and Keith is what we’re driving at right now for Thursday night.'

'"Very tough, just because I grew up from that area, that Sugar Land area that's really getting affected by the flood water," Hughes told reporters Tuesday. "So I understand what the people of Houston are actually going through at this time, and just to see them struggling, where people are actually writing Social Security numbers on their ID … they're trying to wait out the water, might not have boat access, some people might not be able to swim.'

'Bills great Thurman Thomas was born in Houston and has a lot of family there. Thomas and his wife, Patricia, have been tweeting since the hurricane began, asking for prayers for family and those in need. The Hall of Famer tweeted late Monday night that his family was safe.'

'Jack Eichel of the Sabres might go to the top of the mountain pretty soon, but to date, no one in the history of professional sports in Buffalo has signed a contract with more guaranteed money than the $60 million the Bills wired into Dareus’ bank account in September 2015. And because of that ridiculous contract (seriously, didn’t the Bills learn their lesson with Mario Williams in that you don’t pay defensive linemen like quarterbacks?), the Bills can’t do what they probably should have already done: Get rid of the guy.'

'"What innately comes with that position is leadership skills," McDermott said. "His character, he possesses the leadership skills to get us lined up, be the antenna, so to speak, of the defense. I'm not out there. Over the years, when you look at that position in this system, guys like Luke Kuechly, guys like Jeremiah Trotter that can check the defense, get us in and out of bad calls, bad defenses, set us up for success. That's an important part of that position, and Reggie, from what I've observed and what I've been told, he has that DNA."'

'The Bills were also without quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and T.J. Yates for the second straight day as both remain in concussion protocol. Wide receiver Rod Streater (toe), wide receiver Jeremy Butler (concussion), linebacker Tanner Vallejo (knee) and safety Shamiel Gary (undisclosed) all were not practicing.'

'Buffalo also released Jake Metz, Cedric O'Neal, Karim Barton, Jumal Rolle and Rashad Ross.'

'"Fellow Houstonians and Bills Mafia: What is happening in my home city of #Houston is completely devastating and heart-wrenching. Watching this crisis from so far away makes me feel helpless, so I want to do whatever I can to help the victims impacted by this tragedy. I will be donating $25,000 to Mayor Sylvester Turner's Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. Additionally, I will give $5,000 for each sack I record. I hope and pray my teammates, friends, and fans will join me in making a donation as well. Any amount matters in this time of need! All donations can be made to www.ghcf.org/hurricane-relief/. Thank you all for your support! #Houstonstrong #HurricaneHarvey #BillsMafia"'

'Brown said he’s glad to be back in the 4-3, saying the scheme switch has benefited him. “Definitely. Now I’m older, been through a couple of systems, and now we’re back to the 4-3. It’s fun to be back,” Brown said. “Just trying to get better each and every day.”'

'“I know with the storms like this it’s hard to get an update on what roads are drivable in these conditions. With sinkholes being the number one emergency. I’m trying to give them updates, with what I’m getting off the internet; just passing it around so that way can find safe ways to evacuate and get to higher and dryer land,” Hughes said.'

'The Bills signed Rambo just before the start of training camp last month. He appeared in 19 games with Buffalo over the 2014 and '15 seasons before playing with Miami last year.'

'Rookie Nathan Peterman and newly signed Keith Wenning are the only two healthy quarterbacks on the roster, with McDermott admitting he's mindful that Peterman could be the team's season-opening starter.'