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Training Camp Wraps Up First Week
Sunday's Practice Notes: The team had another nearly three hour session in full pads and went live for goal line drills. The offense looked a bit better today than they have the past few practices according to all reports. Kraig Urbik caught a touchdown pass on a tackle eligible play on the goal line. Chris Hogan seemed to be busy and getting extra work in the slot today. Sammy Watkins looked like himself making big plays and Mike Williams went up high for one long reception. The defensive line got the better of the offensive line once again. There was a funny moment when DB coach Donnie Henderson was looking for someone to play safety and Marcell Dareus quickly volunteered and seemed serious.
Jackson Returns: Fred Jackson returned to practice this afternoon after sitting out Saturday's session with a lower leg injury suffered on Friday night. Kevin Elliott and Scott Chandler were unable to finish today's session as they went to the locker room early. Chandler left with a groin injury and Elliott had concussion like symptoms. Duke Williams spent time in the cooling tent and Aaron Williams along with Jeff Tuel got shaken up during the workout but Williams returned and Tuel never left. Tony Moeaki was seen riding the stationary bike during practice. Injury Page.
Saturday July 26, 2014
Live Tackling In Practice: The Bills had live tackling to the ground for a portion of tonight's practice in front of a packed house at St. John Fisher College. Once again the defense ruled the day dominating the offense especially along the line of scrimmage. Mike Rodak of ESPN tweeted that EJ Manuel's final 20 11-on-11 reps accumlated 7 sacks, 4 handoffs, 4 completions, 3 scrambles, 1 throwaway, 1 pass batted down. Joe Buscaglia reported for WGR that of the last 17 plays run, eight were sacks. Cyrus Kouandjio continued his struggles and he looks like the 7th round pick while fellow rookie tackle Seantrel Henderson looks more like a 2nd round pick. The team returns to the field on Sunday for a 2pm practice.
Jackson Sits: Fred Jackson sat out tonight's practice but is leg injury is not serious and he sat more as a precaution. Mario Williams and Leodis McKelvin did not take part in the team drills that had live tackling. The Bills say McKelvin is not on the injury report but he has sat out the last two days from team reps. Chris Gragg remains sidelined after being hospitalized this week, he should return next week. Tony Moeaki is expected to miss significant time with his hamstring injury but should be back before the end of training camp. Injury Page.
Roster Move Made: The Bills continue to tweak their roster but today did a move out of necessity. With Chris Gragg and Tony Moeaki currently sidelined the team was down to two tight ends forcing them to make a move. They have signed TE Dominique Jones and made room by releasing OG Mark Asper. Jones entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Colts in 2012. He has played in 12 career games with the Colts and the Chiefs. Front Office Page.
Friday July 25, 2014
Jackson Leaves Practice Early: Fred Jackson limped off the field with a bruised fibula and is day to day. It didn't appear too serious as he came off and it wasn't as he was taken out more as a precaution. CB Kenny Ladler and TE Tony Moeaki both left with hamstring injuries. Marcell Dareus and Alan Branch took part in their first practice of the summer and Dareus even had touch sack. Chris Gragg did not practice as he will be eased back in after being in the hospital with dehydration. Leodis McKelvin had a rest day and didn't really see the field giving Corey Graham some extra reps. Injury Page.
Johnson Activated: Randell Johnson has been activated from the PUP list leaving just Cordy Glenn and Kiko Alonso inactive. The team also added a cornerback in time for tonight's practice. Bobby Felder joins the team after having stints on the Vikings and Buccaneers practice squads since coming out of Nicholls St. in 2012. To make room for him they released DT Colby Way. Injury Page.
Dareus, Branch Back: The Bills announced that Marcell Dareus and Alan Branch are back on the active roster. They both are now in good enough shape to pass their respective conditioning tests. Branch was on the Active PUP/Non-Football Illness list while Dareus was on the Active PUP/Non-Football Injury list. They both should be on the practice field when the team works out tonight at 6pm. The team also made a roster move yesterday, they waived Brandon Smith designating him waived/injured and picked up center Jared Wheeler off of waivers from the Panthers. Smith suffered a leg injury in practice earlier this week. Wheeler was an undrafted free agent from the University of Miami who was signed by Carolina after the draft and released Wednesday. Front Office Page.
Kelly Honorary Captain: The NFL Hall of Fame announced that Jim Kelly and Harry Carson will be the honorary captains when the Bills take on the Giants in the Hall of Fame game a week from Sunday. The two legends will take part in the ceremonial coin toss. It is heartwarming that Kelly is well enough to take part in all the festivities in Canton this weekend. Kelly said, "I have always said that God willing, I will be back in Canton every summer. This year especially, I am so thankful that I can be on hand to share in a great weekend that shines the spotlight on the Buffalo Bills. There isn't a person more deserving of joining the Hall of Fame than my teammate and friend Andre Reed. It is also a great honor for me to represent the Bills organization at the coin toss to kick off the season. The entire experience will bring back many great memories from 2002 when so many of the Bills family — fans, players, and staff — joined me in Canton for one of the most memorable times of my life."
Bon Jovi Latest: The AP is reporting that the Bon Jovi group has done a feasibility study that has identified three possible sites for a new stadium in the Toronto area. Andy Bergmann is the man in charge of the Bon Jovi stadium plans and said no feasibility study on any potential sites has been undertaken just engineer and design studies in general. He said they are also meeting with two Buffalo area developers next week. NY Lt. Gov Robert Duffy sent several tweets last night cautioning the Bon Jovi group against a possible move saying he would lose Western New York fans forever. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told the AP that he has no doubt this group would look to move the team to Toronto first chance they get. All potential bidders must submit a first letter of indication by Tuesday. This includes their initial and non-binding bid to purchase the team. The Buffalo News reports a person with knowledge of the sale process said there have been more potential bidders for the Bills than what many insiders had expected.
Thursday July 24, 2014
Camp Observations: The players have a day off today, under the CBA they now have to be given a day off every five days in training camp. With four practices in the books it is a good time to make a few very early observations. As it usually is this early in camp, the defense is ahead of the offense. It is a bit troubling how much EJ Manuel is struggling but very encouraging how great Sammy Watkins looks. Kraig Urbik has really struggled at right guard and he may lose his job to former starting tackle Chris Hairston who is trying to make a comeback after missing all of last year with an illness. The kicking battle is over before it started but the punting battle is a good one. Jeff Tuel had a very good offseason on the field and now has a chance to win the backup QB job. Nickell Robey and Jerry Hughes stand out on the defensive side of the ball as Robey looks to lock in the nickel spot for a second year and Hughes looks to put the drag racing incident behind him.
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Wednesday July 23, 2014
Day 4 Of Camp: The Bills practiced in pads for a second straight morning today. Chris Gragg, Evan Rodriguez, and Brandon Smith did not practice for a second straight day. Smith is out indefinitely with a lower body injury. Gragg and Rodriguez are sidelined with cramps. Both men were in the hospital. Rodriguez has been released but Gragg remains in the hospital as of the end of practice. Marcell Dareus was working on the side on a stationary bike with Alan Branch. The offense rebounded from a poor performance on Tuesday and Sammy Watkins made a beautiful one handed grab for a score. That was one of many fine catches including a TD reception by C.J. Spiller and a nice catch against his helmet by Robert Woods and a solid grab by T.J. Graham. J.J. 'Unga limped off but quickly returned. Chris Hairston got some first team reps at right guard after Kraig Urbik struggled mightily in practice yesterday. Doug Marrone said after practice that the spot is up for grabs. There is no practice tomorrow as the players are off. Injury Page.
Dareus Statement: The Bills have released a statement from Marcell Dareus that stated: "After dealing with a personal matter in Alabama, I am excited to return to training camp to rejoin my teammates in our preparations for the 2014 season. Right now, my focus is on earning the trust of my teammates, coaches and the fans while continuing to improve as a football player. I have a passion for this game and I want to be here to help this organization achieve its goals. There are things I need to work on professionally and personally to make sure I can be accountable to myself, my family, this team and this community. My focus will remain on achieving that goal one day at a time. I want to thank the Bills organization, coach Marrone and the coaching staff, my teammates and our fans for their continued support."
Tuesday July 22, 2014
Bills Swap LBs: The Bills have released injured linebacker Darrin Kitchens and replaced him with Xavius Boyd. Kitchens was carted off the field yesterday after injuring his leg. He will likely reach an injury settlement with the team.
First Morning Practice: The Bills held their first morning practice of training camp bright and early at 8am today. It was also their first practice in pads and by all accounts the offense struggled mightily. Brandon Spikes returned to practice after leaving with cramps yesterday. Cordy Glenn and Randell Johnson remain on PUP lists but both were seen walking around the practice field. Missing practice today were Darrin Kitchens, Brandon Smith, Evan Rodriguez, and Chris Gragg. Kitchens was carted off yesterday and Smith left early with a leg contusion. Both players will be sidelined some time with lower body injuries according to Coach Marrone. Anthony Dixon and Kenny Ladler both got nicked up near the end of the practice. Dixon seemed ok according to twitter reports. Seantrel Henderson left with trainers after practice. Jeff Tuel and Thad Lewis alternated 2nd team reps at QB and the coach confirmed it is an open competition. Dan Carpenter has won the kicking job after going 15 of 16 on field goal attempts so far in camp. The coach said Dustin Hopkins will have to play is way on the team as a kickoff specialist. Marcell Dareus was due back last night but didn't make it because his flight was cancelled. Injury Page.
Dareus Accepted Into Program: Marcell Dareus was accepted into a pre-trial diversion program in Alabama. Once he successfully completes the program his two felony counts could be dismissed. Under a new Alabama law he could also have his record expunged. He would still enter the NFL's substance abuse program and provide the court with periodic updates.
Monday July 21, 2014
Henderson Back On The Field: Seantrel Henderson returned to practice today after leaving early yesterday with a hip injury. He was back with the first team at left tackle pushing Chris Hairston back to the 2nd team at right guard. Marquise Goodwin was also back on the field after leaving early because of Asthma. Nigel Bradham once again took most of the first team reps at weakside linebacker while Stefan Charles took first team reps at defensive tackle a day after Corbin Bryant got most of Marcell Dareus frist team reps. Sammy Watkins and Jerry Hughes seemed to shine today according to media twitter reports. Watkins gave everyone a scare when he got poked in the eye and was slow to get up. He did return after the special teams drill. ESPN broadcasted the whole Watkins injury incident live. Darrin Kitchens was carted off the field during practice while Brandon Smith limped off. Brandon Spikes didn't make it through the practice as he was taken to the cooling tent. Da'Norris Searcy and Robert Woods got into the first tussle of camp. Marcell Dareus was excused from camp to deal with personal stuff but is due back tonight. Injury Page.
Bills Make Roster Moves: The team continues to tweak the roster as they added two more players including bringing in some depth at the defensive tackle position and bringing back an old friend. Perhaps as some training camp insurance for Marcell Dareus the team has signed DT Landon Cohen and brought back former UB WR Naaman Roosevelt. He caught 25 passes for the Bills in 2010 and 2011 and was most recently with the Lions this offseason. Cohen played for Jim Schwartz and appeared in 14 games for him in Detroit in 2009. The Bills will be his fifth team in the past five years. He played in 12 games for the Bears last year. To make room on the roster the team released WR Ramses Barden and LB Nathan Williams. Front Office Page.
Dareus Due Today: ESPN's Sal Paolontonio reports that Marcell Dareus is due at training camp today. He is not expected to take his conditioning test until Thursday or Friday at the earliest. The team is off on Thursday so the first chance he will practice would be Friday or Saturday night. Depth Chart.
Goodwin Ok: Marquise Goodwin left practice early yesterday but he later tweeted he wasn't hurt. It was a medical condition saying his asthma and sickle cell anemia got the better of him. He should be ok for today's practice that begins at 2pm. Chris Gragg likely will be on the field as well he suffered a cramp during last night's workout. It is unknown if Seantrel Henderson will be available after leaving early with a hip injury last night. Injury Page.
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