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Bills Win Second Preseason Game
Final Night Practice: The Bills held their final night practice of training camp and will wrap camp up with a morning practice on Tuesday. All three quarterbacks got reps with the first team but Matt Cassel got more of them. Rex Ryan indicated before practice that all three of the QBs will get reps with the first team on Saturday against Pittsburgh. Dezmin Lewis had his best night of camp as Aaron Williams left with tightness in his hamstring. Marcell Dareus sat out but was on the sidelines and seemed ok. Ross Cockrell returned to practice for the first time in a few weeks.
Saturday August 22, 2015
Bills Sign WR: To help out at the decimated wide receiver position the Bills have signed undrafted free agent Austin Willis and released Jeremy Towns. Willis is a 175 lb receiver from Emporia State and originally signed with Oakland before being released last week. Front Office Page.
Bills Back To Work: The Bills were back to work at St. Johns Fisher College today for a workout without pads at about 3/4 speed. The Bills are finally getting a little bit healthy as six players returned to pratice including Fred Jackson, Jimmy Gaines, Alex Carrington, Sammy Watkins, Marcus Easley, and Robert Woods. Still sitting out are LeSean McCoy, Chris Hogan, Percy Harvin, Boobie Dixon, Karlos Williams, Bryce Brown, Ross Cockrell, and a new name on the list Jerome Felton. Rex Ryan said after practice he hasn't decided yet who will start next Saturday against Pittsburgh. All three QBs got some first team reps today and Ryan said it is highly likely they will carry three quarterbacks into the season. He said he's cautiously optimistic that Hogan will be ready for the season and definitely expects Harvin to be ready for opening day. Andre Davis left practice today with an undisclosed injury. Injury Page.
Friday August 21, 2015
Bills Pull Out 11-10 Win: Last week the Bills lost a preseason game in the final minutes this week they won one in the same fashion. EJ Manuel threw a 14 yard touchdown pass to Andre Davis on 4th and goal with 1:31 left than hit Bronson Hill for the game winning two point conversion as the Bills beat the Browns 11-10. The winning drive was an 86 yard drive in 12 plays and took 5:53 off the clock. Manuel finished 9 of 14 for 111 yards playing under pressure with the backups in the 2nd half. Tyrod Taylor looked real good playing with what was left of the starters in the first half going 7 of 10 for 65 yards and a game leading 41 yards rushing on four carries including a 21 yard run out of the read option that setup a Dan Carpenter 36 yard field goal. Each team was sacked four times. The depleted WR corps took another hit when Marquise Goodwin and Chris Hogan injured ankles on successive plays. Goodwin would return but Hogan was carted off the field. No word yet on how serious it is. Injury Page.
Who Helped Themselves: Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel aren't making it easy for Rex Ryan to pick a quarterback with solid performances for a second week in a row. In fact, Ryan said in his post game press conference he will wait until the last minute before naming a starter for the season. He wouldn't even say who will start next Saturday's preseason game. Taylor ran a misfit first team offense missing five RBs and five WRs very well although they only scored three points in his first half of action. He showed he can do it with his legs and his arm as he stayed in the pocket a bit more and was effective. Manuel struggled a bit behind poor offensive line play in the second half but he made the plays down the stretch to get the victory. The defensive line looked good as the defense had four sacks. Undrafted free agent Cedric Reed looked good. Ronald Darby bounced back from his poor debut with two interceptions.
Who Hurt Themselves: Matt Cassel hurt himself by not getting into the game as his challengers made strides in the competition. Preston Brown struggled a bit getting stiff armed out of one play, beaten in pass coverage on another, and failing to get the team lined up before a quick snap on a 4th and 1 play. Duke Williams was burned for the Browns lone touchdown. The backups along the offensive line struggled mightily as well.
Dareus Upset: Marcell Dareus sounded off to the Buffalo News about his contract negotiations impasse saying he feels like they don't want him and they think of him as a dime a dozen. The news reports that he has been offered a six year extension worth $90 Million. Dareus indicated he wants Ndamukong Suh type money. He signed a six-year $114 million with Miami this past offseason. Dareus was clearly unhappy when talking to the paper and indicated this may be his last year in Buffalo. The Bills definitely have made it a priority to pay Dareus but they also have several other big name free agents to deal with coming up including Stephon Gilmore, Cordy Glenn, and Nigel Bradham.
Thursday August 20, 2015
No Cassel Tonight: The Bills have decided not to play Matt Cassel at all tonight as the coaches want an extended look at Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel. This makes sense since they know what they have in Cassel and need to see more of the other two guys. Of course it won't be a true test as the Bills are without their top 5 RBs and top three WRs along with Marcus Easley. Also sitting are Kyle Williams, Alex Carrington, Jimmy Gaines, Leodis McKelvin, and Ross Cockrell.
Dareus Talks At Standstill: John Warrow of the Associated Press is reporting that talks between the Bills and Marcell Dareus are at an impasse with neither side exchanging offers in the past three weeks. The AP article quoted two sources familiar with the negotiations that spoke anonymously since the talks are private. One source says weeks have gone by since proposals were exchanged raising concerns a new deal will not happen before the season starts. That was the goal to get the deal done but the report says it isn't a hard deadline. Dareus is due to become an unrestricted free agent after this season but the Bills do have the franchise tag at their disposal.
Gamenight: The Bills are in Cleveland for tonight's preseason game against the Browns. This is one of the most highly anticipated exhibition games for Bills fans as all eyes will be on Tyrod Taylor to see if he can put himself in the lead in the battle for the starting quarterback job. Taylor earned the start based on his big game against Carolina last week. It's unfortunate that the first team offense will hardly resemble the first team offense on opening day with the top five running backs and top four wide receivers banged up although Robert Woods is expected to see some playing time. He will be handing the ball off to players that have been with the team for less than two weeks and throwing to guys that will struggle to make the team. If Taylor falters, despite having injury limitations, the job will likely be all but sewn up for Matt Cassel. We will have our blurbs about who helped themselves and who hurt themselves in the game very early tomorrow morning.
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Wednesday August 19, 2015
Bills Sign 2: The Bills brought in two injury replacements today as they have signed DL Red Bryant and RB Cierre Wood. To make room they have released CB Rod Sweeting and TE Chris Manhertz. Bryant is a run stuffing lineman who was a fourth round draft pick of the Seahawks back in 2008. He has 71 career starts with 143 tackles, 4½ sacks, 2 interceptions in his career. He was a bit free agent signing of Jacksonville's last season. Wood gives them a third healthy back for tomorrow night's preseason game. He was an undrafted free agent in 2013 who originally signed with Houston and spent time in New England and Baltimore's camps. Manhertz was an intriguing prospect but too raw as a football player while Sweeting struggled in training camp. Front Office Page.
McCoy Back For Opener: Adam Schefter reports that LeSean McCoy is expected back for the opener against Indianapolis after undergoing an MRI on his injured hamstring. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports says there is no guarantee McCoy will be ready for the opener since his recovery time takes him right up to that date.
MRI For McCoy: LeSean McCoy will have an MRI on his injured hamstring. Rex Ryan said after practice last night that it is not off the bone and the MRI will tell if it is just a strain or a pull. In other running back injury news, Fred Jackson says he should return next week, Ryan said his injury was a significant hamstring injury. The coach also expects to have Karlos Williams back from his medical procedure in about two weeks, he should be ready for the season. Boobie Dixon is also hopeful to be back by the third preseason game. The Bills cut last night's practice short with the Browns because of the injuries at the running back and wide receiver position. Percy Harvin remains out with a hip injury that the coach admitted is more serious than they thought. He had an injection and is still expected to be fine by the third or fourth preseason game. Robert Woods and Sammy Watkins sat out last night with tightness. Injury Page.
Tuesday August 18, 2015
McCoy Hurt: The injury problems at running back continues and may have taken a huge turn for the worse. LeSean McCoy walked off the field with a heavy limp after injuring his left leg during tonight's joint practice with the Browns. He couldn't even bend it. That leaves the Bills with just two healthy running backs, both signed in the last 10 days as Bronson Hill and Ricky Seales are the only ones healthy. Fred Jackson appears ready to return soon as he was doing stuff on the side, they may need him just to field a team Thursday night. Kyle Williams returned to prazctice tonight.
Roster Moves: The Bills made it official announcing they have signed LB Quentin Groves. They have also added depth to the injury depleted running back corps by signing Ricky Seale. To make room on the roster the team placed Ty Powell and Jairus Wynn on injured reserve as expected. They also released DE Erik Williams for the 2nd time this offseason. Seals is an undrafted free agent who had a tryout with Kansas City this offseason. There are also reports that the mysterious illness that Karlos Williams has is serious enough to keep him sidelined multiple weeks. The Bills do not have an open spot on the 90 man roster because Powell will still count towards it. Depth Chart.
AFC East Preseason Update: Check out our latest edition of the AFC East roundtable where we look at the one player who helped his cause and the one who hurt his cause the most for each team in the division. For the Bills we chose Tyrod Taylor as making the biggest gain and Ronald Darby as the one who hurt his cause the most. Our friends from New York Jet Fuel, PatsFans.com, and Phin Maniacs gives their thoughts on their potential breakout players. Complete Story.
Bills Reportedly Sign Couples: The Bills found themselves suddenly in the market for front seven depth with the season ending ACL injuries to Ty Powell and Jairus Wynn. ESPN's Adam Caplan reports they have filled on of those holes by agreeing to terms with veteran free agent pass rushing linebacker Quentin Groves. Groves was a 2nd round pick in the 2008 draft by Jacksonville and has played in 100 NFL games with 32 career starts for six NFL teams.
Monday August 17, 2015
Powell, Goodwin Go Down: By all accounts the Bills WRs dominated the Browns CBs in one on one drills during today's joint practice session at St. Johns Fisher College. Ty Powell suffered which looks like an apparent season ending ACL injury, he was carted off in serious pain. A scary moment happened when Marquise Goodwin apparently collapsed on the sidelines but walked off on his own after several trainers worked on him. Rex Ryan said he went out along with Chris Hogan for heat related problems. They were down to four WRs at the end of the practice because Sammy Watkins came out with tightness. Karlos Williams was hospitalized this morning but Ryan had no further details after practice. On the field during one on one drills the Bills wide receivers dominated the action against the Browns DBs. The first fight of the joint practices was between WR Marlon Moore and Preston Brown who had a very good day.
Bills, Browns Practice: The team begins two days of workouts with the Browns this morning and finish tomorrow night before both teams go to Cleveland for Thursday's preseason matchup. Tyrod Taylor will start that game for the Bills so he is expected to get most of the first team reps over the next two days. The Bills are short at running back as Bryce Brown injured his hamstring yesterday and is not practicing and Karlos Williams is not practicing for the first time in camp leaving just LeSean McCoy and Bronson Hill as the two backs healthy. WR/KR Marcus Thigpen is taking the third team reps at running back. He played the position early in his career. Corbin Bryant is back on the field after injuring his knee during Friday night's preaseason game. Percy Harvin is not back despite Rex Ryan saying he would be available today. He suffered a mild hip injury. That leaves the Bills with just 7 healthy WRs as Tobais Palmer is out after getting sick during Sunday's practice.
Bills Swap CBs: The Bills have signed CB Ellis Lankster and made room by releasing Lavelle Westbrooks who was signed last week. Lankster was a 7th round pick of the Bills in 2009 and played for Rex Ryan in New York from 2011 thru 2014. He has 72 career tackles and two interceptions in five NFL seasons. Front Office Page.
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