Ryan Press Conference: Rex Ryan was excited with how they competed to the end but they have to stop making the same mistakes they made last year with the penalties. That was last year's blueprint. There isn't anyone in the locker room happy about their performance because of the penalties. Ryan thought there were a lot of positives however in the game including the play of the quarterbacks but he didn't like the number of drops by the receivers. He was happy they held them to 30 yards rushing. He loved the way Cardale Jones carries himself. They were all excited about the way the game went down at the end. The team has to improve from this the coach said. Besides the major knee injury to IK Enemkpali the coach doesn't believe there were any other injuries. On the wide receiver battle the coach felt Walter Powell played well and liked how Jarrett Boykin showed up. He admitted he had been disappointed in him so far in camp. He also didn't mix words when he said Leonard Hankerson had a horrible game.
Bills Lose To Colts 19-18: Cardale Jones led the Bills on an 83 yard drive with no timeouts in the final 1:03 to a last second 4 yard touchdown pass to Jarett Boykin that gave the Bills a chance to win. The Bills went for the win instead of the tie and the two point conversion pass fell incomplete allowing the Colts to hold on for a 19-18 win at the soon to be formely named Ralph Wilson Stadium. Chris Gragg starred early for the Bills as he blocked a punt for a safety than caught a 19 yard touchdown pass from EJ Manuel to give the Bills a 9-0 lead. The Colts tied it at 9 with two scores just before halftime including a 42 yard screen pass for a touchdown. Tyrod Taylor started and played one series before giving way to Manuel who played into the third quarter and played pretty well. He led the Bills to a 37 yard field goal by Dan Carpenter to give the Bills a 12-9 second half lead. Chester Rogers had a 57 yard catch and run to give the Colts the 16-12 lead in the fourth quarter.
Enemkpali Suffers Major Injury: IK Enemkpali hurt his knee just before halftime and it looked pretty bad. He was in noticeable pain and was carted off. Rex Ryan said before the start of the second half that it looks like a major injury. Marquise Goodwin left the game after he seemed to hurt his knee while celebrating the Gragg touchdown. Walter Powell was shaken up and looked at by trainers but did return.David Hawthorne also got banged up in the second half.
Who Helped Themselves: Cardale Jones shouldn't turned some heads with the 83 yard drive at the end but looked comfortable throughout his nearly two quarters of action. Chris Gragg certainly helped himself in his battle for a roster spot with his solid first quarter that gave the Bills a 9-0 lead. Bryson Albright looked good himself as he was all over the field. Kevon Seymour helped his cause by picking off a two point conversion attempt and almost picked off another pass in the final seconds of the first half. He did get called for a pass interference on the next play near the end zone. Jonathan Williams looked very good running the football albeit against backups. The first team defense as a whole played very well granted the Colts decided to sit Andrew Luck. Walter Powell looked good with his 26 yard reception in the first half and a 41 yarder in the final minute. He also had a big kickoff return that was negated by a penalty. Jonathan Williams led the team with 44 yards on 8 carries.
Who Hurt Themselves: Leonard Hankerson continues to fall farther and farther behind in the race for a WR spot. His three drops including a possible touchdown may clinch the ending of his Bills career. Colt Anderson is on this team for special teams purposes but a hold negated a long kickoff return by Walter Powell. Duke Williams was caught way out of position on a 42 yard touchdown on a screen pass. The second team defense struggled giving up two scores in the final two minutes of the half. Chris Martin got beat for two sacks in the third quarter. Sterling Moore missed a tackle on a 57 yard touchdown pass that gave the Colts the fourth quarter lead. Rex Ryan wasn't thrilled with the whopping 10 penalties for 101 yards.
Several Sit Out: The Bills made several starters inactive for tonight's game. Not suiting up for the first preseason game were, Greg Salas, Kyle Williams, Dez Lewis, Sammy Watkins, Aaron Williams, Stephon Gilmore, Karlos Williams, Reggie Ragland, Richie Incognito, Seantrel Henderson, Cordy Glenn, Jim Dray, Shaq Lawson, and Many Lawson. The Captains including Colt Anderson, Jerome Felton, Boom Herron, Jerry Hughes, and Robert Blanton. All but Blanton were former Colts.
Naming Rights Sold: The Bills announced tonight that the team has sold the naming rights of Ralph Wilson Stadium to New Era Cap company. That means the stadium will no longer be named the Ralph after being named after the former owner since 1998. Tim Graham of the Buffalo News reports that the late owner agreed to sell the naming rights before he died but the Pegulas did not do it out of respect for him until now. The Associated Press reports that the deal is for fair market value and that New Era has the rights through the end of the lease in 2022. They also have the right to first refusal on a new lease or a new stadium after the lease expires. The team will have a press conference next week to formally announce the deal.
Gameday! Its finally here, there will be Buffalo Bills football played and it will be at the Ralph tonight. Don't expect to see all the starters and the ones that do play will likely only see a series or two. Tyrod Taylor is expected to play while it is unlikely LeSean McCoy, Sammy Watkins, Kyle Williams, Aaron Williams, Marcell Dareus, and all the banged up players will play.
For commentary throughout the game follow us on twitter
Friday August 12, 2016
More On Taylor Terms: Ian Rapoport reports that Tyrod Taylor will make $9.5 Million this year instead of the $2 Million he would have received and a whopping $27.5 Million next year if the club doesn't take the $10 Million buyout. So this is definitely still a very important year for him and he is still to some extent betting on his level of play in 2016. Albert Breer reports teh same $9.5M this year and says it's $50M in the first three years then the Bills control from 2019-2021 at a total of $42M. It is $92M over 6; $90M over 5 years in new cash and $37M in injury guarantees. If option is picked up, $40.25M is fully guaranteed.
Taylor Signs Extension: It is official Tyrod Taylor will be a Bill for a long while. His agent tweeted it's a five year extension worth $92 Million and incentives could get it up to $115 Million but he quickly deleted the tweet. Reports say the incentives are hard to reach and say it's a six year deal worth $90 Million. Adam Schefter reports the team has a $10 Million buyout option after the first and second years of the deal to protect the club if he doesn't succeed. Sal Capaccio reports it's basically a year to year deal that is very flexible throughout for the club. In a conference call Doug Whaley said his impressive offseason, command he showed with the offense, convinced team he was worthy of extension. He also acknowledged the leader he has become. He also said they didn't want to be greedy and wanted to get the deal done. Whaley also said they will now turn their attention to Stephon Gilmore to get a deal done with him but acknowledged they also have the franchise tag available for him now that Taylor is locked up.
Taylor Deal Done? Josh Reed of WIVB is reporting that the Bills and Tyrod Taylor pretty much have a deal done on an extension and an announcement can come as early as today. Tim Graham of the Buffalo News reports that the Bills are all in on a six year deal and it is not a bridge deal that would protect them if Taylor doesn't end up being the franchise QB. The options and money of the upcoming deal are not known yet.
Thursday August 11, 2016
Day 11 Camp Notes: The Bills held an abbreviated night practice on the heels of Saturday's preseason opener. The team was in shells and not pads but it didn't stop a big injury. Aaron Williams collided with Dez Lewis and was down for a while. He left practice and went in to concussion protocol. This is actually good news because it appears his neck avoided a re-injury. Lewis also went to the locker room right away to get evaluated. On the field the team did a lot of 7 on 7 and goal line work along with a special teams rep.
Wednesday August 10, 2016
Day 10 Camp Notes: The offense struggled mightily in the two minute drill as they never got the ball past the defense's 39 yard line. They did better in the red zone drills as Tyrod Taylor ran for three touchdowns and hit Dez Lewis for a fourth. He also hit Sammy Watkins for a 55 yard score after he beat Jonathan Meeks. Other than that play Meeks played well as he split starting time with Robert Blanton with Corey Graham getting a day off. Greg Salas left practice with a hamstring injury and Sterling Moore left in concussion protocol.
Ragland Year Over: The Bills have officially announced that Reggie Ragland will have surgery on his torn ACL and his rookie season is over before it gets started. This is another huge blow for a team that is without Shaq Lawson after undergoing shoulder surgery. Adam Schefter reported today he will be back between week 6 and week 8 which likely means he will start the season on the PUP list.
Ragland Update: Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that Reggie Ragland will have surgery on his partially torn ACL later this week. The report says there is more damage to the knee as well and he will likely land on injured reserve. They won't know for sure however if he will miss just 6-8 weeks or the entire season until he has the surgery. Rapoport also reports that Kiko Alonso had the same injury last year and did return to action. There is a chance he lands on short term IR.
Tuesday August 9, 2016
Day 9 Camp Notes: The Bills got through a practice without any new injuries. Richie Incognito sat out with sore ribs but Rex Ryan said it isn't anything serious. There was no update on the status of Reggie Ragland or Cordy Glenn. The coach is aware of the reports that his ACL is partially torn but he says nobody knows yet because they are still waiting for the swelling to go down. Sammy Watkins had a maintenance day off as they are bringing him along slowly but he did not have a setback. Tyrod Taylor looked really good in 7 on 7 drills but threw interceptions to Stephon Gilmore and Preston Brown in 11 on 11 drills.
Monday August 8, 2016
No Update On Ragland: Rex Ryan said that there is no updated on Reggie Ragland yet as they are waiting for the swelling to go down and to get more range of motion. Adam Schefter reported yesterday he has partially torn ACL so it is unknown at this point if it's season ending. Cordy Glenn has a walking boot on the ankle he injured in the scrimmage and reportedly has a high ankle sprain. He is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. Richie Incognito left practice early with sore ribs. On the bright side, Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams, and Sammy Watkins all were activated from the injured lists after passing physicals. They all practiced this morning for the first time. The coach feels Brandon Spikes is a perfect fit for the Mike linebacker in the 3-4 defense.
News Archives index
Latest News Section
Archives Library
Back to Bills Daily Homepage