BUFFALO BILLS TRAINING CAMP DAY ONE

HC Rex Ryan

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Opening Statement: I thought today was a really good day for two reasons. Number one, it was a good practice. Guys clearly were in their books and very few mistakes. I will say that we’re probably the only team in the league that can go an entire practice and not once did we have a three-wide formation out there or sub-defense out there. So, right back to the basics, but it was good. We got in there and I thought the guys were pretty sharp. The other good thing is that there were no injuries, so I think that’s always a good thing. It seems like the first four or five days of camp, for whatever reason, always seem like to be the days for hamstrings, calves, those small-tissue injuries; the things you really try to avoid. We do a great job of it. Our trainers and things, we’re trying to get rest. I think we’re also the only team in the league that had a 10 PM curfew last night so we’re trying to do anything to kind of avoid what we went through last year. You probably noticed today there were very few, well actually none today, where the snaps split. So it’s almost double the reps like we did last year and the main reason for that is we now have an established starting quarterback, so I think that’s obviously where we’re at. There will be some periods, red-zone especially, where we’ll split those snaps again but for the most part, we’re thinking, “We’re not going to run the guys legs off like we did last year,” so there’s some things we definitely learned from, I learned from, and we’re not going to repeat the same mistakes again. With that, I’ll open it up for questions.

Q: With James Wilder Jr., is there an opportunity knocking on the door for this kid with Karlos (Williams) being out for a portion of this year?

A: Yeah, I think so. There’s an opportunity for a lot of guys but he’s a young man that’s been fairly impressive I think in the OTAs and the mini-camps and things leading up to the training camp. Obviously, a good pedigree. If he’s half as good as his dad, we know he’s going to be a heck of a player. But the other thing is he’s actually a very good special teams player. That’s something that jumped out to our scouts and obviously that was what was told to me, so I’m excited to see him when we really starting scrimmaging and things like that, (see) how he does.

Q: Are you a believer in if his dad played in the league then there’s something there? I mean he has to prove himself but are you a believer in that pedigree?

A:  Well I hope so, you know what I mean? Of course I am. But no, I think there is something to it, but you don’t expect him to be his dad, that’s kind of a given and if it was that easy we’d be taking everybody’s kid. I think it helps though. He grew up around the training camps and all the practices and everything else. He probably has a better idea of what it takes to play in this league than probably a lot of people.

Q: Dez Lewis looked like he started where he left off at OTAs and mini-camp. Good day today. What was the growth really from him? The biggest thing you saw from year one to year two?

A: I think the big thing with Dez is he was coming from a small college program. There’s nothing against that. It’s fine, a lot of good players, but the jump in competition is huge. And the jump for any college player going in the NFL is a big jump, but I think especially from a small college. Just getting accustomed, “Hey, the NFL game is ‘this’” and it is a zillion meetings and things like that. Sometimes, you might have had two or three meetings a week maybe at a small college then here you got like two or three a day. So I think he had a tough time with that as a lot of rookies do but I like the way he came on late last year. You saw him getting a little better as the weeks piled on and at the end of the year we actually played him some. I know he’s confident. I think his body type is what you look for in today’s game, with that kind of size that he has and he’s got good hands. We’ll see what happens.

Q: You seemed to know what you were getting in Tyrod when you signed him last year, but who’s to know how it was going to pan out? What does it say about him that after spending four years as a backup and getting his first opportunity to start, what does it say about how far he’s come?

A: I think, first off, the thing that I knew about him was his work ethic and his passion for the game and obviously his God-given ability. That was what I knew we were getting but you never know how it’s going to be until a guy really gets out there and he’s the guy under center. Nothing was given to him. He came here, and you guys know he was the third quarterback on the depth chart last year, but he earned the starting job so it was all him.

Q: Did you break into John Wawrow’s closet with the red Converse (sneakers)?

A: Yeah, well you know I think I got them from Jerry (Sullivan) over there. I broke into his car last night and I saw these. No, I’ve always done it every year. I think we figured it out, it’s like my 30^th year coaching and back in the day, there was no shoe budget or anything, you just couldn’t afford anything else, so Chuck Taylor’s were good. And you coached every day in them. But I always do it and I think I’ve done it even when I got in the NFL, college, all that stuff I would do it just as a reminder of where I was and never forget that. And plus they look cool now.

Q: Do you feel like this group is further along than last year’s at this time?

A: You darn right I do. I like that.  And I think it’s good. We’re going to show up and I feel good about this football team, I can promise you that. I feel good about it. And I mentioned how a zillion times, okay, it’s not a zillion times, I get it, but we’re way further along than we were at this time last year and I feel good about it. Communication’s better. We know what we’re doing out there and it’s impressive. And I see the enthusiasm that these guys have, so I’m excited about this group.

Q: Is Karlos Williams where he needs to be weight-wise?

A: No, not really. But, we also weren’t going to rush him back, give him an unrealistic goal to report to camp in and all of a sudden he’s (hurt). We had that last year with Boobie Dixon. He went out for one day, passed the conditioning test, blew every muscle and that type of stuff; it was unrealistic weight. We told him we’re going to get that weight off him and we’ll see how he does but obviously he’s not where I’d like him to be right now, but I’m confident that he’s going to work hard enough to get to Week 5 when he comes back to us.

Q: What’s changed in what you’ve seen in the offseason with IK? What do you see that the rest of us maybe didn’t see last year?

A: Well I think, the number one thing is he’s probably playing the position we envisioned him as a true outside linebacker. He’s playing right outside linebacker. People don’t know, there is no linebacker like there was last year where he had to put his hand in the dirt like he was playing defensive end. You don’t know what he’s playing now. So it’s the same thing with Jerry Hughes. I think that’s going to maximize those two positions for us. We also are doing the same thing with our inside linebackers. So you can’t tell who the Mike is, who the Will is. We’re just going to be a tough team to figure out. You see the stemming and everything else that we’re doing and we play an over and under defense. We can do anything we want now and have that flexibility. We’re going to challenge teams a little more mentally, I think, than we did last year.

Q: Is there something about whether you worked on the strengths of his game and this brand of defenders?

A: I think first off, having my brother, Bobby April, and Jeff Weeks when he’s not in a golf cart, I think that’s really helped them. We’re being more multiple. We’ve really taken this kid, now it’s his third year and transitioning from a guy that’s always played with his hand in the dirt to now standing up, and doing more multiple things, I think it’s going to help his game.

Q: It seems that NFL coaches get three years to build a program. Some have gotten two, others have only gotten one. What do you think is fair?

A: I think five years. (Laughs) Nah, two is fine with me. I feel good about this team. You know what, I’m not focused on any of that. I guess everybody’s situation is different. I feel comfortable with my football team and I’m not worried about it.

Q: Are you happy with Marcell?

A: Yeah, I really am. Definitely happy. He looks great. I wish he was out here, but whatever that’s a different thing. It’s not anything to be concerned with, but yeah I’m really happy with him.

Q: Backup safety Duke Williams looks like he’s with the second group there. That may surprise some people considering his struggles last year. Can you talk about where he came from last year in the offseason to now?

A: I think that when you look at our slogan about being all in, and by the way it worked for Clemson, and it worked for Cleveland, it did right? I mean they said ‘All In’ in the playoffs. Alright? I’m just expecting the same thing to be great. We’ll sign up for it. But he really is a young man that I even had a conversation with about it’s really about being all in. There’s no ands or buts about it. And he understands how I feel. Man I’ll tell you what. He’s the man that’s bringing in the coffee. That’s how much time he spends in here. So he wants it bad. And I see a different player. I see a player with way more confidence. Not something that is going to be handed to him. He’s going to have to earn everything he gets and he’s ok with that right now. So I think it’s great to see him that way.

Q: Did you get more of an update on the Manny (Lawson) situation?

A: Yeah, it’s a pec (injury). It wasn’t in our facilities, it was in the offseason. He was benching, I think, like 415 (pounds) or something, which is another story. There’s some blood there so there’s some things but it’s not something where we anticipate him missing time in the regular season, but those things can be tricky. We’re just being smart with him and I know he’s itching to go. He wasn’t even going to tell us, but it’s pretty obvious he had something, so we’re making sure we take care of him.

Q: Talk more about the curfew and things you’re doing to avoid some of the issues that you had last year. Can you be more specific on that point and maybe your approach as head coach?

A: I think you learn in this league as you go. That’s why I think the longer you’re in it, the better you should be, but last year, clearly, it looked good on paper. Remember, I bragged about it forever, I think we’re running these two-spot drills and we’re going to get all these reps and then when you look at the total thing, when you’re having injuries to Sammy, you’re having pulled muscles to Shady and everybody else. Remember, we couldn’t even get a running back, so I think a lot of that can be attributed to the fact we’re getting twice as many reps. So, let’s be smart, let’s get them rested, take care of these guys and hopefully we’ll have a better outcome than we did last year when that seemed like that was a thing that put us on the wrong path. It’s hard to rehab from that because eventually you get back to the regular season; you got to be at full speed. So those are some things that I definitely learned from and I feel much better with what we’re doing right now.

Q: Rex, when Karlos comes back–does he still have a firm grip on that backup job?

A: Well I think the big thing is he has to stay up to it mentally and physically get ready to go, but anything can happen. I think the guy that was in there ahead of Lou Gehrig probably never expected him to play the way he did, right? So you never know. Opportunity comes. Sometimes adversity for the other comes opportunity for the other people so we’ll see what happens. But I’m pretty confident in the young man. Obviously he has a great deal of ability, I think he led the NFL in yards-per-carry last year or he was at the top-five I think, so we know the kind of ability he has, but again, you don’t assume anything and you have to put the work in and I think as the process goes through, you get through training camp and things, hopefully we’ll see the guy that we expect to see.

Q: What are you looking for in the receivers after Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods? Also will Tyrod have any say in it?

A: I don’t know about Tyrod having say in it. Hopefully it’s pretty obvious decisions and things, but you’re looking for a guy that’s productive, that’s the number one thing. Sometimes durability counts too, so there’s a lot of different things that you look for. It’s an interesting group when you’re looking at them. Each guy offers different things. You got (Kolby) Listenbee with the world class speed, him and (Marquise) Goodwin. Then you got the size of like a Dez Lewis, you know, (Leonard) Hankerson, (Jarrett) Boykin. All these guys have played, (Greg) Salas, you got all these guys. So I think it’s going to be great competition and hopefully the decisions are pretty obvious as we get going.

Q: Does that third guy have to be the prototypical slot guy or can he be a 6-4, 6-5 guy?

A: I think the way the game is played now, you’re looking at different types of slot receivers. You’re exactly right, those are the types, the Wes Welker Types, and all that, the shifty guys. But now, it looks like they’re putting bigger guys in the slot. I remember we played the Jets, they put (Eric) Decker in the slot, so big guys (in the slot). I think New Orleans did that first with that big kid from Hofstra (Marques Colston) all those years ago, I can’t think of his name, but he was tough to cover, I can tell you that much. I think there are going to be lots of guys that get opportunity in there. Robert Woods can play in there, obviously. We think Sammy can play in there a little. But Salas jumped out, there’s Dez, whoever. We’ll see.

Q: Rex, is it bittersweet to see Flash (Goodwin) here? We all expected to see him in Rio (2016 Summer Olympics) but we’re seeing him at the first day of camp. Is that bittersweet for you?

A: I think so. Just for the young man, I think it would have been great if he would have had the opportunity to go to the Olympics and represent his country. I think that would have been fantastic, but it wasn’t meant to be so the fact he’s here, he’s doing well, you see him out here, he looks good. In a way, I’m very disappointed, especially for him but I’m also happy he’s here.

Q: Thoughts on Seantrel Henderson following his offseason surgeries?

A: Yeah, I mean you leave it in the experts’ hands. It will be fun eventually when he gets out there on that field and is able to participate. We’ll see where he is. You wish it for him. Obviously you hope that everything works out well for him.

Q: How have things been since you simplified the defense?

A: Well, I think we did. I always say defense is easy, but this is really the way it’s supposed to be, when you can play right and left and you don’t know who’s doing what, I think that’s really the way it’s meant to be and hopefully you can make it simple for your guys and complicated for the opponents. I think last year it was probably a little mixed. At times it appeared easy for the opposition and complicated for us, so, I think we’re doing a great job. We got some great teachers, I’ve been blown away by some of the additions we’ve had. Obviously we have Dennis (Thurman) running it, but I feel good about our defense and I’ve said from day one I feel great about us. I think we’re going to be a much better defense.

QB Tyrod Taylor
Saturday, July 30, 2016

Q: How do you feel as the number one guy here today?
A: I mean, I feel good. I mean, I started going into the season so it’s not like this is a surprise to me. I’ve carried myself since day one with the attitude and the work ethic of being a starter. Nothing has changed mentally. It didn’t effect that — I’m getting more reps than last and just try to make the best of those reps.

Q: At any point today you did you reflect upon last years quarterback challenge?
A: Yeah, I reflect when I woke up after dawn just the other time.

Q: That’s the only time?
A: Yeah.

Q: What did you think?
A: Training camp’s here. One year run by so fast. Learned a lot last year. I put this behind me. Like I said, everything up to this point has been a learning experience. I’ll use that to better myself as a quarterback moving forward and as a person. So, I’m thankful for the experience last year. That’s behind me now. I can’t dwell on it.

Q: Beside your starting status what has changed on day one of camp?
A: Of course, just knowing the offense. Last year at this point we were still – I mean we had the spring – but I felt we were still learning the offense as an offensive unit. But the year I’ve built and the whole spring I’ve been getting starting reps having a grasp on the offense definitely feels good to me. I feel more control out here, and you’re able to point people in different directions, which is something that maybe I wasn’t comfortable doing on the first day last year. Guys look to me as the leader now. I have to go there and prepare like it and have to show that I fit.

Q: How much, going into year two, will Greg (Roman) maybe add onto to it more, just about doing better what you did last year?
A: Of course we have to go out there and fine-tune some of the things we did last year. After playing a full year it’s kind of like you go out there and repeat everything, of course execution is what it boils down to. With us having a year under our belt as a unit, of course the coaches expect more out of us. It’s time for us as an offensive unit to take a step forward and as players we’re looking forward to doing it. We understand how dynamic we can be, how explosive we can be and I think everyone is holding each other accountable on our side of the ball and as well on our defensive side, too. As far as taking that step, being that much better and focus on executing.

Q: Will you allow yourself to be more assertive in the locker room and things like that?
A: As far as being in a leader, like you said, being more assertive on the field.  I think that that respect comes from the things you do, day in and day out – in the classroom, in the weight room guys gain respect. It’s not something that’s given to you, you have to go out and earn their respect. Playing a full year on the field, doing the things we did as a team. With each and every week, I studied my butt off, we, guys on the team studied their butts off. We gained respect for each other and I think that’s what carries over to the field.  And, of course, the leadership from the quarterback position — I walk through that room looking forward to leading these guys. You know, everyone is excited about the team this year.

Q: Is it easier to drown out the contract noise once camp starts because there’s no down time anymore?
A: For sure, I mean I didn’t think about this offseason any way. I’ve stayed the same since day one… specific with my contract.  If things happen, I’m all for it. If things didn’t happen or play out then and I’d be a free agent next year. That’s not the focus for me. That’s never been the focus for me. I’m out here to help the Bills, the organization, win football games. Help bring this community— put faith that they’ve been waiting for, for years now. That’s what my focus is. That’s what the teams focus is. The contract situation will handle itself.

Q: Because you didn’t come in as a high draft pick and you worked your way to the top, do you think your teammates look at you with a little more admiration?
A: I don’t know if they look at me differently.  They understand how I work – how hard I work. They understand that last year nothing was given to me. Each one of the guys, it as all a fair shot and at the end of the day I was able to emerge as the starter. They know that nothing was given to me.  And like you said, I worked for this spot. At the end of the day, you have to gain trust and like I said respect on the things you on a day-to-day basis, you know, guys see that. I see that at other positions, as well, too. Guys are working their butts off every day – doing the little things to get better.

Q: How different was the offseason, not football-wise but the Tyrod Taylor brand-wise?
A: I wouldn’t say anything too much changed other than the fact that I was forced into shooting commercials—I enjoy that.  Demand-wise I’ve pretty much kept it the same as years before. I still need my personal time to get away from the game, have a chance to study, as well, too. Not too much changed, though, on the personal side.

Q: Is it encouraging that both sides are talking?
A: Like I said, if something happens, if something works out where a deal gets done, then I’m happy.  I’ve worked many years in this league.  I really don’t get into my agent, I don’t want to talk about it. I’m in training camp right now my focus is getting better day-to-day. That’s really what my mindset is.

Q: You don’t ask for updates?
A: No. There’s no reason for it.

Q: So, when it looks good you tell them, basically?
A: Football. That’s all that’s on my mind.

Q: Greg Salas was part of the group out in San Diego. Can you talk about what you saw there, what you saw at the end of last season and what he might be able to bring to that receiver group?
A: Yes. Of course were losing (Chris) Hogan, he played some inside slot stuff for us last year. Salas has a similar body- build. He can play outside as well, too and inside. We were able to bring him on last year and he showed some good things.  And, I just wanted to deal on that and get a great group of receivers for us and our team. And I’m looking forward to how he competes this training camp every single day. He’s a talented guy and I’m looking forward to see what he can do.

Q: Outside of Sammy (Watkins) and Robert (Woods), how do you really assess the receivers and has anyone impressed you throughout the offseason?
A: Each guy has done a lot of good things throughout the spring. I mean it’s only day one of training camp and guys have shown some good things. The most, the main thing is that each guy remains consistent. I know we’re only practicing against ourselves right now.  When it gets to game-time, until out guy react to different jerseys. I know those guys (are) excited to show what they can do, as well as I’m excited to show what I can do.

Q: Do you have specific name in your mind, who has separated himself a little bit, even if you won’t sit and tell us?
A: All those guys are battling. You know, I appreciate how hard they’re working on a day-to-day basis. They’re just out there competing. You have to love it because that bring out the best in these guys.

Q: I’ll ask you one guy specifically, Dez Lewis really looks like he and a really good spring ___ start. What do you see in the growth in him and do you see in the growth in him last year?
A: Learning from the guys in the room, that’s like Sammy (Watkins)’s little brother. (Robert) Woods took him under his wing, as well, too. He’s definitely learned from those guys. He picks their brains and tries to get as much information from those guys as possible. You can tell. He took his offseason and prepared himself to come back stronger. He had a very strong spring and it builds competition in-house and as well as on the field too. You can tell he took his offseason preparation seriously and I’m excited to see what type of player he can be.

RB James Wilder Jr.
Saturday, July 30, 2016

Q: How is it having an NFL father? What’s that like?
A: It’s awesome man. He’s a very humble guy. He never talks about football. If you bring it up, he still kind of even shies away from it, but you can see it in his face. You can see it in his smile. The family still loves it. The family reminds me ‘oh you’re going to be like your dad’ you know like that. The smile on his face when he sees the stuff on the family, the support and love that they show him down in Tampa is pretty awesome. I mean, anything to give him that smile.

Q: Do you consider yourself a similar type of runner as your dad or do you have different styles?
A: Oh, I’m the same exact style. He’s 6’3”, I’m 6’3”. He was 225 and I’m 226. Power, Power with speed, long arms. Same exact thing.

Q: That’s a good thing though?
A: Oh yeah, it’s definitely a good thing. I mean he was a great player so it’s definitely a good thing.

Q: With the two guys, I mean with Karlos suspended, you were very excited to come into this camp. What about this opportunity makes this more exciting than other years?
A: The opportunity makes it great. Way more better than before. I mean like I said, it was unfortunate to have some of our guys who make the team better have to sit out but it’s an opportunity for me to showcase my talent and show to the coaches what I have.

Q: Are you aware of how short term this is going to be? I mean this is an opportunity.
A: Oh yeah. It’s now or nothing man. I have no more practice squad years left. I’m out of that so it’s all or nothing for me. Right now I have this short time period to be able to show what I have to lock myself on this team.

Q: Did your dad have any advice? Or maybe the way he played because this is a struggling organization and he played for one? Anything he’s said about the similarities?
A: Not really with the struggling organization piece, but just being a student of the game. Know what the defender is doing at all times. Know everything that’s going on on the field. Take no days off. Take an off day when I’m retired. I’m just taking advantage of that. He’s aware. Texts me every day telling me about this opportunity I have. So I’m excited and I’m going to take advantage of it.

Q: How much more pressure is there on you knowing that practice squad is not an option?
A: Oh it’s a lot more pressure but I handle pressure well. Like I said, I know it’s all or nothing. You either go home, or be on the team, making the team better. So I know what I have to do. I know what I want to do.

RB Karlos Williams
Saturday, July 30, 2016

Q: Thoughts on what happened this offseason?
A: I’m very disappointed in myself. I put the organization, my teammates, my family in a very bad situation. I only can learn from my mistakes this offseason and get ready to get back in shape, get ready to play football, and only can move forward.

Q: Do you feel that you’ve made progress in the month since we last saw you at minicamp?
A: Most definitely. Mentally, physically, definitely made progress. Just trying to move forward, just trying to get back to playing football. Definitely don’t want to go out there and get hurt, get injured. That’s why I’m working out constantly, multiple times a day, to try to keep myself ready in shape to get back and touch the field and be ready to play.

Q: Coming back from a rookie year where all indications pointed to you being focused and dialed in, how did things go off the rail from last offseason to now? If you could walk through in your own mind what happened?
A: Being a young guy, a young kid, just making bad decisions. Not thinking things through. I think that happens to a lot of people coming into the NFL, they have good success and kind of go off the hinges just a little bit. That happened to me but it’s time to move forward, it’s time to move on and progress. The coaches, the ownership, they put a lot of trust in me, they invested in me. Got the ball early last year, early and often, put the ball in the end zone a lot, and that came with a lot of trust from my coaching staff, offensive coordinator Coach Roman. Also, Coach Lynn put me in the game. Being a No. 2 behind Shady McCoy is a privilege and I took advantage of it and I played well last year so now it’s time to do the same thing. Time to move forward, progress, keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully it’ll come back.

Q: Are you confident that what you’ve been through and the message that’s been set, did you receive that loud and clear? That the words you saw now turn into action?
A: Most definitely. Going through what I’ve been through, definite mistakes and I believe that people make mistakes. It’s all about the change. I’m not really a big person on talking about changing, it’s all about showing people. Showing my family, showing my friends, the ownership, the coaches, my teammates, definitely earning my teammate’s trust back. Being a rookie last year, playing a lot with those guys, they put a lot of trust in me. Veterans were coming up to me telling me how good I was playing from opposite teams, so it’s all about putting that work in that I put before to get back to where I was and now it’s time to do that.

Q: Who is the support group in the locker room that you lean on?
A: Everybody.

Q: There’s not a guy in particular though that you kind of talk to a little bit about it?
A: My Florida State guys. (Ronald) Darby, EJ (Manuel), James (Wilder Jr); it’s everybody. It’s always a hand out, there’s always somebody there to have a shoulder to lean on. From the time I got the news to the time now, I always have support. I should have used that support before I made my mistakes but I have it now, I’m here now, and all I can do is keep moving forward, keep progressing and get back ready to play football.

Q: What’s the best advice they gave you?
A: Move forward. Move forward, it happens, it’s in the past. You can’t change what happened, all you can do is work, work, work and get ready to play football.

Q: Are you confident that you’ll be able to get your job back when you return to the field?
A: I can control me and all I can control right now is being in shape and when I get ready to touch that football field again, when I get the ball, just do what I do best and that’s put the ball in the end-zone.

Q: Sitting on the sideline, does it worry you that your job is in jeopardy?
A: It definitely encourages me. I played with James (Wilder Jr was a Florida State teammate), I played with Mike (Gillislee) last year, I watched Shady play growing up and being a kid I watched him play. I watched Boom (Daniel Herron) play when he was at Ohio State and in the league. I watched Jonathan (Williams) going through camp, so I know how these guys are. They’re confident in the way they play. I’m confident in the way I play. All I can do is encourage and be the best teammate I can be and when it’s time for me to play, it’s time for me to play.

Q: What’s your workout schedule been like since mini camp?
A: It’s been work. It’s nothing but work. Heavy conditioning, hitting the weight room hard again as usual, it’s just about getting my body back to where it’s supposed to be, back at top-peak shape, so I can perform the way I performed last year.

Q: Do you think getting kind of thinned down will kind of bury you those first few weeks when you’re working on your own?
A: Most definitely. Like I said, I got a lot of support from my teammates. They definitely encourage me, they definitely let me know they’re behind me 100 percent, so does the coaches and the ownership, so like I said, they invested a lot of time and money into me and it’s time that they get it back. It’s time that I put it back into them.

Q: Once Week One rolls around, have the Bills told you if you can be around the facility and things like that?
A: I haven’t clarified that up yet but I’m sure when we get closer to that time it’ll be more clear. But right now, it’s not about that. It’s about training camp, it’s about putting the time in, getting ready for preseason ball, and get ready to play.

Q: Do you have a timeline of when you’ll be out there?
A: I’m not sure right now but they’ll let me know when I’m back out there and I’ll be back to play.

Q: How much has your diet changed?
A: Little bit. I’m not a big eater. Never have been a huge, huge eater, so that’s really not going to change. I like to nitpick, so ‘more of this and less of that.’ So it’s not really drastic, but it has changed some.

Q: How close are you weight-wise to where you want to be?
A: Not far at all. I’m getting comfortable every single day from mini camp until now. I’m pretty comfortable with where I am now. It’s just time to work, get back right, and when it’s time to touch the field, it’s time to touch the field.

Q: Are you concerned at all over losing that No. 2 spot over those four weeks?
A: Right now, I’m not on the football field. That’s out of my control. The coaches and the ownership want me to workout, they want me to lift, they want me to be out there during practice and meetings and I’m going to continue to do that. I’m going to continue to study the playbook, continue to work on myself and get better each and every day.

Q: Are you trying to help those guys at the backup role but at the same time make sure you’re not falling behind?
A: It’s helping me. It does help me. I do believe that if I can teach you something, obviously I know the subject myself, so the better I can teach a teammate, the better I can help out a teammate, the better I’ll be when I step on the football field.

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Tagged with: Buffalo Bills, Rex Ryan, Training camp