“At the end of the day, if I play well, it should take care of itself”. All three – Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor, and EJ Manuel – played pretty well, which is more than most Bills fans could have possible expected.
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Manuel’s practice time with the starters gradually diminished last week.
“Because I also know (Bills offensive coordinator) Greg Roman, most of that defensive staff up there are carryover guys from Buffalo 2013, I probably have a good relationship with two-thirds of that coaching staff. Anytime you can collaborate that way, you’re going to get a lot of good work done”. And while it’s the first joint practice for the Browns in more than a decade, players and coaches know that tensions – and tempers – can flare at a moment’s notice between two teams known for their toughness and physicality. What Dansby is relaying is that Shelton’s strength in the middle of the defense is going to open up other Browns players to attack quarterbacks and running backs.
“Me and Mike basically talked them about (not fighting) and we had a little fun at, about something”, Ryan said. They don’t want to go out there and get pushed around. Knee injuries forced him to miss six games during his rookie season.
Andre Davis beat Gilbert by several steps in catching a deep pass up the left sideline from Cassel.
This awful performance comes on the heels of Gilbert’s rough preseason opener, a 20-17 loss to Washington this past Thursday. At one point, Bills safety Aaron Williams exclaimed to ESPN Cleveland’s Jason Gibbs: “Hey, Browns guy”.
“You have to have that short memory and be able to bounce back“, Pettine said. At the same time, you don’t want to do that with these guys, either, because we’re both wanting to get into the season healthy.
“I look forward to putting this behind me, and right now, I’m focused on continuing to work hard, being a good teammate and helping my team improve for the remainder of the preseason”, he said. And Joe Thomas, the Browns’ star tackle, warned that with jobs on the line, the summer heat on the rise, and two teams filled with competitive players, that fights could be prevalent. There has reportedly already been a bit of a skirmish between Browns wide receiver Marlon Moore and Bills linebacker Preston Brown.
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“You throw him to the wolves and that’s no easy thing”, Ryan said. He was planning to let Taylor play with the first string all along, and he’s looking forward to seeing what this largely unproven player can do, but also, the entire team.
