Biils WR Sammy Watkins best Player in Training Camp

Sammy Watkins came to Buffalo with high expectations padded by the usual understanding that rookie wide receivers take a little while to mature. Few first year receivers establish themselves as their team’s top option right from the get-go. Then again, few receivers possess the talent and temerity of Sammy Watkins.

More From NFL

“I told Andre Reed, ‘You’re going in (the Hall of Fame), so just pass the torch to Sammy before you do,’” Bills general manager Doug Whaley told FOX Sports after another training camp practice in which Watkins took veteran cornerback Leodis McKelvin to school. Per the article:

During Monday’s practice, Watkins showed that ability to grow bigger than his frame when he went up to grab a pass between three defenders. They all pinballed off him and fell to the ground. Watkins did as well, but only because he’d been poked in the eye. He staggered off to the cheers and then returned to practice, intent on further honing his route-running on this muggy, mid-June day.

“I’ve got the playbook down already,” Watkins said. “It’s just being consistent, knowing the little details to things and just really working against the defense, seeing things faster and doing the right things when you’re tired. When you get tired, that’s when you stop thinking, but once I get in shape, really know defenses and really start watching film, it’ll be better for me.”
Watkins entered the 2014 NFL draft as the top skill player available and the top player overall on Buffalo’s board. They put their money where their mouth was when they traded two picks in the 2015 draft and their own top pick in the 2014 draft for the right to draft Sammy Watkins. Many panned the move as a desperate overpayment by a club 14 years removed from the playoffs. Early results have indicated that GM Doug Whaley may have been onto something.
“We firmly believe he plays bigger than his size,” Whaley concluded. “We’re comfortable with that and we think he’ll steadily improve and by Day 1 will be ‘The Guy’.”
Expect Watkins to slot in as the first wide receiver on the team by Week 1 of the NFL season. From there, it’s up to him and EJ Manuel to lead this offense back to prominence.

Marcell Dareus Enters NFL Substance Abuse Program

Pittsford, N.Y. — Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus agreed to enter an NFL substance abuse program in a bid to have felony drug charges in Alabama dismissed, his attorney said on Monday.
Rod Giddens wrote in an email to The Associated Press that Dareus was allowed to enter the program during a hearing at Calhoun County Court in Alabama earlier in the day. Dareus attended the hearing while being excused from training camp in suburban Rochester.
Buffalo's WKBW-TV first reported the agreement.
Dareus, who is from Alabama and played for the Crimson Tide, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia after being stopped by a state trooper on May 5.
The charges will be dismissed and potentially expunged should the 2011 first-round draft pick successfully complete the program.
Giddens referred to Dareus as "a humble, gentle giant of a young man, who needs some mentors."
This marks the first positive step during what's been a troubled offseason for Dareus.
Four weeks after being arrested in Alabama, Dareus was allegedly racing teammate Jerry Hughes when he crashed his 2012 Jaguar into a tree near a busy intersection not far from Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Dareus was charged with reckless endangerment and ticketed for several traffic violations, including drag racing.
Dareus is still attempting to resolve those charges after failing to accept a plea deal earlier this month. He is next scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 9.
The NFL could potentially discipline Dareus with a fine or suspension.
» Photos from Monday's practice
Dareus also faces an immediate on-field challenge.
After reporting to camp on Friday, Dareus was placed on the active/non-football injury list after failing a conditioning test on Saturday. Dareus must pass the test before he can be cleared for practice.
Coach Doug Marrone said Dareus was scheduled to return to camp on Monday night, and was expected to be working out on the sideline during practice Tuesday morning.
Marrone didn't provide a timetable of how long it might take Dareus to be tested again, except to say "when our weight coaches feel that he's ready."
Dareus has already missed the first two days of practice.

The Buffalo Bills Will Finish Last In AFC East And Reasons Why!

I love reading the comments on Buffalo websites as optimism reigns supreme at this time of year.  Every football team is 0-0 and the atmosphere, even in Buffalo, smells of playoff football.

That is just it. Every year we have done the same thing for well over ten years.  The people of Western New York are tough.  We do not have time for thinking the worst is about to happen or maybe the economy is so bad; we have to think positive thoughts about our beloved sports teams.
I know I sit on the other side of the pond and do not have an “insider’s look” at what is happening in the NFL, but everything points to a rough season in Buffalo.   Last week’s news of Kiko Alonso did not help the situation, but even before his injury the Buffalo Bills were not going to be any better than a .500 team.
Not only do they have to attempt to fill Kiko’s shoes, but they never filled Jairus Byrd’s shoes, never addressed the back-up QB position (we need to pray for a healthy Manuel), they are banking on a resurgence at tight end, and what is going to happen with Marcell Dareus? But it is not just what the Bills didn’t address; it is what the other division teams did to get better that keeps me in a realistic mindset.
I do not want to be a Buzz Killington on the season and I certainly hope that I am wrong, but there are good men in Vegas putting their livelihood on the line that the Buffalo Bills are not going to win seven games.  I will wait until this team is sold and see the new owner.  Will he keep Doug Marrone and Doug Whaley?  Will a new owner bring the stability to the franchise to lure top-tier free agents?  Once things settle in ownership and the front office, maybe then my lack of optimism will be justified.
What do you think Buffalo? Am I way off base?  Prove to me that we are better than the Jets or even the Dolphins?  Show me that we didn’t trade away a top ten pick in the 2015 draft.   Please give me some hope!