Die Macht » run afoul of the leagues drug prog

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills are healthier and refreshed following a much-needed week off. And they may have some new faces in the lineup as they look to make a playoff push over the seasons final seven weeks.The Bills got back to work Monday following their Week 10 bye, with most of their players on the practice field after a first half of the season dominated by injuries.This should be the healthiest weve been in a long time coming back off the bye, and should have a lot of energy and passion, coach Rex Ryan said.Key players such as running back LeSean McCoy, defensive tackle Marcell Dareus and wide receiver Robert Woods were on the practice field after dealing with injuries in recent weeks. So were linebacker Lorenzo Alexander and receiver Marquise Goodwin, among others.The week off came at a good time, guard Richie Incognito said. If youve got little nicks and dings, it gives you a chance to heal those up and it gives you a chance to get ready mentally. A week to get away from it and prioritize and get back up here.One player who did not return was receiver Sammy Watkins. Watkins (foot) was eligible to practice beginning Friday after being placed on injured reserve on Sept. 30. Ryan said Watkins is continuing to make progress but is not yet there.He is eligible to return to practice this week, however, the trainers have said they feel hes not ready to return, Ryan said. I just met with Sammy, Sammy feels fantastic. But were going to be smart with this and well do whats best for him, obviously, and until all our medical people are on board with him coming back there on the field, then were not going to practice him. But when that time occurs, and hopefully that time will occur soon, hell be back out there.Ryan hinted at some personnel changes, specifically pointing to the secondary and the offensive line, with one potential change at cornerback for Buffalos game at Cincinnati. Second-year cornerback Ronald Darby was benched in the loss to Seattle and he did not work with the first unit during the portion of practice open to the media Monday. In his place was fifth-year pro Corey White, who replaced Darby against Seattle.After practice, White told reporters he and Darby split reps in practice and that its considered an open competition.Well see, White said. Right now were just competing in practice and well see who starts on Sunday.The Bills will have a new center for the remainder of the season after veteran Eric Wood broke a leg against Seattle. Ryan Groy replaced Wood against the Seahawks and will compete with Patrick Lewis for the job.That may not be the only change on Buffalos offensive line. Ryan is encouraged by the progress of former starter Seantrel Henderson. Henderson started in each of the past two seasons for Buffalo at right tackle but has yet to make it all the way back after being diagnosed with Crohns disease late last season. Henderson was significantly underweight because of the disease and also missed the first four games of the year due to a suspension.Im encouraged right now the way he practiced, especially last week, Ryan said. That was the guy that I remember, a special athlete. So hopefully he can continue that way. I was really encouraged with how he looked last week.The Bills (4-5) must quickly make up ground after slipping in the standings. After three straight losses, the Bills are 11th in the AFC, third in their division.We were all on empty ... but now I feel like were healthy and feeling good and we ought to be rolling now, Ryan said.Game notes The Bills placed Eric Wood on injured reserve late Monday afternoon and promoted cornerback Marcus Roberson from the practice squad. Roberson, 24, has spent time on both Buffalos practice squad and active roster this season. Buffalo also signed center Dalton Freeman to the practice squad.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Green Bay Packers Gear . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Green Bay Packers Pro Shop . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. https://www.packersjerseysale.com/ . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Green Bay Packers Store . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Custom Green Bay Packers Jerseys . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. Just six more weeks until the start of the NFL season. Six weeks until the transition from speculation to proof. Teams have been tinkering for six months now, and at some point soon, we will start to find out which moves worked and which didnt.Some offseason moves are made with the long-term future in mind. Some are quick fixes. Today, we lean in the latter direction. In no particular order, here are 20 offseason NFL moves likely to have an impact on the 2016 season -- for better or for worse.The New York Jets finally get it together with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Hot off the press! As training camp got underway, the Jets reunited Chan Gailey, Brandon Marshall & Co. with their signal-calling BFF. This is obviously a 2016-focused move, as the Jets got within a game of the playoffs last year and want to clear that hurdle this time around. As well as Fitz knows the offense, hell slide right in. The move to sign him erases all the moves they made to alienate him in the months before.Tom Brady ends his Deflategate legal fight. Bradys move to stop fighting his suspension lends certainty to the New England Patriots training camp. Theyre certain they wont have their Hall of Fame quarterback for the first four games. Jimmy Garoppolo is certain his preseason prep work will matter this time. Pats fans remain certain their team got hosed. Certainty abounds, and Week 5 looks like a must-watch.The Denver Broncos let Brock Osweiler walk.?This move is more likely to have a 2016 impact in Denver, Osweilers former home, than in Houston. The Texans started four different quarterbacks last year and made the playoffs. Theyll be fine if they put enough pieces around Osweiler. But the move leaves the champs with Eagles/Jets leftovers at quarterback while they wait for the thermometer to pop on Paxton Lynch.Adam Gase leaves the Chicago Bears for the Miami Dolphins. Now the youngest head coach in the league, Gase, 38, is the man Miami is counting on to get Ryan Tannehill to bloom. But this may have more impact in Chicago, where Jay Cutler really liked Gase as offensive coordinator and may not get along as well with successor Dowell Loggains. It doesnt help that Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett left too. Lesser issues have sent Cutler into funks.The New York Giants blow out the budget. Only two teams had fewer sacks than the Giants last year. No team gave up more yards. Its a long way back from there to respectable, and the big-money deals for Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison and Janoris Jenkins dont answer all of the Giants problems. But theres little doubt that they should be better on defense this year. It would be tough not to be.The Carolina Panthers rescind Josh Normans franchise tag. Letting your best cornerback leave a team that went 15-1 and made it to the Super Bowl is a bold move, and in Carolina it means some young corners really need to step up their trash-talk game. But the real impact here is on the other end. Norman landed in Washington, where hell tangle with Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. twice a year now. The first matchup is in Week 3. As a wise man once said, Get your popcorn ready.The Oakland Raiders sign Kelechi Osemele. At almost $12 million per year with more than $25 million guaranteed in the first two, this wasnt a cheap move. But the Raiders ranked 28th in the league last year in rushing yards, and if theyre going to cash in on their high preseason expectations, they cant ask young Derek Carr to throw it 40 times a game. Having Osemele on the line makes the run game legit, whether its Latavius Murray or DeAndre Washington getting the carries.The Tennessee Titans hire Russ Grimm. What? An offensive line coach among the top offseason moves?!? Well, it sure was last year, when Bill Callahan jumped from 2014 division champ Dallas to 2015 division champ Washington. The Titans 2016 is about the development and protection of quarterback Marcus Mariota, and of all the additions they made with that in mind, Grimm could matter the most.The Bears sign Danny Trevathan. It takes two years and a bunch of new players to really transition from a 4-3 defense into a 3-4. The linebackers John Fox inherited last year werent suited for it. Trevathan is. He and fellow newcomer Jerrell Freeman should make a difference in handling the signals and in coverage. And Trevathan can flash that brand-new Super Bowl ring, which is always helpful.The Dallas Cowboys make no moves at all at defensive end. No ones saying they should have brought back unmitigated disaster Greg Hardy. But the Cowboys replaced him with nno one at all, then watched as Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence got hit with drug suspensions.dddddddddddd. This looks like a team that should ring Dwight Freeneys phone, but ... it kind of always did, didnt it?The Atlanta Falcons sign Alex Mack. Matt Ryans biggest problem last year was red zone turnovers. But his second-biggest problem may have been actually getting the ball into his hands. Atlanta used three different starting centers in 2015, and two of them had trouble snapping the ball. Mack solidifies the position which the quarterback is uncomfortably closest to, and the Falcons offense should benefit.Eddie Lacy decides to move more. The Green Bay Packers made no secret of their belief that their star running back was out of shape last year. And Lacy took it to heart, spending his offseason working out with P90X founder Tony Horton. The Packers need a bounce-back from Lacy if theyre to reclaim the NFC North title from the Vikings. His reduced waistline offers late-July hope.The Panthers draft Vernon Butler. Already stacked on the interior of their defensive line, the defending NFC champs went big in the first round and expect Butler to contribute to the rotation right away. But the pick also impacts their current contract discussions with Kawann Short, who wants?Fletcher Cox-type money?but isnt likely to get it now that the Panthers can hold the franchise tag and his potential replacement over his head in negotiations.NFL hits?Pittsburgh Steelers?and?Cincinnati Bengals hard with suspensions. The league has banned Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict for the first three games, Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant for the year and is likely to suspend Steelers running back LeVeon Bell for the first four games. All of this has obvious impact on one of the seasons most-anticipated division races as well as a Week 2 matchup in Pittsburgh that a lot of important players seem likely to miss.Justin Houston has knee surgery. The AFC West is so gettable, and the Kansas City Chiefs could so get it. But you saw in their playoff loss to the Patriots that theyre not the same team without their star pass-rusher. The number of games Houston has to miss while he recovers from his February ACL surgery could go a long way toward helping decide this division.The Philadelphia Eagles sign all the quarterbacks. They brought back Sam Bradford, signed backup Chase Daniel and traded their way up from No. 13 to No. 2 in the draft to take Carson Wentz. The result is a 2016 muddle, and a ton of outside pressure to make a move if Bradford struggles and/or gets hurt. Theres always chaos in Philly, and the Eagles have invited plenty more with their QB-heavy offseason plan.Laremy Tunsil smokes his way down the first round. The gas-mask video that sprayed its way into the collective NFL consciousness minutes before the draft dropped Tunsil from potentially being the No. 3 overall pick down to the Dolphins at No. 13. The 2016 impact will be felt in Miami, where Tannehills protection gets a boost, and in places like Baltimore and East Rutherford, where the whole thing really messed with draft boards. The flustered Giants ended up taking a guy at No. 10, Eli Apple, for whom they dont even have a starting job.Josh Gordon gets unsuspended. Sort of. Maybe. The NFL announced earlier this week that the Cleveland Browns star receiver is reinstated, but has to miss the first four games. This all rests on Gordons ability to not run afoul of the leagues drug program between now and October, so its no sure thing. But if he can answer the Week 5 bell, Gordon is a huge boost to a team thats woefully short on good players.The Arizona Cardinals trade for Chandler Jones. If Bill Belichick wanted to trade me a 26-year-old pass-rusher who had 12.5 sacks last year, Id be suspicious. But Arizona is going for it and couldnt care less about what Belichick knows about the potential long-range consequences. Jones is a free agent at the end of the season, but for 2016, he boosts the Cardinals pass rush and didnt cost very much. Theyll worry about whether they have to franchise him next year when the time comes. Right now, its all about knocking down quarterbacks, which this guy can do.The Rams move from St. Louis to Los Angeles. The average distance the Rams division rivals have to fly to play them drops from 2,531 miles to 1,039 miles. If you dont think that has an impact, you havent been flying lately. ' ' '