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SPORTSThursday 22 October 2015
Bills practice in London with plenty of injury worries
CHRIS LEHOURITES his outlook,” Ryan said of
AP Sports Writer
WATFORD, England (AP) — Taylor, who started the first
No matter how far the Buf-
falo Bills run, they just can’t five games of the season
hide from their injury prob-
lems. but sprained a ligament
The banged-up Bills (3-3)
flew across the pond and in his left knee in the 14-
arrived in London early this
week after losing at home 13 win over Tennessee on
to the Cincinnati Bengals,
a game in which backup Oct. 11. “Obviously he’s
quarterback EJ Manuel
started and was inconsis- going through treatments
tent in the place of the in-
jured Tyrod Taylor and the and we’ll see how he pro-
defense stumbled in the
second half. gresses through the week.”
“We got to flush the toilet,
so to speak, on one game,” Taylor said he was making
Bills coach Rex Ryan said
Wednesday. “There’s no progress and shared the
question about it. We got
to get better.” reps with Manuel during
The Bills will face the Jack-
sonville Jaguars (1-5) on Wednesday’s practice. He
Sunday at Wembley Stadi-
um in the second of three didn’t say if he was going
regular-season NFL games
in London this year. The to start on Sunday, howev-
Jaguars are 0-2 at Wem-
bley, while the Bills will be er, but that he was getting
making their first appear-
ance in Britain. himself prepared to play.
Ryan, however, still doesn’t
know who will be taking “It feels good. It’s getting
the snaps on Sunday.
“It’s too early to tell about better,” Taylor said of his
Brady knee. “We’re in good con-
Continued from page 17 versation as far as how I
I love playing this sport. I feel. At the end of the day,
love making a commit-
ment to my teammates it’s up to the coaches to
and my coaches, and
hopefully I can do it for a make the decision.”
long time.”
The 38-year-old Brady has Besides the questions sur-
shown no signs of slowing
down. He’s tied for sec- rounding Taylor, the Bills will
ond in the league with 14
touchdown passes while also be without defensive
throwing just one intercep-
tion. His 1,699 yards pass- tackle Kyle Williams, who
ing rank him fifth in the NFL,
and he is completing 70.6 is out indefinitely with what
percent of his passes.
“It’s a great mark, there’s Ryan called “a significant” Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) is brought down in the first half of an NFL football game
no doubt about it,” he injury to his left knee. Wil- against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn.
said. “To complete 70 per- liams was carted off after
cent is hard to do, but I Associated Press
would say it may reflect
being hurt late in the fourth
on the quarterback, but to
me, it really reflects on the quarter of the 34-21 loss to sonal issue,” without elabo- has so far failed to play up formidable against the run
entire offense because it’s
just, you’ve got to spread the Bengals on Sunday. rating further. to its high-priced expecta- and pressuring opposing
it around to different peo-
ple.” And receiver Percy Harvin The injury to Williams is a big tions. Williams is a 10-year passers.
is absent because of what problem for a defense that veteran and respected The Bills are already miss-
the coach called “a per- has been struggling and team leader who has been ing starting safety Aaron
Williams, who is out until at
least December because
of a neck injury.
Cornerback Leodis McK-
elvin returned to practice
but remains on the reserve/
non-football injury list. McK-
elvin missed the remainder
of last season after break-
ing his right ankle in No-
vember.
He aggravated the injury
in July and had a follow-up
operation before the start
of training camp.
“We’ve had a ton of inju-
ries, just a bunch of them,
that’s kind of offset us a
little bit,” Ryan said. “Right
now we got to make do
with where we’re at.
“Did we want to have a
better record? Absolutely
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady smiles as he answers a question prior to an NFL foot- we did. But we’ve earned
ball practice in Foxborough, Mass., Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015. The Patriots face the Indianapolis the 3-3 record.”
Colts on Sunday. Buffalo has missed the
playoffs for 15 consecu-
Associated Press
Brady’s Patriots (5-0) take boasts the No. 1 overall de- ry that you look at,” Brady tive seasons — the NFL’s
on the AFC East-rival Jets fense. said. “So it’s a big chal- longest active playoff
(4-1) on Sunday at MetLife “They’re loaded with play- lenge, and hopefully we drought. And over that
Stadium. New England has ers and that’s, I think, why can nail things down by stretch, they’ve had just
the second-ranked over- they’re tops in the league the time the game kicks off two winning seasons, 9-7
all offense, while New York in basically every catego- Sunday.”q finishes in 2004 and 2014.q