ORCHARD PARK
Thurman Thomas Jerseys 2019 , N.Y. (AP) — Bills coach Sean McDermott described the reason the team cut Robert Foster last month as being a wakeup call for the
rookie receiver.Looking back, Foster fully acknowledges it was a message
received loud and clear now that he's back on the roster after two days of being
unemployed followed by a two-week stint on the practice squad."I needed it. I
needed to be cut because at the end of the day, it helped me," Foster said
Wednesday. "It made me work on things that I needed to work on. It made me do a
lot more things that I could do to benefit the team." Evidence of how motivated
he's become was apparent following the formal end of practice.Rather than head
straight to the locker room to pal around with his teammates as he did in the
past, Foster, first, spent extra time catching passes from rookie starter Josh
Allen. He then worked on running routes against a defensive back, before
spending yet another 10 minutes catching one ball after another being spit out
by a Jugs machine.It's not that Foster wasn't doing enough post-practice work
before he was cut. It's more like he wasn't doing any."That's the thing, I
wasn't doing some of the things that I'm doing now," he said. "That's why I say
I try to embrace it all now."The payoff is showing up on the field.In his first
game back on the active roster, Foster caught a 47-yard pass from journeyman
backup Matt Barkley on the first play from scrimmage, and finished with three
catches for 105 yards in a 41-10 win at the New York Jets on Nov. 11. He became
Buffalo's first player to top 100 yards receiving in 13 months.Foster followed
that up last weekend with a two-catch
White Bruce Smith Jerseys , 94-yard outing in a 24-21 win over Jacksonville which he punctuated with a 75-yard touchdown reception from Allen. The completion was the
longest by the Bills since Week 2 of the 2016 season, and longest by a rookie
quarterback in team history.Having already learned a lesson in humility and
enjoying a rare shot at a second chance, Foster deflected a question regarding
his level of confidence."I'm a rookie. Anything can happen," he said. "So I'm
trying to make sure I'm not comfortable."Foster was undrafted out of Alabama,
where he won two national titles while seeing limited playing time in finishing
his college career with 35 catches for 389 yards and three touchdowns in 19
games.He had two things going for him when it came to signing with Buffalo.The
first was his speed. Foster's time of 4.41 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the
NFL rookie combine was tied for third with Antonio Callaway, who was drafted in
the fourth round by Cleveland.The second was Foster's connection to Buffalo in
newly hired offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who spent last season serving in
the same role at Alabama."I'm proud of him. It hasn't been easy for him, really,
growing up to where he is now," Daboll said. "He's been through a lot, and
that's a sign of a mentally tough person to be able to fight through
adversity."McDermott didn't mince words when outlining his decision to cut
Foster."This is life in the NFL, you're not on scholarship
Bruce Smith Jerseys 2019 , and some guys need to understand that," he said. "Some players have it. Some players it takes a little bit more time. Some
players, unfortunately, never get it."McDermott was pleased by how the
24-year-old responded."He's earning the right to get playing time, and he's made
the most of his opportunities since coming back," he said.The Bills (4-7), who
play at Miami (5-6) on Sunday, have placed an emphasis on speedy young
receivers, such as Foster and another newcomer, Isaiah McKenzie, to complement
Allen's strong arm.Whereas at Alabama, Foster was mostly asked to simply outrun
defenders
White Andre Reed Jerseys , he credited Bills position coach Terry Robiskie for helping him learn to become a well-rounded receiver.Though he's back on the
roster, Foster pretends he's still on the practice squad to remind himself how
close he came to having his career end before it nearly began."Don't take
anything for granted," Foster said. "I could've been gone, right?" CINCINNATI
(AP) — Whenever Andy Dalton is spotted by a Bills fan, he’ll hear another “thank
you” for helping Buffalo break its long streak of playoff futility.This weekend,
Dalton and his foundation are saying “thank you” in return.Dalton, his wife
Jordan and their foundation will donate to the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer
Center in Buffalo while the Bengals are in town to play a preseason game on
Sunday.Dalton became one of the most popular sports figures in Buffalo on New
Year’s Eve when his 49-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd with 49 seconds left
sent the Bengals to a 31-27 win in Baltimore. The fourth-down pass eliminated
the Ravens and gave the Bills their first playoff appearance since
1999.Buffalo’s playoff drought was the longest in the NFL and the longest among
the four major professional sports in North America. Immediately, Dalton began
getting donations to his foundation from fans in Buffalo. He’s been thanked in
person countless times by Bills fans over the months.“I’ve heard I should run
for mayor,” Dalton said . “I’ve heard I’ll never have to pay for anything in
Buffalo. So we’ll see.”It wasn’t a fad. Donations continued after the Bills lost
their playoff game against Jacksonville. So have the in-person shows of
gratitude.“If I go anywhere and there’s somebody from Buffalo, they’re going to
come up to me and tell me they’re a Bills fan or they come from Buffalo or have
some tie to Buffalo,” Dalton said. “That hasn’t gone away since the play
happened.“It’s really cool and crazy that it’s a completely different fan base
that has a lot of love for me, and obviously for Tyler
Andre Reed Jerseys 2019 , too.”On a fourth-and-12 play, Dalton found Boyd open just inside the Ravens 25-yard line. The receiver slipped through an attempted tackle
on his way to the winning touchdown, which set off a wild celebration in the
Buffalo locker room.Dalton said that as of this week, his foundation has
received 17,000 donations for more than $450,000 that can be traced to the
Buffalo area. The Andy and Jordan Foundation helps seriously ill and physically
challenged children.Boyd estimates he has received more than $100,000 in
donations that went to a youth sports league in his hometown of Clairton,
Pennsylvania.Dalton thinks the Bengals will be warmly welcomed Sunday when they
take the field for the third preseason game. The teams have deepened their
connection in the offseason: The Bengals traded with the Bills for left tackle
Cordy Glenn and signed linebacker Preston Brown, and the Bills signed former
Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron and center Russell Bodine.“If you’re looking at
social media, I think there will be a pretty good ovation,” Dalton said.Bills
coach Sean McDermott is touched by how fans have responded to Dalton, and also
by how the Bengals quarterback is giving back to Buffalo.“What a strong
moment
White Harrison Phillips Jerseys ,” McDermott said. “It gives me chills just to think about it. So many times … you get, ‘Hey, this is this team and
that team,’ and you kind of get on your own individual islands and everyone’s on
their own island and team.“But what a great testament to paying it forward and
what Andy and his wife have decided to do and give back to our community that
gave to them.”FOCUS ON LINE: The right side of the Bengals’ offensive line
struggled against the Cowboys last week, but coach Marvin Lewis was upbeat about
it Wednesday, saying the line overall is much better than a year ago.“I feel
really good where we are, no doubt about it,” Lewis said.MUM ON EIFERT: Lewis
declined to tip his hand whether tight end Tyler Eifert would make his preseason
debut in Buffalo. He had another back procedure last season and wasn’t cleared
to practice when training camp opened. Eifert was one of only three active
Bengals who didn’t get into the game at Dallas.
