Quotables: Doug Marrone angry after Bills continue to fight at practice and more
The Buffalo Bills can’t stop fighting and Doug Marrone isn’t having any of it, Ron Rivera is both OK and not OK with Cam Newton running the ball and more from Thursday.
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
-Doug Marrone, Buffalo Bills head coach
Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone wasn't pleased when fighting broke out at practice on Wednesday. He came unhinged when it happened again on Thursday. Marrone was fed up after a few scuffles near the end of practice, and addressed the team in a group. At one point, defensive end Jerry Hughes talked back to Marrone, which led to Marrone shouting more, yelling profanities in the direction of Hughes.
At one point, Marrone said “Why can’t you handle it as players,” and while looking at Hughes, asked “Do you want to play on this team?” according a report from ESPN. Marrone also told Hughes that, if he has a problem with the coach, “you need to come and tell me.” After practice, Marrone told the media that what he said was directed at “anyone who doesn’t want to be part of the team.”
“I’m going to yell at him because I want him to get rid of the ball. But if he runs, he runs.”
-Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers head coach
Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera obviously gets nervous when quarterback Cam Newton runs the ball. Newton is among the best scrambling quarterbacks in the NFL -- he's very good at his job -- but he's also putting himself at risk doing it. Especially given that he doesn't slide very well. But running also means that Newton's ankle is probably 100 percent.
Rivera said that, if Newton runs during the team’s third preseason game, he’s going “to yell at him because I want him to get rid of the ball,” according to Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review.
Of course, Rivera added: “But if he runs, he runs.” Newton threw for 3,370 yards and added another 585 yards rushing last season. That rushing stat was actually a drop-off from his first two seasons, in which he totaled over 1,400 yards.
“When we’re in the no-huddle, guys are locked in and communicating at a high level. It’s been very, very good for us.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been talking about the no-huddle offense for awhile now, but didn’t utilize it much when the 2013 season got underway. As reported by Alan Robinson of TribLive.com, the Steelers started out 0-4 when they ran the no-huddle just 6.5 percent of the time. They jumped it up to 25 percent for the rest of the season and managed to win a lot more games.
Offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey said that the Steelers practice the no-huddle “all the time.”
"When we're in the no-huddle, guys are locked in and communicating at a high level," Pouncey said, via Robinson. He also said that the Steelers are building on it. We'll likely see a healthy dose of the no-huddle from Pittsburgh once the regular season gets underway. That doesn't automatically equal success, but Pittsburgh obviously believes in it. The Super Bowl winner from last year, the Seattle Seahawks, only ran 12 no-huddle plays last season, according to Robinson.
"[Christine Michael] just needs to keep playing and showing and competing and showing that he's growing as a football player."
-Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks head coach
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll called second-year running back Christine Michael the most-improved player on the team on Thursday. Michael is the third-string running back, behind Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin, but the Seahawks have been adamant that Michael has a lot to bring to the table ever since drafting him in the second round in 2013.
Michael isn’t going to take many carries from Lynch when the regular season gets underway, but he could definitely get ahead of Turbin. Michael is still a bit raw, but has a lot more upside than Turbin at this point. How he performs in the team’s third preseason game could be a good indication of where he’s at and where the Seahawks think he fits on the depth chart.
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