Bills Should Be Better, Cardinals Coach Released From Hospital

BY ESPN

Coach Rex Ryan was back to making predictions Wednesday, declaring that his Buffalo Bills defense will be better in 2016 despite key injuries to rookies Shaq Lawson (shoulder) and Reggie Ragland (knee), as well as Tuesday's four-game suspension of star defensive tackle Marcell Dareus.

"I see the big picture. I also see this defense is improving," Ryan said. "I've said it from Day 1: we're going to be better. We will definitely be better than we were last year, in my opinion. Regardless of those [injuries and suspension], this defense will be better."

The Bills finished 19th in yards allowed last season, which was Ryan's first year as Bills' coach. The team had the NFL's fourth-ranked defense in 2014 and Ryan predicted upon taking the job that his unit would be the NFL's best in 2015.

Dareus was suspended for the first four games of the regular season for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy. The sixth-year defensive tackle and two-time Pro Bowler said Wednesday that he missed a drug test.

"I really don't have much to say," Dareus said. "Words really doesn't mean anything now. It's all action. That's all I'm going to do. I'm going to come back and do the best I can. I just apologize to my team and my family. I embarrassed my kids, and who I am and who I'm working to be."

The Bills rebuked Dareus, who was also suspended for the first game of last season following a marijuana arrest, in a statement Tuesday, saying he "put himself first" and let down the team.

Cardinals Coach Released From Hospital

Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said his overnight hospital stay was due to diverticulitis, an existing condition that flared up before practice Tuesday.

The 63-year-old said in a 3-minute press conference late Wednesday morning that he's feeling "much better" and that he plans on attending Arizona's practice with the San Diego Chargers later in the afternoon.

"I'm too old not to listen to doctors anymore," Arians said. "I have a tendency to push it but I'll go out today and see how long we'll stay. It's nothing serious."

Arians has been on a fairly strict diet recently, which made Tuesday's health scare a surprise to the coach.

"It was odd that it happened," Arians said.

Chicago Bears

The Bears expect, and quite frankly need, a better all-around performance when they play their second preseason game Thursday night. Chicago's 22-0 exhibition defeat to the Broncos was disappointing on numerous levels, especially in pass-protection. The Bears surrendered seven sacks, something quarterback Jay Cutler thinks the team has cleaned up after a three-day joint practice session in New England. "I thought [the joint sessions] were a huge test for them," Cutler said. "We saw a lot of different fronts out there, a lot of situations where we had to make a lot of identifications and have a lot of conversations. We handled it well." Meanwhile, tight end Zach Miller (concussion) returned to practice Wednesday but is questionable to face the Patriots. -- Jeff Dickerson

Indianapolis Colts

Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski isn't too worried about quarterback Andrew Luck having any rust when he plays in his first game in more than nine months against Baltimore on Saturday. "Andrew has played enough football that you feel pretty confident that he'll be able to pick right up where he left off and get right back on the bike," Chudzinski said. Luck, too, is looking at Saturday's game as just another preseason game. "They are all somewhat the same in a sense," he said recently. -- Mike Wells