Latest news with #RayDavis
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
James Cook's Bills RB Room Given Top-10 Ranking
James Cook's Bills RB Room Given Top-10 Ranking originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Is the development of James Cook and the arrival of Ray Davis enough to make the Buffalo Bills' running back room one of the best in the league? Advertisement According to Pro Football Focus, the answer is a resounding yes. PFF's Dalton Wasserman placed Buffalo's running back unit eighth overall in his 2025 NFL running back unit rankings. "Buffalo has put together a solid group of running backs who fill a variety of roles," Wasserman said. "The workhorse is James Cook, who earned an outstanding 88.6 PFF rushing grade last season while leading the league in rushing touchdowns. "Rookie Ray Davis got 120 carries of his own and earned a solid 73.1 PFF rushing grade while breaking 30 tackles. Ty Johnson serves as a reliable pass catcher, ranking 10th among qualifiers in PFF receiving grade in 2024." Advertisement Plenty of teams around the league employ a "by-committee" approach to their running backs. Buffalo's ability to do so - while still somehow showcasing Cook - shows the organization's depth. Cook - under contract but involved in a contract dispute - is running as the lead back in 2025. He led the league in rushing touchdowns last season to go along with his second straight 1,000-yard season. Davis and Johnson are nowhere near as talented as Cook, but each adds a skill set that can bolster Buffalo's offense. The organization may not have a top player like Saquon Barkley or Christian McCaffrey, but their trio can be just as devastating to opposing defenses. Advertisement It's why PFF is so high on Buffalo's running back room. Related: Veteran Bills Receiver Predicted to Be Cut Related: Bills' 2025 'To-Do List' Revealed This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Could James Cook and the Bills provide the juicy storyline ‘Hard Knocks' cameras covet?
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — James Cook participated in the Buffalo Bills' mandatory minicamp Tuesday so he wouldn't get fined. 'I like my money,' Cook said. 'I definitely do. So that's why I'm here.' As such, Cook added he'll also report when training camp opens next month at St. John Fisher University, despite wanting to be paid more like a two-time Pro Bowler and reigning league co-leader in rushing touchdowns. Advertisement Cook, however, didn't pledge to practice without the new contract he covets. At first, he replied 'Yeah, it's my team,' when asked if he would fully participate in training camp. Then, upon being asked about the possibility of a hold-in, where players attend but don't work out, Cook said with a big smile, 'I don't know, man. We'll see when camp comes.' That's all 'Hard Knocks' producers needed to hear. The chance that Cook shows up for training camp just to satisfy his attendance obligation and watches practice in protest keeps one of the Bills' juiciest storylines alive. The cameras might provide him added PR leverage as viewers watch the front office feud with a star player. The show will capture every awkward glance, harrumph and tense exchange. Then again, 'Hard Knocks' also could be a boon for backup running back Ray Davis, whose inspirational origin story is perfect for an HBO program that loves to grab its audience right in the feels. 'That's the way of the world,' said Herm Edwards, the Kansas City Chiefs' coach when they were featured on 'Hard Knocks' in 2007. 'Somebody wants to take a side. There's got to be a good guy and a bad guy. 'Who are we putting the black hat on today? Well, let's put the black hat on this guy.' Mike Tannenbaum was the New York Jets' general manager when they did 'Hard Knocks' in 2010, the summer future Hall of Fame cornerback Darrelle Revis' holdout was among the NFL's biggest stories. The first episode featured Tannenbaum's clandestine meeting with Revis' agents at a diner in Roscoe, N.Y., between Manhattan and the Jets' training camp at SUNY Cortland. Revis signed a four-year, $46 million contract in time for the 'Hard Knocks' finale. 'I didn't realize how it was playing out until afterwards because you're living it day to day,' Tannenbaum said. 'You're not really paying attention to all the noise around you. Advertisement 'But 'Hard Knocks' definitely brought a lot more eyeballs and attention to it.' Kansas City dealt with two prominent contract squabbles during their 'Hard Knocks' summer. All-Pro running back Larry Johnson demanded a new contract and sat out 25 days into training camp, while rookie receiver Dwayne Bowe didn't come to terms until 10 days into camp. 'It can be a distraction if you allow it to be, but in today's world,' Edwards said, 'if that is a distraction, then you've got a bigger problem.' Much of Cook's contract tension was relieved Tuesday by his mere presence at One Bills Drive. He finally joined his teammates, albeit motivated by an NFL fine schedule that would have cost him $17,462 for missing one practice, $34,925 for missing a second practice and $52,381 for missing a third practice. Cook wasn't a spectator. He participated in all the drills. 'I mean, why not?' Cook said. 'I'm here. I'm part of the team. … I'm a leader, so I just got to practice and get a job.' An optimist will assume that Cook's take on minicamp indicates he'll practice at training camp, too. He must report for the first practice to lock in his fourth accrued NFL season, required for him to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. He also would be fined $40,000 for each training camp absence. But losing an accrued season and amassing $40,000 fines would be moot if Cook can wrangle that big extension. He is entering the final season of a four-year rookie contract worth about $5.8 million. He posted on social media in February that he wanted $15 million a year. Michael Ginnitti, founder of sports contract analysis site Spotrac, calculates Cook is worth $10 million a year. 'I'm very, very proud that he's here and he's working as hard as he is being on the field with us, and a lot of guys wouldn't do that,' quarterback Josh Allen said. 'But he's out there and working hard and showing everybody that he is here for the right reasons and hopefully that can get solved. Advertisement 'I love Jimbo. I think the whole team does. He's one of the best backs in the league, and hopefully that can be reflected soon.' The Bills meticulously have built a successful culture within their walls, but they also are hyper-vigilant about defending the way they're viewed by outsiders, protective of their revamped reputation as a destination franchise after decades of ridicule and no longer that frigid, forlorn outpost that free agents avoid and young talent flees. Unlike questions that arose during the drought under previous management, Buffalo is grateful to be known today as an organization that takes care of its own. The Bills this offseason signed receiver Khalil Shakir, edge rusher Gregory Rousseau, linebacker Terrel Bernard and cornerback Christian Benford to extensions — yet not Cook, who plays a position Beane doesn't value as much as others. Running backs league-wide regained some lost prominence last season, with Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley amassing insane stats with new teams. Cook doesn't have to look far for an example of fighting for your worth before it's too late. His big brother, Dalvin Cook, got tough with the Minnesota Vikings in 2020. Dalvin Cook had been to two Pro Bowls and threatened to hold out if his rookie contract wasn't extended before the season. But he showed up to training camp, got a five-year, $63 million contract and made two more Pro Bowls before his production plummeted at 28 years old. Running backs must get paid before an expiration date nobody can peg for certain. Cook, who turns 26 in September, had thoughts about why running backs sometimes need to fight for what they believe they're worth. 'Because we do a lot and I think we should be valued for that — all the hard work we put in on the ground, pass blocking, and all those types of things,' James Cook replied. 'I think we should be valued more.' Advertisement Some fans and analysts wonder if Buffalo would be fine simply to let Davis take over, perhaps even wise to trade Cook rather than risk losing him as a free agent in nine months. Those willing to turn the backfield page reason that Davis (with greater opportunity) and Allen (with more tush pushing) could make up Cook's production. The problem with that premise is Cook had +13.9 EPA last year, while Davis posted a -19.3 EPA. Davis, although entering just his second NFL season, also will turn 26 in November. Buffalo needs Cook. The issue general manager Brandon Beane must weigh is how important Cook's happiness is. 'Behind the scenes, when that was going on, I was talking to those guys every day,' Edwards said of Johnson and Bowe. 'And I was talking to the team about, 'Hey, when these guys come back it's open arms. One day, you might have to go through what these guys are going through. It's not like they don't want to be here. It's business.' And I told the team leaders, 'Make sure you're calling our guys.' When you're left at home, negotiating a contract, you want him to know he's part of the team.' There's added value to keeping contenders content. The Jets in 2010 were considered on the cusp of glory. As a wild card, they'd reached the AFC Championship Game in coach Rex Ryan's rookie season and, in trying to get over that hump, were desperate to topple the New England Patriots from atop the division. 'For me, it was always about doing whatever we could within reason to win right now,' Tannenbaum said. 'That was always my mindset. 'Darrelle checked every box, and we wanted to get a deal done as quickly as possible, but it was more because he deserved it more than any other pressure we may have felt.' With Revis satisfied, the Jets returned to the AFC title game as a wild card, beating Tom Brady and Peyton Manning on the road before bowing to the Pittsburgh Steelers one game shy of the Super Bowl. The Bills have avoided these situations in the past, and although everything looked hunky-dory Tuesday, Cook's contract issue is far from settled. 'Hard Knocks' will work that angle for all it's worth.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bills Running Back Duo Given Top Ranking By Analyst
Bills Running Back Duo Given Top Ranking By Analyst originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Buffalo Bills know what they have in James Cook. In that regard ... Whether he shows up or not for offseason workouts is irrelevant, as 1,000-yard running backs are hard to come by. Advertisement Meanwhile ... A lesser-known talent in Buffalo's backfield happens to be 2024 fourth-round pick Ray Davis. The Kentucky product is coming off a season in which he recorded over 450 yards rushing and 189 yards receiving. While those numbers aren't exactly eye-popping, they do show that Buffalo's duo has the potential to be one of the better ones in the NFL. Bleacher Report writer Moe Moton agrees. He ranked the top 10 running back duos in the NFL. Cook and Davis made the list at No. 8 thanks in part to Davis' potential. "James Cook and Ray Davis come in front of the Pittsburgh Steelers tandem because both running backs have NFL production," Moton said. "The former has earned Pro Bowl nods in consecutive years, and the latter racked up the third-most rushing yards (442) among rookie running backs last year." Advertisement Of course, this list goes by the wayside if Cook sits out beyond training camp and into the regular season. He led the league in rushing touchdowns last year and is looking for a contract that pays him over $15 million. Buffalo doesn't want to spent at that level ... so for now, and if the holdout continues, it will only put more pressure on Davis as a prospect. Oh, and it would sort of ruin the idea of Buffalo boasting a top running back duo. Related: 'Big Game Gabe' Davis Gets Visit As Bills Ex Seeks Contract With Saints Related: Bills' Rumored Target Released By Packers This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Could Bills Repeat RB 'Cycle' With James Cook Trade?
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is still after a new contract with the franchise, and after a host of key starters put pen to paper on extensions, James has been left out. Given the Bills' salary cap situation (just $5 million available per Over The Cap), an extension doesn't look likely, and even general manager Brandon Beane stated that the focus is now on the draft. Advertisement So, where does that leave Cook? In no man's land right now. But we could get some clarification over the next week, with the NFL Draft fast approaching. Pro Football Network is mentioning Cook's name as a possible trade candidate. "Brandon Beane has traditionally leaned on the draft to restock at running back," Pro Football Network writes. "Beane drafted Devin Singletary to replace LeSean McCoy, and then drafted James Cook to replace Singletary. Now, with Cook entering the last year of his rookie contract, the Bills could be poised to repeat that cycle again." Buffalo Bills running back James Cook© Denny Medley-Imagn Images Already with Ray Davis and Ty Johnson as the "next guys" and a deep running back class, the Bills could easily move on from Cook and get his replacement next week. Advertisement Exactly what Buffalo would get in return is unknown, as the team James goes to would have to part ways with draft capital and then pay him a new contract at roughly $15 million APY. How many teams are doing that? Maybe a select few who have a desperate need for a starting Pro Bowl running back. If the Bills were to move on, this feels like the time to do it. They have two solid options in-house already, and the draft has a host of starting-caliber backs. A move seems simple a trade partner can be found. Related: Bills Trade For T.J. Watt Rumor Includes 2 Massive Details Related: Bills James Cook Trade Rumor Gets Response From Dallas
Telegraph
28-02-2025
- Telegraph
Inside the Texas supermax prison inspiring a revolution in British jails
Convicted murderer Ray Davis admits it took him six years incarcerated in a supermax prison in Texas before he decided to try to turn around his life. The 51-year-old killer is 30 years into a 99-year jail sentence for murder but has earned himself a chance of parole 15 years early because of his good behaviour and work ethic over the past 24 years. His success is emblematic of an approach being considered by Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, for prisons across England and Wales in what could be the biggest shake-up of sentencing in more than 30 years. Under the initiative at Estelle Supermax Penitentiary in Huntsville, prisoners earn credits of 10 to 30 days a month through good behaviour and engaging in work, education, training and treatment programmes. This 'earned time' is taken off their sentences to bring forward their parole to as early as a quarter of the way through their jail terms. Without engaging with the 'good behaviour' scheme, Davis says he would not have been eligible for parole until 2040. Through his spotless disciplinary record and prison roles as janitor, engineer and supply worker, he has not only learnt new skills but also earned enough 'credits' to have just had his first parole hearing. Standing bathed in the bright February afternoon sunshine slanting across a cell corridor, Davis says: 'It took me six years to realise this is not a game, this is my life. I messed it up once, I'm not going to mess it up again. 'I realised you need to do better every day. That's when I got on the road to being a better me and understanding your good time credit does count for some of my time of being in prison.' The scheme to incentivise good behaviour and rehabilitation was introduced under a $2 billion cross-party project to tackle overcrowding after the Texas prison population rose from 30,000 in the 1980s to more than 150,000 in the early 2000s. Alongside the introduction of diversionary schemes and alternative punishments to prison, it has contributed to a fall in the jail population to some 135,000. At the same time, re-incarceration rates within three years of prisoners' release have fallen to 16.9 per cent and crime is down by 29 per cent to its lowest level since 1968. It is why this week Ms Mahmood and David Gauke, the former Tory justice secretary leading her sentencing review, visited Estelle supermax prison 70 miles north of Houston. Without reforms to sentencing, prisons in England and Wales could run out of space in as little as 18 months. Texas may seem an incongruous exemplar for penal reform given its record of executing some 600 prisoners in the past 40 years, including two already this year – more than any other state. Seven of its 173 people on death row are women. Ms Mahmood says: 'I'm not here to cast aspersions on bits of their legal system that we would never introduce into ours but there are important things to learn from here. I've come here deliberately because I think they've achieved great success in getting down their crime rates. 'They were in the same position in 2007 that we were in and they've turned things around. Frankly if we could get our rates of re-offending and our recidivism rates down to anywhere close to where they are we would see a huge impact on crime levels. So I'm very comfortable being here and learning lessons from them.' The philosophy of Estelle is summed up by a mural of a tiger in its entry hall, painted by an inmate with the words: 'One bad chapter doesn't mean your story is over.' Incentivising good behaviour and rehabilitation underpins the four 'prisons' within the 5,500-acre Estelle complex of more than 3,000 inmates. One is a cell block holding 720 high-security or high-profile criminals. Texas has 12 known gangs, which is why the prison runs a gang renunciation programme for members to voluntarily give up their affiliations in return for support and good behaviour time off their sentences. They are mentored by Jimmy Delgado, 51, a convicted murderer and former member of the Mexican Mafia gang, who as a young man spent his first 13 years at Estelle in solitary confinement refusing to accept the regime. He says: 'I watched men's minds snap. I witnessed men break. I decided from that point, I was going to get out of 'seg'. I couldn't see myself being in a 6ft by 9ft box for the rest of my life.' He is now a devout Christian, a field minister and a life coach with a BSC degree who prepares young 'hard head' prisoners for parole. 'Who better to talk to a hard head than someone who used to be a hard head,' says Delgado, who is up for parole in 2030. The second prison within a prison is a medical wing providing care to up to 120 inmates and laser tattoo removal to burn off inmates' gang insignia. It is also treating two death row inmates for cancer, though both are expected to die before they are executed. The main building houses 'general' prisoners and fourth is a specialist unit to treat substance addiction. Anthony Newton, the warden, says: 'Most of our reforms are cognitive intervention and teaching life skills so when they are released, they can be successful and continue to reduce our recidivism rate which is 16.9 per cent,' The 45-year-old says the good behaviour credits are a 'motivating tool' to 'make inmates work and be productive' rather than having 'idle time to think about doing more crime'. As well as workshops, inmates are employed in the jail's own textile mill which produces their white uniforms, towels and linen. By working hard five days a week and keeping a clean disciplinary sheet for a year they can earn a place in the 'incentivised living centre' with space for 150 prisoners. Its more liberal regime keeps cell doors open from 7am to 10.30pm and has a 'day room' with big TV screens in which they can freely socialise. Almost all prisoners get tablets to message their families and download books, educational and religious material. However, the most trusted inmates get add-ons of videos, games and music. Faith is a big theme, with Godfellas, a Christian group, advertising its 'music ministry' on a poster on the day room notice board. The success of the incentives is reflected in the proportion of inmates on the top tier earning 30 days off their sentence each month, which has risen from 50 per cent to 65 per cent of prisoners. Estelle has also pioneered a 'cold turkey' unit, known as the Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility (SAFPF) where 212 offenders whose crime is driven by drug or alcohol addiction have been 'sentenced' to up to nine months treatment and therapy. They are issued with a 150-page guide on their regime, from how to make their beds neatly in one of its four dormitories to earning good behaviour credits. A note pinned to the unit's big classroom wall warns: 'No eating, no sleeping, no slouching, no sub-grouping talking. Acknowledge your peers.' Garrett Simmons, the assistant warden overseeing the unit, says: 'If you're not making your bed, you'll get a disciplinary chit. When it's reviewed, it would be a lesser disciplinary penalty. If you are a habitual offender, then it would upgrade to a more serious offence that can affect your good behaviour credits.' It is a model of enforcing a treatment regime on addicted criminals which Ms Mahmood believes could be transposed to the UK. 'It's obviously very targeted to people who might in our system be described as prolific offenders,' she says. 'There's clearly a benefit in having a sentencing option that is designed to get them into programmes that are very, very targeted at effectively the hardest to help offenders who've been addicted for a long time.' Mr Gauke, whose sentencing review is due to be completed this spring, believes the Texas good behaviour model could work in tackling overcrowding and rehabilitation if focused on longer-term prisoners. 'Our prison population has not expanded because we've got lots of people on short sentences, it's because we've got lots of people on long sentences,' he says. 'There is a lot to be said about incentivising people, because particularly if someone is in prison for a longer time, you can take a more considered approach to assessing their behaviour and ensuring that they do the courses that are necessary. 'If you have a system that can do that, you can prepare people for life outside prison, you can reassure the public that prisoners are being released at a point where they provide a much lower risk to the general public. And I think we can start to address some of the challenges in terms of prison capacity.'
