draw on Tuesday, enough to finish first in Group

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Whether resolving questions on injuries or inconsistency, Bills quarterback EJ Manuel knows he has plenty to prove in showing hes a bona fide starter entering his second NFL season. Another reminder of how far Manuel has to go came this week when he was bypassed for one of six team captain designations in a vote of Bills players. Thats fair and understandable, Manuel said Wednesday, noting his own votes were restricted to established veterans. "You have to earn your stripes in the NFL," Manuel said. "Nothings going to be handed to you in the NFL. You have to work for it. And Im going to continue to allow it to motivate myself and be better for my teammates." The process resumes Sunday, when the former first-round draft pick out of Florida State begins his second season behind centre in Buffalos opener at Chicago. "I think being able to show that on Sunday is huge," Manuel said. "And thats why I say I want to keep my focus on Chicago, because thats the most important thing to me. I cant control whats happened in the past. You have to move and look forward." Manuels past in Buffalo is a mixed bag of promising flashes, failed opportunities and hampered development after an injury-shortened rookie season. He got the Bills off to a 2-2 start, including a 24-23 win over Carolina, which he won with a touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson with 2 seconds remaining. The wheels fell off in Week 5, when Manuel was sidelined with the second of three knee injuries he sustained last season. In missing five of the final 11 games, Manuel finished with a 4-6 record. He threw 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions and finished with a 77.7 passer rating that ranked 25th among players with 250 or more attempts. Though hes been injury-free so far, the big step in development the Bills want from Manuel hasnt been evident on a retooled offence that struggled to finish this preseason. Manuel and the starters failed to score a touchdown on their first 18 preseason drives before finally scoring on consecutive third-quarter possessions against Tampa Bays second-stringers in a 27-14 loss on Aug. 23. Buffalos starters finished the preseason with two touchdowns and four field goals on 23 possessions. Manuel and coach Doug Marrone chalk up the lack of production to not wanting to reveal too much of their offence in preseason games. The results, however, werent encouraging for a unit that upgraded its receivers by adding veteran Mike Williams and selecting Sammy Watkins with the No. 4 pick in the draft. No worries, said Marrone. "Im excited. Im not really looking at it and saying, Oh, gosh," said Marrone, who said Manuel has made better throws and been more decisive in his reads. The focus now is not putting too much on Manuels shoulders. "Theres 11 guys out there," Marrone said. "So youve just got to go out there and do whats asked of you and not try to press." That doesnt mean Manuel has arrived just yet. "When youre a young quarterback, youve got to prove yourself, so theres a reason he feels that way," veteran running back and captain Fred Jackson said. "He has to go out there and make plays for us, lead for us, put guys in situations to make plays. And we expect that from him. He knows everybody in this locker room is behind him." Centre Eric Wood, another team captain, also has confidence in Manuel. "He showed me enough over the past year to make me think hes going to go out and play well. Im fired up," Wood said. Manuel shrugged off questions of his past deficiencies by saying hes focused solely on playing Chicago. "Thats the first thing. I dont focus on answering criticism or anything like that," Manuel said. "I think if we win games, thatll alleviate everything." MacKenzie Weegar Jersey . - Wesley Matthews got a chance to practice his bow-and-arrow 3-point celebration on Sunday night. Mark Pysyk Panthers Jersey . The Bulls seem to be getting along fine without him. D.J. Augustin scored 27 points in a start for Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson matched a career high with 26 filling in for Carlos Boozer as the Bulls improved to 7-2 since trading the popular Deng with a 98-87 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/aaron-ekblad-hockey-jersey/ . Never caused problems. Never raised a ruckus. Never got sick or hurt while frolicking in the fields of Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky. Mike Hoffman Jersey .4 seconds left and dribbled up court, weaving through Pitts defence. Ian McCoshen Panthers Jersey . Costa Rica followed up its wins over Uruguay and Italy by holding England to a dour 0-0 draw on Tuesday, enough to finish first in Group D.PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have waived running back Isaac Redman and promoted LB Kion Wilson from the practice squad. Redman began training camp expecting to compete for the starting job but struggled to stay healthy. He managed just 12 yards on 10 carries this season and saw his playing time decrease behind rookie LeVeon Bell and veterans Felix Jonees and Jonathan Dwyer.dddddddddddd The 28-year-old Redman thrived at times. He ran for 121 yards in a wild card playoff loss to Denver two years ago and finished second on the team with 410 yards in 2012, including a career-high 147-yard effort in a victory over the New York Giants. Redman was placed on the inactive list in each of Pittsburghs past two games. ' ' '