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." Adidas NMD Wolf Grey . He was 90. The team announced Monday that Adams had died, saying he "passed away peacefully from natural causes." The son of a prominent oil executive, Adams built his own energy fortune and founded the Houston Oilers. New Adidas NMD 2019 . Team officials travelled to Los Angeles on Thursday night to meet with the free agent, a person with knowledge of the plans said. http://www.cheapnmdonline.com/. -- Conner Bleackley got it done in regulation time and in the shootout. Adidas NMD Black Sale . Webb birdied the 18th hole to take the outright lead, then watched as Choi, who shot a course-record 62 on Saturday to take a share of the third-round lead, pushed a 10-foot putt wide of the hole at 18 to miss the chance for a playoff. Adidas NMD Discount . The 23-year-old Neustaedter will move at the end of the season when his contract with Moenchengladbach expires. He signed a four-year deal with Schalke.CHENNAI, India - Stan Wawrinkas preparations for the defence of his Australian Open title appear on track as he notched a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 victory over Slovenian qualifier Aljaz Bedene to win the Chennai Open on Sunday.It was the second consecutive title victory at Chennai and third overall for the top-seeded player, who did not drop a set in the tournament.The Swiss played fluently, managing service breaks in the sixth game of the first set and the seventh of the next, completing the win in 1 hour, 10 minutes.Im looking forward to the Australian Open, the fourth-ranked Wawrinka said. Its going to be a strange feeling to come back as the defending champion in a Grand Slam. But right now, I want to enjoy this trophy. Its not every week you win a trophy and its really tough to win on the ATP Tour.Wawrrinka said he was happy at the way he has been playing.ddddddddddddts amazing to win again, to start the year with a trophy. Im very happy with my level. It was a great final. He (Bedene) has been through the qualifier, beating a lot of seeds and its been good for him too, Wawrinka said.Bedene, the first qualifier to reach the final at the Chennai Open after knocking out three seeded players, said his hard work had paid off.Stan played amazing today, the 156th-ranked Bedene said. Its been a great week. I guess hard work has paid off for me. This is now my favourite tournament for three years and Ill be back here next year.It was the third time the two players met at the Chennai Open with Bedene winning their quarterfinal match in 2013 and Wawrinka prevailing at the same stage last year. ' ' '