PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus acknowledged talk is cheap.

And this time the Buffalo Bills defensive tackle said he means it when discussing how he'll respond from being suspended for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy for a second consecutive year.

"I really don't have much to say. Words really don't mean anything now," Dareus said after practice Wednesday. "It's all action. And that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to come back and do the best I can."

Dareus was contrite and embarrassed a day after the Bills announced their top-paid player was suspended without pay for the first four games of the season.

Dareus said the suspension resulted from missing a drug test. He added he was first notified about the disciplinary action on Saturday, following Buffalo's preseason-opening 19-18 loss to Indianapolis.

Under NFL rules, missing a test is the same as testing positive.

Saying "everyone makes dumb decisions," Dareus has since apologized to his teammates, Bills staff and owners, as well as his family and fans.

General manager Doug Whaley said he's frustrated and disappointed, but added Dareus has the team's support because "he's family and we're going to stick by family."

That doesn't mean Whaley's not concerned about the actions of a player who a year ago signed a seven-year, $104 million contract extension.

"We're going to hold him accountable from here on out. And he's going to hold himself accountable," Whaley said "He's got to take a step himself. And it's got to be on him."

Dareus is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and has been a starter since Buffalo drafted him with the No. 3 pick in 2011.

Last year, Dareus was suspended for the season-opener for violation of the substance abuse policy. He had been arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia after being stopped by Alabama State Police in May 2014.

Dareus avoided trial, during which he would have faced felony drug charges, by agreeing to enter an NFL substance abuse program.

That wasn't his only run-in with the law.

In April 2015, he reached a plea agreement to have misdemeanour charges dropped for crashing his Jaguar into a tree near a busy suburban intersection the previous spring.

Coach Rex Ryan takes Dareus at his word that he'll do better, while acknowledging some might not believe him.

"There's going to be some people that are cynical of him. There's going to be people that will never give him the benefit of the doubt anymore," Ryan said. "But for the majority of people, it's more of a show-me thing. And I believe that moving forward this young man will learn from this experience and become a better person for it."

The key, Ryan said, is for Dareus to make better choices with his life and understand how his actions impact the team.

"We all care a great deal for Marcell," Ryan said. "We want to see this be a thing that's behind him once and for all, that this never happens again to him."

Backup Corbin Bryant is expected to start in place of Dareus. It's a familiar role for Bryant, who last year started nine of Buffalo's final 10 games after starter Kyle Williams sustained a season-ending knee injury. Another option is rookie third-round pick Adolphus Washington, who has spent time with the starters in training camp.

Dareus' suspension represents another blow to a defence that has already been thinned by injury.

Rookie first-round pick, outside linebacker Shaq Lawson, had shoulder surgery in May and will miss at least the first month of the season. And second-round pick, inside linebacker Reggie Ragland, will miss the season after tearing a ligament in his left knee 10 days ago.

Both were projected to start.

Dareus becomes Buffalo's second player to earn a four-game suspension to open this season. Last month, the NFL issued backup running back Karlos Williams had a similar suspension for violating the substance abuse policy.

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