Archives for July 18, 2014

‘Cyrus Kouandjio & the OTs. The massive Kouandjio, 6-foot-7 and 325 pounds, is key to the Bills’ plans to upgrade the offensive line. How fast can he catch on, and can he beat out Erik Pears at right tackle? Kouandjio turns 21 on Monday.’

‘Further, with One Bills Drive still a very active construction site, the team wanted to stay away from home as long as it could, so Doug Marrone and his players will be at Fisher until Aug. 23, a month and three days.’

‘Taxpayers have already paid $90 million toward a $130 million renovation of Ralph Wilson Stadium. And state taxpayers found themselves on the hook for 32 percent of Yankee Stadium’s $1.6 billion cost, or roughly $512 million. Even Yankees fans would say that money could have been better spent on education, economic development or a simple tax cut – particularly when the Yankees and the Steinbrenner family had plenty of avenues with which to pay for a new stadium. Financing stadiums to help save billionaires some money seems a bit ludicrous for a state that can’t figure out how to equitably finance public education.’

‘Congel, son of Pyramid Cos. founder Robert Congel, has been working on plans for a project to revive the West Seneca Plaza. He even recruited HKS Sports and Entertainment Inc., the firm that helped plan NFL stadiums in Dallas, Indianapolis and Minnesota, according to the Buffalo News. Congel’s plans for the 55-acre plot in West Seneca could even include a new stadium for the Bills down the line, because the Syracuse-area mall developer is interested in seeing the team stay in Western New York.’

‘Gilmore is far from a question mark for the Bills. He has already looked like a dependable starter more often than not in his young career. The question the Bills are wondering is whether or not they have a top-tier cornerback in Gilmore. He has two years remaining on his rookie contract, so 2014 could be an important year for him to establish just how much he’s worth.’

‘It’s a toughness that was instilled in him and his five brothers at an early age by their father, Joe Kelly, who grew up in an orphanage and overcame daunting obstacles of his own. But the Kelly boys also learned toughness from their beloved mother, whom they referred to as “Saint Alice” for her ability to “survive” a testosterone-fueled household filled with rough-and-tumble young males. In the later years of her life, Alice taught the Kelly boys courageous lessons while tethered 24/7 to an oxygen tank, battling emphysema. “I never heard her complain, even though she was often gasping for air,” Jim said.’

‘Short of making a guarantee, Whaley says it’s his duty to get the Bills into the playoffs.’

‘That said, when you talk about Buffalo on the field, continuity is desperately needed. With Mike Pettine moving on to be the head coach in Cleveland, the Bills brought in their fourth defensive coordinator in as many seasons, Jim Schwartz. The former Lions head man will be shifting the team from an attacking 3-4 to a wide-nine 4-3 front, a questionable tactic because Buffalo actually led the AFC in both sacks (57) and interceptions (23) under Pettine.’

‘The Bills will use Watkins immediately as their number one receiver and for good reason. With a weapon like him at EJ Manuel’s disposal, it would be fair to expect that the team uses the Clemson approach with Watkins. In 2013, the Tigers got the ball into his hands as quickly as possible and allowed his top notch yards after catch ability go to work. Might Watkins be limited in his impact based on the run-heavy likelihood of the offense this year? That would likely be the expectation. However, Watkins will be able to put his talents on display on a weekly basis. Unless Manuel is able to get to the next level as a quarterback, it would be unfair to expect Julio Jones or A.J. Green-like production out of Watkins in his first season.’

‘In this writer’s opinion, Spiller is in line for a very successful campaign. The coaching staff understands his strengths more than they did a year ago, and Spiller will be the recipient of more than just carries this season. It was almost criminal how little, and how ineffectively they used Spiller in the passing game, averaging over five yards per catch less than he did in 2012. Expect that to change, expect new formations and expect the ball to get into a healthy Spiller’s hands in more ways than just handing it off in the backfield. It’s hard to predict how many touches he will get in this new offense, but one of the major highlights of the offseason had to be how to get more out of Spiller. For all these reasons, expect Spiller to bounce back in 2014.’

‘Switching back to the 4-3 defense under new coordinator Jim Schwartz, not much changes for Williams. He’ll still be depended upon to be an aggressive, disruptive, tone-setting defensive tackle to help make the opposing quarterbacks and running backs sweat. Don’t expect his sack production (10.5 in 2013) to continue at that rate, but he’ll still have a solid season playing alongside one of the more talented defensive lines in the NFL. Since 2009 (when yours truly started covering the Bills full-time), there hasn’t been a single game where Williams failed to make his presence felt by the opposing team. Even though he’s 31, expect that trend to continue into 2014.’