Archives for March 10, 2015

'“When you’re on a team where everyone kind of feels that way and when you have that camaraderie, everybody just wanting to win, the willingness to win, … you want to be a part of that. Also, with Rex Ryan taking over the team, you know what he is bringing to the organization. You know he knows how to get to the playoffs, so you want to be a part of something special. You can kind of lean on that.”'

'However, Monday afternoon owner Terry Pegula reportedly weighed in on the side of keeping Jackson on the team, despite the fact that cutting him made logical business sense. The possibility of Jackson's departure drew the ire of Bills fans. A Facebook campaign was initiated and by late in the afternoon, more than 5,000 "likes" had been recorded.'

'I've heard people say that running backs are a dime a dozen in the NFL and less important than they used to be. But when I look at the dozen teams that made the playoffs last year, every one, with only a few exceptions, had a better-than-average guy carrying the rock. And now Buffalo has one of the five best – you.'

'Former Bills coach Doug Marrone spent plenty of time defending the merits of having a kickoff specialist on the roster, and it appears he's not the only one who thinks Gay has value to the team.'

'It's obvious that Jackson's popularity, both at One Bills Drive and in the Western New York community, is making it hard for the Bills to make their decision on Jackson based solely on football.'

'"From what I've been hearing from Rex is that we're going to be doing a little bit of everything. When you hear that, that's exciting right there."'

'Still, cutting a 34-year old running back isn't the issue. Cutting a player that means what Jackson does to the locker room and the Buffalo community is the bigger risk for Ryan and the Bills' brass. Jackson has been the face of the franchise for the better part of the last decade. He's constantly recognized for his work in the community and provides leadership only Kyle Williams can match in the Bills' locker room.'

'Hughes, who reportedly had six other suitors, was one of the top pass rushers left on the free agent market and got a deal that fits that. The Bills traded linebacker Kelvin Sheppard to the Colts to acquire Hughes prior to the 2013 season, and Hughes responded with back-to-back double-digit sack seasons. Last year, Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen signed a contract for five years, $42.5 million and $19.8 million guaranteed, so Hughes' deal is about what the Bills could have expected coming into negotiations.'

'The Bills are operating with a $145.78-million carryover-adjusted salary cap in 2015, and 27.5% of it is devoted to the starting defensive front four..'.

'He signed a five-year contract with a potential worth of more than $45 million a day before having the opportunity to test his value on the NFL's free-agent market.'

'The 26-year-old TCU product also had 10 sacks in his first year with the Bills after amassing a total of five in three seasons with the Colts, who made him a first-round pick in 2010.'

'Ryan said in Indianapolis at the Scouting Combine last month that Hughes was a priority based on his performance against Ryan and the AFC East over the past two years. The Bills hiring Ryan was a selling point for Hughes.'

'Clearly offensive line – and potentially coaching – played a role in Jackson’s struggles.'

'On 83 total kickoff attempts, he carried a 63.4-percent conversion percentage and allowed only 19.9 yards per return. Terms of the contract were undisclosed.'

'"I’ve said this before: when you don’t have a large chunk of your cap eaten up by a marquee quarterback, you can spend it other ways," he started. "We’re gonna heavily invested in the defensive line, but that’s one of the ways we’re going to have to play to win with the makeup of our squad: play good defense, run the ball and have the quarterback protect the ball. So that’s how we’re building this team.”'