Archives for January 27, 2016

'And yet, there’s a threat of honest urgency in his voice, too. Continuity has its limits – the Bills are not prepared to invest long term in quarterback Tyrod Taylor quite yet. As Taylor gears up for his first Pro Bowl appearance in Hawaii, Whaley is in Mobile after all. He’s still searching for a franchise quarterback, still keeping all options open.'

'“For us, it all just depends on how we see them, meaning how do they do what they do,” Whaley said. “Some guys are going to be more 3-4 outside-linebacker pass-rushers and there are some guys that are going to be 4-3 defensive-end outside pass-rushers. And the best thing about Rex and his staff is they just say, ‘Get us the best players and we’ll make sure we can fit them in with what we do.’'

'The safety who suffered a scary neck injury last year against the New England Patriots in Week 2, returned at Tennessee and then was shelved for the season will be back, General Manager Doug Whaley said Tuesday. That's as great of a free agent-like signing the Bills will make all offseason.'

'As for whether he’s changed as a person, only he can truly ever say. But as teammate after teammate tweeted to him Monday about his Pro Bowl honor – and Incognito took the time to respond to each one – it pointed to a player who is respected in the Bills’ locker room. Buffalo gave Incognito another chance, and he appears to be making the most of it.'

'“I don’t look back on those years and think, ‘Oh, those are the four years we lost the Super Bowl,’” he said. “If you’re a fan of a team, what do you want them to do? You want them to win. Think about those four years, we had an awful lot of excitement being fans of the Buffalo Bills. Sure, we lost four Super Bowls, but there wasn’t any other team that was winning more than we were. Think about all those games we won.”'

'You’re either qualified for the job or you’re not. Kathryn Smith, as Rex Ryan affirmed, is as qualified as Becky Hammon and Nancy Lieberman are for their NBA assistant coach jobs.'

'"I think it is going to allow me to be more involved in the team, even if just for supporting my coordinators and things, and I am going to be right there for them," he said. "Because this is my football team, that is how I am approaching it. It is not that I am just a defensive guy. No, this is my team. Offensive players, every offensive player, every special-team player, every offensive coach, every special-teams coach: This is it. This is all about who I am, I think this will help me to really tie in more to this football team, and that's because we got to be like this. And for us to be at our best, we got to be like this. And I think some of the moves that I made, I think will allow me to even bring them even closer."'

'-Aaron Williams is "ready to go," and, if the team had made the playoffs, the safety could have participated. Williams suffered a neck injury early in the 2015 season. Whaley also said he expects defensive lineman Kyle Williams, who missed 10 games in 2015, back by training camp. He said there is no need to overhaul that side of the ball with several new starters. Wide receiver Percy Harvin's health is still unknown, but "I want him back," Whaley said.'

'Kyle Williams is going to be 33 years old and coming off a knee injury that ended his season. The Bills plan on bringing him back as of now, but with an $8 million salary cap hit, there’s always the chance he isn’t fully recovered and the team decides to move on.'

'One of two big-time tackle prospects out of the Big Ten, Taylor Decker certainly has all the prototypical features a team would want.'

'“As far as the leadership thing, first year here, learning some of the guys, I was seeing how guys respond to different things,” said Taylor. “Learning different people, but I think I’ve taken steps forward in that department.”'

'“I think first of all you’ve got to look at the uncertainty that we have,” said Whaley in a recent appearance on Bills flagship station WGR Sportsradio 550. “Robert Woods has had some medical issues and ended the season on I-R. Chris Hogan is going to be a restricted free agent. Percy Harvin has got an automatic opt out, a void in his contract. So just by sheer numbers it’s a position we’re going to have to entertain.”'