Archives for January 2016

'"Of course I want to be the long-term guy," Taylor told Around The NFL on Wednesday night at the Pro Bowl draft. "I love playing for the organization, I love playing for the coaches, I love being around the guys. Like I said, I want to be the long-term guy for them. Ultimately that's up to them. I know I'm under contract for another year, but right now I'm out here just taking it all in."'

'“This is why we’re so excited, we could go at any position, and that opens the board for us and makes it a lot more exciting where we’re not narrowing our focus,” he said. “So this is going to be a really good offseason and I think we’ll be up to the challenge to add some playmakers to this team.”'

'Can’t you just see the multi-faceted, former Ohio State star lining up at his current position, wide receiver, as well as his former position, quarterback? Or in the backfield? Or in other packages that emerge from the creative mind of offensive coordinator Greg Roman?'

'And, heck yeah, Oakman would want to play for Rex Ryan.'

'The league held its fantasy-style draft Wednesday – broadcasting the event on ESPN2 (of course) – and Buffalo Bills teammates Richie Incognito, Eric Wood and Tyrod Taylor were all drafted to the team led by NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.'

'Taylor, who has one year left on his contract, is in the process of putting the finishing touch on a surprisingly strong first season as an NFL starter with his selection, as an alternate, to the Pro Bowl. He and his representation undoubtedly want the Bills to get off the fence and demonstrate that they do, in fact, believe the best quarterback they have had in a long time is their franchise QB.'

'Why? This is a perfect storm for the left tackle. He plays a premium position, he's still young at 26 years old, there isn't much else available at all in free agency and the transition from college to the pros for rookie tackles has been particularly brutal the last few years. Buffalo can either pay up long term or pay up short term with the franchise tag. That number is expected to be north of $10 million. Last season's projected tag for offensive linemen was $12.9 million.'

'Despite the number of African-American players on the Bills roster and football’s popularity across demographic lines, Buffalo’s black media outlets say they get virtually no advertising or promotional business from the team despite reaching out to the franchise.'

'So when Kathryn Smith is covered in a celebratory fashion and these powerful women remain in the shadows, what does it say about how we really feel about women working in sports? Does it mean we want to feel like we are evolved, as if it is a badge of honour? Do we want to be first to favourite a tweet and re-post on Facebook in order to wave the flag of women’s rights as if to say, “Hey look at me, women’s inclusion is part of my personal brand!” Does it mean we want to fight so hard against the uneducated Kevin Kileys of the world that we unintentionally advocate the opposite just to spite him? What does it say about what we expect women to accomplish?'

'Spotrac has been fairly accurate on other extension-projections and value calculations. Before defensive tackle Marcell Dareus signed his new contract, it forecast the deal would be 6-years, $101.4 million, with an average annual value of $16.9 million. The actual numbers landed at 6-years, $96.5 million, with an average of just over $16 million.'

'“I know this much,” the Bills GM said. “He played better than I remember him playing when I used to scout him years past. That’s a testament to him, the work he put in, that year he was off, and buying in to just trying to be the best he can.”'

'The only exception to that assessment in Mobile this week might be North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz. Blessed with prototype size at 6-5 and 230 pounds, Wentz has all the physical tools and is forecast as a first-round pick. His task this week is to prove that he can hang with the power five conference talent at the FBS level after playing his entire college career in the FCS.'

'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.'