Archives for March 2016

'Hogan started for four years at Stanford, where Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman used to be the offensive coordinator. Hogan has been considered a day three pick by most. He's big and has a strong arm, but his long windup has been a point of concern.'

'The Bills knew they were in a tight spot with the salary cap entering the 2016 offseason. That led to a handful of players getting cut just so Buffalo could retain its two biggest free agents, Cordy Glenn and Richie Incognito. The Bills aren't done yet, though. Glenn, cornerback Stephon Gilmore and quarterback Tyrod Taylor are all entering contract years. Jim Overdorf and Doug Whaley still have a tall task ahead in making sure they can keep as much of this nucleus in Buffalo as long as possible.'

'He underwent hip surgery again this past fall after assorted injuries cut short his 2015 season — his first in Buffalo — after only five games, in which he caught 19 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. He added defence-stretching danger to the Bills’ attack opposite star receiver Sammy Watkins, a threat the team missed at times over the final three months.'

'Backup EJ Manuel is also in his final year, and it's clear the Bills realize he is not starter-worthy (maybe not even backup worthy) so they have to do something at the quarterback position. With almost no money to play with in free agency, drafting a quarterback may be the only way to add to the depth chart.'

'Harvin, 27, has played in only 28 games in the past four years, while bouncing from the Vikings to the Seahawks to the Jets to the Bills. The player who once was one of the league’s top all-purpose threats caught just 19 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown while knee and hip injuries slowed him in 2015. One thing to remember: 16 of those receptions were in Buffalo’s first three games, and he could be a legitimate No. 2 threat alongside Sammy Watkins if he could continue that kind of production over a whole season.'

'Earlier today, Tyrod Taylor’s agent expressed his anger towards the Bills front office for not getting a contract extension to Taylor before the season started. “We’re still talking, in communication with is agent,” Whaley said. “We have some work to do and we’ve said all along it has to be a deal that's fair and good to him as well as the Buffalo Bills, and if we can come to a mutual agreement, then we would not be opposed to extending his contract."'

'"Hopefully it's an opportunity for Tyrod to solidify himself as our number one, we pay him, and then we've got to find another guy (as a backup),” Whaley said. “We will add (one QB), maybe two more, again leaving all options open, just out of sheer numbers. You can't just go in with two."'

'The Bills signed Harvin to a three-year contract last March, but only for salary cap purposes. The deal was essentially for one-year, with a base salary of $3 million, plus a $3 million signing bonus. The final two years of the deal voided earlier this month, making the 27-year old an unrestricted free agent.'

'General Manager Doug Whaley has stated several times, matter-of-factly, that the team will be adding to the QB position in the offseason. It’s yet to happen. There are very few veterans with enough value for what they’ll pay, and a rookie will be cheap and give the team the ability to put him under contract for four years and possibly develop. So, expect one in the draft. The question is, in what round?'

'There isn’t much left on the quarterback market, but if a team believes they can resuscitate Griffin’s career or they see him as a backup that matches the skills of their starting quarterback he’s an option worth considering.'

'“That’s what I’m going in there to do,” Blanton said on starting. “Come into work every day, do my job and I feel like I can be the best. I feel like I’m the best guy for the job. So I just have to come in and be Robert Blanton — do my job — and the rest will take care of itself.”'

'“I know who I am and nobody can tell me I’m not,” Gilmore said. “If you really watch the film, really study the film and not go off hype and people who talk more than what I do, just go off the film and it’ll show you that.'

'Thus Incognito is far from alone, although his public backing of Trump hardly seems useful to a man who has seemingly bullied his way to the top of the Republican scrap heap. Incognito, 32, remains best known for his role in the Miami Dolphins' BullyGate scandal of 2013, a messy incident that saw him serving as the ringleader for the harassment of former teammate Jonathan Martin. An NFL investigation eventually concluded that Incognito, along with then-teammates Mike Pouncey and John Jerry (now with the Giants) had bullied Martin, who is now out of football, with racial, homophobic and misogynistic slurs.'

'Considering the Bills will still likely address defensive line (where Mario Williams was released), inside linebacker and/or outside linebacker, they needed to dip into free agency to some extent. His old team decided to move on at safety in signing Michael Griffin (Tennessee) and Travis Lewis (Detroit).'

'Doug Whaley and Jim Overdorf had no choice but to cut loose several players (Mario Williams, Leodis McKelvin, Kraig Urbik, Boobie Dixon), in addition to letting Nigel Bradham walk. In a tough situation, they probably made the right calls, too. Williams checked out. Ronald Darby replaced McKelvin at cornerback. “Boobie D” might’ve had the best personality on the team, and one heck of a back story that dates back to a homeless shelter, but averaged 2.1 yards per carry last year.'