Archives for April 20, 2016

'“I found myself looking back on it (Monday) morning,” Incognito said of his 18-month exile from the league stemming from a 2013 bullying scandal with the Miami Dolphins. “I was really excited about getting into the building and being around the guys. Eighteen months ago, I didn’t have that. (For) 18 months, I was sitting on my couch and training on my own and to be back here, where I’m at now, it’s another milestone in this journey and another chapter that begins.'

'And the Bills haven't been shy about showing their love for the 6-foot-7, 244-pound Lynch, taking him to dinner before the Memphis Pro Day, which offensive coordinator Greg Roman and assistant coach Chris Palmer attended. "They appear legitimately interested," a source close to Lynch said Monday night. With a big arm and surprising athleticism for his size, there's a lot to like in this potential future franchise QB.'

'Steward's departure leaves the Bills with only three inside linebackers: returning starter Preston Brown, projected starter and recent free-agent signee Zach Brown, who coach Rex Ryan said is the other starter as of now. The third is Kevin Reddick.'

'"We need to forget about anybody’s feelings," Watkins said then. "We need to call people out. If I’m doing something wrong, call me out. If the line is doing something wrong or messing up, call them out. If the defense is doing something wrong, the defensive line, the secondary, call it out. Because at the end of the day, we’re doing it to win, not to get on somebody and make them feel bad. We’re grown men. This is our job. We get paid millions and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Forget the money. You’ve got to go out there each week and play for the guy next to you.'

'Of all the people Trump figured would add to his credibility in Buffalo, he chose … Rex Ryan? Trump called Ryan a “great, great football coach” while ignoring a sub-.500 record for his career. If you can’t rile the masses, you might as well humor them. It’s only politics, right?'

'“Looking back I definitely did go back too early,” he admitted. “But at that time I was young and trying to prove something; prove that I’m strong and that nothing can really faze me, but at the end of the day I’ve got to look at my health.”'

'But hey, maybe Ryan was inspired listening to Trump on Monday night. Maybe he will get a wall built around Ralph Wilson Stadium to keep Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots out.'

'If Watkins is serious about being a leader, it's probably best for him to report to One Bills Drive sooner rather than later.'

'Steward was a sixth-round draft pick of the Bills a year ago. With his release and A.J. Tarpley's retirement, the Bills now have just three inside linebackers on the depth chart. Preston Brown, the newly signed Zach Brown and Kevin Reddick will be tasked with manning the middle of the defense.'

'"We can do as many strength tests and as many mental tests as we can, but it's all going to come down to when we put the pads on," Williams said, after the Bills opened their offseason voluntary conditioning program on Monday.'

'A sixth-round pick out of Clemson last year, Steward had difficulty getting any playing time as a rookie. He was used primarily in a special teams role and appeared in just five games before being placed on season-ending injured reserve as a result of a back injury.'

'"Wow, life's curveballs are unreal! Haha on to the next.," Steward tweeted. "Extremely grateful to the Bills organization for the opportunity they gave me. Looking forward to the next chapter."'

'Some see Conklin as a guard early-on in the NFL. If the Bills do, they probably wouldn’t invest the nineteenth pick in him. But I think most teams – including the Bills – will view him as a right tackle who may be able to move to the left side as he gets more experience in the league. He played both sides at some point of his college career.'

'All three show up in the first round of many mocks. And linebacker Reggie Ragland and defensive tackles Jarran Reed and A’Shawn Robinson could help Rex Ryan’s defense, all in different ways.'

'The Clemson product was hurt in preseason last year and missed the team’s first five games. After playing in the next nine contests, he suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve, missing the final four games of his rookie campaign.'