Archives for July 2016

'The majority of the roster is set, but the offseason workouts during the spring proved that there are still plenty of depth positions up for grabs with a good performance in the upcoming summer. Plenty has happened since my last version of the 53-man roster projection — which was nearly two months ago.'

'So far into the offseason, the Bills have placed wide receivers Marquise Goodwin and Walter Powell, cornerback Javier Arenas and running back Mike Gillislee under the kick. Each of which, bring explosive speed, agility and playmaking ability, but have different qualities.'

'“He’s the type of guy that took a hold of everything,” said Lal. “Every little glimmer of knowledge, he took it, he wrote it down, he went home and did it. I have video evidence of what he was doing in the offseason. He’s an example of a guy that no matter where you start, if you take the coaching that everyone in this building is giving you and apply it here, you’re going to make strides. He’s done that.”'

'After his third-round attempt of 27-0.75, Goodwin jumped into fifth place — good enough to advance to the second half of the final. But from there, two jumps of 26-9 and a foul were all he had left in the tank.'

'"At the time, it's frustrating, but you really can't dwell on that,'' Goodwin said of not making his second Olympic team. "Life is too good to harp on a situation like that. Maybe at the time I can be a little disappointed, but now I'm alive, and there is so much more to look forward to.'''

'Fans who will be watching for Shady at training camp may not see a lot of action, but be patient. Although his reps and drives will be few to none, playing it safe doesn’t take away from his incredible skill set and established role as the top back on the roster.'

'"The only opinions that people really get about players is what they see TV or what the media gives them," McCoy said. "If the media only paints a picture of a player as this or whatever that may be, then that's what the people see. So I don't really go back and forth about that."'

'Reaching the audience entails a different way of thinking for sports leagues and their teams than simply putting games and shoulder programming on TV and radio. As with everyone else in their space, the Bills and Sabres are operating with a strategy that increasingly pushes content to smart phones and tablets.'

'There’s a hefty price to pay for a new stadium, and not just in the inevitable taxpayer subsidy. There’s higher ticket costs, personal seat licenses (a fee for the ‘privilege’ of buying season tickets), lofty prices for club seats and luxury suites and a bump in local advertising and sponsorship fees.'

'The Buffalo Billswide receiver and 2012 Olympian advanced to Sunday's men's long jump final, but just barely. Goodwin captured the 12th and final qualifying spot with a jump of 25 feet, 8 inches on his second jump.'

'“Asking him different things and asking him how he approached different things," Miller said. "You’ve got a guy who made the Pro Bowl, a guy who’s been a dominant offensive guard in this league. So I look at a lot of things he did and try to imitate it. Try to break it down and use it to the best of my ability. Everything is technical to me right now whether that’s footwork in the run game, head placement, all those different things help me improve my game.”'

'Before Luck's agreement jumped into his briefcase, Taylor's agent, Adisa Bakari, was already well armed with plenty of ammunition from the Osweiler and Cousins situations. Bakari wants the Bills to come to the realization they have the best quarterback they've had since Jim Kelly and that there isn't anyone on the horizon who is going to be better. He's probably right on both counts, which is why he wants the Bills to make the kind of offer Taylor has no choice but to sign now or at some point before the end of the 2016 campaign.'

'“Marv Levy was a big proponent of saying that history would be kind to us in years to come and people would understand the impact and dominance you had in the National Football League,” Smith said. “He would say, ‘Right now, people don’t understand the significance of what you accomplished.’”'

'“But when he was in Buffalo, he was a good guy. He treated everyone with class and respect, just dignity. I thought he was very sharp, confident. He was highly educated. He was extremely smart. He handled himself with great class. When he left Buffalo, O.J. was a different person.”'

'“Anytime you have somebody that can represent our country I think it’s fantastic,” Rex Ryan said last month. “It’s just a special thing and for him a once in a lifetime deal. He’s representing himself and more so he’s representing our country and our community. I’m proud of the fact that he plays for the Buffalo Bills.”'