Archives for January 2017

'Days after telling the assembled media that he believed the Bills to be “close”, Whaley changed his tune and sounded like a pre-tank Sabres employee talking about championships. Plural.'

'Zach Brown was the second leading tackler in the game and made a goal line stop of Cowboys RB Zeke Elliott on fourth-and-goal from the one. Stephon Gilmore thwarted another scoring attempt intercepting a pass in the end zone that was intended for Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. And Lorenzo Alexander led the AFC in tackles with eight and had an interception en route to being named Defensive MVP of the game.'

'“[The Bills] have reached out to me,” Alexander said. “They want me to be back … I’m waiting to see what all the offers are on the table. My wife and I will sit down and make the best decision for ourselves.”'

'Jamal Adams, S, LSU. The biggest question here is what happens at quarterback. If the Bills bring back Tyrod Taylor, it means they’re not entering into a total rebuild and should try and find an immediate contributor. Adams would be just that in the secondary. Another option would be to add another wide receiver to pair with Sammy Watkins – either Western Michigan’s Corey Davis or Clemson’s Mike Williams would fit that bill. Adams looks to be a complete prospect, with solid intangibles, an ability to play against the run and the explosiveness teams look for in a top-10 pick.'

'The decisive play was turned in by Alexander, the former journeyman who had a career season with 12.5 sacks. He intercepted Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins with just over a minute to go in the fourth quarter. Cousins' pass bounced off the hands of Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham and into the arms of Alexander, who returned it 20 yards before throwing a lateral to Denver's Aqib Talib, who then raced inside the NFC 10-yard line before getting stripped by Cousins.'

'An offensive lineman racing against a wide receiver isn't a fair contest, so Landry evened the odds by donning a sumo wrestling suit. Incognito and Landry took part in two races. Incognito shared the video on Twitter while adding that he still has wheels.'

'"I talked to him on the phone, then I got a call from Leslie Frazier, those guys called me," Gilmore said. "It's all up to them. They seem like they're going to turn it around out there but, like I said, I don't know what's going to happen. They got a decision to make."'

'Toughness has been a trait that has defined Levitre’s career, as well. In eight years, he has started every one of his 128 career games. He’s also enjoyed a career renaissance in Atlanta, ranking 14th among all guards in analytics website Pro Football Focus’ grading. He was 12th in pass blocking and 17th in run blocking, according to PFF, while his 1,162 snaps ranked as the eighth most at his position.'

'"[The Bills] have reached out to me," Alexander said. They want me to be back … I'm waiting to see what all the offers are on the table. My wife and I will sit down and make the best decision for ourselves."'

'“He came to me, asked me about it — he knows Sean very well, he knows it’s a good situation,” Reid said. “Listen, he’s 60 years old — it gives him a chance to do what he wants to do. He was my assistant head coach, but most of all, he’s a good friend. Great guy. Very, very loyal. He was my guy.”'

'“My uncle has been my coach pretty much my entire career—really like a father figure,” said Alexander. “My dad wasn’t initially around when I was younger, so he kind of filled that void for me. [He] instilled in me a lot of character that made me successful today—hard work, being accountable, perseverance [and] sacrifice.”'

'"When you vet a person, you ask yourself, 'What is his pedigree? Where has he worked? What is his level of experience? What is his level of success? For whom has he worked? What are the influences on his career? Is he organized? Does he have the right approach? What's his teaching philosophy?'" said Polian, who was at the Senior Bowl practices this week for ESPN and SiriusXM NFL Radio.'

'The Bills have three picks inside the top 76 of the draft, in the first round (No. 10), second round (No. 43) and third round (No. 76). They do not have a fourth-round selection, as that pick was traded to Chicago last year in the move up for linebacker Reggie Ragland. Buffalo has two fifth-round draft picks, its own and one acquired from Dallas as part of the 2015 trade of quarterback Matt Cassel, one in the sixth round and does not have a pick in the seventh round, as that went to Dallas as part of the Cassel deal.'

'"He's tough, he's honest and he's fair. I think he's the right guy for the job. The guys in Buffalo, we need somebody we can believe in and we can trust. And not to say anything bad about Rex because I love Rex. I was actually behind Rex's staying. I think it's more the players, we need to step up more. But I think that Sean is a guy who will get it done."'

'"You know, I really haven't thought about it right now. Just been down here and the first few weeks of the offseason I've just tried to reconnect with my family and everything like that," he said. "But I always take a month or so off then I'll get back to preparing like I'm going to be back in Buffalo and I'm going to play.'