Archives for January 2017

'But how much of that is the responsibility of the head coach and how much of that should fall on the collective shoulders of the players? If too many members of the roster aren't self-motivated or willing to take it upon themselves to make sure they and their teammates pay close attention to detail and take it upon themselves to make sure they're fully invested in everything necessary to succeed, does the coach's style matter?'

'If the Bills do, however, decide not to exercise Taylor’s contract option and decide to walk away, here are some of the other quarterbacks Dennison has worked with in his career who could be available either through free agency or a trade. Keep in mind that the Bills will also need a veteran backup quarterback if EJ Manuel leaves as a free agent, which is expected.'

'"There are a variety of positions they could go," Kiper said on a conference call Thursday. "Garett Bolles, the offensive tackle at Utah or Ryan Ramczyk, the offensive tackle at Wisconsin would help out the offensive line. There's going to be plenty of cornerbacks available in this draft that can help. This is a strong draft at a variety of positions. It's a strong defensive draft. Twenty-one of the 32 players in the first round are defensive players. There is a lot of depth at a variety of spots in this draft.'

'"Whether the team agrees with me is another matter, of course, but I happen to think the Bills already have their quarterback, which is why they fall so low on this list," said Brandt. "I know the Bills have a new coach in Sean McDermott, so their direction might not be defined. But if I were them, I'd exercise the option on the rest of the contract extension Taylor signed in August."'

'The NFL wide receiver went on to say, "Being an Olympian and being in the NFL coming from a small town like Lubbock show a lot of promise and it shows it doesn’t matter where you come from, the demographics, or your background, you can make it. You can push through it and I’m just trying to spread greatness all across the country and we can start right at home."'

'Then he started getting calls from the NFL There were a couple of hits and misses before he landed on practice squad as a safety for the Buffalo Bills. That's where he stands now, hoping to make the team next season.'

'The connection to Taylor is obvious, and potentially quite significant. Dennison served as the Baltimore Ravens' quarterbacks coach in 2014, while Taylor was Joe Flacco's backup. The Bills are getting a coach who will be quite familiar with their starting quarterback of the last two seasons.'

'"That is definitely what I’m happy about," he said. "I can go to the facility and work on the things I need. Honestly, for the last three years, I’ve just been getting by with talent and the coaches putting me in situations, but now I get to focus on having a legit offseason. I can train with the top receivers, things like that is what I’m looking forward to.'

'The longest-tenured member of the team, Williams joins Bruce Smith (11) and Fred Smerlas (five) as the only other defensive linemen in franchise history to make five Pro Bowls. For his career, Williams has 40.5 sacks, the most ever among defensive tackles.'

'The Bills had a whopping 27 assistant coaches last season, a number well above the league average.'

'A lot of teams no longer pay big bucks to running backs, who are easy to find. McCoy is a special talent, but he's on the books for $8.875 million next season, with $6 million of that in base salary. That's a lot for a running back if you're not expecting to contend.'

'Your chance has arrived. There’s a new podcast, or “DroughtCast,” created by Ryan Nagelhout that is actually churning out a game-by-game recap of the Bills’ 17-season playoff drought.'

'Lawson had arthroscopic knee surgery, but he’s expected to be cleared to participate in all off-season workouts. Lawson, Buffalo’s first-round draft choice in 2016, had shoulder surgery last May and missed all of the Bills’ off-season program and training camp as well as the first six games. In the 10 games he played, he had minimal impact with just two sacks and 13 tackles, and he actually saw a reduction in his snap counts later in the year.'

'Rapoport added that he could see Taylor returning to the Bills on a restructured deal that would free up some cap space for Buffalo. Here's a look at everything that Rapoport said about the Bills adding Dennison.'

'In his first season with the Bills, Lawson recorded 13 tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble in 10 games. He missed Buffalo's first six games of the season after having shoulder surgery shortly after the draft. Upon his return, he was eased into the lineup behind veteran Lorenzo Alexander.'