Archives for February 2017

'"He had without a doubt an excellent season, but fell short of the 101 list by a narrow margin," PFF's Sam Monson wrote in an article explaining 10 notable snubs. "The single biggest thing that kept McCoy out was his performance as a blocker. This may seem like an insignificant thing for a running back, but in today’s league, backs need to be able to pass block, or their quarterbacks are in trouble. That’s why rookie runners often don’t see the field in passing situations, and it’s why complete backs are still such a valuable commodity — they can be trusted to keep their QBs upright.'

'"A lot of work and money have been invested in the stadium in recent years," said Zemsky, a Buffalo resident who also heads Empire State Development, the state's development arm. " I think there would be a partnership if there ever were a new stadium led by the team, the state and the county. "That isn't an item of keen conversation this year.'

'The Bills will deed the land to Erie County, which owns New Era Field.'

'"It's real simple," Edwards said. "(Jerry Jones) mentioned it. He said this Dallas Cowboy team is built for Tony Romo. Well if it's built for Tony Romo a couple of things come into mind. What team is similar to this that needs help? Buffalo Bills."'

'The bottom line is that the Bills are likely to think longer and harder than a lot of people suspect before deciding if it makes sense to say goodbye to Taylor.'

'They should bottom out. They're bound to get worse before they get better with this roster, so they'll be spinning their wheels if Doug Whaley makes more desperate short-term moves in his latest attempt to "win now" and justify his dubious run.'

'If Taylor departs, Buffalo could opt to add a veteran to compete against Cardale Jones or select a quarterback in the 2017 NFL draft. One rival GM believes that Buffalo will not only opt to draft a quarterback, but they expect the Bills to add a QB in the first two rounds of the draft.'

'"Based on everything I've been told, Taylor is unwilling to agree to a restructured contract that would reduce his pay," said Carucci. "He and his agent, Adisa Bakari, are firmly convinced they would receive every bit as much as the Bills would have to pay in accordance with the extension — if not more — in the open market."'

'"In 2015, Richie Incognito's return to the game saw him post the best season of his career, and while he didn't quite match it in 2016, he did back it up with another excellent season, and was a clear top-10 guard in the NFL. Incognito was a key part of the Buffalo running game, which was one of the best in the league, buoyed by QB Tyrod Taylor's ability to make plays with his legs. Incognito also allowed 23 total QB pressures all season."'

'Fanatics surveyed 400 people to rank players' headshots on a scale of 1-10. No information on the player was given with the headshot.'

'NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter believes the best fit for Buffalo’s new offensive system under OC Rick Dennison is Texas Tech QB Pat Mahomes.'

'The team announced the following hires Thursday, thus completing the staff of Sean McDermott: Chad Hall (offensive assistant), Jim Salgado (defensive assistant). Additionally, Matt Worswick and Laura Young were named assistants to the head coach.'

'On the flip side, under the "why this couldn't" work, it says "with the Bills likely to part ways with the quarterback who elevated the offense, ranking ninth in Total QBR in 2016 and seventh in 2015, it's hard to imagine they would then go for Romo: an older quarterback with a history of injuries who hasn't played a full season since 2014."'

'It's fair to say that, with no clear-cut better alternative at quarterback, Taylor does give the Bills their best immediate chance to be a playoff contender.'

'If Taylor hits the open market, he will have suitors. As pointed out Wednesday, Pro Football Focus recently ranked Taylor as the top available quarterback on the open market (provided, of course, he gets there), ahead of Dallas' Tony Romo and New England's Jimmy Garoppolo.'