Archives for March 2017

'"When they did that contract (last August) I think both parties would tell you they knew that this was a possibility because the number was so big," Caplan told the team website. "The thought around the league was the Bills would not roll over that option. They would look to renegotiate if Tyrod Taylor played well enough. And he did play well. I think the Bills also have to look at it and if it's not going to be Tyrod, who is it going to be?"'

'On Thursday, news came down that teams are concerned about Allen's arthritic shoulders. The Alabama defensive lineman had surgery on both shoulders on college, but Alabama's team doctor Lyle Cain told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network it didn't impact his play and shouldn't change how teams view him.'

'The Bills probably will choose not to pick up Taylor's option — the right move, without a doubt. What they shouldn't do, though, is close the door on Taylor's return. Sure, he may be miffed that they didn't pick up the option, but where is he going to find a better situation? Of the teams that need a quarterback, the best situation would be in Houston. But are the Texans willing to sign yet another quarterback whose former team felt wasn't worth the investment?'

'The front office still feels the current salary structure they negotiated themselves a year ago — instead of a more standard year-to-year, pay-as-you-go format — doesn’t make sense, thus their interest in veteran QB options like Tony Romo and Brian Hoyer. However, new coach Sean McDermott and Pegula have become close. McDermott and his staff are not convinced they will find an upgrade over Taylor and see no problem with paying Taylor $17M a year, the sources say.'

'Corey Graham is 31 and entering the final year of his contract. The team may want to get younger at the position. Graham’s cap hit is $5.65 million, but letting him go would save $4.05 million.'

'It's been clear for quite some time that Whaley if he had his way, would prefer to move on from that contract and start over at the quarterback position. It started the day they fired Rex Ryan and elected to not only bench Taylor for the final week of the season but to make him inactive as well — just in case there was any remote chance he could get injured and the contract extension would have guaranteed due to injury.'

'With that in mind — and with opinions all across the board on how to rank the top quarterbacks this year — here's a look at my initial projection of the top 5 quarterbacks…'.

'“There’s a lot of confidence in DeShaun,” said Clemson WR Artavis Scott. “In every situation he’s so calm. So that’s big for us to have a leader like that as your quarterback. Knowing that when things get tough he can manage it well so that gives us a lot of confidence.”'

'“I hate almost to say this because it’s unfair to Sean, but in many ways he’s Marv-like,” said Polian in an appearance on the John Murphy Show. “It’s a very high bar and I don’t want to put it there, but the qualities are similar. He’s cerebral. He’s low key. He’s on the money.'

'"Just kind of hearing what their vision was for where we were headed and what we were going to be doing and the way that he wanted to do it," Williams said. "And honestly feeling like I still could play and I could play at a high level, you know, that had a lot to do with it. So all those things come into factor, but being comfortable with him and what he wanted to do and really kind of liking what his vision for our team was.'

'There are a few obvious ties when considering whether a reunion would make sense, the biggest being that Byrd's father, Gill, is the Bills' new secondary coach. There is also a big positional need, which could grow depending on what happens with Aaron Williams and Corey Graham, both of whom carry big salary-cap numbers.'

'On Wednesday, coach Sean McDermott said the Bills had yet to determine what to do about Taylor. He also said it was possible they could go all the way up to the March 11 deadline to make the call.'

'"Rex always treated me like a head coach, and that's what I like about Rex," he said. "He didn't just give me the assistant head coach title. He actually gave me the responsibilities of the assistant head coach. If Rex Ryan didn't feel like doing something, I did it. If he was sick and couldn't take it, I did it and I stepped in. I went to all the off-site meetings with him, all the salary cap meetings, all the administrative meetings. I went to all those. Rex Ryan helped me see the big picture and how to run an organization."'

'Siemian, 25, started 14 games for Denver in 2016, throwing for 3,401 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Bills offensive coordinator Rick Dennison held the same job for the Broncos last season, so Siemian would know the offense well, if acquired.'

'"I watched his personal growth as a person more so than as a coach," Rivera said at the NFL Scouting Combine Thursday. "I love his leadership skills. I love his ability to walk into a room with presence and seriousness.'