Archives for April 2017

'The national embarrassment of the Anthony Lynn and Whaley press conferences convinced ownership they needed help. But part of the problem was the Pegulas hanging those two out to dry alone.'

'Brown was the Bills' fastest linebacker, and seemed to have been a possible fit in the team's 4-3 scheme on the weak side. Without him, the team has just four linebackers under contract for next season – Lorenzo Alexander, Preston Brown, Reggie Ragland, Ramon Humber.'

'Is Cardale Jones ready to be the backup quarterback? With EJ Manuel off to Oakland, the Bills do not have a veteran option behind Tyrod Taylor other than Jones, the second-year man from Ohio State. With only one quarter of playing time as a rookie, in a meaningless season finale against the New York Jets, there's not much to go on when determining whether Jones is ready for the job. There are available veteran quarterbacks on the open market still, although the Bills don't have much room under the salary cap, so it's possible the team is waiting for their prices to go down. Until that happens, Jones will have to prepare like he's the guy.'

'"Rex is authentic – what you see is what you get, and that will be great for our viewers," Seth Markman, ESPN's senior coordinating producer for NFL studio shows, said in a press release.. "We also look forward to the insight and perspective he will bring to the show as an NFL coach who has worked in the league for two decades."'

'“Day one is easy,” Alexander said at the conclusion of the first workout where players did some on-field drills and some weight-room lifting. “… But who are you day 9, or day 90? Who do you become as the season goes on? Do you fall into old habits or do you change so that we can change the culture around here and start winning games and get to the playoffs and give the city what it deserves?”'

'In 2015, Webb made two starts with the Tennessee Titans after being promoted from the team's practice squad. Webb would go on to 22 total tackles, one interception and two passes defensed in Tennessee. The cornerback would go on to sign with the Saints in 2016 after being cut by the Titans in September.'

'The Bills were pressed against the salary cap, so coming to terms with Brown was always going to be difficult. Buffalo could look to address the outside linebacker position during the 2017 NFL Draft.'

'"Well, I wouldn't say that I needed to be lured or massaged or anything like that because I've never grown tired of playing," Williams said Monday as the Bills began offseason conditioning. "I love to play and I love to compete. My main thing was, 'What's our plan and what is our view?' And just his, 'Hey, we've got some really good pieces in place, we feel like we can win. We want to win now. We want to go for it now. We want to keep working and keep pushing and be the best organization we can be.' That's been the only thing that I've ever wanted here. It didn't take much. We talked for a couple minutes and I'm like, 'Hey, I'm in. Let's do it.' I wasn't a hard sell or anything like that."'

'"Just getting to know those guys personally," Taylor said. "I've watched a number of those guys' highlights and I've gotten a chance to get to know them over the last couple of weeks, but just continue to keep building relationships with them. Us as a group, learn the scheme that's new to some and in some phases new to me as well. So get the scheme down and then once we get on field, let our natural talent take over. Of course we have to dive into the details before we can actually get on the field and go out there and play freely. That's what this process right here is for."'

'McCoy posted on Instagram wishing his son a happy birthday, which might explain his absence on Monday. Bills coach Sean McDermott said McCoy was the only player not in attendance on Monday, but of course, these workouts are voluntary.'

'If Mahomes is available in the second round, he would be an ideal selection for the Bills. The Bills' No. 10 pick in the first round might be a bit early for Mahomes, but he's worked his way into first-round consideration throughout the pre-draft process.'

'If McDermott thinks the No. 2 wide receiver is on the roster, as he said last week in Phoenix, he ought to get to work figuring out exactly who that guy is. The two most likely candidates are newly signed Andre Holmes and Philly Brown, but Jeremy Butler, Dezmin Lewis and Kolby Listenbee could work their way into the mix. By the end of the month, McDermott might be rethinking his stance and looking to add a wide receiver in the early rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft.'

'''A wise coach once said to me years ago, when you say a lot, you risk saying nothing,'' McDermott said. ''And so the other side of it is, say a little, you say a lot. So we took that approach today.'''

'Ryan says he's "just going to show up and be myself and have fun with it." ESPN senior coordinator producer Seth Markman calls Ryan an "authentic" voice.'

'The Bills also announced today that the team has added three members to their football operations staff – Will Greenberg, Denny Kellington and Len Vanden Bos.'