Archives for April 2017

'The hit rate in the later rounds go down considerably, but there are always gems found at that point of the draft. Who might the Bills be looking at that fit the schemes they're trying to play?'

'Along with Jones’ undeniable on field talents, Sean McDermott reinforced everything he’s said since taking over as head coach in January with his emphasis on character. Jones was a multi-year captain at East Carolina and was recognized by several national organizations for the work he put forth in the classroom.'

'“I don’t think I’d be standing at this podium if it wasn’t for Coach Phil and the things that’s taught me and the way he’s translated me into being pro-ready,” Jones said at the NFL Combine. “So a great thank you to him. He’s going to be great at the Bills. I loved playing for a person like that and whoever he gets to coach will be lucky in the future.”'

'“For three years I primarily played in the slot at East Carolina,” said Jones. “I wasn’t an outside receiver. And then Coach Phil came to me and said, ‘Hey, if you want to play in the National Football League, you’ve got to play some outside. With your frame, with your size, with your skill set and your ability, we’ve got to get you outside.’”'

'There are some question marks surrounding the Bills offensive line. Tackle Seantrel Henderson will still be serving a league-imposed suspension for five more games this season. Henderson will be allowed to participate in offseason programs and play in preseason games.'

'After suffering a season-ending foot injury midway through his rookie campaign, Dawkins proved just how tough he can be. Coming back better than ever in 2014, Dawkins earned a spot on the starting lineup at left tackle. Making 11 starts that year, Dawkins made a name for himself as one of the most physically and mentally tough players on the squad.'

'“We looked at it last night when we broke and the ice was getting awful thin, really, at the wide receiver position in general,” said McDermott. “There weren’t quite as many wide receivers, a few of them went early, and then there weren’t many around at this level and we valued Zay and we felt that we wanted to go get him and made sure we got our guy.”'

'“To get more picks in the middle rounds of this draft, which is the sweet spot to me, that third, fourth round area you can get a lot of starters there,” NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah told Buffalobills.com. “Second-round caliber players, you’re going to get them in the third, fourth and in some positions maybe even the fifth round this year. You can plug a lot of holes.”'

'Bills general manager Doug Whaley had an excellent first round. He acquired more picks from No. 10 and was still able to find a starting cornerback while dropping all the way back to No. 27. Tre’Davious White isn’t a super athlete, but that’s his only knock. He can play anywhere and can fit in any style. And he’ll come up against the run.'

'As fans purchase tickets, the price of each individual game can rise or fall to better reflect the demand for tickets. Ticket prices may decrease below the initial box office price, but will never fall below season ticket prices. The pricing plan for the 2017 season includes one platinum, three gold, two silver, two bronze and two preseason games. The initial box office price will remain flat from the 2016 season.'

'“I feel real good about the end of the first day … we did our homework and put ourselves in a position to have two first-round picks next year, picked up a third (this year) and picked up Tre’Davious White, so I’ll be able to sleep fairly well tonight,” McDermott said.'

'"We really felt like the value we were looking at, very rarely can you do that, we can cash that into a first-round pick in 2018 and then add a third-round on top of that," coach Sean McDermott said. "A very unique situation for us."'

'The Bills now have eight picks to use between now and Saturday. But the key to the deal is that they have the additional first-round choice next year, when the quarterback class is expected to be stronger.'

'A franchise that had made too many decisions for the wrong reasons over the years made a bold but sensible move. It's a low bar, I'll admit, but the Bills did the smart thing, the sort of maneuver the good franchises make, instead of trying to make an immediate splash to dazzle the masses.'

'This was the sort of maneuver that you wouldn't have expected from Whaley, especially when he's trying to win in the short term and preserve his job. I'm sure McDermott will claim it was a group decision, but it looks like the move of an empowered coach who has time to build a winner.'