Archives for May 2017

'“Stephon, he’s a blessed dude. Hard worker,” Darby said. “I learned a lot from him and I'm just going to carry that on. He’s like a true big brother. He's a really quiet dude until he opens up to you. Always here on time, his eating habits, his film study – we're just sitting in the locker room and he's on his iPad, looking at film, looking at film – he's just real driven, and it paid off. You see what he got.”'

'There are too many spots in need of upgrading and too many bloated salaries belonging to underachievers that have to be kept until dumping them won't have a crippling cap impact to expect rapid improvement. The Bills have said goodbye to half of the players who appeared in at least one game last season, and it's unrealistic to expect the replacements and the incumbents and the new coaches, with their new schemes, to all mesh in one year.'

'"Departures will leave the Buffalo Bills depending an awful lot on rookies this year, and rookies don't always fulfill their potential right away (if ever). Two of last year's top three receivers are gone. Two of last year's top three cornerbacks are gone. And while LeSean McCoy is still around to keep the running game dangerous, Mike Gillislee was outstanding last year and losing him really hurts Buffalo's depth."'

'Here's how I see the depth chart on both sides of the ball and special teams for the Buffalo Bills after several weeks of OTAs and minicamps…'.

'As running backs go, you have to take it with a grain of salt because they are running without any fear of getting hit by opponents. However, the reason why O'Neal has stood out is due to his vision in the zone blocking scheme early on, in addition to how he displays both quickness and explosiveness when he plants his foot in the ground. There is a long way to go, but I've liked what I've seen so far.'

'“The time that Marcell is putting in, you know, I couldn’t be happier at this point in time,” he said. “I really believe that. He’s bought in to what we’re doing and what Coach Waufle is doing on the defensive front. You know, that said, we have to continue to respect the process, and when you’re a pro that’s ongoing. You do it every day on a consistent basis over the course of time. So, that’s true of our entire team, myself included, so consistency is the key at this point.”'

'“You know every day I just come out here and try to do my best,” Williams said after practice last week. “I’m learning from one of the best backs in the league in LeSean McCoy. This offensive scheme is a great scheme for any running back, so every day I'm just taking it one day at a time.'

'Following an impressive campaign, two NFL.com writers predicted that McCoy would win the 2017 rushing title.'

'Hodges is the kind of under-the-radar signing Buffalo should be celebrating. He represents a significant upgrade at a position this team needs. Finding a starter at this point in the offseason is often difficult, but the Bills likely got one with their latest addition.'

'“I’ve been in competition since high school,” Brown said last week. “With all the linebackers, not just Reggie, but whoever it is. We’re all competing to play. I mean, we’re all trying to make the team better. The best three are going to play, or the best four, or whoever is out there is going to play and have fun.”'

'“If you look at our roster, I mean, from top down, it’s all new faces,” linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said. “I mean the whole secondary is different. A bunch of the linebacker corps is going to be different. … You have to take it year by year, good, bad or indifferent and always step up and try to reinvent yourself for that next season.”'

'For one thing, I didn't think a linebacker of his caliber would be available this late in the offseason. It seems pretty clear that he entered the free-agent market expecting to get the big money paid in the early going, and as more and more time passed without him receiving an offer to his liking, he finally resigned himself to accepting a lesser deal but with the best possibility of starting.'

'"I limit it to 10 because teaching 10 kids how to do the Rubik's Cube at one time is difficult, but my second-grader and my fourth-grader come in and help me," Fitzpatrick said. "It's just something that's kind of a hobby of mine that I have a lot of fun with, and there's a ton of interest in my son's school, people trying to learn it.'

'However, for a span of 10 years, many to the chagrin of me and my football sister wives, a little spot occupying the northeast corner of Abbott Road and Big Tree Road was a refuge after a long day of meetings and practice for marquee Bills players before heading to their homes. The Big Tree Inn was an extension of the Buffalo Bills locker room of the '80s and the '90s. A place where members of those acclaimed teams unwound and ribbed each other about game play – good and bad. And occasionally it was a place for shenanigans too unsavory to print here.'

'The interior of Buffalo's offensive line takes the No. 1 spot on the Bills' strongest position entering the season. Richie Incognito remains one of the best guards in the NFL and John Miller was named Pro Football Focus' most improved second-year guard. Between the Bills' guards will be Eric Wood. Wood will be returning from an injury, but he's played well in the last two years. Putting the Bills over the top is Ryan Groy. The reserve offensive lineman played very well when Wood was injured last season and has the ability to play guard as well.'