Archives for May 6, 2017

'Not surprisingly, areas of need — tight end, wide receiver, and safety — received extra attention from the Buffalo Bills with their 13 signings of undrafted free agents Friday.'

'According to an NFL source, the team intends to take its time in the GM search, especially because it is the first time team owners Terry and Kim Pegula are going through the process.'

'So while the Pegulas will likely hire a general manager type to replace Whaley, he'll defer to McDermott, whose vision prevails in the organization. It'll be like Kansas City, where John Dorsey is GM but Andy Reid runs the show. Or New England, where there's no GM and Bill Belichick serves the role.'

'I also don't see a huge investment in a wide receiver fitting Sean McDermott's big-picture vision of what he wants the roster to look like. Figuring out whether he has a long-term solution at quarterback is the much bigger question in the passing game that would need to be answered before determining what to do with Watkins.'

'The owner of Leo's Pizzeria – with four locations in South Buffalo, East Aurora and West Seneca, and a fifth opening in Orchard Park – paid $945,000 this week to buy Rex Ryan's glamorous 6,511-square-foot house in the Summit at Scherff development.'

'One of the most critical tasks they will perform is putting together an entirely new scouting staff. It’s unfortunate that so many people lost their jobs in the Pegula purge, but it wouldn’t have made much sense to fire Whaley and keep his people in place. This team needs fresh eyes out on the scouting trail, and McDermott and the new GM can now start from scratch and tailor the department to their specifications with everyone starting anew and on the same page.'

'Jordan Johnson is a Western New York native and product of the University at Buffalo. He finished his career with the sixth-most rushing yards in school history.'

'Cordy Glenn has the left tackle spot locked down, but the competition at right tackle will be interesting to watch. Jordan Mills will have to hold off rookie Dion Dawkins. Cyrus Kouandjio played well in 2016, but his recent offseason incident leaves many questions about his availability this season. Considering the questions surrounding Kouandjio, the Bills keep Michael Ola as a fifth option.'

'"He's a leader," Ollison said, echoing much of the analyst-speak heard after the Peterman pick. "He's smart, not scared to lead, never afraid to make the big play.'

'Williams participated in the University at Buffalo Pro Day on March 15 in front of about 10 NFL scouts. He then was invited to a local tryout hosted by the Bills in April and subsequently received his minicamp invitation.'

'Harasymiak noted that there were a few games Collins would have liked to have had back but he noted that, “We wouldn’t have won as many games as we did without Dan. Hopefully, he’ll show the Bills what he can do and will be accurate. And we’ll hear some good news."'

'The Bills addressed depth at tight end by adding Tennessee's Jason Croom and Louisville's Keith Towbridge.'

'The Bills have announced the addition of 13 Undrafted Free Agents, including a University at Buffalo running back…'.

'Gaine, who would bring with him nearly 18 years of front office experience to Buffalo, has spent the last three seasons in his current role with the Texans.'

'The running back helped power the Panthers to a 33-2 mark over his high school career, which included three Class A Section VI Championships.'