Archives for May 17, 2017

'None of the OTAs or minicamp are open to the public. Media will attend three OTA practices, with the first coming Thursday. After practice, the Bills will make assistant coaches available to the media for the first time since they were hired. Here is The Buffalo News' crack at providing a 90-man depth chart.'

'Team drills are allowed during OTAs, which means the Bills can hold 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills between the offense and defense. No 1-on-1 drills, like receivers against cornerbacks or offensive lineman against defensive lineman, are permitted under terms of the collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players.'

'"Typical negativity," Rex snarled. "You'd find something bad to say about 70 degrees and sunny. You ran off Whaley and ripped the Pegulas for dysfunction. So they got Brandon Beane for GM, stole Joe Schoen from Miami to be his assistant, and now they get Gaine on top of it. Do you hit the ground unhappy in the morning?"'

'Ryan, who agreed to a contract with ESPN to serve as an NFL studio analyst after he was fired by the Bills, previously called the Florida State spring game with Mowins, a Syracuse native who graduated from Cicero-North Syracuse High School and earned a master's degree from Syracuse University in 1990. According to a recent article on syracuse.com, she received the Newhouse School of Communications' Marty Glickman Award in 2015 and was inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.'

'That's not to say that Gaine's hiring will be a guaranteed success. Fellow News Sports Reporter Tim Graham and I had some fun on Twitter pointing out the Bills once acquired Mario Williams AND Mark Anderson or Rex Ryan AND Greg Roman or Derrick Dockery AND Langston Walker (hat tip to Bills Digest editor Mark Ludwiczak for that one). With that being said, though, it's impressive that the Bills were able to hire two of the four candidates they interviewed for general manager.'

'The Bills didn't address defensive end in the 2017 NFL draft. They have a fine starting duo in Shaq Lawson and Jerry Hughes, but lack depth. Devin Taylor remains on the market and could give Buffalo a solid backup at the position along with Ryan Davis. Taylor, 27, started 16 games with the Lions in 2016 and has recorded 11.5 sacks in the last two seasons.'

'Since he walked through the door, McDermott has been able to put his stamp on every aspect of the organization. From how the walls are decorated at the facility to major personnel and roster decisions, this is McDermott's team. He will now be surrounded by people he's comfortable with, making a collaborative approach even easier. That's a lot of trust to put in a first-time head coach, but it also makes accountability that much easier.'

'Gettleman told the Observer last week that all the Panthers’ scouts and front office personnel are under contract and strongly suggested he’d block any attempt by Beane to bring any of them with him to Buffalo.'

'"I'm blessed to be in this position," Logan said in a phone interview. "Now that I've got my foot in the door, I can show how multitalented I am and show my work ethic and make a 53-man roster, because that's really the goal. This is just a milestone of my football career, but by no means am I satisfied with where I am right now."'

'But both also know they may very well move on from Taylor following this coming season. And as two young faces putting their names and reputations on the line for the first time for what they hope will be many years, why hitch their wagons to one that may be pulling out of town in less than 12 months?'

'Beane and McDermott appear bright and motivated. I like what I see, and hear. But when you're taking stock of what they're saying, also make a note of what they're not.'

'“I took a shot in the dark that he would want to do this because it’s generally a pretty lateral move, but Brian was excited about building this and starting this. I think partnering with me and Joe was attractive. I know Brian and who he is to the core and trust that he’s going to be a big time asset.”'

'“My first priority is to get the personnel staff hired. I got Joe Schoen hired and he’s going to be a great asset for everyone here. That’ll be priority number one until I get the staff set. But we’ll always be looking. If there are guys on the waiver wire this week, we’ll pay attention to it. If we can move a guy… if a team calls us about a guy that would help them and we think it’s helpful to us, we’ll definitely consider it.”'