Archives for April 2018

‘”He’s a tenacious competitor, and he’s going to give that city and that fan base everything he possibly can. … I don’t think his ability limits him in any way. He’s an athletic-enough kid to do the things outside of the pocket that might be asked of him. That can be a strong part of his game. He can make all the throws. From a coordinator’s perspective, it has to be more about the other guys, the receiving corps, the tight ends, the running backs. Josh, in my opinion, can do all the things an offense asks. He’s got a bright future.”‘

‘”They still talk about this guy. And Jim Kelly’s a legend,” Allen said. “I’m praying for him and what he’s been going through (in recovering from recent cancer surgery),” Allen said. “But the things he was able to do at Buffalo is something special and to be in the same breath as Jim Kelly is pretty awesome and, hopefully, one day I’ll be to his level. And with the help of my teammates and my coaches we tango back to playoff contenders and Super Bowl contenders.’

‘”I don’t think so. I think he’s learned his lesson,” Thomas said. “Now, the hard part for him is going to be, ‘OK, I need to go into this locker room and not be cocky about it, but earn the respect of these guys. I know I’m a young guy; they moved up how many spaces to get me with No. 7. I’m the highest draft pick, quarterback-wise, that they’ve had in a while, and yes, I do have a past.'”‘

‘“He’s very ready to go,” Reed said Friday from Dallas. “It’s a dream come true for him. It’s something he’s worked for since he was a little kid. When I got drafted, it was the same thing. The quarterback position, there’s going to be a lot thrown at you right away. I’m sure the moment he got to Buffalo, it was, ‘here’s the playbook. Let’s go.’ ”’

‘Allen will become the first Bills quarterback since Matt Flynn to wear No. 17. Edmunds will wear 49.’

‘”He made so many plays we just started to call him ‘The Eraser,’ ” Fuente said Friday while traveling home from the NFL Draft in Dallas. “If things were messed up, if guys missed an assignment, he would always find a way to get the guy on the ground so we could line up and play another play. We’d be in a bad position on defense but Tremaine saved us by making a stop.”‘

‘Alexander took to Twitter after the pick to welcome his young teammate to the Bills, and jokingly remind him that he is an active player and not a coach.’

‘“Age is not a concern,” Ferrell Edmunds said Friday on the turf at New Era Field. “He’s not trying to gain status because he’s the youngest or this and that, he’s trying to gain status because he’s the best player that Buffalo can put out there. That’s the thing that I teach him.”’

‘Both are very good players. We just, talking about Allen, big, this is Buffalo. Big guy. An athlete. Really for his size, you look at all of the testing numbers and you look at the film. Very good athlete that makes plays in the pocket and on the run. He’s a really good kid. We did a lot of background on him and obviously the stuff came up today. We researched that and followed up with him, and we feel really good about it. He is Buffalo, you guys will see that when you meet him.’

‘You know, it’s something that I’ve considered. It’s something that, when I get to meet the guys, I get a sense of what they, how they feel, what they say to me, and I definitely would consider doing that. It’s something that I wouldn’t be ashamed or afraid of doing. At the same time, I wouldn’t know until I got to know everybody and, like I said, get a feel for how they feel about it. If I seem or I feel like it’s necessary to do, it’s something that I’m definitely going to do and something that I want to do.’

‘The Jimmy Johnson trade value chart said the Bills gave up the equivalent value of a sixth-round pick in the deal, which isn’t much. The performance-based Harvard model agreed that the Bills gave up the value of a sixth-round pick, while the Football Perspective model said it was more like a fourth-rounder, which would make the trade more lopsided.’

‘According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Buffalo had a trade agreement in place with the Denver Broncos that would have bumped them up to the No. 5 pick in exchange for No. 12, No. 22 in the first round and No. 53. The Bills also would also have received Denver’s third-round pick, according to Schefter.’

‘I give them a lot of credit for being patient, not going all the way up to No. 2. They got their guy. Think about the culture in that locker room. This is their kind of player. He’s got crazy arm talent. This issue with him: Sometimes he throws the ball late. I think he’s a project.’

‘Offensive line: The Bills could use more competition in the quest to replace Richie Incognito and Eric Wood. Washington State’s Cole Madison would be a good value at 121. He played tackle but projects to guard in the NFL and most had him rated about 100. Ohio State tackle Jamarco Jones is a fourth-round prospect with a lot of starting experience. Jones is a two-year starter at left tackle but projects to right tackle in the NFL. He has 35 1-2 inch arms. Tackle Tyrell Crosby, a top-50 prospect according to many draftniks, still is available.’

‘Castro, the president of the Dallas Fort-Worth Bills Backers chapter and a lifelong Bills fan, has been battling cancer since last fall. With the draft in his hometown, a group of supporters started a Twitter campaign in hopes that he might be able to announce one of the Bills’ picks. That campaign dovetailed with the #PanchoPower hashtag used by Bills fans to show their support for Castro and encourage others to fight through challenges.’