‘”I had him at the top,” Simms said by phone Monday. “It wasn’t like a wide gap between him and whoever else, but it was big enough for me to be convinced that he would have been my No. 1 choice at quarterback.”‘
Archives for May 1, 2018
Brandon Beane: Josh Allen will start at Bills’ No. 3 quarterback
‘”I’m like, ‘no, I’m not giving you both ‘ones’ this year — a ‘one’ in this year’s draft, you know the 22nd pick — is more valuable than a next year’s ‘one’ so I’m giving you more right there.’ It was off the table. When I laid this plan out with (team owners) Terry and Kim (Pegula) the whole idea is not to touch next year’s pick.”‘
Cowboys pick made Bills trade-up to No. 16 look even better
‘The Bills were not filling their gaping need at middle linebacker with an elite talent at No. 22. The Bills liked Boise State’s Leighton Vander Esch, who they brought to town for a pre-draft visit. Like Edmunds, he can play inside or outside. But Dallas picked him at No. 19.’
Lorenzo Alexander lobbies to keep kickoffs in the NFL
‘”It’s an essential part of the game, and it’s really been woven into the fabric and the culture of football,” said Alexander, a 13-year NFL veteran and a former Pro Bowler as a special-teamer. “I understand that there’s been a lot of talk about taking it away. But that would be a huge mistake for the game for the fans because it’s definitely a play that is exciting that the fans love, it deals with field position and it’s also a scoring play.”‘
Terry Pegula excited for draft moves, has eyes on ‘big prize’
‘”The two guys sitting with you and myself both feel, though, that winning press conferences and drafts and whatnot is not the final solution,” Pegula said. “It’s winning games and getting in the playoffs and trying to get the big prize.”‘
The What-if Game: A look at Bills’ draft if they kept all their picks
‘Here’s how the Bills’ draft might have looked if they kept all their picks, presuming they would not have waited as long as the Steelers to draft Rudolph…’.
Projected Bills depth chart following the draft
‘While General Manager Brandon Beane has shown he’ll be active in both free agency and the trade market leading up to September, we have a pretty good idea of who will be in the running to make the final 53-man roster.’
Checking on the process: Here’s how the Bills’ draft picks might fit in for 2018
‘That said, be prepared for a step back in 2018. I’m not saying the Bills won’t surprise us again and make the playoffs because anything is possible, as Andy Dalton and Tyler Boyd taught us last year. But I am saying that this Bills’ roster is undergoing a major overhaul under Beane and McDermott, and in order to become one of those regular playoff-contending teams, this could be a year where the Bills go backward to ultimately move forward.’
2018 NFL Draft: Brandon Beane says Josh Allen wasn’t the Buffalo Bills’ only choice
‘”We really like Josh,” Beane said.”He wasn’t the only guy we would have been happy to take. We were really into Josh. We knew he was a fit here as a person and a player. We talked about playing in the weather conditions. I know the weather conditions most of the time are going to be good, but December football, January football is very important and that’s what we want to play here. We were very into all of the guys. I don’t want to just say Josh was our only guy. Josh had a lot of things that we liked and we felt like at the end of the process, if we can get Josh Allen, we’re going to have a really good fit here.”‘
What Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane said about Dez Bryant, Kelvin Benjamin
‘If the Bills can’t add Bryant or a comparable player within the next few months, they will enter training camp with Kelvin Benjamin, Zay Jones and Jeremy Kerley as their top three receivers.’
Tremaine Edmunds named Buffalo Bills’ best value pick by Todd McShay
‘After moving up to get its potential franchise QB in Josh Allen at No. 7, Buffalo leveraged its third-round pick from dealing Tyrod Taylor to move up again from 22 to 16 and land Edmunds, whom I had 12th on my board. Head coach Sean McDermott has a rich history from Carolina of having athletic linebackers that can cover, and Edmunds fits that mold. Only 19 years old, Edmunds ran a 4.54 40-yard dash at 6-4, 259, at the combine and has one of the best toolboxes of any prospect in this class. He’s an immediate upgrade for Buffalo’s linebacking corps.’
Jets’ Jamal Adams ‘can’t wait to catch passes’ from Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen
‘It was a solid jab from Adams, but it’s important to note that Adams went without an interception in 16 starts as a rookie. He was terrific as a rookie in other areas, but he was close to a non-factor in terms of turnovers (1 forced fumble).’
Sporting News gives Buffalo Bills ‘D’ grade because Josh Allen is ‘likely to be a big-armed bust’
‘Edmunds and Phillips were the standout picks for Sean McDermott’s front seven in his first draft with Brandon Beane. But this grade is based on the fact that Allen is likely to be a big-armed bust. The QB wasn’t worth the trade, especially at the cost of two second-rounders. The Bills drafted like a team set to return to the playoffs; their glaring weaknesses on the offensive line and at wide receiver should have been addressed earlier. QB desperation is never a good way to draft, and it led to a chain reaction that gave Allen and AJ McCarron little support.’
The Josh Allen explanation tour will continue, this time with his new Bills teammates
‘“The problem is he had, like, 9,000 tweets,” Beane said. “We went back through all the tweets he’s had since [he was] like 14 or 15. … He lost sight of what he should have been deleting out of there, and it all gets attached to him. He was very embarrassed, is probably the right word. He was emotional. He didn’t make excuses.”’
‘8-year-old crush’: Josh Allen’s girlfriend celebrates draft
‘Watch out AJ McCarron and Katherine Webb, there’s a new NFL power couple coming to western New York.’