‘“There were guys on both sides of the ball with 10 picks left that were in the mix, including Epenesa. We never tried to trade up in the second round. We liked who was on the board and we had good grades. Obviously Epenesa, you’ve seen his production. I assume he fell because of his 40 time (at the Combine, a slow 5.04 seconds). Some people knocked him a little bit on that, but I’m looking for football players and he’s a damn good football player.”‘
Archives for May 2020
Extending Brandon Beane, Sean McDermott top 3 things Buffalo Bills must do to ace 2020 offseason
‘Beane deserves credit for tearing Buffalo’s roster down after a playoff appearance in 2017. It would have been easy to stick with the roster that did enough to sneak into the playoffs, but the GM knew that the roster needed to be overhauled from top to bottom so that the team could be financially healthy long-term. It didn’t take long for Beane to right the ship in that regard. Of course, Beane is going to have some tough decisions ahead in the next few years when it comes to re-signing young talent already on the roster, but he has put the team in a place where it can retain its best talent.’
Bills’ Bryan Cox Jr.: ’Pops is excited. I’m sure he’d be happy to come to Buffalo’
‘“Football back then was way different than it is now. It was a different day and age and I feel like somebody had to be the villain. He kind of embodied that,” Cox Jr. said on a video conference call. “He almost fed off of it, I guess. That was just his thing and what he liked to do.”’
WGR Bills Defense Draft
‘Two weeks ago, the crew of Schopp and the Bulldog decided to take on the challenge of drafting a roster of the best offensive players in Buffalo Bills history. This time, they will complete their roster of all-time best Bills players by drafting the best defensive players in franchise history!’
How the Bills plan to build their team culture during a remote offseason
‘”It’s weird trying to meet people through virtual meetings,” Addison told Sirius XM NFL Radio. “For me I’m trying to distinguish which guy was already in Buffalo and who is coming in now like me. It’s different when you’re not face to face talking to them. So, I have to do a better job of using the numbers in my phone and meet the guys and have more one-on-one conversations.”‘
Sean McDermott finds comfort zone with ex-Panthers added to defense
‘“Again going back to the Carolina roots, Mario was a key piece to our defense in Carolina,” McDermott said. “Another highly competitive individual that played really good football for us. We felt like adding Mario would help us, not only from a skill-level standpoint but also some of the leadership in the defensive-line room.”‘
Sean McDermott refuses to allow pandemic to disrupt Bills’ culture
‘”That part’s certainly a challenge,” the coach said. “Our players this time of year are used to players sharing their stories, in some way, shape or form, in order to help bring our team together. And so, we’ve continued with that during our meetings, where players are sharing, coaches are sharing, maybe where they live. They tell their story a little bit, they talk about their family.”‘
Offensive line improvements will have to come from in-house for Bills
‘The Bills return not just all five starters, but all four of their backups from last year’s 53-man roster. That’s rare in a league with such high turnover from year to year.’
Sabres get help from Bills in readying for maybe-virtual NHL draft
‘”I think it’s more than a possibility; I think it’s an absolute certainty,” Sabres Assistant General Manager Randy Sexton told The Buffalo News of the NHL holding a virtual draft. “We’re fortunate with the Bills. Brandon Beane and Sean have been tremendous with sharing their approach to things – the snafus to be careful on and watch for and plan for. Jason spent a lot of time talking to those guys. That’s been really helpful.”‘
Bills coach Sean McDermott: This year’s team motto is ‘Find a way’
‘“We felt like the teams that come out of this the most prepared, the most unified, would potentially have created a competitive advantage,” McDermott said Thursday during a 45-minute Zoom video conference call with reporters. “That remains to be seen, but we felt like when (virtual meetings) kicked off a week ago that we were ready to go. I give our staff a lot of credit for that.”’
5 things Bills’ Sean McDermott said on Stefon Diggs, challenging offseason, & free agents
‘“You look at the production that Stefon has experienced over the course of his career, that speaks for itself. He’s played in big games. He’s had big roles in those games,” McDermott said Thursday afternoon on a video conference call. “We believe that, and it’s been shown and proven to this point, people are able to come to Buffalo and become the best version of themselves. He’s certainly been awfully good to this point.”’
AJ Epenesa lining up next to Ed Oliver? Buffalo Bills GM explains how team envisions using second-round pick
‘“AJ’s a guy that we didn’t necessarily think would be there, but he’s versatile,” GM Brandon Beane told Miller and Kirwan. “That’s what I would say about him. And he’s productive. For us, we see him as a left DE first, but on rush downs, come inside and be a nickel rush. And we like that thinking. Pairing him sometimes with Ed (Oliver) on the inside or some of our other guys that would be in there.”’
Buffalo Bills’ Zack Moss will be instant-impact rookie, says Mel Kiper
‘“I was surprised to see Moss still on the board in the third round, and the Bills picked up my fifth-ranked running back to play the Frank Gore role next to Devin Singletary, who was picked in the third round a year ago. Moss had eight games with 100 rushing yards last season but also showed some receiving skills, catching 28 passes and averaging 13.9 yards per reception. For as good as Singletary was as a rookie, he had only two rushing touchdowns, so it could be Moss who gets the carries inside the 10-yard line. This is a really strong tandem to help Josh Allen, who enters a critical Year 3.”’
Lorenzo Alexander comments on AJ Epenesa taking over No. 57 with Buffalo Bills
‘“Well I’m glad it’s AJ Epenesa,” Alexander tweeted. “Love the way he plays the game!”’
For Bills, new QB Fromm ‘too good to pass up’
‘“The board. Simple as the board,” said Bills’ general Manager Brandon Beane. “I wouldn’t have told you going into (the draft) that (Jake Fromm) was on our radar, but we had him in a spot (on our board) that you just can’t ignore and we gave him his due.”’