‘The Bills did not previously have someone on staff with that title. In this role as officiating liaison, Parry can consult from the perspective of a referee and help the coaching staff have all the proper information for decision making when it comes to reviews during games. He can also assist with rule interpretations.’
BillsBeat - May 14, 2024
Bills hiring former NFL referee John Parry as officiating liaison, per report
‘Parry spent two decades as an NFL official. He began as a replay official in 1999 and was moved to side judge in 2000 before being promoted to referee in 2008, a role which he held until 2018. During his career, Parry was a referee for two Super Bowls (XLVI and LIII).’
How their new 'officiating liaison' could be a big advantage for the Buffalo Bills
‘”Officials look at the game so differently than players, coaches, and fans,”Parry told Ben Austro of FootballZebras.com. “So to have somebody up [in the booth]: Hey, this is the mechanic, this is why that person made that call. And no matter what happens to this replay, if they flip it, here’s where the ball will be spotted. Here’s the down in distance. The clock’s gonna start in the ready for play, or it’s a 10-second runoff, so you could take a timeout. So you better start thinking about that, will you take one? Will you not?”‘
Lacrosse star and WNY native Zed Williams gets opportunity to show football skills at Bills rookie minicamp
‘“I’m just trying to get as dialed in as I can but at the same time learn as much as I can, but at the same time, coming from the lacrosse world, it takes those mental reps for me and just kind of walking through things on my own. Like mentally, I’m there and can do things faster.”’
BillsBeat - May 13, 2024
'Always wanted to come back to it': Lacrosse standout Zed Williams tries out for Bills
‘“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, actually,” Williams said. “Football is always my first love, then lacrosse. My dad always loved football, always pushed me to be the best football player I could be growing up, since like four or five. So, I knew I always wanted to come back to it. So, this is kind of my chance.”’
Another Voice: New development opportunities should accompany the new stadium
‘A smaller college footprint could well find a trail to the severely diminished McKinley Mall, just a few miles away in the Town of Hamburg. The mall offers thousands of square feet of vacant space which could be expediently refurbished and rented at a reasonable rate to ECC.’
Bills sign Depew native, former UB star Joe Andreessen
‘The 6-foot-1 local product graduated from Lancaster High School before spending five seasons at Bryant University and then returned home to attend the University at Buffalo for his final year. In that season at UB, Andreessen started in all 12 games at inside linebacker and led the Bulls with 90 tackles.’
5th-round pick Javon Solomon is excited to be with Buffalo Bills
‘”The undersized thing is a visual cue, but what you do from a physical standpoint is a whole different thing,” Solomon said. “So I’m going to go out there and do my best and there’s plenty of guys that have been successful. (Elvis) Dumervil… just undersized guys that go out there and kill it. So that’s the plan, just go in there and step it up.”‘
BillsBeat - May 12, 2024
'Super excited and fired up': Bills executive Terrance Gray details team's draft process
‘For the second consecutive year, Gray met with The Buffalo News for more than an hour to pull the curtain back on the Bills’ draft process. Which players did he see play in-person? How many of the draft picks had private workouts and/or made a visit to Orchard Park? What did the Bills glean from their interviews with the eventual selections?’
Bills Mailbag: Money talks in taking Keon Coleman to start Round 2
‘The best-case scenario for the Bills is Coleman provides great value in those first three years and the two sides work out a contract extension. If that doesn’t happen, but the Bills still want to keep him around after his four-year contract is up, they can always use the franchise tag. That is more expensive that the fifth-year option would be, but it would virtually guarantee Coleman stays with the team for that fifth season.’
Sean Kirst: For Mother's Day, an unexpected gift from Pancho Billa
‘It’s been five years this month since Castro, a man of gentle and healthy discipline who worked as a mortician and didn’t smoke or drink, died in Texas from fast-moving cancer, at 39. Borjon, who expects she’ll always struggle with his absence, said it’s difficult to believe it’s been that long. She’ll often turn on videos of Castro with their kids just to be sure they never forget his voice.’
Bills trying out lacrosse star Zed Williams at linebacker in rookie minicamp
‘Williams is hardly the first lacrosse player to dabble in the NFL. Back in 2022, the Denver Broncos hosted former Maryland lacrosse star Jared Bernhardt on a top-30 visit prior to the draft. Bernhardt served as a graduate transfer quarterback for Ferris State in 2021, leading the Bulldogs to an undefeated record and the program’s first Division II national championship. He went undrafted in the NFL, but was signed by the Atlanta Falcons. In the preseason that year, he caught a game-winning touchdown, and eventually earned a spot on the 53-man roster. Bernhardt played in two games, but retired from the NFL the following year.’
Bills RB Frank Gore Jr. says he's ready to 'prove people wrong' after going undrafted
‘Gore went undrafted despite a solid college career at Southern Mississippi, where he rushed for over 4,000 yards and 26 touchdowns with a 5.3 yards-per-carry average. He was asked if he feels that his size (5-foot-10 and 210 pounds) was the main reason why he wasn’t drafted.’
Hometown kid signs with hometown team; Joe Andreessen inks 1-year deal with Buffalo Bills as UDFA
‘The Bills officially announced the roster move on Saturday evening. Andreessen was invited to Buffalo Bills Rookie Minicamp on a try-out basis and will sign as an undrafted free agent.’
Bills sign LB Joe Andreessen, Lancaster grad who played last year at UB
‘Andreessen was one of 27 hopefuls invited to Buffalo’s rookie minicamp this weekend, which included two of his UB teammates, receiver Cole Harrity and kicker Alex McNulty, and professional lacrosse star Zed Williams, a Cattaraugus Reservation native, among four linebackers trying out for the last open spot on the Bills’ 90-man offseason roster.’