Buffalo Bills News - April 28, 2013

Secrecy helps Bills land E.J. Manuel, perhaps long-awaited return to postseason [11:03 AM]
Yahoo! Sports reports: 'From Brandon's perspective, the plan implemented by general manager Buddy Nix couldn't have played out more perfectly. And in an era of increasingly intrusive probes for information – just ask Nix, who last month was tricked into having a phone conversation with Tampa Bay Buccaneers counterpart Mark Dominik that ended up on a popular sports website – Brandon's commitment to clandestineness hit particularly close to home.'

Evaluating the rest of Buffalo’s draft class [11:02 AM]
Canandaigua Daily Messenger reports: 'My only issue is that they didn’t address the cornerback position. I like Leodis McKelvin and Stephon Gilmore, but Ron Brooks didn’t play much last year and Justin Rogers was awful at times. Maybe a new defense will help them out.'

Bills add speed on offense, pick up defensive help [11:01 AM]
Auburn Citizen reports: 'Woods can come in and compete for the No. 2 receiver spot opposite Stevie Johnson. He's not a Calvin Johnson-type receiver, but he should put up solid numbers for the Bills. And as he showed last year, he doesn't mind sharing touches with another receiver.'

Bills think safety first at draft’s end [1:59 AM]
Buffalo News reports: 'The picks of Williams and Meeks add to a position that has Da’Norris Searcy penciled in as a starter, and also features recently converted cornerback Aaron Williams.'

Bills’ draft reflects Marrone’s need for speed [1:58 AM]
Buffalo News reports: 'It’s something to sell. This franchise needs to restore public faith in the product after a dreary, discouraging decade. Fans like it when you talk about playing fast. Every new basketball coach says he’s going to play more uptempo. If you’re going to lose, you might as well put on a show, right?'

Passing of GM torch not likely in near future [1:57 AM]
Buffalo News reports: '“Doug is a vital cog to the process, but when it comes to football decisions in this organization, one person and one person only makes those decisions, and that’s Buddy Nix.”'

Writer of uncommon grace connected with a common touch [1:56 AM]
Buffalo News reports: 'He understood you. And because he did, because he bled Buffalo, his connection to people was far easier to understand than it was to define. You knew what he meant when he said Western New York was an attitude more than anything else. He knew what people were thinking in the steel mills and corporate offices and school cafeterias and dinner tables.'

Felser showed what it meant to be a pro [1:55 AM]
Buffalo News reports: 'Even though they feuded over the years, Larry and Ralph Wilson were friends. They used to meet for breakfast when Ralph was in town at his condominium in Williamsville, within walking distance of the Felser home on Cayuga Road. Larry was a confidant of some of sports’ most powerful people – Pete Rozelle, Al Davis, George Steinbrenner, Vince Lombardi – as well as top management at The Buffalo News. His endorsement or recommendation were valuable in getting hired or promoted.'

Speaking of Larry Felser [1:54 AM]
Buffalo News reports: '“He made such a profound impact on me first as a person and second as a journalist. I used Larry as the model for how you should be in this business. A man’s man, a friend to so many. I always knew that Larry was in my corner and that he cared about me as a person and did everything he could to make you better. He would challenge you and advise you in ways that if you took that advice, you couldn’t miss.”'

Tasker and Kelly pass chemistry test on Sirius [1:53 AM]
Buffalo News reports: 'Tasker and Kelly had some really good chemistry in the opening episode, which bodes well for “No Huddle.”'

Buffalo Bills add the 'wow' in draft [1:52 AM]
Rochester D&C reports: 'But I do know this: the Buffalo Bills just got a lot more entertaining with the potential to be better with the selection of a big, fast quarterback, two really fast wide receivers, a linebacker and two safeties to fortify the middle of their defense and a couple guys with a rap sheet to assist with any attitude adjustment new coach Doug Marrone has in mind.'

Bills draft a step in the right direction [1:51 AM]
Lockport Union Sun & Journal reports: 'What the team did well, though, was putting itself in a position to draft targeted players. Obviously, Manuel was Buffalo’s guy. But by trading down and picking up an additional second-round pick, management was able to fill three needs.'

Bills had good gut feelings about 2 troubled draft picks [1:50 AM]
Toronto Sun reports: 'Is it fair to write off anyone for a dumb thing, or things, they might have done at age 19 or 20 or 21? There is no one-word answer. All depends on the circumstances, and, as Bills GM Buddy Nix once told me, your "gut feeling."'

Pack's Williams, Wooten picked in Draft [1:49 AM]
Reno Gazette Journal reports: '“I met with them twice,” he said. “My first time meeting with the Bills was at the East-West Shrine Game. I had an interview with the scout. He was real impressed with my film. He loved me as a player. That was the first time I met with them. I think I had a brief sit-down with the Bills also. It was one of the teams that they told me if I’m up on the board they were going to take a chance on me, so they did.”'

Meeks is stalking, not waiting [1:48 AM]
Greenville News reports: '“Nothing was ever given to me,” Meeks said. “No five stars. No red carpet. No true freshman starting role. I always worked. So, coming into this same process, I was like, ‘Here we go again.’"'

Zack Chibane heads to Buffalo Bills for opportunity, chance to re-join Doug Marrone [1:47 AM]
Syracuse Post-Standard reports: '"I was trying to be proactive," Chibane said. "Every time a pick was made, I was making notes. It kept my mind off things. It was a long day, sitting there from noon to 6:30. I want to burn them now."'

Smith, Morgan signed to deals [1:46 AM]
Albany Times Union reports: '"Obviously, he's got to make the team," said his agent, JR Rickert of Niskayuna. "But they're giving him a signing bonus. He's signing a contract. He's going to be on the 80-man roster and now he's going to have to try to make either the 53 (man regular-season roster) or make practice squad."'

Undrafted Tyler Bray, Da'Rick Rogers sign as free agents [1:45 AM]
Chattanooga Times Free Press reports: 'Projected as a fourth-round pick by ESPN analyst Mel Kiper, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Rogers was All-SEC as a Tennessee sophomore in 2011, but failed drug tests and other disciplinary problems ultimately led to his dismissal. He caught 61 passes for 893 yards and 10 touchdowns last season for Tech.'

Da'Rick Rogers, Bills reach contract after NFL draft [1:44 AM]
USA Today reports: 'But Rogers was suspended before the start of this past season and later admitted it was due to repeatedly failing drug tests. (He was also arrested in 2010 and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest following a brawl in a Knoxville bar. The charges were later dropped when Rogers completed 16 hours of community service.)'

Bills turn to defensive need on final draft day [1:43 AM]
AP reports: 'Buffalo selected safeties with back-to-back picks on Saturday, selecting Nevada's Michael 'Duke' Williams 105th overall and Clemson's Jonathan Meeks 143rd overall. The Bills had a need for help on the back end due to the departure of veteran safety George Wilson, who joined the Tennessee Titans, and the uncertain future of standout Jairus Byrd. Byrd, one of Buffalo's top defenders, is unsigned after receiving the franchise tag on March 1.'

Bills Go Safety in 4th and 5th Rounds; Kicker in the 6th [1:42 AM]
WGR-AM reports: 'Several off-the-field incidents marred Williams' college career including an arrest for underage possession of alcohol in 2009. Williams was also arrested in 2011 for driving with a suspended license and without insurance following a car accident.'

S Williams, Buffalo's first pick on Day 3 [1:41 AM]
BuffaloBills.com reports: '“He’s a kid that can play some corner if need be,” said Forsyth. “He has those type of skills. You can slide him inside in nickel as well as playing in the deep secondary. I think there are a lot of things you can do with this kid and his special teams value makes it even better.”'

Duke Williams: ''I was really versatile [at Nevada]'' [1:40 AM]
BuffaloBills.com reports: 'It’s real competitive. These last couple years we’ve had some great football players come out, make an impact and contribute in the next level. These last couple years we had (Colin) Kaepernick , a lot of guys know him, we had James-Michael Johnson come in and make an impact. We have a lot of talent up there in Nevada.'

Bills double up at safety with Meeks in round 5 [1:39 AM]
BuffaloBills.com reports: '“Yes, I think he can be a strong safety or free safety,” said Moody. “I think he has got good size and good range. He has got a good 40-time. I think he can be explosive. The thing is his stats are probably not as good as some other people because of the system that they played at Clemson this year. He was more of a free safety than the strong safety because the other safety did not run real well.”'

Jonathan Meeks: ''I just fell in love with the defense'' [1:38 AM]
BuffaloBills.com reports: 'I met with them at the All-Star game and (Buddy) Nix came out there to watch practice. I had a pretty solid week out at the All-Star game and they expressed some interest in me. Then I took my visit up there and it was a very good visit. I had the chances to meet the coaches and Nix again and it was a very solid visit. They expressed a lot of interest in me and me as well, knowing that they are a great program to be a part of and a great organization. It was mutual respect of each other and they had a lot of interest in me.'

6th round K Hopkins another FSU alum [1:37 AM]
BuffaloBills.com reports: '“Just having somebody who knows not only your work ethic, but your practice schedule, the way you like the ball held and also just off the field having friends and developing that community kind of outside of the locker room as well is going to help tremendously,” said Hopkins.'

Dustin Hopkins: ''I’m confident in what I can do'' [1:36 AM]
BuffaloBills.com reports: 'Definitely going to be a change. I’ve kicked in some cold weather before in some of our games when we’ve traveled but never at home. It’s going to take adjusting to it but at the same time I think when you know how to kick, and you grow up doing it your whole life, you make a couple adjustments and you go with the flow. You don’t worry about things you can’t control like wind or the cold or whatever it may be. I’m confident in what I can do.'

Bills cap draft with TE-H-back Gragg [1:35 AM]
BuffaloBills.com reports: 'Gragg (6’3” 244), who was limited to just five games his senior season with a knee injury, still finished his Razorbacks career with 72 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns.'

Chris Gragg: ''I knew I was the most explosive tight end'' [1:34 AM]
BuffaloBills.com reports: 'I knew they needed a tight end. I had talked to them at the Combine and then my pro day. I knew they would need a tight end and I told them I could be there guy.'

Buddy Nix, Doug Marrone comment on Bills 2013 Draft [1:33 AM]
BuffaloBills.com reports: 'We did every bit of the work we could do on these guys and we did not ever decide to take him until we felt good about it. Duke was a younger guy. He had not had any sense. Most of it was like a lot of things bad judgment. I think one of them was underage possession of alcohol, beer. Anybody in here ever done that? (Laughs) So we tried not to make that a huge issue. The things about him, football means a lot to him. They brought him in. I have had this happen to me a hundred times in coaching and I know coach has. When you start to take something away from them that is important as football they straighten up. I think that is what they did with him. The last couple of years he has been a model citizen and a good player.'

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