‘“The training staff has done a great job here with rehabbing,” Hodgins said during a recent phone conversation with The Buffalo News following a minicamp practice. “I’ve been trying to attack it the whole time. It’s been a long recovery, but I’ve been looking forward to this day the whole time. Finally got to take the red jersey off, so I’m excited for the future.”’
BillsBeat - June 25, 2021
Clemson assistant, former Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman excited for his first Ironman
‘Now a 40-year-old father, husband and fifth-year assistant at Clemson nearly 10 years removed from his last snap under center, the 6-foot-3 Losman weighs around 195 pounds, the leanest he’s been since college.’
BillsBeat - June 24, 2021
Bills receiver Cole Beasley says he has no regrets for comments on vaccine
‘On Sunday, a rally will be held near the Bills’ home field in support of Beasley. Nancy Orticelli, president of the Constitutional Coalition of New York State, has organized “Buffalo backs Beasley,” which will be held at Prohibition 2020, a restaurant and bar located just a Josh Allen Hail Mary away from Highmark Stadium on Southwestern Boulevard.’
Back to school: Knox ready to learn at Tight End University
‘George Kittle and Greg Olsen are hosting the first-ever Tight End University summit. More than 50 tight ends are the league will attend, including Dawson Knox.’
How Josh Allen used the 2021 offseason to make these improvements in his game
‘”I think just working on in-breaking routes,” Allen said. “That’s something that maybe wasn’t my strongest suit last year. With the deep ends and the short five-yard under, it is just making sure I’m putting it in a catchable spot for these guys to catch and run. That’s going to be a huge asset for us to be able to hit those types of throws and allow our guys to stay up and stay on the move. I didn’t do a good enough job with that last year, so I’m excited to continue to work on that.”‘
BillsBeat - June 23, 2021
Bills’ new home won’t be dome, … or downtown
‘Indeed the Bills’ home city, Buffalo, has been losing population every year since 2012 and now is barely 270,000 residents. And while many of them are fans, do they really care enough to fund a stadium that’s home to a member of one of the most successful businesses in the country?’
Q&A with Eric Washington: Bills D-Line coach has big job coaching big prospects
‘“I take my direction and my cues from our coordinator and our head coach. For me as the facilitator in that room, I want us to be better in everything. I want us to be better in getting hits on the quarterback, coming up and giving Coach Frazier the option of calling front and coverage and being able to count on our four-man rush getting the job for us. I’m also proud of the effort we played with last year up front. And what we did to help our team get to the position we were in and the contribution of the guys that played. From one man to the next, we want to be better in everything we’re tasked with doing. For the front, that means we have to generate pressure with four guys.”’
Bryan Cox Jr. placed on injured reserve; Bills sign two defensive linemen
‘Cox, who turns 27 Friday, posted to his Instagram story with a photo of himself in the hospital with the message “pray for me please.” About four hours later, he posted another message “out of surgery, everything went well … appreciate all of the prayers and good vibes sent my way.”‘
Bills sign NT Eli Ankou: 4 things to know
‘“We are committed to impacting the women & children of Native American communities by providing funding for organizations fighting for MMIW, while our advocacy programs are intended to bring awareness to the fight against human trafficking & violence.”’
Bills 53-man roster projection after minicamp: Fierce position battles expected in trenches
‘CUTS: Justin Zimmer, Mike Love, Darryl Johnson, Bryan Cox Jr., Brandin Bryant, Treyvon Hester, Eli Ankou.’
Digging into the Bills proposal for a new stadium in an old place
‘The $2 billion question is this: Who is going to foot the bill for such an enormously expensive undertaking? County and state tax dollars were used for the construction of the stadium originally known as Rich nearly a half century ago. The price tag was $22 million — roughly $128 million in today’s dollars. Taxpayers also were forced to dig into their wallets to help fund a $63 million renovation of the renamed Ralph Wilson Stadium in 1999, and a $130-million makeover in 2013.’
‘I don’t regret any of it.’ Ex-Dallas Cowboy Cole Beasley stands by COVID vax views
‘“I said all I needed to say. I’m just living a normal life from here on out,” Beasley told the Star-Telegram. “I’m not trying to sway anybody in either direction. That’s what I am doing and that’s the end of it.”’
Fans enjoy 'The Jordan Poyer Experience'
‘“This turnout was more than I expected,” he told the gathering. “This is the community that embraced me, and the community where I was out here running in the streets since I was 5 years old.”’
Bills Place Cox Jr. On IR; Sign DTs Eli Ankou, Nazair Jones
‘Cox spent a majority of last season on Buffalo’s practice squad, and appeared in one game.’
Bills add to defensive line, sign Eli Ankou and Nazair Jones
‘They’ve also placed defensive end Bryan Cox, Jr., on Injured Reserve with an Achilles injury.’
Buffalo Bills sign defensive tackles Eli Ankou and Nazair Jones; place Bryan Cox, Jr. on IR
‘Ankou, 27, played 27 games over his four seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, and played seven games with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020.’
Report: Bills QB Josh Allen willing to structure contract to help team
‘General Manager Brandon Beane has mentioned talks of a contract extension, but also added it needs to be right for both sides and that at this point, there’s no rush to get things done. In a recent report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, it looks like the Bills QB is willing to be flexible when it comes to his next contract.’
Allen over Rodgers: Why the Bills' QB is ranked second in Chris Simms' Top 40 QB Countdown
‘“This was maybe my toughest ranking of all right here. This spot, two and three, was the hardest for me on the whole list. I don’t play favorites, even though (Aaron Rodgers) is my favorite quarterback of all time, and I still think he’s the greatest I’ve ever seen. Rodgers is still so surgical with decision making, accuracy, and all of those types of things. His arm, it’s only behind the two guys that are in front of him in football. It’s still a phenomenal, world-class, game-changing type arm. But, it’s not enough to overcome all the plays Josh Allen makes. It’s unbelievable.’
Poloncarz says some speculating about a new Buffalo Bills stadium are getting ahead of themselves
‘Poloncarz also says there are a lot of people getting ahead of themselves in speculating about the topic.’
What the Bills are likely thinking with the new stadium plan
‘The reactions were split. Many fans loved the idea. Some wondered why downtown would not be the choice. Others were hoping for a dome.’
Bills sign two defensive tackles
‘The Bills have signed two defensive tackles to the the roster – Eli Ankou and Nazair Jones. Both signed one-year contracts.’
BillsBeat - June 22, 2021
Bills' Beasley stirs controversy over vaccination
‘And though he presented his position somewhat ineloquently and probably didn’t “read the room” considering that over 70 percent of New Yorkers are vaccinated, Beasley has every right to express his opinion.’
Bills finalizing contract agreement with defensive tackle Eli Ankou
‘Ankou, originally from Ottawa, will be joining his seventh NFL team since entering the league as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Texans in 2017.’
Pro Football Focus somehow found 44 players in the NFL better than Bills' Stefon Diggs
‘“He saw 21 more targets, hauled in 25 more receptions and tallied 403 yards more than he had in any single season to date, and he caught those passes at a higher rate (78.4%) than any other season of his career,” wrote PFF’s Sam Monson. “Diggs effectively justified the frustration he felt in Minnesota – he knew that he was capable of much more; all he needed was increased opportunity. He showed that in Buffalo in Year 1 as one of the best and most complete receivers in the game.”’
Highmark Stadium, Sahlen Field can operate at full capacity
‘The announcement follows a Twitter post Sunday from Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz in which he said fans will no longer need to be vaccinated to attend Bills games or other events in the stadium.’
Bills make it official: Capacity back to 100%, fans don't need vaccine to attend
‘Before the team made its announcement, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted on Sunday that, “Based on few new Covid-19 cases (0 on Friday and 4 Saturday out of thousands of tests), low hospitalizations and good vaccination rates, we are rescinding the vaccination requirement to attend Bills games and stadium events. We will revisit in future if circumstances warrant.”’
Buffalo Bills stadium won’t require fans to be vaccinated against Covid-19
‘New York state ended most Covid-19 rules this past week after hitting Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s goal of 70% of adults getting at least one coronavirus shot. According to Cuomo’s office, that includes allowing all stadiums, theaters, arenas, concert venues and event spots to operate at 100% capacity — with all restrictions lifted completely for outdoor venues of all sizes, including mask requirements, social distancing rules, checks for negative Covid tests or required proof of vaccination.’
NFL’s Cole Beasley is doing more harm than Colin Kaepernick ever did
‘Rather, his argument is that he’d rather take his chances with the virus that has killed about 600,000 Americans — or enough to fill Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium for every regular season home game. And he’s apparently unhappy that unvaccinated players will have to take precautions this year that the vaccinated do not, such as wearing masks while inside the team’s facilities or while traveling.’
Could the Buffalo Bills play at Penn State's Beaver Stadium?
‘Sharing the building with the Nittany Lions could present significant logistical issues, as well, as Beaver Stadium houses just one set of locker rooms and requires Herculean efforts from cleaning crews after games, even without the time pressure of making the building ready for an NFL game day on Sunday following a Saturday Penn State game.’
Mitchell Trubisky relishing time at home with area campers, as well as new NFL opportunity
‘”It had to do with guys on the team and the coaching staff,” said Trubisky on what set Buffalo apart from other potential suitors when the Bears declined his fifth-year option. “Just being a part of a great organization and team with a chance to compete for it all (i.e. a Super Bowl) and to learn from great coaches and play with great players.”‘
Bills Get Green Light To Play In Front Of Full Stadium
‘Vaccinated and unvaccinated fans will be allowed to attend, though unvaccinated ones will be required to wear masks under guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.’
Bills to welcome back fans at full capacity for 2021 season
‘The team will release more specific protocols at a later date, but have noted that masks will still be required for unvaccinated individuals, in accordance with CDC guidelines.’
Buffalo Bills announce Highmark Stadium to return to full capacity this season
‘Due to the lifting of restrictions, NYSDOH confirmed to 7 Eyewitness News last week that Highmark Stadium could return to full capacity with no restrictions other than requiring masks for those who are unvaccinated per CDC guidance.’
Poloncarz on Bills stadium: "There's no agreement"
‘Poloncarz says lease negotiations between the state, county and Buffalo Bills is underway, but disputes a report that there is an agreement to build a new stadium on Abbott Road near the current stadium in Orchard Park.’
Highmark Stadium returning to full capacity for Bills season
‘The Bills say additional information in regards to other protocols will come out at a later date.’
Bills to welcome fans at 100% capacity
‘At this time, masks will still be required for anyone who is unvaccinated.’
Full capacity for Buffalo Bills home games this season
‘Single game tickets are available for purchase online now.’
Report: Allen not trying to break the Bills bank with new contract
‘It’s no surprise that Allen loves Buffalo, he’s sad that since day one and Buffalo loves him back.’
Bills Mafia is back at 100 percent capacity
‘The Bills have not hosted a game at full capacity of fans since December 29th, 2019 against the Jets when it was known as New Era Field.’
Highmark Stadium set to return to full capacity for 2021 season
‘Both vaccinated and unvaccinated fans are welcome to attend home games. Masks are still required for unvaccinated individuals in accordance with CDC guidelines.’