Archives for May 10, 2014

‘The Bills paid Johnson a $1.5 million roster bonus in March and he has $15.25 million due next three years.’

‘Some injury concerns are following Kouandjio heading into the pros. He missed time during his freshman season in 2011 with a torn ACL and MCL, but rebounded to start every game for the Crimson Tide in each of the last two seasons, and has also received a clean bill of health from Dr. James Andrews. Kouandjio, who departs Alabama following his junior year, was a 2013 consensus All-American and was named to last year’s first team All-SEC squad.’

‘Brown was Louisville’s leading tackler in each of the last two seasons, including 98 as a senior in 2013. He also recorded 4.5 sacks last season with three forced fumbles. Brown ran a 4.86 40-yard dash at the Combine and enters the NFL at 6’1″, 251 lbs. He became a regular starter for the Cardinals in 2011, his sophomore season, and earned second-team All-Big East honors a year later in 2012.’

‘”We’re extremely excited to get Cyrus in the second round,” said GM Doug Whaley. “We actually projected him as a first round pick. We didn’t think we’d have a chance to get him at our pick in the second round. So we were very ecstatic to be sitting here right now talking about him.”‘

‘Prototypical right tackle. Very aggressive run blocker, people are going to say that against smaller defensive ends he had some trouble. He’s not going to be playing against 6-2, 190 pound defensive ends in the NFL so we’re comfortable he’ll be able to protect the right side. We’re excited about his size and his length and what he may lack in a little foot quickness, he’ll make up in length and make them take a bigger arc to get to the quarterback.’

‘I thought they were really down to earth. We went to a dinner and it was like the whole table filled with the coaching staff, so we had a good time. I think they’re pretty good.’

‘Kouandjio was born in the African nation of Cameroon. His family moved to the United States when he was five-years old.’

‘A couple of picks before the Bills were on the clock the St. Louis Rams called and were interested in moving up to Buffalo’s spot at 41 from their position at 44th overall. Bills GM Doug Whaley agreed to the deal in exchange for the Rams fifth round pick at 153rd overall.’

‘Physically? Physically he has size right off the bat. He plays hard; you see him all over the field. He plays on the other side of the ball and has good tackles for loss. He can go side to side. He’s probably better against the run than the pass right now, but he can do both. He’s a very good athlete.’

‘”I think tackling is one of the best things I do. It’s one of the main parts of the game,” said Brown. “You’ve got to be able to tackle, especially if you’re going to be a linebacker. I try to be around the ball as much as I can and get forced fumbles anyway I could when I was around the ball.”‘

‘”The first time I saw him in person was in our camp,” said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. “He came up to our camp the summer before his senior year (in high school) and I remember we had been watching him on tape and just loved him. But I hadn’t seen him live yet and we were standing there doing some individual (position drills) and getting ready to run some routes versus air and some 7-on-7. And he came off the ball on his first route and my exact words were, ‘That’s different. That’s different.'”‘

‘Sammy Watkins: The best moment of my life right now. It’s a great accomplishment. I’m proud to be a Bill and I can’t wait to get it started. I want to thank all the fans and the organization for believing in me. I’ve been having a great morning. Woke up this morning, did interviews and I’m having a great time.’

‘”Stevie was a great contributor during his career with our organization,” said Bills GM Doug Whaley. “Today’s decision was not an easy one to make, especially involving a player like Stevie who leaves everything he has on the field and is an emotional leader in our locker room.’