Archives for May 2016

'"He's the new-age fullback," Bills general manager Doug Whaley told ESPN last week of Glenn Gronkowski. "A guy that can play a little H-back, play a little fullback, play a little tight end, so that's game-day versatility. That's a guy at 46 on your 46-man roster during game day that can play three different positions and special teams, so I think a guy like that definitely has a chance.'

'Boom or Bust: Both of the team's Ohio State picks fall into this category.'

'The 6-2, 210-pounder is a pure pocket passer, but has enough athleticism and quick enough feet to move around and evade the rush when needed.'

'His dad, Sean, is a Lockport native and served as the Bills offensive line coach from 2008-2009. He is currently the head coach at UTEP.'

'But as Monos cautioned, “We’re pretty excited, but I always tell you guys, every team right now loves their draft. You’re all sitting around like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this guy fell.’ You’re going to hear all the clichés. “I’m excited about the schools we got these guys from, I think there’s something to that. Those schools hold their guys accountable — and that’s what we want our guys to do.”'

'This Rex Ryan boast may be no exaggeration. After three busy days, he now has a disruptive pass rusher (Shaq Lawson), snarling inside linebacker (Reggie Ragland) and versatile defensive lineman (Adolphus Washington). Now, it's on Ryan. This is a defense that fell from No. 4 to No. 19 overall, one that had 54 sacks under Jim Schwartz and then a franchise-low 21 under Ryan. Going defense-defense-defense absolutely puts more pressure on Ryan to now get it right.'

'"We think our situation's good for him," Whaley said. "He's going to come in and be a three, be able to develop, be able to learn under some professionals that have been at their craft for awhile, with EJ and Tyrod. We like his skill set. He's got the talent to possibly be a franchise guy. Is he there yet? Absolutely not. He's got a lot of work and a lot of ways to go.'

'Said Jones, "Playing the waiting game was the longest three days of my life, really. But it was all worth it to be in a position to play for one of the top organizations in the NFL. So I'm just extremely excited."'

'"When you look around the league, we think he's as good a No. 2 as most out there," Whaley said. "He's a No. 2 for a reason and so are a lot of other guys. But we think he can come in and hold serve if Tyrod ever loses some playing time. And then, he's a consummate professional. He's going to try to get better and better each day. Granted, everybody's going to say 'Look at the Jacksonville game.' But we were leading until that last drive and he came back from a 28-point deficit. If we win the game everybody talks about it being the biggest comeback victory since Frank Reich.'

'"He really didn't play that poorly this year when you look at his games," Bills Director of Player Personnel Jim Monos said. "He didn't have blow-up games. The guys just wants to be good and he's going to be molded."'

'He’s got a lot of work and a lot of ways to go, but this guy’s driven. This guy’s a proven winner. He’s undefeated. Everybody talks about his accuracy but look at his completion percentage; it’s over 60-percent. He had a 105 quarterback rating against ranked teams. And again, he’s undefeated. All I’m saying is we got a nice guy to work with, with a high upside, so we’re excited to have him.'

'In 2014, Williams was a second-team all-SEC selection after rushing for 1,190 yards and 12 touchdowns, even though he split carries with junior Alex Collins. Williams also shared the load with Collins as a sophomore, when he had 900 yards and four touchdowns.'

'Despite boasting a full convoy of backs, the Bills took Arkansas running back Jonathan Williams, who missed all of the 2015 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his foot. Splitting carries the year before, he rushed for 1,190 yards and 12 touchdowns. He'll now join a backfield that includes LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams, Mike Gillislee and James Wilder Jr. Last year, this group was hit hard by injuries at various points. In a 14-13 win at Tennessee, Buffalo was forced to start Boobie Dixon (19 yards on seven carries) and Boom Herron, picked up off the streets, even had a team-high nine carries that game.'

'"He's downhill, straight ahead. Great vision. Instincts," Monos said, explaining the 6-foot-0, 223-pounder's running style.'

'"I could go to the Olympics if I wanted to," he said, while declaring himself the fastest player in the NFL.'