Archives for May 2016

'“Seeing what I’ve seen,” Seymour said, “every time I’m on the field I think about what I’ve been through. I think about my mom and baby sister growing up in there and I don’t want that to happen. I want her to grow up somewhere else.”'

'“He was a phenom all through his Pop Warner days. I knew him; I just didn’t have a rapport with him. And then coming into high school, he came to John Muir (High School) which wad the same school I went to and the school I was coaching at. And then from there, we just clicked. I’ve had him since he was a baby and I saw crazy potential in him. After his freshman season, I brought him up to varsity. Going into his sophomore year, that sophomore summer, I put him in varsity league passing tournaments and he was shining. He could run with anybody.”

'Archer hasn't responded to our calls, texts or direct messages on Twitter. It sure sounds like the former third-round pick doesn't want anything to do with the Bills. Ryan certainly put him on blast to SI. Instead of joining Kolby Listenbee and Marquise Goodwin to potentially fuel the league's fastest offense, Archer isn't even talking to the team.'

'And, hey, let's not forget about Corbin Bryant, who had 45 tackles a year ago. He's been the definition of NFL resiliency. Banished by the Pittsburgh Steelers — repeatedly — Bryant found a way to stick in Buffalo coordinator to coordinator. Flashy, he's not. But Bryant is a smart, proven pro who isn't going to relinquish a starting spot up front quietly. He's flexible enough to play in 3-4 or 4-3 looks and is now playing on the low RFA tender. Motivation will not be a problem for the 28-year-old still fighting for respect in the league after his GM threw a little shade his way.'

'"You don't want your first-round pick playing at 80% and limited and not playing at a level that everyone would think a first-round pick should play. A half season at full strength is better than a full season of playing with limitations."'

'That would leave the Bills with an open competition for the role of return man. Meanwhile, Archer is starting to run out of options in his NFL career.'

'The Bills' front office clearly agrees, because in the process of creating desperately needed salary-cap room to retain offensive linemen Cordy Glenn and Richie Incognito, it moved $7.5 million of Clay's $24.5 million in guaranteed cash into latter portions of his deal. As a result, Clay will count $9 million against the cap in 2017, 2018 and 2019, according to sports salary website Spotrac.com.'

'The other former Buffalo players on the list are wide receiver Terrell Owens (No. 2), who was with the team in 2009, and running back Marshawn Lynch (No. 39), who joined the Bills as a first-round draft pick in 2007 and remained with them until 2010 before joining the Seattle Seahawks.'

'The guy seems unfazed by the criticism to which he and the rest of the Bills' organization have faced as a result of the Lawson situation. And Whaley is welcoming the elevated expectation that he is helping to create by touting the immediate impact he's expecting from the Bills' top three picks.'

'“That’s part of the deal with Shaq. We drafted him for the long haul success, not for one season. They say me and Doug Whaley share the blame. You’re damn right we do. We’ll share the blame, that’s fine. Oh, by the way, there should be another end to [the story" target="_blank">. Let’s see what kind of kind of player this kid is over the long haul. And we will stand by drafting this guy.”'

'“I don’t think you want Darby and Gilmore switching sides of the field because they were so good in their respective positions. They feel Gilmore is Revis caliber because they got lucky and found another good corner. Or they scouted him and got another really good corner.”'

'With Sammy Watkins recovering from his second offseason surgery since joining the Bills as the fourth overall pick in 2014, it's fair to wonder whether there might be more than a little regret at One Bills Drive over not targeting a receiver somewhere in the first few rounds.'

'I can’t speak for everyone, but it’s clear from my email and Twitter that fans are very upset with them about the Lawson injury. Either they lied about it on draft night (which I believe) or they allowed their own doctors to tell them what they wanted to hear.'

'The Monday, Aug. 22 session is slated to be the last of training camp.'

'What is known is that the Bills placed Archer on their reserve/did not report list Wednesday, eight days after claiming him off waivers from the New York Jets. Attendance isn't mandatory at the Bills' offseason conditioning program. However, the exceptionally fast running back, whom the Pittsburgh Steelers made a third-round draft pick from Kent State in 2014, apparently missed a required physical examination and also indicated that he wasn't planning to show up.'