Archives for March 10, 2017

'Hauschka has struggled with extra points, missing 10 in the past two seasons. However, he has an extremely strong leg.'

'As arguably the top-ranked cornerback available in free agency, Gilmore is expected to land a monster contract in the neighborhood of $13 million annually. The Patriots have spent big at cornerback before, notably bringing in Darrelle Revis for one year back in 2014.'

'Why, oh why, did they trade Lamonica?'

'"Appreciate the love over the 4 years @buffalobills and #BillsMafia I loved every bit of playing for the Bills week in and week out. I'm happy I was able to start my career there and was able to call it home. Appreciate everything, thank you Buffalo!"'

'He tried coming back in 2016, but suffered a huge setback on a devastating hit from Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry. Williams only played in seven games last season, with five starts.'

'Hyde is the big-ticket addition in the secondary. The 26-year-old is a former fifth-round pick of the Packers in 2013 who has appeared in 63 career games with 33 starts. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Hyde received a five-year contract with a potential value of $32.5 million.'

'"This is a business," he said. "We talk about, and you’ve heard me say this before, earning the right to win. We’ve got to stay focused on the task at hand and I’m all for, as we mentioned, the chemistry and building that chemistry in that locker room.'

'"I mean, this is the place to be," Taylor said. "I said from Day One, my commitment is to this team, to this community, to do whatever it takes to get a winning tradition back and I'm still committed to doing that each and every day."'

'As the newcomers were filing into the administration building, exiting were safety Aaron Williams, linebacker Lerentee McCray, cornerback Stephon Gilmore, and wide receivers Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin. Williams was released, Gilmore signed a gargantuan contract with the Patriots, Woods signed a surprisingly rich deal with the Rams, Goodwin joined the 49ers, and McCray is going to the Jaguars.'

'Hauschka should be able to handle Buffalo's weather. The kicker has a strong leg and has shown accuracy on long kicks in the past two seasons. Hauschka is 7-of-7 on kicks of 50+ yards since 2015 and 12-of-14 over the last four seasons.'

'"This is a business," McDermott said Thursday. "We talk about, and you've heard me say this before, earning the right to win. We've got to stay focused on the task at hand and I'm all for, as we mentioned, the chemistry and building that chemistry in that locker room. That's a big part of it, yet we have to make sure we stay focused on the task at hand and that means earn the right to win on a daily basis. I don't believe that playing video games in the locker room is part of earning the right to win. We're going to be a focused, disciplined and accountable football team and I believe you do it one day at a time."'

'"We were able to come together on terms as far as the contract," Taylor said. "What happened happened. We learned from it, put it behind us. If it was a bad relationship, I wouldn't be standing in front of y'all today. Like I said, we got a deal done, so it's good."'

'Hyde hasn't missed much time since joining the NFL. In four seasons, the defensive back has appeared in 63-of-64 games and has recorded 33 starts over this span of time.'

'Poyer was an All-American cornerback at Oregon State but has since moved to safety in the NFL. That versatility is important in Sean McDermott's coverage scheme. Poyer can play multiple positions in the secondary, something the Bills could use after losing Stephon Gilmore, Aaron Williams and Nickell Robey-Coleman this week.'

'Sean McDermott clearly wanted to rework the secondary, and he did so by grabbing two versatile safeties. Hyde comes to the Bills after four seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He was a fifth-round pick out of Iowa in the 2013 NFL Draft.'