Two Bills Drive

Buffalo Bills News and Discussion

Archives for March 2019

Source: Bills plan to release RB Ivory

‘The Bills entered Monday with three of the NFL’s four oldest running backs under contract in Ivory, Gore and LeSean McCoy. Gore, 35, is expected to serve as the top backup behind McCoy, 30.’

Report: Bills to release Chris Ivory

‘With Ivory on the roster, the Bills had the three oldest running backs in the NFL all in their backfield. Gore, who will turn 36 in May, and McCoy, who will be 31 in July, remain the two oldest backs in the NFL. They’re currently joined by 28-year-old Marcus Murphy and Keith Ford, who turns 25 next month. So, the Bills may still want to address the running back position in the draft to add more youth and competition before heading to training camp.’

McDermott: ‘Come to Buffalo where football is important to the people’

‘“In the time I’ve been in Buffalo and my family’d been in Buffalo, I didn’t realize how important it was when I was going through the interview process with the different teams to become a head coach. I am very grateful to have ended up in Buffalo with the Bills, because of the fit, because of the people, and because of the tradition. So, what more could you ask for from a city that football, to me, is important to the city of Buffalo. That’s not the case in every city. People want to pump palm trees and this and that, and weather and this and that, come to Buffalo where football is important to the people.”’

Antonio Brown on the Bills: “Don’t even waste time”

‘You can hear Rosenhaus say that he talked to the Bills, but wouldn’t even give them a number they’d be looking for on a contract. For a player that was looking to become the highest paid receiver in NFL history, you’d think they’d at least want to hear the Bills out.’

Terry Pegula addresses Phil Housley’s future, new stadium, NFL issues

‘Well we’ve employed CAA ICON and Populous. They’re doing a market study. It will be done this summer. It’s pretty extensive the work they’re doing, and so I can’t comment on what their results are because I don’t know. We have dribs and drabs of what they’ve seen so far but you know we’re open to any option and we’ll see what the market study says.’

Kim Pegula: ‘It was a lot of different things’ that led to recent PSE changes

‘“I don’t think it was culture,” Pegula said. “It wasn’t just one thing, it was it was a lot of different things. Some of it was just based on whether it was work-related, whether it was just a restructuring, or you know, I’ve been talking to a lot of other clubs around the league, ‘how are you doing things?’ And so for me it was part of the learning process….and it’s just part of the whole progression of how we want things to be and how we want to make our own mark. So it wasn’t just one thing. It wasn’t a cultural thing. It was just having more knowledge and experience.”’

5 takeaways from Buffalo Bills HC Sean McDermott at the NFL Owners Meetings

‘”Yeah, I liked it when we were on offense, when it was third and about five, I knew we were going to go get a first down because we had Greg Olsen, McDermott started. “At an early age, I feel like that I learned how important that tight end position is to a quarterback and a particular young quarterback. It becomes a security blanket.”‘

Quick Hits: Why Sean McDermott feels better about the Bills’ 2019 roster

‘“Coming in here we had a team that was a little bit older. A team that had some leadership on it, but we weren’t able to re-sign a lot of guys when we got here because we were challenged with the salary cap and with a lack of development with players. So when you take over a team, there are a lot of different situations. Sometimes you have a quarterback, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you have a good salary cap situation, sometimes you don’t. Overall, we had a lot of areas that we needed to address. That first year I felt like our team really came together.”’

Quick Hits: Stadium feasibility study will help in reaching decisions

‘“It’s a private assessment that we’ve got CAA and IKON working on,” said Kim Pegula. “We’ve received a tremendous response from people on what they’re looking for. We’re talking with our corporate sponsors and of course talking to our fans. That study is still in its early phases. It’s going to take a while. It’s our own study and I’m sure there are going to be others and there will be more hands in that jar to work on a plan. I’m looking forward to seeing what they have, but we are at least taking those steps as early as they are.”’

Bills Today: ESPN’s Mel Kiper predicts Bills go defense with No. 9 pick

‘ESPN football analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary going to the Bills with the ninth pick. Kiper previously chose Ole Miss wideout D.K. Metcalf in his mock draft 2.0 but chose Gary originally in his first mock draft. In his first mock draft before the combine, Kiper thought that Gary could be Kyle Williams’ replacement.’

Bills add veteran depth at corner by signing E.J. Gaines

‘“It’s really been frustrating,” Gaines said. “That’s the main thing I’ve been focused on this offseason is making sure I can stay healthy through 16 games this year. I really can’t change the past and my injury history. It’s part of the game. But what I can do is make sure I’m ready and prepared for this year.”‘

Bills GM Brandon Beane: ‘I’m still looking for ways for us to add more competition’

‘”Again, I say it all the time, we have conversations, this is a great spot for trades to happen. I’m not saying there’s anything brewing, there’s not. But if a GM approached us now that there’s a guy that we thought, ‘Hey, trade this to get this player that we think is an upgrade or an added competition,’ we would still look to make that move. So I feel better, but I still think we have a ways to go.”’

Buffalo Bills overhaul continues as cornerback E.J. Gaines returns on one-year contract

‘This brings to 13 the number of new players who have signed with the Bills as free agents in the past few weeks, the work may not yet be done, and there’s still 10 picks to make in the NFL Draft at the end of April. One thing we know for sure: Training camp at St. John Fisher College is going to be fierce in the battle for roster spots.’

Former Bills CB E.J. Gaines returning to Buffalo on 1-year deal

‘Gaines played in just six games (two starts) in 2018 with the Browns while dealing with concussion symptoms. He suffered a concussion in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Chargers and when he returned against the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 4 he was forced out of action again for the same injury and into the NFL’s concussion protocol.’

Bills GM: Trade fell apart because of Antonio Brown, not Steelers

‘Beane seemed comfortable with those trade parameters. He just apparently wasn’t willing to acquiesce to what Brown and Rosenhaus were demanding from a new team. Beane said by the time the internet was buzzing with talk that Brown appeared headed to the Bills, he knew it wasn’t happening.’

Schuyler strong

‘“Nebraskans take care of their own,” said Buffalo Bills guard and former Husker football standout Jeremiah Sirles. “All of the guys here, we’re Nebraskans. Whether we live in Lincoln, Columbus or Schuyler, we just all take care of our own.”’

Bills hope for happy returns after signing cornerback Gaines

‘”It’s really been frustrating, and that’s the main focus is making sure I can stay healthy through 16 games this year,” Gaines said. “I really can’t change the past and my injury history. It’s part of the game. What I can do is make sure I’m ready and prepared for this year.”‘

Bills bring back cornerback E.J. Gaines

‘The Bills originally acquired Gaines in the Sammy Watkins trade with the Los Angeles Rams on August 11, 2017. In his one season with the Bills, Gaines started 11 games while picking up 59 combined tackles, nine passes defended, one interception and three forced fumbles.’

Beane: “I feel better but I still think we have a ways to go”

‘”You feel better that we answered some holes, but my nature is that I don’t rest easy. I’m still looking for ways for us to add more competition, however it be. This is a great spot for trades to happen; now, I’m not saying there’s anything happening here, because there’s not. If a GM approached us now with an offer for a player that we think is an upgrade or will add competition, we would still look to make that move. Overall, I feel better but I still think we have a ways to go.”‘

Joe B: 5 takeaways from Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane at the 2019 NFL Owners Meetings

‘”To me, you draft the best player available. If the so-called premium positions are gone, or if you don’t have a guy that is up there at a premium position, you shouldn’t take him just because its a non. You should 100-percent of the time take the best player on your board. But, you’re considering that where you value him on the board, whether it’s a high-first round, mid-first round, or low-first round.”‘

Quick Hits: Draft plans entering final stages

‘“The last time we touched the draft board was right before the combine,” said Beane. “We’re doing pro days and private workouts and then we’ll bring (prospects) in for the 30 on site visits. Pro days will end next Thursday. That next Friday is April 5th. I’ll come back and our college scouts will be waiting.”‘

Bills roster-building plan earns strong reviews from these NFL analysts

‘“The Buffalo Bills are probably saying if we do this right, we’ve got some of the ingredients in place to do this for 10 years,” Yates said. “Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, but I just think if your plan is to win over the next 7-10 years, it doesn’t just happen by striking it big with a couple of smart draft picks, it’s done in a lot of ways including managing a really smart salary cap.”’

Bills Today: Beane’s expectations for Josh Allen’s second year

‘“Some of the improvement we saw late in the year was his decision making,” Beane said. “People get on Josh about his accuracy. I would argue it’s decision making. It’s about Josh taking the underneath crosser or the check down instead of trying to fit the ball in 18-22 yards down the sideline, in-the-hole shot that many quarterbacks don’t try to make because they don’t have the arm strength. You see guys with strong arms who can do it and we want Josh to do it at the right time, but sometimes it’s okay just to check the ball down so it’s second-and-short or second-and-medium instead of incomplete or an interception.”’

Thurman Thomas crosses line of scrimmage between fine art and football

‘It wasn’t lost on the Bills Hall of Famer that he, a man who owns no art like the kind that hangs in the Albright-Knox, was holding court in the gallery’s Sculpture Court. Wilson’s wife, Mary, introduced him to fine art a few years ago, he said. He appreciates Impressionist art enough to know that he’s a fan of Claude Monet’s work. And he knows that the frame of a sports photo conveys a wealth of information about the success or failure of a single play.’

Antonio Brown really wants Bills fans to hate him

‘The now Raiders star receiver, who got exactly what he wanted this offseason, is not done gloating over what Buffalo did not get. For no discernible reason, the 30-year-old took a stab at the hapless Bills, who, according to NFL Network, were near a deal for Brown, which then fell through. Bills fans believed they had secured the mercurial but sensational receiver, only to learn minutes later it was all for naught.’

Bills Today: LaAdrian Waddle looking to make most of his opportunity

‘“I like to be involved, I like to see the big picture,” Waddle said in an appearance on One Bills Live. “I like to see the kind of routes guys are running and being a player on a team where all 11 guys have to work together to get stuff done is important. Obviously, I have my job and I have to do that but being aware what guys have to do and what their responsibilities are has to benefit.”’