‘“Well, the past two weeks have been a very long two weeks. I’m happy,” Bates said Tuesday. “I told Beane at the end of the season, I want to be a Bill and I want to stay in Buffalo. And thankfully, it came to the conclusion where I get to stay in Buffalo for the next four years, which is an unbelievable opportunity.”’
Archives for April 6, 2022
Report: Coastal Carolina tight end Isaiah Likely to make top-30 visit to Bills
‘A 6-foot-4, 245-pounder, Likely led all tight ends in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 12 receiving touchdowns in 2021. He was a first-team All-Sun Belt Conference after finishing with 59 catches for 912 yards in 13 starts, helping Coastal Carolina win its first bowl game in program history. Likely played wide receiver in high school in Massachusetts before converting to tight end in college. During the 2020 season, he averaged 20.0 yards per catch (30 catches for 601 yards), which ranked 10th in the FBS. He also played through a lower-body injury that required surgery after the season.’
NFL draft preview: Offensive tackle features top-end talent, but then a drop-off
‘“This tackle group features potential star power in Evan Neal and Ickey Ekwonu, with both Charles Cross and Trevor Penning grabbing 6.4 marks in my grading system, projecting them as good, early starters,” NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote this week in ranking each of the positional groups. “But once we draft past those five, it gets shaky real quick. Day 2 and Day 3 depth is below average, with many of the prospects on the wrong side of the line dividing their ceiling from their floor.”’
As the NFL Draft approaches, cornerback remains the Bills’ biggest need
‘There’s no way the Bills can consciously go into a 2022 season where they have been installed as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl with a cornerback depth chart that currently includes Tre’Davious White coming off a serious knee injury plus Dane Jackson, Cam Lewis, Siran Neal, Nick McCloud, Olaijah Griffin and Tim Harris.’
Former Buffalo Bills CB joined Steelers after receiving sign from God
‘“Man, I’m just sitting there, contemplating, and I looked down, and I had black and gold shorts on,” Wallace said. “I was like, ‘Do you know what?’ There it is. There’s a sign. The Lord must want me to go to Pittsburgh, and I honestly just called my agent back and was like, ‘let’s go, let’s do it.’”’
NFL Draft 2022: Todd McShay sends Bills CB, RB help in 2-round mock
‘If Buffalo wants to come out on top of a loaded AFC, it should focus in on its cornerback group. Tre’Davious White is coming off an ACL tear, and Levi Wallace signed with Pittsburgh. I really like Booth’s game and think he could be a No. 2 corner as a rookie, before developing into a No. 1. He is scheme-versatile, explodes out of his back pedal and shows above-average ball skills.’
Why the Buffalo Bills stadium deal stinks for the NY taxpayer and must be reversed
‘Don’t forget that state taxpayers just ponied up $95 million for renovations at Highmark Stadium, the Bills’ current home, in 2014 and 2018. The team and the league insisted it still wasn’t producing enough revenue for them, hence the demand for a new one. Quite a racket.’
Bills Deal Renews Debate Over Public Dollars For Arenas
‘State Assemblymember Ron T. Kim, a Queens Democrat, used a curse word on Twitter to refer to the proposal. Sochie Nnaemeka, the director of the influential Working Families Party, called the deal “a continuation of trickle-down economic development schemes that have enriched wealthy investors on the backs of Black, brown, and working class communities.”’
State money for new Bills stadium is a ‘done deal,’ Burke thinks
‘“If you have things going on in New York City or some other part of the state, don’t come to Buffalo and tell us what to do,” he said. “Don’t be condescending either. Don’t kind of dismiss us as this sort of, ‘Oh football, it’s not that important.’ So that was part of the conversation and now this is being seen by most members as just a regional issue.”’
Ryan Bates on staying with Bills: ‘I told them I wanted to be back’
‘”I’ve had the opportunity over these past three years to learn from some great, great coaches and great players, specifically alignment,” Bates said. “You know, like Dion Dawkins, Mitch Morse, you know, I’m very fortunate to learn from those individuals. And I want to be where I’m at today with, you know, having, you know, if they hadn’t taught me the things they’ve learned along their way. I told them, I want to be honest and buffalo. God works in mysterious ways and I get the opportunity to come back here and, you know, compete for Super Bowl.”‘
How Ryan Bates went from being torn to thrilled in a matter of days
‘”It’s something you can’t really turn down,” Bates said of Chicago’s offer. “I come from a blue-collar family outside Philadelphia, and I’ve never seen that kind of money before in my life. You’re torn. And along the way, I’m just trying to make the best decision for me and my family.”‘