WGR

‘He ended the letter by specifically thanking ownership, members of management, trainers, former teammates, and most of all “Bills Mafia,” as he put it, writing, “because I was born in California and raised in Texas. But Buffalo will always be the place where I grew up — where I became a man.”’

‘”You have to have a different mindset, you have to be angry. You have to have a different body, a different mind, to switch to that savageness and that nastiness… Sometimes it was hard for me to turn that off.”‘

‘Byrd is the father of former Bills’ safety Jairus Byrd. He was hired last offseason to Sean McDermott’s staff. Under his guidance, Bills’ safety Micah Hyde was named to his first Pro Bowl, Hyde and fellow safety Jordan Poyer both earned separate AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors, Tre’Davious White earned a Defensive Rookie of the Month award, and White is a solid candidate for the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.’

‘Whitecotton makes the move to the assistant defensive line coach after spending last season as the Administrative Assistant to the Head Coach. Prior to that, Whitecotton had spent four years as a defensive assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars.’

‘Eric Wood, Sean McDermott, and Brandon Beane were scheduled to meet at a press conference Monday at 1pm. What the media, and fans saw was something different. Wood read a statement at the podium, by himself, almost an hour after the scheduled start time. He spoke for 1 minute and 25 seconds, and did not take any questions from the media. Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott met seperately in scrums away from the stage.’

‘This past season, many observers felt Groy would be a better option at right guard than John Miller or Vlad Ducasse, but the Bills kept him as the main backup for all three interior offensive line positions. He was also inserted a lot when the team went to their heavy sets, using an extra offensive lineman. They even started the game that way against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in October, a 30-27 Bills’ win.’

‘McCoy touched the ball just three times for the AFC, running for seven yards and a touchdown. There was very little running in the game overall as Saints running back Mark Ingram led the way with five carries for 21 yards.’

‘Wood, 31, just completed his ninth season with the Bills after the team took him in the first round (28th overall) in the 2009 NFL Draft out of Louisville. During his tenure with the Bills, Wood started in all 120 games that he appeared in as center. He was the second-longest tenured Bill behind defensive tackle Kyle Williams, and just recently made his first playoff appearance this season.’

‘Win or lose, poor offensive line play or great, taking a bad penalty or having clean game, injured or healthy, another player traded away, a head coach being fired, the starting quarterback getting benched….you get the idea. It has never mattered. When the locker room opened to the media after practice, number 70 was always there unwrapping his taped wrists, still breathing heavy and sweating, but ready to answer whatever questions any of us had.’

‘If the Bills want Mayfield, they’ll likely have to trade up to get him. The Denver Broncos are a favorite to land Mayfield at the 5th pick. They’re coaching staff is one of the two coaching at the Senior Bowl. Director of the Senior Bowl Phil Savage has said that the Broncos requested to have Mayfield on their team, adding fuel to the perception that they could take him at five.’

‘They certainly won’t break the bank for Brown. But he also may be willing to take a little less to stay with the organization that drafted him and a coach and defense he likes.’

‘“I thought the quarterback position, in particular Tyrod, and then Nate, did some good things. I’ve mentioned before the work ethic, the intangibles that Tyrod brings to the table are very much appreciated and a big part of how we did things this year and what we were able to do. I thought he did some good things. So, overall, we’ll continue to evaluate where we are and what’s right for this organization moving forward.”‘

‘When trying to figure out what’s going to happen around the league — without any concrete indications from teams — I think you start with what expectations for certain teams might be, or should be, and also what might be on the line personally for the men in charge. In Buffalo, McDermott and Beane don’t have to win next year, as in, they won’t be around past that if they don’t. The plan here was to build something, and the rookie option qualifies for a team of that standing.’

‘Williams’ contract expiring is only secondary to his situation. It starts with just knowing if he wants to play next year or not. General Manager Brandon Beane has said Williams can still play if he chooses. If Williams does want to return, then the question will be “what price is fair for both parties on a one year deal?”’

‘I’ve been looking over different scenarios and gave myself a task: Move into the top five without giving up both first round picks, or next year’s first rounder. That way, the Bills would still pick fifth (or better) overall and still have another first round selection to either use or trade later. I chose the top five because I believe after that is when numerous teams could be in the market for a QB and presuming the Bills would have to jump them all just to be sure they get their guy.’