April 26, 2013 - 10:36 PM
By Tim Graham
Whether or not they can score touchdowns on a consistent
basis is unknown, but if a track meet ever breaks out at Ralph Wilson Stadium,
you can expect the Buffalo Bills to win some medals.
For the second year in a row, the Bills drafted a smallish
track-and-field receiver in the third round. They selected Olympic long jumper
Marquise Goodwin from Texas
tonight. They traded up last year to draft North Carolina State
sprinter T.J. Graham.
Goodwin ran the fastest 40-yard dash at this year's NFL
scouting combine, clocking in at 4.27 seconds. It was the second-fastest
combine time since Chris Johnson set the record at 4.24 seconds in
2000.
Continue reading "Bills grab Olympic talent in third round with WR Marquise Goodwin" »
By Jay Skurski
Terron Armstead
Position: Offensive tackle
School: Arkansas Pine-Bluff
Measurements: 6-foot-5, 306 pounds.
40 time: 4.71 seconds. Vertical: 34.5 inches. Broad jump: 112 inches. 225-pound bench press: 31 reps
Draft projection: Second-third round
Continue reading "Road to the Draft: Terron Armstead" »
By Tim Graham
The last time we cobbled together a mock-draft roundup,
there was nowhere near a consensus on what the Buffalo Bills would do with the
eighth overall pick.
Prognosticators couldn't settle on a position, let alone a
player.
But with the NFL scouting combine behind us and some various
roster moves in the books, draft analysts are starting to find a semblance of harmony. Of
the sampling I've compiled today, West Virginia
quarterback Geno Smith and Oregon defensive
end Dion Jordan
are popular guesses.
In this edition, we look at the latest projections from
Buffalo News reporter Jay Skurski, former New York Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, an
NFL.com quartet of Brian Billick, Gil Brandt, Charles Davis and Scott Pioli, Sports
Illustrated writer Don Banks, Doug Farrar for Yahoo! Sports, CBSSports.com's
Rob Rang and Dane Brugler, National Football Post analyst Russ Lande and Drafttek.com's
computer simulator.
- • Banks' pick: Geno
Smith, West Virginia
quarterback
- • Billick's pick: Dion Jordan,
Oregon
defensive end
- • Brandt's pick: Dion Jordan,
Oregon
defensive end
- • Brugler's pick: Cordarrelle
Patterson, Tennessee
wide receiver
- • Davis' pick: Chance Warmack, Alabama
guard
- • Draft Tek's pick: Geno
Smith, West Virginia
quarterback
- • Farrar's pick: Dion Jordan,
Oregon
defensive end
- • Lande's pick: Ryan Nassib, Syracuse quarterback
- • Pioli's pick: Bjoern
Werner, Florida State
defensive end
- • Rang's pick: Geno
Smith, West Virginia
quarterback
- • Skurski's pick: Cordarrelle
Patterson, Tennessee
wide receiver
- • Tannenbaum's pick: Kenny Vaccaro, Texas safety
By Tim Graham
Welcome back to For the Record Fridays.
In this installment,
we review the top 40-yard dash times at the recently completed NFL scouting
combine in Indianapolis.
- 4.27 Marquise Goodwin, Texas wide receiver
- 4.34 Tavon Austin,
West Virginia wide receiver
- 4.34 Onterio McCalebb, Auburn running back
- 4.34 Ryan Swope,
Texas A&M wide receiver
- 4.36 Darius Slay,
Mississippi State cornerback
- 4.37 Knile Davis,
Arkansas running back
- 4.37 Dee Milliner,
Alabama cornerback
- 4.38 Josh Boyce,
Texas Christian wide receiver
- 4.38 Kenny Stills, Oklahoma
wide receiver
- 4.38 Desmond
Trufant, Washington
cornerback
- 4.39 Robert Alford,
Southeastern Louisiana
cornerback
- 4.39 Jamar Taylor, Boise State
cornerback
- 4.40 Brandon McGee, Miami
cornerback
- 4.41 Sanders Commings, Georgia cornerback
- 4.41 Kayvon Webster,
South Florida
cornerback
February 28, 2013 - 12:17 PM
By Tim Graham
The Buffalo Bills have an image issue.
You know it. They know it. The NFL community knows it.
The Bills haven't made the playoffs for 13 years. They're ragamuffins on the football landscape. The mainstream media barely notice them. Opposing fans pity them.
The boffo Mario Williams signing notwithstanding, the Bills
still are working on re-establishing legitimacy.
Continue reading "Russ Brandon: Bills 'haven't been relevant for way too long'" »
February 27, 2013 - 1:09 PM
By Tim Graham
If the Buffalo Bills want to trade back into the first round
or move up into the second round for a player they want -- perhaps a quarterback --
then the San Francisco 49ers have emerged as obvious candidates to work out a
deal.
The Niners reportedly have worked out a trade that will send
quarterback Alex Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs for this year's second-round
draft choice (34th overall) and other unrevealed considerations. The Niners also
hold the 31st overall selection.
It's no secret the Bills need a quarterback and want to draft one early. They own the eighth and 41st overall picks.
Draft analysts are hesitant to put a high first-round value on a quarterback in this year's class, but the best prospects could be gone by the time the Bills draft in the second round. Thus, the Niners become attractive trade partners.
Continue reading "With 15 draft picks expected, 49ers prime trade partners for Bills" »
February 26, 2013 - 1:30 PM
By Tim Graham
The Buffalo Bills seemed to have found a franchise tackle last
year, when they drafted Cordy Glenn in the second round.
But the other tackle spot emerged as a major concern.
What if the Bills were to draft another top-flight tackle in
April to give themselves bookends for years to come?
It's an intriguing thought.
Continue reading "Why the Bills should think about drafting another OT early" »
February 26, 2013 - 8:19 AM
By Tim Graham
When it comes to vetting football players, NFL security executives
go deeper than weights, heights, 40-yard dash times and a couple of interviews.
"You'd be shocked," Seattle Seahawks General Manager
John Schneider told reporters last week at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. "Our
security guy does a Twitter and Facebook count."
It should be a lesson to any high school or college kid who
hopes to get a job with a major corporation someday that getting stupid with social-media is a fine
way to short-circuit a career before it begins.
Continue reading "Tip for future professionals: Don't post pics of guns and dope" »
February 23, 2013 - 7:20 PM
By Tim Graham
INDIANAPOLIS
-- Over the past few days, Buffalo Bills President Russ Brandon and General
Manager Buddy Nix each made vague comments about assistant GM and player-personnel director Doug Whaley
sticking around the organization for a long time.
This evening, the Bills announced they've signed Whaley to a
contract extension. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Whaley, 40, is considered Nix's heir to the GM office.
"I am happy that we have secured Doug's services into
the future," Nix, 73, said in a statement released by the club, "and look
forward to a smooth transition of the position when the time comes."
Continue reading "Bills sign GM heir apparent Doug Whaley to contract extension" »
February 23, 2013 - 3:27 PM
Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o holds a news conference with reporters at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. (Photo: Associated Press)
By Tim Graham
INDIANAPOLIS
-- NFL teams are grilling Manti Te'o about his fabricated dead girlfriend.
That has been happening here at the NFL scouting combine
behind closed doors. The Buffalo Bills will be among the 20 teams Te'o speaks
with, and every one of them has asked him tough questions.
"No," Te'o replied with a laugh when I asked him
if any of the teams have let him off the hook. "They're all asking me."
The interrogation went public this afternoon.
Te'o began to rehabilitate his reputation in the NFL media
community with an effective news conference in Lucas Oil Stadium. The
15-minute session was the first time Te'o met reporters in an uncontrolled
setting since the national championship game.
Continue reading "Manti Te'o endures his media penance at NFL combine" »
