Press Coverage

By Tim Graham

The Buffalo Bills need to restock the shelves at wide receiver, a process Stevie Johnson talked with me about for a Press Coverage blog posted this morning.

The Bills could add the best receiver in this year's draft class with the eighth overall pick, but they'll have a chance to address their needs in free agency as early as next week.

NFL.com writer Marc Sessler examined the receivers in this year's class and the 11 teams that should be most active in trying to acquire them.

Sessler ranked receivers Nos. 1 through 9 in categories labeled "impact players" (Mike Wallace, Dwayne Bowe, Greg Jennings, Wes Welker), "solid starters" (Danny Amendola, Brian Hartline), and "role players with questions" (Brandon Gibson, Donnie Avery, Julian Edelman).

Unless the Bills have their hearts set on using the eighth pick on a wide receiver, I would expect them to aim for someone in the above group. Johnson told me he has been talking up Buffalo to Bowe and Jennings directly.

A year ago, the Bills courted Robert Meachem as soon as free agency began but lost him to the San Diego Chargers. They never found a receiver of that caliber, choosing instead to draft T.J. Graham in the third round.

Graham was a disappointment, and the receiving corps as a whole has deteriorated since they took Meachem to dinner in Allentown. The Bills have announced they don't want Donald Jones and David Nelson back.

Jones and Nelson were ranked Nos. 12 and 13 overall on Sessler's list. They were under the "rotational/situational" heading, right after Domenik Hixon and a washed-up Randy Moss and ahead of Brandon Stokley, Josh Cribbs and Ted Ginn.

Sessler then lumped the rest of the receivers for teams that are desperate or need to fill out a roster. That's where you'll find Ruvell Martin's name along with the likes of Roscoe Parrish, Mike Sims-Walker, Greg Camarillo, Legedu Naanee and Derek Hagan.

By Tim Graham

INDIANAPOLIS -- Buffalo Bills President Russ Brandon marveled at what Lindy Ruff accomplished as Buffalo Sabres coach.

"They should erect a statue for him for all he's done," Brandon said. "It's one of the great stories in all of sports."

Brandon would admit to being biased on the subject of Ruff. Brandon considers Ruff "the closest of friends" and reached out to him Wednesday upon learning the Sabres had fired him.

But Ruff's longevity was amazing. He held his first head-coaching job for nearly 16 years and survived four owners if you count the time NHL commissioner Gary Bettman ran the team during its bankruptcy.

Continue reading "Russ Brandon: Lindy Ruff deserves a statue" »

By Tim Graham

When classic-rock disc jockeys need to take a smoke break or use the restroom, they have a few go-to songs to spin: "Green Grass and High Tides," "Stairway to Heaven," and "American Pie," to name a few.

When "Pro Football Talk Live" host Mike Florio wants to check out during his daily webcast, he invites me on the show.

For a tad over 17 minutes Tuesday afternoon, Florio pulled the long string on the back of my neck a couple times and let me blather on about the Buffalo Bills.

Subjects included quarterback anxiety, the decision to acquire Tarvaris Jackson and cut Vince Young, whether Tyler Thigpen can save his job Thursday night, Jackson as a potential Wildcat weapon, how running backs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller will split touches, Stevie Johnson's nagging groin injury and how impressive the defensive line looks.

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By Tim Graham

ESPN analyst and former Buffalo Bills defensive end Marcellus Wiley projected his AFC playoff field.

He doesn't see the Bills getting into the tournament. Wiley has the New England Patriots winning the AFC East, but his field includes some surprise picks: the Cincinnati Bengals and two teams from the AFC West, including the Oakland Raiders.

By Tim Graham

Buffalo Bills General Manager Buddy Nix met with reporters outside the team's headquarters to discuss dumping pass-rusher Shawne Merriman.

Nix's comments were somewhat standard. He said Merriman was competing for the fourth defensive end spot, and the club decided to take a closer look at "a couple of young guys" while also giving Merriman a better chance to latch on with another team.

Nix declined to say who those youngsters are, but the depth chart released today shows Robert Eddins as the backup left defensive end (where Merriman used to be) behind Mario Williams. Kyle Moore is the third right defensive end behind Mark Anderson and Chris Kelsay.

"I think he struggled a little," Nix said of Merriman. "First of all, let me say this: He can play. He did everything. He's been healthy since OTAs. He hasn't missed anything. He's very attentive in meetings. He's worked hard in practice, and he's played in spots really good during the games. He's a hard worker. He's done everything he could do.

"We think we've been patient. But there comes a point where we felt like we needed to move on and look down the road. So these young guys will get a shot."

Nix also said concerns over Merriman's health were not a factor and that the Bills didn't try to trade him.

By Tim Graham

Draft with caution, fantasy owners.

That's the general advice from NFL Network fantasy football fellas Jason Smith, Michael Fabiano and Elliot Harrison when it came to the Buffalo Bills this summer. Their Bills fantasy analysis was posted today at NFL.com.

Bills fans probably are itching to draft running back Fred Jackson this year, but Harrison warns Jackson should be considered a fifth-round player.

Smith says he would prefer to take third-year back C.J. Spiller late before he would use a selection on Jackson.

Fabiano rates Stevie Johnson around top-15 status among receivers, but prefers him as a No. 3 on a fantasy roster. But Harrison notes that owners shouldn't expect Johnson to be available when ready to pick a third receiver.

Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't get much love either. They all considered him untrustworthy and probably undraftable in 10-team leagues. Harrison calls him the "Amish Stifle."

As for the Bills' defense? Sleeper pick, but not a top choice.

By Tim Graham

For months, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz's goal was to get a Buffalo Bills stadium lease extension hammered out before training camp, which begins next week.

Poloncarz now is saying he hopes to have a deal done by the end of the year.

Buffalo News reporter Denise Jewell Gee attended today's news conference, where Poloncarz spoke in general about the county's financial situation. He was asked where negotiations stood with the Bills.

"We've accomplished a lot," Poloncarz said. "Every party knows where the other one stands. Now, it's just that final time where you sort of butt heads with each other until you reach an agreement. So I feel confident we're going to get an agreement done by the end of the year."

Before fans start to panic, keep in mind the lease doesn't expire until July 31, 2013.

Still, Poloncarz's inability to meet his declared objective bears watching. Terms apparently haven't been cut-and-dried so far, and the landscape has been shifting within the past year.

When I spoke to former Erie County Executive Chris Collins last fall and then Poloncarz after he took office in January, each was definitive in saying the state (through the Empire State Development Corp.) would need to pick up most of the costs for needed renovations at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

But with refurbishment costs running around $200 million or more and the governor not including the Bills in this year's budget, there has been talk of the NFL helping to finance the project. The NFL's G-4 program is designed to help teams fund stadium development by matching team contributions over $25 million.

Poloncarz over the weekend told The Buffalo News he wanted the Bills to commit to a lease that will make it difficult to skip town under new ownership. The stipulations Poloncarz wants reportedly are more restrictive than any the Bills have agreed to before.

There's probably no cause for concern. Poloncarz, who took office just a few months ago, likely was being overly ambitious to want an extension done by training camp. And, for a while, Bills fans will be preoccupied with the excitement surrounding the team and won't want to be bothered with lease chatter anyway.

But missing deadlines, however informal, sure does raise the antennae a little bit.

(Photo: Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News)

By Tim Graham

At the time, the Buffalo Bills allowed themselves to get taken advantage of with how they parted with running back Marshawn Lynch.

But at least he's somebody else's headache now.

Any doubts the Bills made the correct choice by sticking with Fred Jackson should be erased with Lynch's latest arrest, this time for suspicion of drunk driving Saturday in the Oakland area.

California Highway Patrol confirmed the arrest Monday night. The San Jose Mercury News reported Lynch's blood-alcohol content was over the .08 legal limit, according to a CHP spokesman.

Lynch, now with the Seattle Seahawks, probably faces an NFL suspension as a repeat offender for bad behavior. He received a stern warning from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after a 3:30 a.m. Chippewa Street hit and run in 2008. A year later, Lynch was arrested on gun charges in Los Angeles. He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor. Goodell suspended Lynch the first three games of the 2009 season.

Lynch's next suspension should be a doozy.

The Bills drafted Lynch 12th overall in 2007, but all they got in return for him just three years later was a 2011 fourth-round draft pick and what turned into a 2012 fifth-round draft pick -- partly because of Lynch's baggage and partly because the Bills misplayed their hand.

Lynch was only 24 years old and already had a Pro Bowl campaign to his credit when the Bills tried to trade him. But teams refused to offer market value for Lynch because the Bills had no leverage.

While an injury allowed Fred Jackson to rush for over 1,000 yards in 2009, the Bills drafted C.J. Spiller ninth overall in 2010, creating a glut.

And everybody knew who the Bills desperately wanted to unload.

Yet the Bills also apparently were timid in dangling Lynch. Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer reported after the Bills made the deal with the Seahawks four weeks into the 2010 season that the New Orleans Saints would have given the Bills a third-round pick had they shopped him around.

Lynch has been tremendous at times for Seattle, producing one of the most epic runs in NFL history to eliminate the defending Super Bowl champs from the 2010 playoffs. Lynch rushed for a career-high 1,204 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, making him first-round material in your upcoming fantasy drafts (until his latest arrest, that is).

Buffalo drafted left tackle Chris Hairston and linebacker Tank Carder with the draft choices they obtained from Seattle.

As such, Buffalo's General Manager Buddy Nix, head coach Chan Gailey and the rest of the staff have slept much better the past few nights than their counterparts in Seattle.

(Photo: Associated Press)

By Tim Graham

When debating the merits of athletes and whether or not they belong in the Hall of Fame, a common rejoinder for the doubter is "He belongs in the Hall of Very Good."

Reggie Jackson didn't use that exact phrase, but people sure were thinking it while reading his recent comments to Sports Illustrated about Jim Rice, Kirby Puckett, Gary Carter, Don Sutton, Phil Niekro and Bert Blyleven being players from his era unworthy of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In football, there's a place where those not-quite legends are honored.

The Professional Football Researchers Association in 2002 started the Hall of Very Good for "outstanding players and coaches who are not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame."

If one of their honorees ends up in Canton, then he will be decommissioned from the Hall of Very Good with an asterisk. That's happened to running back Floyd Little, receiver Bob Hayes, linebacker Chris Hanburger and St. Bonaventure defensive back Jack Butler.

Buffalo Bills head coach Lou Saban and defensive tackle Tom Sestak are in the Hall of Very Good.

Also among them are quarterbacks Ken Anderson, John Brodie and John Hadl, receivers Cliff Branch, Harold Carmichael and Harold Jackson, guard Jerry Kramer, flanker and kicker Gino Cappelletti, defensive ends Carl Eller and Jim Marshall, defensive tackle Alex Karras, linebackers Randy Gradishar and Andy Russell and head coach Don Coryell.

The PFRA recently released its finalists for this year's class. Two more Buffalo stars could get in: quarterback Jack Kemp and lineman Swede Youngstrom from the All-Americans and Bisons of the 1920s.

Other notables of this year's finalists include defensive end L.C. Greenwood, safety Kenny Easley and cornerback Lester Hayes.

Some may consider the Hall of Very Good to be a silly idea, but I think it's pretty cool. The PFRA is honoring those on the cusp while also advocating, through its research, the ones who might have been overlooked. It's fun and functional.

This year, the PFRA committee also began to advocate for the best seniors from its Hall of Very Good to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: two-way end Lavvie Dilweg, tackle Duke Slater, receiver Mac Speedie and tackle Al Wistert.

By Tim Graham

This is the slowest week for sports all year. The days before and after baseball's All-Star Game are the only two out of 365 when at least one big-league game doesn't take place. College sports are done.

So an event like Thursday's NFL supplemental draft probably is getting more attention than it should.

While former Baylor receiver Josh Gordon has generated some interest -- the Buffalo Bills were among 21 clubs to observe his workout Tuesday in Houston -- the supplemental draft will be rather dull Thursday. It won't be on television. It's done through computers.

So to give some perspective on what the supplemental draft usually produces, let's review those who've been selected in the AFC East. Rather than just remind everyone who the Bills have taken, I want to share who the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and New York Jets have drafted for context.

I have removed 1984 supplemental draft picks because that class was an anomaly. It featured USFL and CFL players, not college kids.

Buffalo Bills

1989: fourth round, defensive tackle Brett Young (zero games).
1979: sixth round, running back Rod Stewart (zero games).

Miami Dolphins

2005: fifth round, tackle Manuel Wright (nine games).

New England Patriots

2000: fourth round, defensive back J'Juan Cherry (zero games).
1981: 11th round, receiver Chy Davidson (four games).

New York Jets

1990: first round, receiver Rob Moore (153 games).

So that's six supplemental draft picks from the AFC East, and only three of them saw the field. One played double-digit games. Moore was terrific, a Pro Bowler once for the Jets and again with the Arizona Cardinals. He had 628 catches, scored 49 touchdowns and led the NFL in receiving yards in 1997.

In case you were wondering, the 12 AFC East players taken in the 1984 USFL/CFL supplemental draft combined to play 216 NFL games, and all of them belonged to two players.

Bills defensive back Dwight Drane played 82 games. The Patriots selected receiver Ricky Sanders, but he never played for them. He got in 134 games with the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons.