By Mark Gaughan
The Buffalo Bills' defense ended the second minicamp practice of the week in all-out piranha mode Wednesday.
It was a feeding frenzy of sacks as the Bills' first-string offense under quarterback Kevin Kolb tried to move downfield in a two-minute drill in need of a touchdown.
Kolb managed to elude a rush and improvise a quick-thinking throw over the middle to Fred Jackson for a gain of about 25 yards on a third-down play.
After that, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine dialed up four straight blitzes and ended the series with four straight sacks.
"I'm glad Coach Pettine's on our team, that's for sure,
and all those guys they have out there," said offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. "Any time you have a defense like we're
facing, every single day it's going to be a roller-coaster of emotions. I mean,
they're bringing everybody from every place and you have to do your best to try
to get a foundation and make things happen.
"There's some things that do good
and other things that you're just putting your hand on top of your head and
just trying to get to the next play."
Continue reading "Defense shows no mercy in second minicamp practice" »
By Mark Gaughan
If new Buffalo Bills guard Doug Legursky learned anything in Pittsburgh the past four years, he learned to play to the whistle.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is a hard man to bring down. No matter how much blitzing the Steelers faced or pressure they allowed, the linemen knew that they could never presume Roethlisberger had been tackled or had delievered the ball. He's a master at keeping plays alive.
"That's probably the No. 1 coaching point I've had over the past five seasons in Pittsburgh," Legursky said. "There's no clocks. Blocking for him, he's a scramble-type quarterback. If there's a clock in your head and you stop for one second, that's when that guy could make a play.
Continue reading "Doug Legursky used to playing to whistle" »
February 8, 2013 - 4:16 PM
By Tim Graham
Here is a breakdown of the Buffalo Bills' 2013 free-agent class
and what their designations mean.
Unrestricted free agents (13)
Teams have exclusive negotiating rights, but once
free-agency begins, players are free to negotiate with other clubs. Original
team receives no compensation if the player signs elsewhere.
The original team has the option to place a franchise tag on
one unrestricted free agent (a guaranteed one-year salary at the average of the
five highest-paid players at the position or a 20 percent raise, whichever is
greater) or one transition tag (a guaranteed one-year salary at the average of
the 10 highest-paid players at the position).
"Exclusive" franchise tags prohibit the player from negotiating
with other clubs. A team that uses a "nonexclusive" franchise tag on a player and
then declines to match an offer sheet from another club will receive two
first-round draft choices from that team. Transition tags offer no such
compensation.
- • Jairus Byrd, safety
- • Tashard Choice, running back
- • Tarvaris Jackson, quarterback
- • Spencer Johnson, defensive end
- • Andy Levitre, left guard
- • Ruvell Martin, wide receiver
- • Corey McIntyre, fullback
- • Leodis McKelvin, cornerback
- • Shawne Merriman, defensive end
- • Kyle Moore, defensive end
- • Chad Rinehart, offensive lineman
- • Bryan Scott, linebacker
- • Tyler Thigpen, quarterback
Restricted free agents (3)
The player may negotiate with other teams. But if the original
club extends a qualifying offer to the player, then it retains right of first
refusal to match any outside contract offer. There are three types of qualifying
offers, offering different levels of payment and draft compensation if the player leaves.
Exclusive-rights free agents (2)
ERFA's are free agents in name only. They are players with
two years of NFL experience or less and have expiring contracts. They may not
negotiate with other clubs. If they are extended a contract offer, they must accept
or not play at all.
- • Mike Caussin, tight end
- • Dorin Dickerson, tight end/fullback
