May 16, 2013 - 12:16 PM
By Tim Graham
Congratulations on the new job, Doug Whaley.
Now what are you going to do about Jairus Byrd?
Whaley had been settled into his seat on the podium at One Bills Drive for about seven minutes before he was asked about the team's biggest contract issue.
Byrd, the two-time Pro Bowl safety, has neither signed his franchise tag nor reported for voluntary workouts like the rest of his teammates.
Continue reading "Jairus Byrd's contract an immediate issue for Doug Whaley" »
April 30, 2013 - 10:05 AM
By Tim Graham
The year 2014 takes place deeper into the future than 2013.
And that includes the extent of my analytics for today.
When the Buffalo Bills announced on Jan. 1 that Russ Brandon was taking over as president, one of the highlights of his news conference was his declaration the club would "create and establish a very robust football analytics operation" to guide football operations.
Nearly four months later, Brandon revealed their analytics department doesn't exist yet.
Continue reading "Proposed analytics department not part of Bills' equation yet" »
March 7, 2013 - 12:51 PM
By Tim Graham
David Nelson doesn't know for certain why the Buffalo Bills decided to let him hit free agency.
The Bills might've wished the fourth-year receiver luck because he won't fit in new head coach Doug Marrone's system or because the $1.323 million qualifying offer was more than they wanted to commit.
Nelson, though, is convinced it's because of the season-ending torn knee ligament he suffered on opening day.
"It's tough for me because I feel in my heart -- and this is just me -- the only reason it's happening is because of the injury," Nelson told me in his first interview since the Bills informed him of their decision.
"I feel if I was able to play last year, things would be different 100 percent. For me that's the reason why; they're not sure if I'll be the same player I've been."
The injury not only cost Nelson a season of production and -- a legitimate possibility -- the Bills a victory or two.
Nelson called it "sobering to re-evaluate" his situation. He's coping with the idea that a twisted knee, while engaged in a meaningless block late in a blowout loss to the New York Jets six months ago, has impacted two seasons.
Continue reading "For the first time, David Nelson shares thoughts on Bills' decision" »
Tim Graham returned to The Buffalo News in 2011 after covering the NFL for three years at ESPN and for one year at the Palm Beach Post. Before that, the Cleveland native spent seven seasons on the Buffalo Sabres beat for The News and was president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
@ByTimGraham | tgraham@buffnews.com
Buffalo native Mark Gaughan started working at The News in 1980 and has been covering the Bills exclusively since 1992. He is president of the Pro Football Writers of America, and he is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee.
@gggaughan | mgaughan@buffnews.com
Jay Skurski joined The News in January 2009. The Lewiston native attended St. Francis High School before graduating from the University of South Florida. He writes a weekly Fantasy column in addition to his beat writing duties.
