Press Coverage

By Tim Graham

Jack Butler was great enough as a defensive back to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Butler was a four-time Pro Bowler for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was voted all-NFL three times and was one of two defensive halfbacks on the NFL's all-decade team for the 1950s.

The St. Bonaventure alum played on only two winning teams and never appeared in the postseason, but -- for a franchise loaded with Super Bowl champion defensive stars -- Butler was one of only 16 defensive players to make the Steelers' 75th anniversary team of 2007.

Yet when I asked Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Doug Whaley if Butler made a bigger impact on the game as a player or a scout, the answer wasn't easy.

News Sports Columnist Bucky Gleason & guest host Mike Harrington discuss the quarterback situation at One Bills Drive on Friday morning's live show:

Gleason & Harrington on Mario William's request for his engagement ring back:

See more highlights from Friday's show here.

By Tim Graham

The Pittsburgh Steelers have released statements on the passing of Jack Butler, the St. Bonaventure alum who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last summer.

Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney:

"Jack was a tremendous player who ranked among the best in league history with his 52 interceptions while only playing in 12 games a year. He was a versatile player who was also used as a wide receiver, but his career ended unfortunately too soon with a bad knee injury. He was an excellent person both on and off the field, and he played an integral role in the BLESTO scouting program and our entire draft process before his retirement. His family was very close to the entire Rooney family, and he will be missed. Our condolences are with his family through this very tough time."

Steelers President Art Rooney II:

"Jack Butler was one of the all-time great Steelers. He devoted his entire life to the NFL and made contributions to many teams and many players through his work with BLESTO and player personnel matters. Our condolences are with the entire Butler family."

Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert:

"Jack was a great person and great friend who always placed his faith and family first. Beyond his great play on the field, he was a legendary personnel man who helped so many of us get established in our scouting careers. He will be missed, but never forgotten."

By Tim Graham

Jack Butler, the greatest college football player in Western New York history, died this morning from heart failure. He was 85.

Butler had been in and out of the hospital recently because of a staph infection that had plagued him since a gruesome knee injury forced his retirement from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1959.

Butler was an incredible example of overachievement. The Pittsburgh native was a walk-on receiver at St. Bonaventure even though he didn't play a down of prep football. Undrafted in 1951, he received a tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers because St. Bonaventure's athletics director was the brother of Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney.

Butler somehow made the Steelers as a defensive lineman, but because of injuries to other players he eventually became a four-time Pro Bowl defensive back and later a highly respected scout.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last summer.

By Jay Skurski

Da'Rick Rogers is one of the more intriguing undrafted free agents signed by the Buffalo Bills in recent memory.

As laid out by The News' Tim Graham, Rogers came to Buffalo determined to put his past -- which includes getting booted out of Tennessee for, among other things, failing three drug tests -- behind him.

Bills coach Doug Marrone spoke after the team's first rookie minicamp about why he felt comfortable taking a chance on Rogers.

The News' sports reporters Mark Gaughan and Jay Skurski are impressed by EJ Manuel (QB), Robert Woods (WR) and Kiko Alonso (LB) as the Bills conduct their first of three mini-camps Friday.

EJ Manuel prepares to make a pass during practice at the Bills mini-camp on Friday. (James P. McCoy/ Buffalo News)

By Jay Skurski

Quarterback EJ Manuel and the rest of the Buffalo Bills' rookies or first-year players completed a crisp practice of about two hours today inside the team's fieldhouse.

"Our goal as coaches was to come out here, get with these players, and start teaching them the playbook -- whether it be offense, defense or special teams," Bills coach Doug Marrone said. "Really just try to get a chance to know them, how they learn, what they do, and really teach them our tempo of practice and what our expectations are out of them. That was the goal going into today, trying to make sure that they know that."

Marrone said his staff was particularly looking to see who showed up in shape. Not surprisingly, most eyes of the media in attendance were focused squarely on Manuel, the team's first-round draft pick. 

"I thought both quarterbacks did a nice job coming in here," Marrone said of Manuel and undrafted free agent Jeff Tuel. "We gave them -- not a large package -- but we got them off and both the quarterbacks got off to a good start. But, again, the offensive line really blocked well today.

That last part, of course, was a joke. The Bills have just three offensive linemen in rookie camp. Thus, they only held 7-on-7 drills. Marrone said he wasn't paying any extra attention to the quarterbacks, even if the focus of media and fans will undoubtedly be on the position.

"I was interested in looking at the wide receivers also. I think you guys have seen me enough that I do rotate around (to different positions) quite a bit," he said. "People are going to be looking at that (the quarterbacks). I don't doubt that. But I was excited today by those groups of receivers. I thought they did a nice job."

The Bills will hold two more sessions with their rookies and first-year players who do not yet have an accredited season toward the NFL pension over the next two days. The players in camp are as follows:

    Quarterbacks: EJ Manuel, Jeff Tuel.
    Wide receivers: Robert Woods, Da'Rick Rogers, Kevin Norrell, Chris Hogan, Marquise Goodwin, Brandon Kaufman.
    Tight end: Chris Gragg.
    Running backs: Zach Brown, Kendall Gaskins, Drew Smith.
    Offensive linemen: Zack Chibane, Ryan Turnley, Hutch Eckerson.
    Defensive backs: Duke Williams, Jonathan Meeks, Nickell Robey, Kip Edwards, Jumal Rolle, Jordan Dangerfield, Dominique Ellis.
    Linebackers: Keith Pough, Kiko Alonso, Kourtnei Brown, Brian Smith.
    Defensive linemen: Corbin Bryant, Izaan Cross, Aaron Tipoti. 
    Specialists: Brian Stahovich (punter), Dustin Hopkins (kicker).

By Mark Gaughan

The Buffalo Bills announced the signing of four more draft picks in advance of the start today of a three-day rookie minicamp.

Reaching deals with the team were third-round pick Marquise Goodwin, fourth-rounder Duke Williams, fifth-rounder Jonathan Meeks and sixth-rounder Dustin Hopkins. Goodwin is a receiver from the University of Texas, Williams a safety from the University of Nevada, Meeks a safety from Clemson University and Hopkins a kicker from Florida State. The Bills signed tight end Chris Gragg of Arkansas on Thursday.

Terms of the deals were not disclosed. However, it's expected Goodwin's deal, the largest of the group, will be worth about $2.7 million over four years.

Goodwin is a 5-foot-9, 183-pounder who participated in the long jump at the 2012 Olympic Games and ran a 40-yard dash time of 4.27 seconds, fastest of any player at the NFL Scouting Combine this season. Williams is 5-11, 203 pounds.

Meeks is 6-1, 209. Hopkins, 6-2, 193, was a four-year performer for the Seminoles who set the NCAA career scoring record.

By Mark Gaughan

The Buffalo Bills have signed seventh-round draft pick Chris Gragg, the tight end from the University of Arkansas, the team announced.

Gragg, 6-foot-3 and 244 pounds, is the first of the Bills' eight draft picks to reach a contract agreement. Gragg caught 22 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns as a senior in 2012. As a junior in 2011, he had 41 catches for 518 yards.

Gragg showed his athleticism in pre-draft testing, running the 40-yard dash in 4.50 seconds, fastest among tight ends at the NFL Scouting Combine. He also had the best broad jump (10 feet, 5 inches) and the best vertical jump (37.5 inches) among tight ends in the draft.

The Buffalo Bills' annual Kids Day game will be held Aug. 16 against the Minnesota Vikings at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The team designates one of its two exhibition games each summer as Kids Day. Tickets for children age 14 and under are $15 with an accompanying adult ticket purchase. Tickets for the game go on sale at 10 a.m. May 20 at the Bills ticket office and Ticketmaster. A youth football scrimmage will be held at halftime. There will be youth-themed tailgating events and a prize giveaway at the stadium. Game time is 7 p.m.