Press Coverage

By Mark Gaughan

Former Buffalo Bills fullback Corey McIntyre, whose contract with the team ran out in March, was arrested after an argument in his home and charged with misdemeanor battery, according to police in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

McIntyre, 34, played for the Bills for the past three seasons. He has been on the free-agent market and unsigned since the unrestricted free agency season began two months ago. According to the Port St. Lucie police affidavit, McIntyre was in his bathtub when he got into an argument with a woman in his house about information on his cellphone. When the woman tried to throw the cellphone in the bathtub, McIntyre told police he tried to get out of the tub and pulled on the shower curtain, and the curtain rod struck the woman. The police report says McIntyre chased after the woman and pulled on her shirt, causing it to rip. He was interviewed by police about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. He posted bail at Port St. Lucie County Jail. 

Later Wednesday, it was announced that a benefit McIntyre was supposed to attend Saturday to support a cousin of his has been postponed. Jahwann McIntyre, a Martin County firefighter seriously injured in a Dec. 27 arson, was scheduled to be the beneficiary of a celebrity softball game to be held in Port St. Lucie. Members of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office and the St. Lucie County Fire District were to play against McIntyre and other professional athletes. The arrest was reported today in the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers and ProFootballTalk.com.

By Mark Gaughan

Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone held an hour-long question-and-answer phone conference with season-ticket holders today. Here's what he said about the offensive line in the wake of the loss of starting guard Andy Levitre in free agency.

"I think we have some good young talent there, I really do, guys that really haven’t played quite a bit. I’ve actually been out there working with them. Coach (Pat) Morris lets me get in there, and I’m his assistant working with those guys. So I’m happy with the way they’ve been working. It’s going to be interesting once the pads come on to see them. They’re losing some weight, their foot-speed is picking up."

"Sam Young has done a nice job in our camp right now. I’m happy with him. Chris Scott -- I’d like to see him. I think he’s done some good things. Colin Brown has been out there. So I think we have some flexibility in those positions. That position, more than any other position, they all have to work well together. If they work well together, they’ll be very productive. You’re only as strong as your weakest link when it comes down to line play. I really like Eric Wood in the center. I’ve seen him improve. He’s healthy now. He looks great out there. Cordy Glenn has done a nice job. Erik Pears is coming back. He’s getting healthy for OTAs. (Kraig) Urbik has done a nice job. I think we’re gonna get a lot out of him. I think we can get more out of that group. … I’m really looking for a lot from that group."

Young has been with the Bills the last two years. Brown has been with the team a little more than two seasons. Scott is a 320-pounder who was a fifth-round pick of Pittsburgh's in 2010.

Two other topics of note:

Marrone said he's not a big fan of the Wildcat when it is run without the threat of the pass. He referred to the way defenses contain one-dimensional Wildcat formations.

"Most teams had a couple of checks. They’d have two checks they were going to go to as soon as you presented them with the Wildcat, and they pretty much took away your whole entire running game. So unless you had someone back there who could throw the ball effectively, I didn’t think that over the course of the evolution of the Wildcat, it wasn’t as effective as it was early on. So I’ve struggled a little bit with it. I’d much rather have a quarterback who can hurt you with his arm and hurt you with his feet and have some more misdirection in there."

Marrone said that in general he likes the idea of deferring the choice of receiving the kickoff until the second half when he wins the opening coin toss. However he said there are factors, such as weather and the defensive matchups that affect the decision.

Said Marrone: "I like having the ball at halftime on offense because I think adjustments are big. And I think that’s a big difference. You can win games by how you adjust not just at halftime but how you adjust during the game on the sideline."

The Bills have the full audio of the session on their website.

By Mark Gaughan

Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams is suing his former fiancee in order to get back a $785,000 engagement ring, according to court documents in Texas.

Attorneys for Williams filed a lawsuit Friday against Erin Marzouki, his former fiancee, in Harris County, Texas, state district court.

Marzouki appeared with Williams in Orchard Park the day he signed his $100 million contract with the Bills in March 2012.

Sought in the suit is the return of a 10.04 carat diamond ring. The attorneys are asking the court to obtain the ring from Marzouki and hold it until the suit is resolved, according to the petition to the court. Several Houston media outlets reported the suit earlier today.

The lawsuit contends that Marzouki “unilaterally terminated” the engagement on Jan. 21, 2013, and has refused Williams’ request to return the diamond engagement ring, which she had promised to do if the engagement ended. The petition also contends she never intended to marry Williams and used the relationship as a means to acquire money and gifts.

The petition further states that Williams provided Marzouki with an American Express credit card to use to pay her living expenses, and that she incurred more than $108,000 in charges on it from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2012. He also purchased additional gifts for her worth in excess of $230,000, his lawyers report.

WIlliams' contract with the Bills contained $50 million in guaranteed money. He is entering his second season with the Bills.

In March 2012, Mario Williams brought his fiancee, Erin Marzouki, with him to sign his contract with the Buffalo Bills. Their engagement has since ended, and Williams is suing for the return of a $785,000 engagement ring, according to court documents in Texas. (John Hickey/Buffalo News)

By Mark Gaughan

Buffalo Bills all-time great receiver Andre Reed is pursuing a career in coaching and has been accepted into the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship program.

Reed, 49, retired from the NFL after the 2000 season and has kept a connection to the game via a variety of national broadcasting jobs. In January he served as receivers coach for the Casino Del Sol college all-star game in Tucson, Ariz. He was on the staff of long-time former University of Arizona coach Dick Tomey. That same month he served as a player ambassador, tutoring participants, in the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl in Los Angeles. The Collegiate Bowl is an all-star game that used to be called the Texas vs. Nation Game.

The minority fellowship was created by Walsh, San Francisco’s late Hall of Fame coach, in 1987. Its objective is to use NFL training camps and offseason workout programs to give talented minority coaches opportunities to break into the coaching ranks. Reed, the Bills Wall of Famer and seven-time finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, ranked third in NFL history in catches and fourth in yards at the time of his retirement. The minority fellowship candidates don’t have their team assignments yet for this summer's training camps.

By Mark Gaughan

Buffalo Bills linebacker Arthur Moats has provided $5,000 worth of support to a Buffalo family that lost all of its possessions in a house fire last month, the American Red Cross reports. Moats purchased toys and computers for the family's children, furniture and other necessities. He delivered the gifts at a private dinner catered by One Eyed Jack's restaurant at the administrative headquarters of the American Red Cross serving Erie and Niagara counties. Due to concerns regarding client confidentiality, the organization is keeping the family's identity anonymous.

"This family has been through so much the past few weeks, and it’s my honor to be able to help them get back on their feet," Moats said. "I hope all of Western New York will join me in helping our neighbors in need by making a donation to the American Red Cross."

The family has been receiving assistance from the Red Cross since the fire in early April. Last year 1,046 people in Erie and Niagara counties received food, clothing, shelter and support from the organization after a fire or other disaster.

Moats, meanwhile, also is one of several NFL players designated as a United Way worldwide spokesman. He has supported United Way programs for numerous years and encourages people to volunteer time in their communities.

By Tim Graham

The Buffalo Bills shouldn't have to worry about their place-kicking duties for the next several years, former NFL kicker Michael Husted said.

The Bills used a sixth-round draft choice on Florida State kicker Dustin Hopkins. Husted, a coach and consultant who specializes in grooming young kickers, shared his thoughts on the move with the Press Coverage blog.

Husted liked the Hopkins pick even though it clearly puts veteran Rian Lindell in the Turk's crosshairs.

By Tim Graham

If history is an indicator, then EJ Manuel will have a tough go in the NFL.

Top-notch quarterback metrician Scott Kacsmar has examined what happens after the first one off the draft board is taken outside the top 10 picks -- in other words, the best quarterback of a weak class.

The Buffalo Bills traded back and, with every quarterback available, selected Manuel 16th overall.

Kacsmar's research for BleacherReport.com shows that nine times since 1967 the first quarterback was drafted outside the top 10 but still in the first round.

By Tim Graham

What a novelty it was to see defensive tackle Kyle Williams play fullback in a few of the Buffalo Bills' goal-line situations last year.

New head coach Doug Marrone intends to use his grunts down there on the regular.

"You'll see it when you get down probably to the goal line, short yardage or maybe bringing in a defensive tackle or an offensive lineman or things like that going on," Marrone said at the Bills' post-draft news conference Saturday.

"I look at it as you can only dress so many for that game, how much are you going to get to use at this position or this player and that. So you have to look for the versatility I believe."

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.

By Jay Skurski

For the past four seasons, Luke Tasker and J.C. Tretter have been roommates on the road with the Cornell football team.

They almost got a chance to do the same at the next level.

Tretter was drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft on Saturday by the Green Bay Packers. Tasker went undrafted, but was close to signing as a free agent with the Packers before ultimately deciding to join the San Diego Chargers.