By Tim Graham
Doug Whaley was careful Thursday to include the entire front
office when talking about the Buffalo Bills' future.
He spoke about collaborative efforts with president Russ
Brandon, football administration vice president Jim Overdorf, coach Doug
Marrone and the scouting department.
But in an "NFL Total Access" interview, Whaley staked
his claim to the player Buffalo
drafted to be their franchise quarterback.
Continue reading "Doug Whaley won't middle Buffalo's big wager on EJ Manuel" »
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" »
By Tim Graham
Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
Sixteen days ago, Buffalo Bills President Russ Brandon said
"Buddy Nix is our general manager and will be for a long time."
Nix also said his role hadn't changed.
Few people in the know actually believed either of them.
Today, Nix stepped down as GM of the Bills. The move has
been expected since Jan. 1, when Brandon
took over for Ralph Wilson as team president.
No replacement has been named, although it's assumed
40-year-old assistant GM Doug Whaley will be named Nix's replacement soon. The Bills announced in
February that Whaley had signed a contract extension, and the front office has
discussed it has had a plan in place for Whaley.
Continue reading "Buddy Nix steps down as Bills GM; Doug Whaley expected to take over" »
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" »
By Tim Graham
The Buffalo Bills contend the persistent rumors about Buddy
Nix's imminent departure have been inaccurate.
Many insiders expect this draft to be Nix's last as Buffalo's general
manager, that he will step aside for heir apparent Doug Whaley.
After the Bills made their eighth and final draft choice
today, there was no indication a transfer of power would happen any time soon.
Continue reading "Russ Brandon says Buddy Nix will be Bills GM 'for a long time'" »
By Tim Graham
Buffalo Bills President Russ Brandon said he's "not concerned" star safety Jairus Byrd remains unsigned.
But by all appearances the club
is getting ready for life without him just in case.
The Bills today drafted safeties Duke Williams and Jonathan
Meeks in the fourth and fifth rounds.
"Obviously, we will be prepared for whatever
happens," Bills General Manager Buddy Nix said.
Continue reading "Bills 'not concerned' about Jairus Byrd, but preparing anyway" »
By Tim Graham
This has been my issue with the idea of the Buffalo Bills
drafting Ryan Nassib as their supposed quarterback of the future:
If the Bills do that, then they didn't hitch their wagon to
Doug Marrone nearly four months ago; they essentially would have decided in
January the organization's future would hinge on Syracuse's quarterback.
Russ Brandon's legacy as Bills president, the team's
profitability and the chances of steering out of a seemingly never-ending
ditch will depend less on the Marrone hire and more on whomever they draft to
be their franchise quarterback.
Continue reading "A fundamental concern with the Bills drafting Ryan Nassib" »
March 18, 2013 - 10:16 PM
By Mark Gaughan
NFL owners voted today to approve the new lease agreement between the Buffalo Bills, New York State and Erie County.
The Bills, the state and the county reached a memorandum of understanding on a 10-year lease extension in December that will provide for $130 million in renovations to Ralph Wilson Stadium. The owners are convening at the NFL's annual meeting in Phoenix.
"On behalf of Ralph Wilson and the entire Bills organization, we are pleased to announce that NFL ownership today approved the financial terms and conditions of our new lease for, and the renovation of, Ralph Wilson Stadium," said Russ Brandon, Bills president and chief executive officer, in a statement. "This is another important step in the process toward finalizing the related definitive agreements and remaining on schedule to begin the improvements this year. We anticipate the final approval by the Erie County Legislature and the New York State Legislature in the next couple weeks."
Continue reading "NFL owners give blessing to Buffalo Bills lease deal" »
By Tim Graham
If the Buffalo Bills are unwilling or unable to re-sign left
guard Andy Levitre, then there's little reason to get critical of his departure
until we know on whom the club will choose to spend its money.
Buffalo News senior columnist Jerry Sullivan examined Levitre's situation for this morning's paper. The Bills don't have to re-sign Levitre.
From a practical standpoint, however, the Bills would have one more hole to fill without him. They would need
to replace a quality guard who hasn't missed a start since he turned pro in
2009.
NFL.com editor Gregg Rosenthal ranked Levitre the best guard
and ninth-best player at any position in this year's free-agency class.
Continue reading "How easy would it be to replace Andy Levitre?" »
February 28, 2013 - 12:17 PM
By Tim Graham
The Buffalo Bills have an image issue.
You know it. They know it. The NFL community knows it.
The Bills haven't made the playoffs for 13 years. They're ragamuffins on the football landscape. The mainstream media barely notice them. Opposing fans pity them.
The boffo Mario Williams signing notwithstanding, the Bills
still are working on re-establishing legitimacy.
Continue reading "Russ Brandon: Bills 'haven't been relevant for way too long'" »
