By Jay Skurski
Bills receiver Stevie Johnson doesn't sound overly concerned about it, but is frustrated that a strained lower back has kept him from participating in the team's first three days of organized team activities.
"It's just frustrating seeing the guys run around, but it's
getting better," Johnson said today after practice. "I guess this is just a timing thing. I'm just doing everything
that they're telling me to, doing the weight room stuff. Of course inside the
playbook. Whenever they give me the green light, I'll be ready to go."
Entering his sixth season, Johnson is the second-most experienced receiver on the roster behind Brad Smith. That makes him one of the veteran leaders in a receiver room filled with young players.
Continue reading "Stevie Johnson eager to start building chemistry with his QBs" »
By Tim Graham
In the three years Buddy Nix was general manager, the Buffalo
Bills significantly enhanced their depth at almost every position.
The club didn't scrimp on backups as much. Gone were a bunch
of special-teamers who couldn't play a regular position.
The results, though, didn't reflect the added talent.
Under new guidance, the Bills have decided to start over
while trying to focus on young talent that could turn into something later.
They've gotten rid of veteran starters and are willing to take a chance on
inexperienced players hopefully on the make.
Look up and down the roster, and you will see a lot of
positions that are dependant on emerging youth.
In Tuesday's video report from One Bills Drive, we glimpsed how capricious
the team is at wide receiver behind Stevie Johnson. In this morning's paper, Mark Gaughan wrote about Buffalo's youth at cornerback.
With that in mind, I want to ask who you think the most
indispensible Bills player is for 2013.
Which player's absence would provide
the most trouble for the team's success?
If you click the "Other" option, please take a
moment and jot the name of the player you'd vote for in the comments section below.
By Tim Graham
Two months ago at the NFL scouting combine, Da'Rick Rogers said he didn't care when he got drafted.
The former Tennessee receiver knew his pockmarked past would damage his draft stock.
"It's no big deal to me," Rogers said in Indianapolis. "Just getting my foot in the door is
a blessing. All I can do is go in and work hard and get my opportunity."
Rogers didn't get drafted, but he quickly agreed to a free-agent deal with the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night, a team source confirmed.
The Bills are taking a low-risk, high-reward chance
with Rogers. He can play. The problem is poor off-field judgement that raised red flags.
The Buffalo News also has confirmed Washington
State quarterback Jeff Tuel, Eastern Washington receiver Brandon Kaufman, Howard
linebacker Keith Pough and USC cornerback Nickell Robey will be among the Bills'
initial crop of undrafted rookies.
Rogers,
though, is the headliner. He might be the NFL's most significant undrafted
rookie of 2013.
Continue reading "Da'Rick Rogers will control whether he's a player or a flop" »
April 28, 2013 - 12:47 PM
By Tim Graham
This just in from the Unnecessary Added Expectations
Department ...
The Buffalo Bills probably have two of the top preseason
candidates for 2013 offensive rookie of the year: quarterback EJ Manuel and
receiver Robert Woods.
Since the award's inception in 1967, a quarterback, running
back or wide receiver has won the award every year. This year's draft was heavy
on offensive linemen and feather-light on quarterbacks and running backs in the
early rounds.
Continue reading "Bills draft picks could be legit Rookie of the Year candidates" »
April 26, 2013 - 10:36 PM
By Tim Graham
Whether or not they can score touchdowns on a consistent
basis is unknown, but if a track meet ever breaks out at Ralph Wilson Stadium,
you can expect the Buffalo Bills to win some medals.
For the second year in a row, the Bills drafted a smallish
track-and-field receiver in the third round. They selected Olympic long jumper
Marquise Goodwin from Texas
tonight. They traded up last year to draft North Carolina State
sprinter T.J. Graham.
Goodwin ran the fastest 40-yard dash at this year's NFL
scouting combine, clocking in at 4.27 seconds. It was the second-fastest
combine time since Chris Johnson set the record at 4.24 seconds in
2000.
Continue reading "Bills grab Olympic talent in third round with WR Marquise Goodwin" »
By Tim Graham
Stevie Johnson tried to make a joke on Twitter a couple
weeks ago, when he asked North Korea
to bomb Foxborough, Mass., home of the New England Patriots.
Johnson encountered immediate backlash for the tweet. On
Monday, the annual Patriots Day celebration, his tweet became even more divisive.
Two explosions at the Boston Marathon have killed three bystanders and wounded
around 180 people.
Johnson was no-nonsense when asked for his reaction to the Boston
Marathon explosions.
Continue reading "Solemn Stevie Johnson calls Foxborough bomb tweet 'ironic'" »
By Tim Graham
Buffalo Bills receiver Stevie Johnson already is sidelined.
Johnson sat out the second day of voluntary workouts after
straining his back before Tuesday's opening session under new head coach Doug
Marrone.
"It's kind of wild," Johnson said. "It came
out of a cut during warmups, just a little tweak."
Johnson called the injury "nothing too serious, just
day-to-day." He will have treatment Thursday morning and then determine if he'll participate in the final voluntary workout until organized team activities begin May 13.
Continue reading "Back strain keeps Stevie Johnson out of voluntary workouts" »
By Mark Gaughan
Buffalo Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has made some waves in the Twitterverse with a glib joke aimed at the New England Patriots.
Johnson, paying attention to current world events, posted an indirect message to the North Koreans in the wake of the country's inflammatory nuclear missile talk of the past week.
He followed that with:
That prompted plenty of twitter responses and some offense being taken by Patriots followers. To which Johnson replied:
"i know some of yall took it too serious.. but i have Much Respect for The Pats along with Every other NFL Team. Gonna to be a Great #NFL2013"
And, furthermore, No. 13 tweeted:
Nothing like a litlte Bills-Pats flames being stoked in April ... regardless of the fact the Pats have bested the Bills 18 of the last 19 meetings between September and January.
By Tim Graham
The Miami Dolphins continued to upgrade their offense today.
One of the players they signed apparently wanted to play for
the Buffalo Bills -- but the Bills didn't call.
A source informed me shortly after wide receiver Brandon
Gibson signed a three-year deal with the Dolphins that Gibson wanted to play with
his buddy, Bills receiver Stevie Johnson. The sentiment was mutual, based on what Johnson told the NFL Network about Gibson last week.
But the Bills, said the source, never reached out.
The New York Jets also were interested in signing Gibson and brought him in for a visit, but the Dolphins got him.
NFL.com ranked Gibson the fifth-best receiver available in
this year's free-agency group. The Dolphins signed the No. 1 player on that
list, Mike Wallace, earlier this week and tight end Dustin Keller. The Dolphins
also signed the top available linebacker, Dannell Ellerbe.
Continue reading "Source: Brandon Gibson interested in Bills, but they never called" »
By Tim Graham
Bracket season is upon us. We're about to see them
everywhere because that's what gets crammed down our gullets this time of year.
Just this morning, I determined what to have for breakfast
by assembling a bracket of all available foods in my kitchen. Top-seeded Cocoa
Puffs were upset in the semifinals once I realized there were only crumbs left
in the bottom of the box. That cleared the way for fourth-seeded bagel to take the title.
Also today, EA Sports unveiled its brackets for the Madden NFL 25
cover. Winners will be determined by an online vote.
As an anniversary edition, there are "old-school"
and "new school" brackets. The "old-school" side is
comprised of a retired legend from each team except the Houston Texans. The
"new-school" side proposes one active player from each team.
After two years with wide receiver Stevie Johnson as the
Bills' candidate, running back C.J. Spiller got the nomination.
The choice is an indication of what the NFL's pop-culture community thinks of Spiller's emerging star power.
Spiller is the 13th seed in his regional and will square off
against fourth-seeded Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant in the first round.
Below this post, you can see video clips of what Spiller will look like in the new game.
Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly is the seventh seed in
his regional and will be up against 10th-seeded Denver Broncos running back
Terrell Davis.
Three-quarters of the No. 1 seeds are San Francisco 49ers: Joe Montana, Jerry Rice
and Colin Kaepernick. Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III is the
other.
