After a summer hiatus, Peter King is back for the first of 48 straight weeks of his Monday Morning Quarterback column, and this week’s installment focuses on the Bills, the first NFL team to open training camp this summer. In addition to describing the scene in Pittsford, New York, King also speaks to quarterback E.J. Manuel, who says he “jumped out of [his] chair” when the club drafted Sammy Watkins in May and is looking forward to working with the rookie wideout and the rest of the offense this season.
Here’s more from around the AFC East:
- A league source tells ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio that the Bills franchise is expected to sell for at least $1.1 billion, well above the Forbes valuation of $870MM (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
- After struggling a little on the defensive side of the ball last season, the Patriots restocked their defense this offseason, adding Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, and rookie Dominique Easley, among others. Howard Ulman of The Associated Press takes a look at the changes.
- As Dennis Waszak Jr. details in a piece for The Associated Press, the Jets haven’t really had a franchise quarterback on their roster since the days of Joe Namath. While Geno Smith may not be the likeliest candidate to fill that role, he’s excited about training camp and about trying to hold off free agent signee Michael Vick for the starting job, writes Laura Albanese of Newsday.