Let’s round up a few Wednesday items from around the AFC East….
- Terry Pegula, one of the bidders on the Bills, announced yesterday that his company closed on a $1.75 billion sale of petroleum acreage in West Virginia and Ohio. In a press release, Pegula delivered a rare comment about his financial reserves, writes Tim Graham of The Buffalo News. “Our team truly is a leader in the domestic oil and gas industry,” Pegula said. “Our affiliate companies still retain significant oil and gas assets in Colorado, Wyoming, New York, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. “We are not going away.” It’s probably not a coincidence that Pegula chose to boast about his major transaction in the midst of the bidding process.
- Tom Brady‘s contract often gets mentioned as an example a particularly team-friendly deal for a star quarterback, but in Jason Fitzgerald’s view, Patriots offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer has an even more favorable contract. In his latest piece for Over the Cap, Fitzgerald also identifies Logan Mankins as the player with the worst contract on the Pats.
- Patriots backup quarterback Ryan Mallett has been receiving positive reviews for his performance in camp this summer, but as long as Brady remains healthy and in New England, Mallett isn’t likely to see the field much. As the former third-round pick enters a contract year, he’s not worried about his situation, and is looking forward to seeing regular game action in the preseason, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com. “You can’t control what you can’t control,” Mallett said. “It’s the uncontrollable. You have to deal with it. I was dealt the hand I was dealt, so I’m playing cards.”
- Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald passes along 15 notes and observations from Dolphins training camp. Meanwhile, Bill Barnwell of Grantland takes an in-depth look at Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who is entering a critical year as he attempts to convince the Dolphins that he’s the team’s signal-caller of the future.
Zach Links contributed to this post.