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East Notes: Kelly, Bills, McCoy, Murray

December 9th, 2015 at 3:03pm CST by Luke Adams

We touched on some Eagles and Bills news items this morning, with a focus on the two teams’ highly-paid running backs. Since then though, those clubs – and running backs – have continued to be hot topics, creating a few headlines throughout the day. So let’s round up the latest out of Philadelphia and Buffalo, as the two East clubs prepare for a big Week 14 matchup.

  • In a conference call today with Buffalo reporters, including Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said it’s a “false assumption” to call him the team’s general manager. “I just have final say over the roster,” Kelly said. While he may not officially hold the GM title, Kelly is clearly the one making personnel decisions in Philadelphia, so his objections seem to be over a matter of semantics.
  • Kelly also said earlier today that he regretted not getting a chance to talk to LeSean McCoy before word of the trade that sent to the running back to Buffalo broke, adding that he’d like to shake McCoy’s hand. Shady wasn’t having any of that though, telling Bills reporters, including Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, that Kelly “can’t shake s—.” McCoy continued: “We’re not enemies. I won’t say anything wrong to him. But there’s nothing for us to talk about, at all.”
  • The Bills‘ offseason acquisition of McCoy was a factor in Tyrod Taylor‘s decision to sign with Buffalo, the quarterback said today, noting that he wanted to be around playmakers (Twitter link via Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News). For his part, Bills head coach Rex Ryan said his team “couldn’t be happier” with the McCoy/Kiko Alonso swap, as Dunne details.
  • While McCoy was making headlines with his comments today, it was Eagles running back DeMarco Murray that was in the news yesterday, following a report that he spoke to team owner Jeffrey Lurie about his unhappiness with his role. According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), Kelly said that Murray has expressed those frustrations to him as well. The head coach also suggested that Murray’s conversation with Lurie was happenstance, though he couldn’t explain how it leaked to ESPN (Twitter link via Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News).

AFC East Notes: Marshall, T. Taylor, Dolphins

December 4th, 2015 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

Outside of the Patriots, no AFC East teams are shoo-ins for the playoffs, but none of the division’s other three clubs are out of the mix quite yet. The Dolphins and Bills will probably have to run the table – or come close to it – to earn postseason berths, so they badly need home wins this weekend against the Ravens and Texans, respectively. Even more interesting will be the battle of New York teams at the Meadowlands, where both the Jets and Giants badly need a win to remain in a comfortable position for a playoff spot.

As we wait to see how the AFC East’s matchups shake out this weekend, let’s round up the latest out of the division….

  • Wide receiver Brandon Marshall has yet to play a full season for the Jets, but he’s enjoying his time in New York, and doesn’t have interest in playing anywhere else before the end of his NFL career, as he tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “Once the Jets say, ‘We don’t need you anymore,’ I’m going to venture off into that world,” Marshall said. “I’m not playing for another team. Four is all I need. It’s too hard to make new friends and relationships and deal with different egos. I don’t like the business already. So I’m not trying to deal with that.” Marshall still has two years left on his contract with the Jets after the 2015 season.
  • Asked if he believes he could be the long-term answer at quarterback for the Bills, Tyrod Taylor deferred to the club’s decision-makers, as Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News details. “It’s up to the management,” Taylor said. “I’ll just continue to approach each and every day the same way. Hard work. Attitude. Continue to keep working.”
  • Having selected DeVante Parker in the first round of the 2015 draft, the Dolphins view the rookie as a building block and an eventual starter, meaning the club can afford to let wide receiver Rishard Matthews walk in free agency this winter, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. Walker thinks there’s only about a 20% chance that Miami re-signs Matthews.

Bills GM On McCoy, Incognito, Ryan

November 23rd, 2015 at 9:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Bills General Manager Doug Whaley hasn’t been heard from much in the 2015 season, but Joe Buscaglia of WKBW got an opportunity to sit down with him prior to Buffalo’s contest against New England. The whole Q&A is worth a read, but here’s a look at the highlights:

Offseason acquisitions Richie Incognito and LeSean McCoy had issues with their previous teams. What led you to believe that they would be such a good fit in Buffalo?

Two things. Just from our ownership, and the whole construction of our organization, we knew that once we got those players in here, they know what’s expected of them, and they’re going to toe the line and be Buffalo Bills not only on the field, but off the field. And I think that’s a credit to the coaching staff, Rex Ryan, and also the Pegulas — just to set up an organization when you come in, you’ve got to buy into what a Buffalo Bills means, again, on and off the field.

The Bills have three starters headed for unrestricted free agency: Incognito, Nigel Bradham, and Cordy Glenn. Will you be able to retain all three?

Well, it’s going to be an organizational determination on who can we keep, and prioritize from top to bottom, of your free agents. And we’re a victim, unfortunately, of our scouting staff and how well — not only on the pro side — of acquiring free agents, but on the college side and our drafting. So, we’ve been drafting everybody. And you can’t keep everybody. That’s just the nature of the business. We’re going to try. We’re going to try our hardest, and we’re going to develop a plan after the season and try to implement it. Again, it’s going to be tough, but we’re going to try our hardest to keep all those guys.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor has one year left on his deal. Will the Bills try and lock him up long-term this offseason?

Again, that’s another thing we’re going to have to talk about in the offseason. It’s a possibility that we’ll try to do that, but again, we’ve got a lot of things to work through in this offseason. It’s going to be a challenging one for us as a staff and an organization, like you said, just because of all the guys we’ve got coming up and the guys you want to lock up long-term. If Tyrod’s the guy, we’ll try to make sure we get him, and be our quarterback for a long, long time. And that’s a good problem to have. All these problems, we’re not complaining about, but they’re good problems.

On talk of not being on the same page as Ryan:

Rex and I, like I said from day one, we can complete each other’s sentences. The best thing about our business now is, when someone throws a report out there, they’re more believed than when you ask me a question and I answer it. If I answer it and say, ‘We’re great,’ people are still going to say, ‘I don’t believe him.’ So, that’s the business we’re in and that’s the business we’ve chosen… I’m fine with that. To answer your question, Rex and I are thick as thieves.

AFC East Notes: Taylor, Edelman, Dolphins

November 23rd, 2015 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

Assuming he plays the entire game against the Patriots tonight, Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor should ensure that he plays at least 50% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps this season, notes Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). And if Taylor meets that 50% threshold this season, it means he could end up spending one less year in Buffalo.

When Taylor signed a three-year contract with the Bills in the offseason, the pact included a clause that allowed it to void after two years if the ex-Raven played at least half of the club’s snaps this season. At the time, with Taylor projected to be a backup, those terms didn’t appear significant, but they certainly do now. Barring an injury tonight, Taylor will now likely be eligible for unrestricted free agency following the 2016 season.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the AFC East….

  • Schefter also examines another notable contract, tweeting that Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman will lose about $47K each week in per-game roster bonuses while his foot injury keeps him out of action. If he misses the rest of the season, Edelman will lose out on about $328K, so the injury is a costly one for both the player and the team.
  • After falling to 4-6 on Sunday, the Dolphins need to start looking ahead to 2016, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. While players and coaches still insist the club is capable of running the table and vying for a playoff spot, the franchise needs to start considering who the head coach will be in 2016, and what personnel changes must be made in the offseason.
  • Dan Campbell‘s performance in relief of Joe Philbin is “obviously enough to earn him a legitimate interview” when the Dolphins hunt for a permanent head coach after the season, says Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. However, Salguero believes Miami needs to target someone with more extensive head coaching experience, identifying Sean Payton and Chuck Pagano as potential candidates, if they’re available.

AFC Notes: McCown, Chargers, Bills

October 25th, 2015 at 8:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the AFC…

  • Browns quarterback Josh McCown wasn’t checked for a concussion until after today’s game, and Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets that the NFL will “review” whether the signal caller’s potential head injury was “handled properly.”
  • Chargers offensive lineman Orlando Franklin was carted off the field during his team’s loss to the Raiders, and Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune believes (via Twitter) the former second-rounder suffered a left leg injury. Franklin didn’t speak following the game, but Gehlken tweets that the lineman could “barely walk.”
  • Furthermore, Gehlken tweets that Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman left the stadium with his right arm in a sling. It’s believed to be a biceps injury, and the writer says the team is worried there’s a possible tear.
  • Bills coach Rex Ryan is confident that Tyrod Taylor will return following the team’s bye, reports Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News (via Twitter). Ryan also said the EJ Manuel would “100 percent” be the Bills backup quarterback.

East Notes: Pats, Bills, JPP

October 18th, 2015 at 12:46pm CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots are again among the league’s most legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and although their slow start to 2014 led some to believe that their dynasty was nearing its end, the fact that they brought home the Lombardi Trophy and have opened 2015 undefeated have silenced those talks. And, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, New England’s window of opportunity won’t be closing anytime soon.

Per La Canfora, there is no significant player on the Patriots’ roster whose contract expires at the end of this season, and the team projects to be at least $8MM under the 2016 salary cap. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski will count just $22MM against the cap, and no one will earn more than $10MM in 2016. That means that the team can supplement its already-talented roster with marquee free agents–something it has not frequently done in the past–and extend their reign of dominance for another few years. La Canfora also notes that, since New England will be without its first-round pick as a result of the DeflateGate scandal, it could look to move Jimmy Garoppolo for a high pick.

Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:

  • Washington and the Jets are squaring off this afternoon, and as Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes, the Jets are looking across the field at two players who could be on their radar in 2016: Kirk Cousins and Robert Griffin III. The future for both players is up in the air, and New York, of couse, could be in the market for a quarterback. Jets head coach Todd Bowles was effusive in his praise for Cousins, but indicated that RGIII would not be a consideration for his club.
  • There were reports this morning that E.J. Manuel could rekindle the Bills‘ quarterback competition with a strong showing today, but Joe Buscaglia of WKBW thinks differently (via Twitter). He notes that Buffalo coaches love Tyrod Taylor and that it would take more than a good performance for the team to even think about moving on from Taylor.
  • La Canfora tweets that the Bills are “very concerned” that wideout Percy Harvin could miss significant time with his latest injury. Harvin has not played a significant role in the team’s offense this year, and this could represent yet another major setback for the once-explosive playmaker.
  • Last Thursday, Sammy Watkins publicly bemoaned his lack of targets in the Bills‘ offense thus far in 2015, and Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com breaks down in detail what targets mean to a wide receiver from a contractual standpoint.
  • Jay Glazer of FOX Sports tweets that Jason Pierre-Paul will report to the Giants this Tuesday so that the team can check in on his progress. Pierre-Paul is hoping to play soon, but as Jordan Raanan of NJ.com writes, there is still doubt that JPP will be cleared.

Bills’ QB Competition To Re-Open?

October 18th, 2015 at 8:37am CST by Rory Parks

E.J .Manuel will get the start under center for the Bills this afternoon as starter Tyrod Taylor nurses a sprained MCL. Despite Taylor’s encouraging start to the season–through four games, he has completed over 70% of his passes for 1,097 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions, and he has added 31 carries for 187 yards and two scores–Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Kevin Patra) reports that the quarterback competition in Buffalo may be re-opened.

In training camp and the preseason, of course, Manuel, the Bills’ former first-round draft pick, lost the starting job to Taylor, who had served as Joe Flacco‘s understudy for four years in Baltimore. Both players performed well, but Taylor was just a bit better, and his preseason success has largely carried over to the regular season. Nonetheless, Rapoport says that Manuel still has several key supporters within the organization, including (potentially) GM Doug Whaley, who drafted the Florida State product. The well-publicized remarks recently made by top wideout Sammy Watkins suggest that Manuel also enjoys at least some locker room support.

As such, Rapoport believes Manuel has a chance to rekindle the quarterback battle with a strong performance today. And, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Manuel’s audition could last even longer, as Taylor’s injury could sideline him for next week’s game as well. But can Manuel actually deliver a strong performance? Manuel has started fourteen games in his career, compiling a 6-8 record, a 58.6% completion rate, and a 78.5 quarterback rating, throwing 16 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. He did develop a rapport with Watkins last season, who has not yet gotten on the same page with Taylor, and as someone who does not even have a full season’s worth of starts under his belt, it is not hard to believe that Manuel’s preseason performance this year could be a sign that he has begun to realize his potential.

Rapoport concedes, though, that it would a surprise if Manuel actually did unseat Taylor at this point in the season. But the door is slightly ajar, and if Manuel thrives this week (and potentially next), the Bills’ seemingly settled quarterback situation could get a lot more interesting.

 

AFC East Notes: Bills, Landry, Dolphins

October 14th, 2015 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

Using his player-values metric, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap writes that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has provided the most 2015 value through the season’s first five weeks, among QBs. While Tyrod Taylor of the Bills ranks just 10th for overall value, he has a cap hit below $1MM, making him even more valuable — no signal-caller has a wider gap so far between his cap charge and his actual value than the ex-Raven, according to Fitzgerald.

Here are a few more items from out of the AFC East:

  • There has been some speculation that, with Taylor hurting, the Bills may regret having traded Matt Cassel. However, head coach Rex Ryan said today that the decision to send the veteran quarterback to Dallas reflected the confidence Buffalo has in Taylor and EJ Manuel. For what it’s worth, Ryan added that there’s no official word yet on Taylor’s availability for Week 6 (Twitter links via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
  • General manager Doug Whaley has supported Manuel throughout his time with the Bills, and the GM also signed off on the Cassel trade, prompting Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) to wonder if Whaley could be the “fall guy” if Manuel is forced into action and struggles.
  • The Dolphins are somewhat concerned with Jarvis Landry‘s repeated conduct issues this year, according to Cole (video link). New head coach Dan Campbell will be tasked with improving Landry’s focus, after the wideout got into a fight during practice with ex-Dolphin LaMichael James and was fined $23K+ for berating an official.
  • Appearing on 790 The Ticket on Tuesday, Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum denied that he wanted to fire Joe Philbin and hire Dan Quinn after he was hired last winter, as Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald details. “I knew Coach Philbin was on the precipice of being announced with a long-term extension,” Tannenbaum said. “I knew about it and supported it at the time. I was offered the job with one set of circumstances, which was to work with [GM] Dennis Hickey and Joe Philbin.”

East Notes: Bills, Taylor, Fells, Jets, Dolphins

October 13th, 2015 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bills signed quarterback Josh Johnson earlier today for depth purposes, but before they did, they looked into re-signing Matt Simms, who was with the team in camp, says Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter links). Simms, who knows the Bills’ playbook, would’ve been Buffalo’s preferred option, but he’s currently on the Falcons’ practice squad and thinks he has a better future in Atlanta, so he turned down the opportunity, says Carucci.

Why did the Bills need another quarterback in the first place? Carucci (Twitter link) hears that Tyrod Taylor is “hurt pretty bad,” noting that the team considered the passport status of potential QB additions, in advance of a Week 7 trip to London. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), Taylor could miss multiple games due to a sprained MCL, which figures to open the door for EJ Manuel to start.

As the Bills wonder whether they should have kept Matt Cassel, let’s check in on several other items from out of the NFL’s East divisions….

  • Doctors treating Giants tight end Daniel Fells for his MRSA infection are increasinly more optimistic that Fells won’t lose his foot, sources tell Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. Fells remains hospitalized, and multiple reports have indicated that his NFL career is likely over, but it sounds as if a combination of surgical procedures and antibiotics have improved his outlook over the last few days.
  • The Jets almost certainly won’t be able to extend both Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson, and “every indication” is that the team would prefer to lock up Richardson if he stays out of further trouble, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
  • Multiple people around the NFL that have spoken to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) suspect the Dolphins will pursue a high-profile head coach for the permanent job after the season. Cole identifies Mike Shanahan as one notable potential target for Miami.
  • Former 49ers and Dolphins running back LaMichael James – who now goes by LaMike James – is working out on Wednesday for the Cowboys, tweets Ross Jones of FOX Sports.

Bills Notes: Enemkpali, Taylor, Gray, McCoy

October 5th, 2015 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we identified several notable players returning from four-game suspensions who could be active for their respective teams in Week 5. One player we didn’t mention? Bills edge defender IK Enemkpali, who may qualify more as “notorious” than “notable.”

Enemkpali, who was picked up by the Bills after the Jets cut him for punching Geno Smith, was briefly moved to Buffalo’s 53-man roster so that the team could store him on its reserve/suspended list while he served his four-game ban. Now that he’s eligible to return, it’ll be interesting to see whether the Bills put him on the 53-man roster or cut him and try to get him back on their practice squad, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com details.

For now, the Bills will have a roster exemption for Enemkpali, and won’t have to make an immediate decision. As the team decides what to do with the young defensive end, let’s check in on some other Bills-related items….

  • While Tyrod Taylor‘s base salary for this season is just $750K, he could earn up to another $3MM in playing-time and performance incentives if the Bills make the postseason, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. According to Rapoport, Taylor chose the Bills’ offer over one from the Broncos during the offseason, and was hoping he’d get one from the Eagles, but Philadelphia chose not to pursue him.
  • Bills head coach Rex Ryan said today that tight end MarQueis Gray may have a broken bone in his forearm, which would sideline him for a while, tweets Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News. We’ll see what Buffalo decides to do with Gray, if anything, after the club gets an official diagnosis.
  • Speaking of injuries, a weekend report indicated that running back LeSean McCoy would miss three to four weeks due to his hamstring issue. However, a source tells Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link) that McCoy’s recovery timetable isn’t set in stone: “[Hamstrings] are tricky. Could be less, could be more.”
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