Dareus Option Picked Up: The Bills have picked up the option on the rookie contract of Marcell Dareus. They had to do it before a May deadline to keep him locked up through the 2015 season. The option is fully guaranteed against injury and pays Dareus $8.06 Million next season unless a long term extension is reached before then. He was the third overall pick in the 2011 draft.
Two Toronto Groups: Adam Benigni of WGRZ-TV reports there are two distinct groups from Toronto who are interested in buying the Bills. The much publicized Jon Bon Jovi group is really led by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and that group reportedly has every intent on moving the team to Toronto if they bought them. The other group is Rogers Communications, this group was responsible for bringing the Bills Toronto series to the city. The report also says there are owners that are intrigued with putting a team in Toronto.
Bills Hire Scout: Two weeks before the draft the Bills added to the scouting department. Gerald Dixon is a new pro scout who spent the last six years as an assistant with The Citadel. He was with the Bills as a player briefly before the 2004 season.
Jills Disband: There may be no Buffalo Jills squad this year as the company that manages the cheerleading squad announced they are ceasing operations until further notice. The move comes as a result of a lawsuit filed by five former Jills saying they were paid less than minimum wage and did many events for free. They also claim they were subject to inappropriate behavior and comments.
Schedule Difficulty: It is very difficult to come up with a schedule and impossible to make everyone happy while dealing with the half a millon possibilities when putting together the 17 week schedule. Tony Bogyo breaks it down and talks about how the Bills didn't get a raw deal from the league office. Complete Story.
Thursday April 24, 2014
Jacobs Family Speaks: Jeremy Jacobs Jr. told the Buffalo News that his family is using all their resources, contacts, and relationships to ensure the Bills stay in Buffalo. He wouldn't rule out his family trying to buy the team but stopped short of saying they would bid on the team. His father owns the Boston Bruins so he would be unable to buy the team but three of his sons including Jacobs Jr. are not part of the Bruins and would be able to buy the team. The family does have some gambling interests that would also be a roadblock if they wanted to buy the team.
Schedule Tidbits: Here are a few more notes regarding the Bills schedule. They close the season with three of four games against solid playoff teams from last year and three of the top QBs in the league. They continue the longest drought in the league without a Monday night game as they have not had one since 2009. They haven't played on Sunday night since 2007. Of course they could get flexed into an NBC primetime game, flex games start in week 5 this year. They only have one home December game and they get a team that is used to that kind of weather with the Packers coming to town. They close the season at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro for the third time in four years. They open in a city they have never won in as they are 0-5 lifetime in Chicago. Schedule Page.
Wednesday April 23, 2014
Bills To Open In Chicago: The NFL Schedule has been released and the Bills will open the season in Chicago on Sept. 7th. They have 13 1:00 starts and their only primetime game is a Thursday night matchup in Miami. They go out West twice in December first going to Denver on Dec. 7th and then going back two weeks later to play in Oakland. The home opener is week 2 against Miami. All cold weather teams come to Buffalo late in the season. The bye comes exactly halfway through the season. Schedule Page.
Marrone Has Cancerous Mole Removed: Late last night Doug Marrone released the following statement, "During a recent doctor's visit, it was discovered that I had a cancerous mole on my skin, which has since been removed. The only follow up required is to have my moles checked every three months and that basically is the end of the story. The recent extraction procedure will have no effect on my ability to coach the team moving forward."
Schedule Release Tonight: Get ready to make your fall plans as the NFL will release the regular schedule tonight at 8pm. Rumors have swirled that the Bills will play the Lions on Thanksgiving and the Packers on a Monday night at the Ralph. Shortly after the schedule is released it will appear on our schedule page and the right side of our homepage.
High Participation In Program: The offseason conditioning program got underway yesterday and Doug Marrone said participation was in the high 90 percent range. He has been in contact with the players that were not there and they are all expected shortly. It is a voluntary program. Newly signed Brandon Spikes was in attendance, something he never did with the Patriots. He said he is pumped to be part of Bills Nation. EJ Manuel said he did everything and he is healthy after offseason knee surgery.
Bills Sign Three: The Bills made a housekeeping move yesterday by officially signing three exclusive rights free agents. They came to terms with WR Chris Hogan, OL Antoine McClain and FB Frank Summers. The three players had to sign since they had no option to play elsewhere.
Tuesday April 22, 2014
Evans Visits: Texas A&M WR Mike Evans is perhaps the biggest pre draft visitor to Orchard Park. He arrived last night for his visit today which coincides with the first day of the team's offseason conditioning program. It is voluntary but just about everyone should be in attendance this week. Doug Marrone will address the media late this morning. Also visiting today are USC OL Marcus Martin and Georgia Southern RB Jerick McKinnon. That brings the total of pre draft visitors to 23 of the alloted 30.
Monday April 21, 2014
Offseason Program Set To Begin: The Bills begin their offseason conditioning program tomorrow. The workouts are voluntary and they will take place four days a week for the next five weeks. The fourth and fifth weeks are wrapped around a three day rookie minicamp from May 17th thru 19th. There will be no on the field workouts the first three weeks with the exception of some passes between quarterbacks and receivers.
Saturday April 19, 2014
Kelly Home: Jim Kelly arrived back in Buffalo this evening and will continue his cancer treatments in Western New York. He still is undergoing radiation five days a week and has two more chemotherapy treatments ahead. He posted a quick video on his wife's instagram where he thanked everyone again for their support and said he would be back. His brother reportedly told the associated press that Kelly still plans on pursuing ownership of the Bills despite his cancer.
Tuesday April 15, 2014
Trump Speculation: Tim Graham of the Buffalo News spoke directly to Donald Trump yesterday who said his interest in the Bills is real and serious. He re-iterated that if he bought the team he would keep them in Buffalo. He admitted part of the reason for that is selfish since it's an hour plane ride from his home in New York City. Trump said he is known for winning bidding wars but did say he will keep his bid for the team in reason and could be outbid by a ridiculous offer. He said he has spoken to Russ Brandon twice and doesn't feel like the owners will hold a grudge from his days as a USFL owner 30 years ago. He also said his casino dealing are not an issue since he only has a small investment in publicly hold casinos that has his name on them. He said he can get rid of those investments very quickly. Another ownership rumor from yesterday, Mike Schopp of WGR reports and Jeff Russo of WKBW confirms that groups interested in buying the team are looking to Thurman Thomas to help with those efforts. He is considered close to Mary Wilson.
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