Too uppity for Gruden's liking. The Oakland Raiders released punter Marquette King on Friday. King, a one-time All-Pro, had signed a five-year extension in the 2016 offseason. The team cleared $2.9 million in cap space by releasing him, but it sounded like this move wasn’t completely for salary reasons. According to reports, new head coach Jon Gruden wasn’t a fan.
But people in the building and King’s teammates were not too surprised at his being released. The flamboyant social media star was perceived as hard to handle and teammates looked at him differently after a 2017 Pro Bowl tweet that showed him having his chain playfully tugged by then-Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib.
Summer of 89, a tad north of Detroit. Some friends and I were getting primed for a concert: Sugarcubes, New Order and Public Image Ltd (the real reason to be there). New Order’s singer was ill and never left Chicago so the show was postponed. We were getting fucked up on this auxiliary road (back road) that led to the amphitheater when a big white RV comes barreling towards us. I start the car and position it to block the RV (it looks like “someone” could be in there). The RV stops, revs and then hits the horn. We’re yelling, jumping about and being young drunk asses. Then a window slides open and a head with bright orange hair pops out. Its John Lydon (Rotten). He gives us the “UK bollocks” sign and yells, “Piss off!”. We fucking lost it. We celebrated being insulted by Johnny Rotten and hurled our beers at the RV. After more horn blarings and a few more minutes of asinine antics, I moved the car and the RV sped off towards the freeway entrance.
The Buffalo Bills are On Deck, and there are very spirited debates occurring in the Bills' war room. Since there's only one person in that room I guess that makes me schizophrenic. Regardless of my mental stability, is anyone interested in trading up to 6-13?
One last look at this mock removed they guy I was going to take. Some bastard beat me to him! It's apeshit in this place!; I gotta get out. The Buffalo Bills use their final pick in the 2018 draft to select Folorunso Fatukasi, DT, Connecticut. The Bills remain open for business and can offer players or future picks for low round picks this year.
I play football mocks differently than many here. I have no football-related intellectual capital to instruct or educate. Rather, I'm here to learn and to have fun. Having achieved both of those objectives, I'd like to hear comments about the Bills draft: 1-6 Josh Allen, QB - Wyoming 2-24 (56) Martinus Rankins, OT - Mississippi State 3-1 (65) Darius Leonard, LB - S. Carolina St. 3-13 (77) Anthony Averett, CB - Alabama 3-36 (100) Auden Tate, WR - Florida State 4-4 (104) J.C. Jackson, CB - Maryland 4-27 (127) Sean Walsh, G/C - Iowa 5-27 (164) Justin Jones, DT - NC State 5-29 (166) Akrum Wadley, RB - Iowa 6-13 (187) Folurunso Fatukasi, DT - Connecticut The Bills had 6 picks in the first three rounds going in. Moving both first to get the QB seemed an imperitive - and it also likely reflects reality on 4/26. Otherwise, I was focused on developing depth for a team that should be improved over last season.
From my perspective the only thing the Bills have to do this offseason is find a QB of the future. You did what you have to do and got the kid with the biggest arm for those harsh Buffalo winters. I considered this a success by pick #6 and I don't even like Allen's tape.