NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Fitz was about average and the Bills were average while he was there. The Bills did not have too many putrid seasons over this no post-season stretch. The team has been mired in abject mediocrity.

Their best chance at the playoffs was during Bledsoe's first year in Buffalo. (They beat down the Pats and made SI's cover in week one.) They ripped off a nice win streak and only had to beat PIT in the final game to qualify. (The Steelers had nothing to play for since they'd already clinched their seeding.) The Bills found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory that day.

The Bills have had some QB's; they've had a bunch of average seasons. They have not had a franchise QB.

It's early to say, and the contract reflects this reality. But, the odds are in the Bills favor now that this critical position is in good shape. It's been a long time since I could honestly state that.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/e...z-suffers-rib-fracture-during-preseason-game/

Wentz done for rest of pre-season with a fractured rib.

great! off to a great start!

 

Fuck. Earlier today they said it was nothing and just a bruise. The backup OLine was disgusting. They all are getting their asses ripped by the coaches.

 

Travis Frederick agrees to six-year, $56.4M extension​

The team has agreed to terms with center Travis Frederick on a six-year contract extension that will make him the highest-paid center in the league, NFL Media's Rand Getlin and NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Per Rapoport, the deal is worth $56.4 million ($18.2 million fully guaranteed, $28.2 million in total guarantees), per a source informed of the contract.


Alex Mack of the Falcons held the previous mark at center, signing a five-year, $45 million contract in March.

 

Saturday Scores
IND 19, BUF 18
DAL 24, LAR 28
TEN 27, SD 10
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Sunday Preseason week 1
HOU @ SF 7pm

 

No terms yet but this seems a little early. The Cowboys picked up his option year for 2017 and the Center market has barely moved in the last 5 years...

Kalil 2011 8.2M per season
Pouncey 2014 8.8M per season
Pouncey 2015 8.95M per season
Mack 2016 9M per season

Don't see what the rush was.

 

You gotta remember that in the NFL for most teams, especially the Cowboys, salary is pocket change but the Cap restricts them. The team is set so this year's cap is moot so they can pay him this year. As for next year you rarely see guys play that option year if they are ging to stay with the team beyond that year.

 

Cap dollars carry over. I agree he doesn't play on the option year but now he's not playing on his 1.3M Year 4 either. If he were a skill guy or playmaking DB I could see paying him a year early because he might put up crazy statistics and start looking for 16-18M per season.

But he's a center coming off an All-Pro season. He's reached the pinnacle of his position. What's there to gain by doing it a year early? Maybe there's something I'm not considering.

 

Odds are he wasnt starting any point this season anyways. Yeah it slows down his development but its not the end of the world at least its not a season ender.

 

It never said he was out for the preseason. He could be back late.

 

Bills LB IK Enemkpali tears ACL, out for season​

IK Enemkpali didn't finish the Buffalo Bills' preseason Week 1 tilt against the Colts after suffering a knee injury, and he now he's out for the rest of the season as well.

An MRI confirmed that Enemkpali suffered a torn ACL and will miss the entire season, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning.


The linebacker was carted off the field in the first half of the game. He reportedly twisted his right leg awkwardly while trying to pass rush. Bills coach Rex Ryan described the injury as "major" during halftime of the game broadcast.

Enemkpali was released by the Jets last August after he punched former teammate Geno Smith in the jaw during an argument. The Bills claimed him on waivers within the week.

Enemkpali's injury is the latest setback for a Buffalo linebacker corps that has struggled to stay healthy this offseason. Rookie Reggie Ragland is expected to miss the entire 2016 season with a torn ACL, and it's unclear when first-round pick Shaq Lawson will return to the team after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.

 

Victor Cruz (groin) to be re-evaluated​

Victor Cruz's attempt to reclaim what once made him among the league's best receivers remains in a rut.

After missing the team's first preseason contest with a groin injury and being usurped on the first depth chart by rookie Sterling Shepard, Cruz's fight for his job continues to be an uphill battle. After the receiver returned to practice to participate in individual drills, Giants head coach Ben McAdoo told reporters Sunday that the receiver's groin injury is still noticeably bothering him, and he'll be re-evaluated, per Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post.


After suffering a devastating knee injury in 2014 and a rare calf injury that resulted in surgery in 2015, Cruz is again struggling to get healthy enough to make a difference for the Giants' offense. The exception is trending toward becoming the rule, though Cruz downplayed his latest hurdle last week and instead emphasized he was using past experiences to take it slow this time around.

"No, I kind of get one every camp," Cruz told reporters Tuesday. "It's just whether I play through it or it just times up on an off day or something like that. It's just a little tightness. I just have to get in the training room, ice it up and it'll be all right.

"I'm not frustrated. I just have to listen to my body and make sure I'm going about this the right way. I don't want to ignore something and then have another major setback."

McAdoo added that rookie corner Eli Apple is dealing with a muscle strain.

 

yeah why risk any further damage. it would be nice to see the franchise qb healthy coming into the season. just bad luck.

 

Osweiler underwhelms in debut​

It's just one largely forgettable preseason game, but Houston's Brock Osweiler hardly resembled a $72 million quarterback in Sunday's 24-13 win over the 49ers.

The ex-Broncos passer fell victim to the flaws that occasionally plagued him as a first-time starter last season in Denver, repeatedly throwing short of the sticks and failing to generate points over three drives against San Francisco.


Osweiler finished 4-of-7 passing for just 27 yards and was outplayed by fellow free-agent pickup Lamar Miller, the former Dolphins runner who plowed through the 49ers for 30 yards off four attempts.
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Good luck with Osweiler, but it was just his first preseason game.

 

Cap goes up every year; lock him in earlier (i.e., at a rate lower than what 2017 might have commanded) and you have that much more to pay Zach Martin.

 

Or Johnny Manziel !!! *YAHOO*

 

While I still disagree with your overall premise, if the first preseason game is any indication Dallas might have a viable back-up in Dak Prescott.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/08/14/dez-bryant-dak-prescott-isnt-playing-like-a-rookie/

And LOVED this Q&A with him:

Prescott was asked if he could have had a better start than his 10-of-12, 139-yard, two-touchdown performance after the game.

?Yeah, we could have won,? Prescott said. ?First and foremost, I care about the team and the record at the end of the day. So it sucks to start off with a loss.?

 

Bengals rookie DT Andrew Billings underwent knee surgery today for torn meniscus and is out indefinitely, if not for season.

Saints rookie DT Sheldon Rankins broke his fibula in practice and is expected to miss at least 6 weeks. He could also be put on IR designated to return.