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News Offseason Players

Regarding Marshawn: Let’s Move On

Well, it’s finally over. The Buffalo News is reporting that Marshawn Lynch pled guilty to a minor traffic violation today (read his complete statement here) and now – hopefully – we can get back to Bills football.

From Lynch’s statement, he was unaware that anything actually happened. I’m not sure if this is all lawyer finagling or what (and I still don’t know why this took so long!) but I am really ready to just move on. This is certainly a warning to Lynch and all the other Bills to not do stupid stuff, and maybe just not be out and about at 3:30 in the morning! But, finally, thankfully… it’s over.

Will the team apply any further discipline? Will the league? For a minor traffic violation? I think not. Will Lynch be sued by the victim of the minor traffic violation? Perhaps. (Has he already been? Not sure…) But hopefully this is the end of this off-season saga.

Now, the final business of the off-season is offering Jason Peters a deal that will get him in camp, and offering Lee Evans a contract extension that will keep him in Buffalo beyond this year. Both of those things (in my opinion) must happen.

We are less than a month away from players reporting for training camp! We are only 43 days or so away from the Bills first pre-season game. Only 72 from the first regular season game. The season is fast approaching!

Thanks to today’s plea, hopefully the turmoil is also fast leaving.

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BBR Listeners Business Website Updates

Click and Sign Up to Support BBR

Hey BBR listener/visitor.

I recently reconfigured our pages to include the banner ads at the top. Did you notice? 🙂 They are all services which we (at least, I, Greg) recommend. If you accept our recommendation, and click through the banner and sign up for the service or shop at the store or whatever… you will be supporting BBR. Most of it is small stuff, but some are bigger chunks. So, you get a great service (or perhaps do something you already do, like shop at Amazon?) and BBR gets paid. We fund the show out of our own pockets but this is a way you guys could easily help out!

If you are so inclined, click on a banner of interest and sign up for what they are offering. We’d be very appreciative.

Bills football is just around the corner! Go Bills!!!

Categories
Sports

NFL in Thirty-Seven

NFL FootballI checked my countdown calendar widget today and folks, believe it or not, there are only THIRTY SEVEN DAYS until NFL football begins with the Hall of Fame (pre-season) game!!! 37!!! Whoopeee!! Seriously. Can’t wait.

And the best part? I think my Bills have a very solid team to begin the year! Lots of optimism here in Western New York. Check out what I have been writing in the off-season at our Buffalo Bills Review Articles page.

Bring on NFL football!!!

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BuffaloBills.com News Training Camp

2008 Training Camp Schedule Posted

The Buffalo Bills have posted their 2008 training camp schedule. There are seven of the popular night practices. Practices begin July 25th and run through August 20th. They’ll be held in the BBR Other Guy’s former back yard, Pittsford, NY. It’s quite an experience, and worth the trip to Rochester to be sure!

Here’s the link with the full schedule and details. Football is almost here!!
buffalobills.com/team/TrainingCamp.jsp

Categories
Current Bills News Offseason Players

On The Horizon for Buffalo

Thanks to nearly perfect attendance, and excellent performance in the practices, the OTAs (Optional Team Activities) and the mandatory minicamp have come to a close one day early. Coach Jauron decided to forego the final day of the minicamp, stating both of those reasons.

And indeed, the Bills have had some excellent attendance and performance on the field. The offense has been implementing lots of new looks, and working a lot on red-zone plays. The defense has also been making some stellar plays and trying to keep in “football shape”.

Things are very promising at One Bills Drive!

But then there are the dark clouds.

In the past couple weeks, legal troubles and contract squabbles have darkened the otherwise very positive vibe emanating from the Bills headquarters. You’ve read it here, the Bills have a lot of pieces in place for a very good season in 2008. Unfortunately, at least two players (probably more) have been in the news in the wrong way lately.

Lynch is still being somewhat evasive in his dealings with the authorities regarding the hit-and-run incident involving his vehicle. A grand jury is being assembled. Players are being subpoenaed. It’s just not what a team wants to be in the news for. Not at all.

Jason Peters, the Bills Pro Bowl LT, wants more money. Apparently, though there are 3 years left on his contract, he’d rather make more money right now… so he did not attend any of the OTAs or the mandatory minicamp. He will be fined at least $10,000 by the NFL. Obviously the Bills would like Peters to have joined the team for the OTAs and the minicamp, but most of the players feel he will be fine once he reports to training camp. QB Trent Edwards thinks Peters can just show up for week one of the regular season and pick up where he left off. That might be a stretch.

Not too long ago, rookie WR James Hardy was also in the news in a negative light. He was rumored to have brandished a handgun in an argument with his father. Both deny the incident occurred as alleged. But, the message boards were buzzing, and the “reputation” Hardy already brings to the Bills as a bit of “trouble” was perpetuated, whether the claims were well-founded or not.

All this obviously brings up the question of character. People are beginning to wonder if this Bills team is a squeaky clean as your typical Dick Jauron team. From some appearances, it is not. Lynch and Hardy are expected to be big contributors to the Bills this season, but how can they if they are in trouble with the law? Peters and Evans, two Pro Bowl players, and critical pieces of the Bills offense, are working on re-negotiating contracts. (Evans is doing so much more peaceably, and with some more apparent progress.)

The waters are a bit troubled at One Bills Drive.

Overall, coming off the off-season workouts… the Bills are in good shape. Personally, I believe the Marshawn Lynch event (which is rumored to also involve rookies James Hardy and Steve Johnson, and second year player Christian Gaddis) will eventually go away. The alleged infraction is a misdemeanor, and for first time offenders generally does not carry stiff penalties. Peters will be signed. Evans will be signed.

But are these incidents “signs” of things to come? We can hope not.

Football starts in earnest at the end of next month. We’re only a handful of weeks away now. The pads will be on, football will be in the air. Hopefully it will be a bit “cleaner”, more peaceful air.

Categories
Sports

Hit-N-RunShawn Lynch

Now, I’m not one to make light of others’ misfortunes (usually) but I have to share a funny line regarding Bills RB Marshawn Lynch and his alleged involvement in a recent hit-and-run accident resulting in a minor injury of a pedestrian:

“All his life, he was taught to hit people and keep running. Now it gets him into trouble.”

Thanks, Chi. 🙂