Tag: Buffalo Bills (Page 22 of 32)

Report: Bills’ Marshawn Lynch suspended three games

April 9, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

According to ESPN’s Michael Smith, Bills’ running back Marshawn Lynch has been suspended three games by the NFL for violating the league’s conduct policy.

Lynch was arrested near Los Angeles Feb. 11 and later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge. In searching a parked car carrying Lynch, Culver City police found a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun inside a backpack in the trunk.
Prosecutors said the backpack contained other items belonging to Lynch. Police said they also found four marijuana cigarettes in the car, but no drug charges were filed.
After pleading guilty to having a concealed firearm in a vehicle, Lynch was sentenced last month to 80 hours of community service and three years’ probation. The Bills’ 2007 first-round draft pick also issued an apology.
It was Lynch’s second brush with the law in less than a year. Last June, Lynch pleaded guilty to a traffic violation and admitted driving off after striking a female pedestrian with his car near Buffalo’s downtown bar district May 31.

I don’t want to hear any Bills fans crying foul over this because Lynch hit a woman with his car in May of last year and just freaking left her there. He got a slap on the wrist ($100 fine, plus had his driver’s license and car registration revoked) and nothing else.

He deserves the three game suspension.

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Buffalo Bills Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Lynch rumors Marshawn Lynch suspended Marshawn Lynch suspension

2009 NFL Mock Draft Version 2.0

April 6, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

In my first attempt to project the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft, I predicted the Lions to take Georgia’s Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick, Alabama’s offensive tackle Andre Smith to fall out of the top 15 and I also drummed up a potential swap between the Browns and 49ers so that San Fran could land USC signal caller Mark Sanchez.

But to paraphrase that overactor Nicholas Cage in “The Rock”: Gee, kind of a lot has happened since then. Most notably the Bears sending two first round picks to the Broncos for quarterback Jay Cutler and the Giants’ release of receiver Plaxico Burress.

Here’s my second attempt at projecting the first round of this month’s draft. As always, feel free to criticize in the comments section, but remember that I’m a human – I have feelings, too, damn it. So be gentle.

(Click here to see Mock Draft Version 1.0)

1. Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
Mock 1.0 Projection: Stafford
Nothing in the past couple of weeks has changed my mind about Stafford eventually winding up in Detroit. GM Martin Mayhew reportedly wants to trade this selection because of the financial burden that is bestowed upon having the top overall pick, but other teams don’t want it for the same reason. In the end, Jason Smith (Baylor) and Eugene Monroe (Virginia) are both very good options here, but the Lions were reportedly very impressed with Stafford’s private workout and you know what? They simply need a quarterback.

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T.O.: ‘Jerry Jones went back on his commitment’

March 30, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Terrell Owens is stating that Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones backed out of a commitment he made to keep the receiver in Dallas.

“You hear all the speculation, and you talk to the owner of the team, and he reassures you, you’re not going anywhere and then, out of left-field … you get blindsided,” Owens, 35, said in an interview with Rogers Sportsnet, to be broadcast tomorrow evening.
“I know whole-heartedly he [Jerry Jones] wanted me there,” Owens said. “There were some people I know who got in his ear that pressured him to make that decision. For that, it’s sad. You let two or three people conspire to get me out of the situation.”

T.O. might have a toxic personality and can be the ultimate pain in the ass, but he’s not stupid. I believe Owens when he says Jones backed out of a commitment to keep him a Cowboy and no doubt had pressure from others inside the organization to release him. In some ways, the release of Owens was a surprise considering one week prior, Jones was essentially telling the media that T.O. wasn’t going anywhere. So quite frankly, I don’t blame Owens for feeling blindsided by the whole ordeal, even though everyone knew that his release this offseason was always a possibility.

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Owens skips Bills’ first voluntary workout

March 24, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Terrell Owens was not in attendance for the beginning of the Bills’ offseason workouts, which took place Monday morning.

Owens’ absence was not a big concern for Bills strength and conditioning coach John Allaire.
Stressing that the program is voluntary, Allaire said he was already impressed with the shape Owens was in when the two met shortly before the player signed with the Bills on March 7.
“He’s a physical specimen,” Allaire said. “He has a very good history of being in shape, ready to go. We’re not anticipating anything different this year.”
Having reviewed Owens’ workout program, Allaire said the two are “on the same page” and there isn’t much he needs to address.
Allaire would only say, “we’ll see,” when asked whether he expects Owens to take part in the 12-week conditioning program.

This situation shouldn’t be made into a big deal. As Allaire points out, T.O. is always in phenomenal shape. If this were a player that had previous weight and conditioning issues, then it would be a big deal. But Owens has never showed up to training camp out of shape and I don’t think he’ll do it this year.

But if you want to play devil’s advocate, then yeah, it would have been nice for Owens to show up on his first day and meet his new teammates. We don’t know what other obligations he had, but if they were minor, would it have killed him to show up on the first day and show a little good faith to the team that took a chance on him?

Update: Apparently Owens was absent because he is in D.C. receiving an award for raising awareness about Alzheimer’s Disease. Well done T.O., well done.

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Buffalo Bills T.O. skips workouts Terrell Owens

2009 NFL Mock Draft Version 1.0

March 19, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

It would probably be good for me to do an intro to this piece, but I’m going to skip all the foreplay and just get right to the action. And let’s be honest – you probably wouldn’t have read the intro anyway.

Below is my first mock draft of the year. You can disagree all you want, but just make sure you go into detail in the comments section so I know you care. I hate those bastards that trash my work and don’t have the common courtesy to tell me how much of a moron I am in print…

Let’s mock!

1. Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
Jason Smith (Baylor), Eugene Monroe (Virginia) and Aaron Curry (Wake Forest) are all possibilities for new GM Martin Mayhew with this pick. But the offensive tackle and linebacker positions are deep in this year’s draft – the quarterback position is not. Mayhew can get his franchise quarterback in Stafford, select an offensive tackle at No. 20 and then fill the middle linebacker need in the second or third round. There, I just fixed the 0-16 Detroit Lions in less than 100 words.

2. St. Louis Rams: Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
If Smith goes No. 1 to the Lions, then I fully expect the Rams to take Virginia offensive tackle Eugene Monroe. With the jettison of long-time veteran Orlando Pace this offseason, St. Louis needs to address their need at left tackle and they’ll do so with either Smith or Monroe depending on who’s available. If it’s Smith, then they land one of the most athletic offensive lineman in the draft.

3. Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
The Chiefs could really use a right tackle to pair with last year’s first round pick, Branden Albert, but Curry would be too good to pass up here. GM Scott Pioli put a premium on versatile defenders while he was in New England, and that’s exactly what Curry is. The Wake Forest product could play either outside or inside in a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme and is easily the best defensive prospect in this year’s draft.