Die Hard Sports Fan

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle John McCargo has played his last game in Buffalo as he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a 4^th round draft pick today at the trade deadline.

McCargo struggled in his 2-plus seasons with the Bills.  The former 1^st round pick played in 25 games with the Bills, amassing 35 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Many will label McCargo as a bust, seeing as the Bills traded up in the 2006 draft to select him in the 1^st round and he did not start one game in his time with the team.  He never played to his potential and was outshined by a 5^th round selection, Kyle Williams, who is currently the Bills starting DT next to Marcus Stroud.  McCargo was also injured frequently and even reported to camp overweight this off-season.

This trade is not going to greatly impact the team seeing as McCargo was barely playing.  It will just give the Bills another draft pick at the end of the year to try to build on an already strong nucleus of young talent.

Unless for some reason you went on and bought a John McCargo jersey, no one in Buffalo is going to be angry with this trade.

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Hello and welcome back to the site Bills fans!  Our Countdown to Kickoff posts have begun.  To start it off, Paul Kasprzak joins us for an interview.  Paul currently blogs about the entire NFL at his site, kasperskorner.speakupwny.com, but he is also a Bills fan.  He was kind enough to take some time away from writing to join us (as always my questions are in bold while the answers given are in normal font).  Here we go!

First I would like to start it off with some NFL news.  Raiders Head Coach Lane Kiffin was fired on Tuesday.  What are your thoughts on this?

Nobodys fault but his own.  For him to think he could get his dad to run the defense is crazy.  It never would have happened if the Raiders pursued it.  The Buccaneers are notorious for not letting coaches go under contract.

I’ll stick with the entire NFL for this question.  Who is the best and worst team so far this season?

Worst team is by far the Saint Louis Rams.  They have a boat load of money tied up into aging stars like Orlando Pace, and Torry Holt.  It is going to be at least five years before they turn it around.

The best is the Bills.  They have won four straight.  They have won with two units that are in the process of some overhauls, and have not gotten the execution down yet.  The offense should be scary by the end of the year, and Trent Edwards stats should blow peoples’ minds away.  The west coast offense is one of the premier offenses in the National Football League.  It gives the quarterback a better chance to succeed by allowing him to get into a rhythm easier with the short passes, which in the second half benefits the running game.  It benefits from the pass, because defenses in the second half are just flat worn out from being on the field so long.

Now we will get to the Bills who are now 4-0, one of only two teams in the NFL who have that record.  What are your thoughts on how the Bills have looked through the 1^st quarter of the season?

They have looked pretty good.  Defensively, they have it together.  The addition of Stroud, thus forcing defensive tackle Kyle Williams to move over, has been huge.  Both of them together are probably one of the best defensive tackle tandems in the league.  The other units I addressed in the previous question.

What have you thought of 2^nd year QB Trent Edwards?

He is without a shadow of a doubt the franchise quarterback of the Bills, and by the end of the year, statistically, will be one of the top five in the league.

How about the coaches?  What are your thoughts on the job Head Coach Dick Jauron, and new offensive coordinator Turk Schonert have done so far this season?

They have done a good job.  The only thing you can complain about is the play calling by the coordinators in the first half of the Saint Louis Rams game.  Not enough blitzes on defense, and too many deep passes on offense.  The deep jump fade was a bad call.  It is an extremely difficult thing to do.  The wide receiver has to find the ball get to the right spot, and then time his jump perfectly, so that he catches it at the peak of his jump.  Personally, I would have waited to call this till Edwards and Hardy perfected the goal line fade.

Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but looking at the Bills schedule where do you see them finishing this season?

Somewhere between 11-5 to 13-3.  Every game for the Bills this year is winnable if the defense keeps performing the way it has.

Now let’s get into the game on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.  How big of a factor do you thing CB Terrence McGee being out of the lineup will have on the Bills defense?

Not much at all.  Most likely the Cardinals will be with out wide receiver Anquan Boldin, and in the offseason they lost their third wide receiver Bryant Johnson to free agency.  Even without McGee they should be fine, and the Kurt Warner of old finally reared its head again.

What are your “keys to the game” in order for the Bills to pull off a victory?

Simple, minimize their mistakes.  They are talented enough that if they execute the plays they were designed they can beat any team. 

Now I have to ask you for a prediction.  Who do you have winning this one?
The Bills.  Kurt Warner is unreliable, and is a turnover machine.  Without Boldin the defense will load up against the run, and force Warner to try and beat the Bills with a double teamed Larry Fitzgerald.

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1st Quarter

A hot day in Jacksonville and that is how the Bills started.  They got the ball to start the game and on their first drive the offense was clicking.  First down after first down for the Bills on mostly short passes and runs.  They held onto the ball for 7 minutes and they eventually punched it into the end zone on an 11-yard TD run by Marshawn Lynch.  The extra point by Rian Lindell was good and the Bills jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead.

While the Bills looked strong, the Jaguars offense looked shaky coming out of the gate.  After two runs, the Jags had to face a 3^rd and 7 from their own 28.  Aston Youboty came on a corner blitz and sacked QB David Garrard for a loss of 10.  3 and out for the Jags on their first series.

The Bills then went 3 and out (on 1^st down there was a holding call on Buffalo) on their next series.

With 3:08 left in the 1^st quarter, Jacksonville started to drive down the field.  They got to the Buffalo 16 before time ran out.

End of the 1^st, Buffalo leads 7-0.

2nd Quarter

The Jags started off the quarter right where they ended in the 1^st at the Bills 16.  A short pass, run and incomplete pass followed so Jacksonville had to settle for a 28 yard field goal by kicker Josh Scobee.  Jaguars still down, 7-3.

The Bills then went on another long drive, that tired out Jacksonville’s defense.  The standout play of this drive was a 33 yard catch and run by QB Trent Edwards to RB Fred Jackson on 3^rd and 1.  The drive would stall out at the end, so the Bills settled for a 21-yard FG by Lindell.  Bills add to their lead, it’s now 10-3. 

The rest of the quarter was run a few plays then punt until Garrard started to lead his team down the field on a 2 minute drill.  With 14 seconds left, instead of just taking the chip shot field goal, Jacksonville was going for the touchdown to tie the game.  Garrard dropped back and threw what was suppose to be a fade pattern to WR Mike Walker.  The problem with the throw was that the ball was throw on a line to the front of the endzone instead of a high ball to the back corner.  Bills CB Terrence McGee read the play perfectly and picked it off to end the threat.

Bills would knell the ball and let the clock run out.  They would go into the tunnel at halftime with a 10-3 lead.

3rd Quarter

Jacksonville got the ball to start the 2^nd half and their drive looked very similar to the Bills 1^st drive of the game.  A good mix of run and pass led to a Maurice Jones-Drew 2 yard touchdown run.  Jags tie the game up at 10 after the extra point is knocked through. 

The Jags then pulled a quick one on the Bills.  On the following kickoff they kicked an outside kick that they recovered.  They then took advantage of the good field postion and went on another drive.  It eventually stalled out though so after 6 plays and a little more than 3 minutes off the clock, Scobee put another field goal right through the uprights, this time from 50 yards out.  Jags now have their first lead of the game, 13-3.

Similar to the end of the 1^st, the end of the 3^rd ended with another Jags drive.   The quarter ended with the Jaguars threatening again at the Bills 25, this time with a 13-10 lead

4th Quarter

Again, Jacksonville could not get it into the end zone.  The drive ended with another FG by Scobee from 39 yards.  Jags add some more to their lead, 16-10.

The Bills showed that they were still calm and in control of this game.  They didn’t try to force it down the field.  After the Jags latest field goal they go 7 plays and then punt.

This was the drive that Jacksonville could put the game away with.  Instead they give it right back to the Bills after running just 4 plays, and a little more than 2 minutes off the clock.

Bills get the ball back and drive it down the field.  It was set up by a great punt return by Roscoe Parrish.  The game changing play of this drive and possibly the entire game was on 3^rd and 6 from Jacksonville’s 44 yard line.  Edwards dropped back, stepped up in the pocket to avoid the rush and fired a rocket to Lee Evans for a 37 yard game.  On the very next play the Bills come out in trips, 3 WRs to the right side of the field.  Second round pick James Hardy ran a route to the corner of the end zone.  Edwards rolled out and threw the ball high in the air to where only Hardy could get to it.  He got both feet in for a Bills touchdown.  After the extra point the Bills now lead again, 17-16. 

Jacksonville could do nothing on their next drive.  Two incompletions by Garrard and then DT Kyle Williams broke through the O-line and sacked Garrard for a loss of 10 yards.

The Bills ran close to 3 minutes off the clock, and Lindell put a 45 yard field goal dead center.  Bills now lead 20-16, forcing the Jags to go for the end zone.

The Jags gave it their all but with only 29 seconds left and over 70 yards to go it was highly unlikely.  Garrard did complete a pass to WR Matt Jones but then he latteraled it forwards which ran 10 seconds off the clock and ended the game. 

Bills win 20-16.

The NFL.com Gamecenter: Post Game is attached.

BILLS Wrap Up

Trent Edwards finished the day 20 for 25 with 239 yards and a TD (no INTs)

Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson went for a combined 76 yards on the ground.  Lynch went for 59 and 1 TD on 19 carries while Jackson got 17 yards on 6 attempts.

Lee Evans had another strong game with 4 catches and 77 yards.  Josh Reed also caught 4 balls for 36 yards.  James Hardy caught his first NFL TD on a 7 yard catch.  He also had one other reception in this one, for a total of 12 yards.  RB Fred Jackson led the day for receiving though with 7 catches for 83 yards.  Lynch had one catch for 8 yards.

Kicker Rian Lindell went 2 for 2 today on field goal attempts.

Terrence McGee had another INT for the Bills today, his 2^nd of the year.  He also led the team with 7 tackles.

LB Paul Poz and S Donte Whitner each had 6 tackles.

Williams and Youboty had 1 sack apiece. 

This is the first time the Bills are 2-0 since 2003.

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The Buffalo Bills will face the Jacksonville Jaguars tomorrow afternoon one the road at Alltel Stadium.

TV & Radio Info:

Game: Buffalo Bills (1-0) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)
TV: CBS (Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker)
Radio: 97 Rock (Buffalo), 103.3 The EDGE (Buffalo), WHAM 1180 AM (Rochester), WNSS 1260 AM (Syracuse), FAN 590 AM (Toronto). All done by John Murphy, Mark Kelso and Paul Peck.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

Game Notes:

• Marcus Stroud returns to his old team after they traded him in the off-season. He will come back with a chip on his shoulder. Look for a big game coming from #99.
• Last season the Bills scored a franchise-record low 20 offensive touchdowns. Of those 20 TDs, only 5 came on the road.
• Pro bowl left tackle Jason Peters has been activated for tomorrow’s game. It will be his first start of the 2008 regular season after he missed the first game, all of the preseason and all of training camp due to a contract holdout.
• Head Coach Dick Jauron was named the NFL’s coach of the week for week 1 for the Bills 34-10 performance against the Seattle Seahawks.
• Bills have beaten the Jaguars 4 of the last 6 times and lead the overall series 4-3. However the Jags got the best of the Bills last season, forcing former starter J.P. Losman into 3 turnovers as the Jags destroyed the Bills 36-14.
• The last time the Bills played on September 14^th (like they are tomorrow), it was 2003. They beat, you guessed it, the Jacksonville Jaguars 38-17.

Injury Report:

Bills - Out of Game: TE Derek Fine (Hand). Probable: WR Roscoe Parrish (Ribs), LB John DiGiorgio (Back), DT John McCargo (Back)

Jaguars- Out of Game: C Brad Meester (Biceps); WR Troy Williamson (Thigh). Questionable: OL Todd Wade (Ankle); WR Jerry Porter (Hamstring); CB Scott Starks (Pectoral). Probable: WR Dennis Northcutt (Back); G Uche Nwaneri (Knee); DT Derek Landri (Quadricep); OT Charles Spencer (Knee); TE Greg Estandia (Knee); FS Reggie Nelson (Hip); WR Matt Jones (Hamstring).

Quotes of the Week:

“Every time I get the ball in my hands, I don’t just think first down. I think touchdown.”

-Buffalo Bills WR and PR Roscoe Parrish

“If you talk to anybody in the league, everybody wants to beat the Patriots, but everybody wants to beat the Patriots with (Brady) playing quarterback, when they are obviously at their best. That’s not a shot at Cassel or anybody else they have. But (Brady’s) probably the best quarterback in the league and you definitely want to beat them when he’s the quarterback.”

-Buffalo Bills DT Kyle Williams

“It’s going to be a homecoming, with a butt whipping. Did I say that right? A homecoming, with a butt whipping. Yeah, yeah, I like that.”

-Jacksonville Jaguars DT John Henderson on Stroud returning to face his old team

Feel free to chat with other Bills fans in the Tag Board in the right column.

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Hello Bills fans.  Marcus Stroud showed us last week what kind of dominant player he can be on our defense.  The Bills have missed a defensive tackle with this ability since Pat Williams left after the 2004 season.  The team tried plugging in guys like Larry Tripplett and Tim Anderson.  This totally backfired as either player was able to get any push up front.  Stroud can dominate a game.  He has the strength to push back offensive lineman and the ability to get to the quarterback.  Stroud had two sacks on Sunday and was a handful for Seattle everytime he was on the field.  If Stroud plays the rest of the season as he did on Sunday, the Bills defense will carry this team to the playoffs.  Guys like Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay, Ryan Denney, Kyle Williams and Spencer Johnson will continue to benefit from the double teams that Stroud draws.  This week Stroud and the Bills face the Jaguars.  The Jaguars are Stroud’s former team and they gave up on him after the 2007 season.  Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio thought that Stroud would never return to his Pro Bowl form.  The team traded him to the Bills for a third and fifth round pick.  Can you say Stroud will have a monster game this weekend?  I can.  Go Bills.  Beat the Jaguars. 

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Who can wait any longer for another Bills game?  I sure can’t so I will start the breakdown of the game, that takes place on Sunday at 1:00 pm (eastern) when the Buffalo Bills visit the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Today’s “Key’s to the Game” will focus on the Jaguars offensive line against the Buffalo Bills defensive line.

Jaguar’s O-Line

The Jaguars offensive line suffered two big losses in their first game of the season.  They lost both of their starting guards, Maurice Williams (out 2+ months with ruptured biceps) and Vince Manuwai (out the season with torn ACL).

They also don’t have a lot of depth in the position either.  Remember, backup Richard Collier is still in a hospital after being shot before the season opener.  Second year man Uche Nwaneri will have a big spot to fill which will be hard for him.  He has only 1 start in his NFL career after getting into 9 games last season, most as a special teams player.  The other backup now starter at guard is nine year vet Tutan Reyes.  A 9-year vet might sound good but Reyes did not play in a single game last year.  The last time he was in a game was in 2006, when he started the first 6 games for the Bills before he was inactive for the last 10.  These two backups will need to perform in this game. 

Left tackle Khalif Barnes will need to step up his game.  He has started 41 games for the Jags over his first 3 seasons with the team.  He is a player up to the task.   

Dennis Norman, the 8 year vet is at the center position for this one.  He is athletic and can play multiple spots on the line. 

Tony Pashos is the teams starting right tackle.  The hardworking, former undrafted free agent started 14 of 15 games with the Jags last season.  He was picked up by Jacksonville before last season in free agency. 

Overall the team really needs to step up its O-line play if they want to contain the Bills rush.  This is a squad that let QB David Garrard get sacked 7 times last week against the Titans.  Jacksonville was only able to gain 33 yards on the ground last week with Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor as the running backs.  I would have to say they are one of the top tandems in the league.  If the run game doesn’t get going look for the Bills to send blitzes from all over the place and make it another long day for Garrard.

Bills D-Line

The defensive ends for the Bills are defiantly one of the best threesomes in the league.  Pro Bowler Aaron Schobel will get his usual good pass rush.  Even when facing one of the best LTs in the game, and even getting double teamed from time to time in last weeks game, Schobel was able to break though and get a sack.  The other two DEs worth mentioning are Ryan Denney and Chris Kelsay.  The Bills go with a rotation so they always have the freshest D-lineman on the field.  Denney also recorded 1 sack last week, and Kelsay had 1 tackle.

The Bills FINALLY have a great DT in Marcus Stroud.  The Bills went out in the off season in a trade with the Jags to get him, and the big man looks to be at full health.  He showed it in last weeks game and will look to stick it to his old team.  Stroud had 7 tackles and 2 sacks and was a force all game.  He made his home in the Seahawks backfield.  Similar to the rotations for DEs, the Bills also sub in fresh DTs.  Kyle Williams had a huge game, Spencer Johnson also looked reliable and former first rounder John McCargo did not have an impact at all as he spent most of the game of the bench.  Stroud and Williams are the top pair for this group.

A solid line all around.  Stroud and Schobel will have to be accounted for the entire game, leaving room for the others to make plays.  If they can repeat what they did to the ‘Hawks, well watch out Garrard.  This team had 5 sacks in total and only let up 85 yards on the ground, not to mention a mere 10 points!

Winner of this Match up

With the Jags banged up and the Bills coming off such a huge game, I gotta give this one to the Buffalo Bills.

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Wow.  That’s how I can sum up such a great game by the Buffalo Bills in this one.  It was an all-around team effort.  The special teams play was amazing.  The defense played very well too and the offense stepped up when needed.  In this article I will break down all of it, give out the game ball, top plays, and even cover some of the other top stories in the NFL and of course will give my opinions on all of those too.  First though I will start with the Bills vs. Seahawks game, with my thoughts on everything.

THINGS THAT WERE GREAT

• Special Teams: How could I write an article on the Bills and not talk about their special teams. Terrence McGee, on his only return of the game, went 27 yards to set up the Bills in good field position. Roscoe Parrish had the highlight reel return, 63 yards for a touchdown. He was great all day setting a Bills record for return yards. Parrish had 120 yards on 6 returns. That’s good for a 20.0 average! Rian Lindell went 2 for 3 on field goal attempts. On his only missed attempt, it was blocked which was the only downside to an incredible game from the special teams. Also, not only did punter/holder Brain Moorman throw for a 19 yard TD, he also averaged over 40 yards a punt, with 9 of them in this one. His great kicks pinned the Seahawks deep in their territory, which made it difficult for them to sustain drives. 46.6 yards a punt is amazing! That stat in this game will be overlooked due to the other great plays.
• Defense: So they couldn’t get a shutout but man did this group look great. The linebackers stepped up and Keith Ellison played a very good game (couldn’t even tell Angelo Crowell was gone which is incredible). The D-line was great and the coverage by the secondary was also very good. Just got beat on one TD play (should have been another one if the Seahawks could catch) and even that one was played decent by Jabari Greer. Newcomers played GREAT!
• NEWCOMERS: Welcome to the squad Marcus Stroud and Kawika Mitchell. Stroud was a force all day and made his home in the Seahawks backfield. The big tackle also let the linebackers run free. Mitchell was great, and looked like he was everywhere on the field. He recorded a great sack on a two player A gap blitz. Even though he was on the team last year, I still consider Paul Poz a newcomer also. He also looked good. Even with Crowell out for the year, the Bills LB core looked solid.
• Kirk Chambers: Jason who? For a guy who never started a game at RT (and only one at LT) in his entire career he looked great. Kept one of the best DEs in the game off of Edwards. Really placed very well, especially because the Bills left him 1-on-1 most of the game. Will provide great depth with Peters back in the mix.
• Running game: In total the Bills rushed 29 times for 106 yards and a TD. Pretty good numbers for a good squad with Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson.
• 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th Quarter Edwards: Trent Edwards struggled coming in to the game but shook off the rust to finish with a good performance. 19 for 30, 215 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTS. That will get the job done on most weeks.
• Kyle Williams: 1.5 sacks and stopped the run all game. Enough said.

THINGS THAT NEED WORK

• Kick Coverage:  Bills coverage teams did not look well at all.  Averaged 26.5 yards on kickoffs and 18 yards on punts.  Needs to improve.  Really the only bad note for a great game.

GAMEBALL

• Coaching Staff:  Sorry Mitchell, Stroud and Parrish but the Bills coaching staff was on fire this game.  Of course Bobby Aprils special teams played well and he was behind the fake FG for a TD call.  New Bills coordinator Turk Schonert opened up the offense.  Didn’t get into trick plays but got the ball to his playmakers.  The O wasn’t predictable and went to step on the ‘Hawks throat with the Trent play action TD pass, something that wouldn’t have happened a year ago.  Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell also did his job excellent.  He sent blitz all day that bottled up Seattle’s running game and also his secondary was great.  Hats off to all of the coaches involved in this one.

GRADING THE BILLS

• Running Game: B

      Lynch stepped up when needed including TD run in 1^st quarter.

• Passing Game: B+

            Not off the chart numbers but good enough to win the game.  Edwards managed the game well and did not turn the ball over.  Also made some good check offs.

• Run D: A

            Stroud, Kyle Williams and the rest of the line stood out while holding the Seahawks to 85 yards on the ground. 

• Pass D: A

            Pass rush was very good and secondary played well.  Got beat on just one play and also McGee was able to finally get his hand on the football in the 4^th quarter with an INT to seal the game.

• Special Teams: A+

            Two special team TDs, and good punting.  Hey even the bad kick coverage can’t bring this grade down.

• Coaching: A+

            Not only do they get the game ball but an A+ too.  Wow if only the Bills coaching staff cared about this blog…

TOP PLAYS

• Like the top plays for the Bills were even hard to pick.  Very easy to decide these two.  The Fake Field Goal for the TD (Moorman to Denney for 19 yards) and the Parrish return.

NO HUDDLE OFFENSE

This is the first time I am writing this so my no huddle offense is a quick rundown of the top stories of the week, and my thoughts on them.

• Tom Brady placed on IR.  He torn his ACL and as a Bills fan I am happy (does that make me wrong in the head or something).  Now the Pats are without their leader and best player.  I think anyone that they bring in will not come anywhere close.   Knock on wood but I think the Bills will have a good chance to take a run at the AFC East crown.
• Vince Young also is hurt.  Out for 2-4 weeks.  Titans still win their game and lets be honest, Young wasn’t very good anyways.  
• Brett Favre wins his first game as a Jet.  Also makes a Brett Favre throw.  Just threw the ball up in the air and the Jets came down with the TD.  
• Aaron Rodgers also wins his first game with the Packers as a starting QB.  Take that Brett!  Like the comparisons between the two continue.
• AFC GIANTS STRUGGLE:  Chargers lost to Carolina, Colts lost to Bears.  The AFC Giants struggled this week with only the Steelers picking up a win.
• NFC GIANTS DO FINE:  The defending Superbowl champs win their first game and the Cowboys take care of business against the Browns.

Can’t wait for Week 2 to begin already!  Let’s go BUFFALO!  Enjoy some Monday Night Football.

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Hello Bills fans.  I came across this article on sportingnews.com that analyzes the Bills from a fantasy football prospective.  The article basically states that the Bills will open up the offense more under new coordinator Turk Schonert.  Marshawn Lynch will also be given more responsibility in the passing game.  Trent Edwards will be relied upon to take this team to the next level.  The Bills brass has a lot of faith as do I in Trent.  I feel that he has the brains and the tools to help this team get back to the playoffs.  I also feel with the additions of Marcus Stroud and Kawika Mitchell, our defense can dominate especially at stopping the run.  A healthy Stroud means linebackers Paul Posluszny and Angelo Crowell flowing to the ball untouched.  Stroud will be doubled team which will also free up either John McCargo, Kyle Williams or Spencer Johnson.  This team is going to suprise many and I can’t wait for September 7th.  Go Bills. 

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Hello Bills fans. It has been reported by Adam Schefter of NFL Network that the Bills have signed defensive tackle Kyle Williams to an extension. It is said to be a three-year 14.5 million extension through 2012. This to me is a great signing because Williams is a tough nosed player that is getting better each year. The Bills are starting to sign their young talent so they can keep the majority of this team together. Congrats Kyle. Go Bills.

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