It all came together - getting Dockery to agree to go to Detroit, getting a good idea that the Lions could strike a deal with Dockery, and getting the Bills to work out trade parameters with the Lions - right about the 4 p.m. deadline. The paperwork for pushing back the bonus was filed. Dockery was released.
But on Friday the Bills and Lions found out that the league office deemed that the paperwork either never got approved in time by the league office or never made it in on time by the deadline. It was a race to the finish.
"There is a lot of paperwork involved, and there were a lot of moving parts to get done by 4 p.m.," said Dockery's agent, Todd France.
Was it the Bills' fault that it all didn't come together by the deadline.
"By all means, no," France said.
The Buffalo Bills will release veteran left guard Derrick Dockery today as they prepare for the start of the free-agency shopping season, a league source told The News.
Dockery was the Bills' big free-agent addition in 2007, signing a $7 million a year contract for seven seasons. He wound up playing only two seasons and getting paid about $18.5 million.
A 6-foot-6, 335-pounder, Dockerey had a subpar year in 2008 and was not dominant enough, particularly in pass protection, for the Bills liking.
Meanwhile, the Bills also will release veteran tight end Robert Royal, who spent the past three years with the team.
Dockery, 28, still will count $5.4 million against the Bills' salary cap this year, but that's less than he would have counted if he had stayed on the roster ($5.85 million). By releasing him, the Bills will avoid paying him a $1.75 million roster bonus in the coming weeks.
The NFL's free-agency season begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
Royal, who turns 30 in May, caught 33 passes last season but had just nine catches the second half of the year. The Bills have not had a tight end catch 50 passes in a season since 2001.
The Bills also re-signed fullback and special teamer Corey McIntyre to a two-year contract. He was due to become a free agent.
Both the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills are the top landing spots for Taylor, and he is expected to visit both teams this week.
Taylor, who turned 33 last month, is a former first-round draft pick who is entering free agency for the first time in his career, having spent his first 11 seasons with the Jaguars.Marshawn Lynch's attorney and the lead detective on the case tell 2-On-Your-Side that the Bills running back will be charged with misdemeanor gun possession following his arrest in Culver City, California last week.
Lynch was arrested last Wednesday in Culver City California near Los Angeles.
Detective Ryan Thompson tells 2-On-Your-Side's Adam Benigni that he presented the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney Thursday morning, and that Lynch will be charged with three misdemeanors.
A spokesperson for the DA could not outline the charges, saying the paperwork had yet to be filed and they were not ready release any information. Lynch's attorney M. Gerald Schwartzbach says he believes it to be three misdemeanors all on gun possession. Schwartzbach offered this initial comment:
"I'm not pleased that Marshawn was charged... but if he was going to be charged I'm pleased it's a misdemeanor... I haven't seen a police report or charging documents, but I'm certainly pleased Marshawn wasn't charged with a felony."
The National Football League says it's still waiting for all the facts of the case, and that they will be evaluated "under the NFL's policies."
Lynch could face League discipline for the incident. It's not clear at this point if the NFL will consider him a repeat offender, given the hit and run incident we was involved in last spring in Buffalo.
The Bills have issued a statement declining comment until all the facts are gathered. Head Coach Dick Jauron was asked about the Lynch situation at the NFL combine Thursday morning in Indianapolis.
"Well, you never like to see any Bills names or really an NFL name in the news in regard to those kind of incidents. Marshawn has retained a lawyer and the organization has made a statement."
Earlier in the week, Culver City police captain Dave Tankenson offered details of what led to Lynch's arrest. Takenson said police approached the black Mercedes Lynch and two others were sitting in it was parked suspiciously with the engine running, and that the car didn't have proper license plates.
"They (officers) knocked on the window of the car. Someone unrolled the window. They saw three people in the car and they could smell a strong odor - marijuana coming from the car. They had the occupants exit so they could further investigate to see if there was any marajuana in the car. What they found were four, not marajuana cigarettes - what they call blunts or swisher sweets that appeared to contain marijuana in them," says Tankenson.
Tankenson says neither Lynch nor the other two individuals were charged with possession of marijuana because they could not determine who was smoking, or whom the cigars belonged to.
It was during the subsequent search that police say they found a loaded gun in the car that they determined belonged to Lynch.
Lynch's attorney, M. Gerald Schwartzbach wouldn't comment on specifics, but did says he finds it "unfortunate that some persons have chosen to provide one side of an issue when defense counsel hasn't been provided with any information."
BUFFALO,NY(WIVB) - M. Gerald Schwartzbach, the lawyer that is representing Marshawn Lynch in his recent arrest on a weapons charge in California spoke to News 4 Sports on Monday.
He said Lynch was embarrassed about the arrest, and wants to resolve it quickly.
Schwartzbach, who has represented Lynch in the past said he did not have complete information as he did not see the police report yet. What he did tell News 4 Sports is that he didn't think anyone in the car was doing anything illegal at the time. He went on to say the car, which is owned by Lynch, was not pulled over by police. He did not know why police were searching the vehicle.
"There was no violence or threat of violence" at the time of the arrest, said Schwartzbach. He went on to say "I don't believe police found a firearm on him. I understand one was found in the vehicle that was owned by Marshawn," Schwartzbach said. He also said Lynch does not have a license to carry a firearm.
An April 2nd court date in Los Angeles, California is set for Lynch's case.
Bills | Royal could be released
Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13
42 -0800
Mark Gaughan, of The Buffalo News, reports the Buffalo Bills may release TE Robert Royal this offseason so they can save some salary cap space. The Bills would save $2.23 million if they released Royal.
Bills | McCargo could be released
Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:14:19 -0800
Mark Gaughan, of The Buffalo News, reports the Buffalo Bills may release DT John McCargo this offseason so they can save some salary cap space. The Bills would save $1.83 million if they released McCargo.
Buffalo Bills: LB John
DiGiorgio (restricted), LB Keith Ellison (restricted), S Dustin Fox (restricted), QB Gibran Hamdan (restricted), WR Justin Jenkins (restricted), WR George Wilson (restricted), OL Kirk Chambers, LB Angelo Crowell, OL Melvin Fowler, CB Jabari Greer, LB Teddy Lehman, QB J.P. Losman, RB Corey McIntyre, OL Duke Preston, OL Jason Whittle.Miami Dolphins: S Yeremiah Bell, OL Vernon Carey, LB Channing Crowder, CB Andre’ Goodman, S Renaldo Hill, OL Al Johnson, WR Tab Perry, LB Derek Smith.
New England Patriots: LB Eric Alexander (restricted), OL Wesley Britt (restricted), LB Pierre Woods (restricted), LB Rosevelt Colvin, RB Heath Evans, WR Jabar Gaffney, P Chris Hanson, S Rodney Harrison, OL Russ Hochstein, LB Larry Izzo, RB LaMont Jordan, CB Deltha O’Neal, OL Lonnie Paxton, S James Sanders, CB Lewis Sanders, LB Junior Seau, DT Kenny Smith, OL Barry Stokes, S Tank Williams, DT Mike Wright.
New York Jets: S Abram Elam (restricted), LB Eric Barton, CB Ahmad Carroll, RB Jesse Chatman, K Jay Feely, TE Bubba Franks, CB Ty Law, DT C.J. Mosley, K Mike Nugent, CB Hank Poteat, S J.R. Reed, FB Tony Richardson, LB Cody Spencer.
CULVER CITY, Calif. — Authorities say Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch has been arrested in Southern California on a weapons possession charge.
Culver City police said in a statement Sunday that Lynch was arrested after officers confronted him and two other men in a car and found a loaded firearm in the vehicle.
Lynch was arrested Wednesday for possession of a concealed firearm after officers determined the gun belonged to him. He was released that night on $35,000 bail.
Culver City police did not immediately return a phone message seeking information about why officers first confronted Lynch and his companions.
Lynch's lawyer, M. Gerald Schwartzbach, said his client was not involved in a traffic accident and was in California visiting friends.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres are going to have to make due without top goal-scorer Thomas Vanek.
The NHL team announced Sunday that the winger is expected to be out of the lineup for three to four weeks with a fractured jaw.
Vanek suffered the injury when he took a puck to the face during Saturday's game in Ottawa. He had successful surgery on Sunday.
Vanek is currently third on the NHL's goal list with 32. He also has 20 assists to lead the Sabres with 52 points.
The 25-year-old has only missed one game during his four-year NHL career. He was a healthy scratch in April 2006.
All the Super Bowl dust has settled and it’s time to get serious. Here is my Mock Draft 1.0. Please comment on what you think. I’m not including stats or 40 times because I don’t think they matter that much and the combine has not started yet.
I’m only going up to pick 11, because everyone else after the Bills I could care less about.
1. Detroit Lions: Matt Stafford, QB, Georgia. Sam Bradford is an idiot. I don’t care how bad you want to redeem yourself and win a National Title. It’s not guaranteed. First overall NFL draft pick money is guaranteed. The Lions have to take a QB. Kitna is not the answer. They have the WR’s to make some noise in the bad NFC Norris. Stafford is better than Sanchez and beyond that I’m not too sure if anyone is worth a #1 pick.
2. St. Louis Rams: Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia. The Rams are in trouble. They need a lot of help on both sides of the ball. It wouldn’t surprise me if they took Crabtree because of the success of Larry Fitzgerald and ‘Tonio Holmes. But I think they should take Monroe here. Solidify your Tackle position first. You have a good not great QB and an almost great RB locked up for a few years. Give them more time and the offense will be a lot better than last year. Plus Orlando “Pankcake” Pace is old and injured.
3. Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest. With Pioli running the show, I think they go D here. Curry is a stud and reminds me of a better Jerod Mayo, who Pioli took last year with NE. They do need a QB but I don’t think Mark Sanchez is the answer. Tyler Thigpen didn’t look that bad last year. And let’s face it; a new QB will not take this team to the promise land in 1 year. Wait for 2010 for a guy like McCoy or Bradford. Pioli allegedly found 2 studs in Brady and Cassel in late rounds, so I don’t see him grabbing an unproven QB at the 3 spot.
4. Seattle Seahawks: Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech. This guy is a true gamer. Don’t think so? Look at his game against Texas this year. His route running is good and he has excellent strength and speed after the catch. He can go over the middle because of his size. He reminds me of Calvin Johnson, just without the major hype. The Seahawks have no WR’s really so why not. The defense is decent and Hasselbeck is a good QB. The running game is terrible but there is no RB that good to take this early.
5. Cleveland Browns: Michael Jenkins, CB, THE Ohio State. The Browns secondary is weak. Jenkins is an instant impact guy. The offense will come, if they ever figure out who they want at QB. The WR and TE spot is fine too. Some scouts say he will be converted to a safety because his speed with his back to the ball isn’t that great, but his ball breaking speed is excellent. We will wait and see but he’s got to be a better option than Eric Wright or Brandon McDonald.
6. Cincinnati Bengals: Andre Smith, OT, Alabama. I think it’s obvious that the Bungals need an OT. Since Monroe is off the board it’s got to be Andre Smith. Michael Oher has a rep for a shaky pass block and Jason Smith from Baylor isn’t as good as Andre. I don’t know too much about him other than he played in the SEC for a top 5 team. He’s battle tested and a monster. The Bengals do need to revamp their terrible defense but Stacy Andrews is a free agent and probably won’t resign with them so Smith is a safe pick.
7. Oakland Raiders: Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss. This years draft is loaded with OT’s. Last year Oher was a top 5 pick, but he decided to stay at Ole Miss (God only knows why). The Raiders have Run DMC and a young QB in Russell. If they can get these two college standouts going the Legion of Doom could cause problems in the embarrassing AFC West. Cable is an OL coach so I think Oher is a good choice.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jason Smith, OT, Baylor. Three OT in a row? I know. I don’t like it one bit, but the fact of the matter is the Jag’s OL stinks. Girard led the league in picking himself off the turf last year and his INT’s went up 10 in just one year. The INT’s aren’t his entire fault. He needs more time. Smith gives him that time. The Jag’s spent money last year to vamp up their WR’s. If Smith can create time to get the ball to them, the Jags are a team that could be a force next year. Remember, they beat Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh in 2007 in a wild card game.
9. Green Bay Packers: Everette Brown, OLB/DE, Florida State. I would love for him to be at 11, but I just don’t think he will be. GB is moving to a 3-4 and last year their pass rush was pathetic. All this means is that they need to find another OLB and someone to play outside of DE Aaron Kampman. Brown is their guy. Brown might be a bit small with his hands on the ground but he played DE and LB at FSU which should lead to an easy transition to an OLB in the NFL. He has great speed and is just a beast.
10. San Francisco 49’ers: Mark Sanchez, QB, USC. Let’s face it, Alex Smith was a bust. They need a QB. Shaun Hill, J.T. O’Sullivan and Jamie Martin are not NFL starting QB’s. Sanchez is the next best QB. That took a lot for me to say that. I’m getting sick actually say that. Singletary is a defensive guy but we all know Patrick Willis is a beast, he’s a dog, he’s a mutha f**king problem; so they can address any D problems in rounds 2-7. Take Sanchez, teach him to hand it off to Frank Gore or hit Davis in the flat.
11. Buffalo Bills: Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas. Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills, and no one runs 20 yards past the QB pocket like our DE’s. We need a pass rushing monster DE. I’d like to address this need through a State Penitentiary. Sign some dude on death row that has nothing to live for. But that’s not possible so Orakpo will do. He is very fast off the snap and can fly around lager and slower OT’s. He has a unique blend of size, strength and athleticism. This should be a no brainer if he is on the board. We can’t draft a TE at 11 can we?
The Bills have a lot of needs. We need a pass catching TE, pass rush DE, back up QB, possibly an OT because we all know Peter’s is holding out again and Kirk Chambers sucks and a LB because who knows if we’ll land Suggs. If Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State is for real as all the scouts say he is, trade up and grab him late in the first. Or if Orakpo is gone at 11, trade down, scoop up some draft picks and take him later in the first. I wouldn’t mind drafting a backup QB in the 5th. A guy like Drew Willy from Buffalo would be just fine. If Crowell is healthy and I doubt other NFL teams are drooling over him, sign him to a low salary incentive laced deal. That way we don’t need to address LB so early in the draft.
Bottom line, the Cards are extremely lucky to be at this game. It pisses me off. I believe Kevin Garnett said it best. ANYTHINGSSSSSS POSSIBLEEEEEEEEEEE
