Tag: bills

By the numbers: the best Wisconsin Badger to wear jersey No. 3

Today’s “by the numbers” moves to jersey No. 3 where the selection for the best Badger to wear the number being 1999-2003 wide receiver…

Today’s “by the numbers” moves to jersey No. 3 where the selection for the best Badger to wear the number is 1999-2003 wide receiver Lee Evans.

NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Lee Evans (83) runs from the field after catching a pass and running for a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first quarter at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Evans came to Wisconsin as a productive high school receiver and track star–finishing his track career with a best time of 13.59 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and 37.32 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles.

After not playing much as a freshman in 1999–six total games with three receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown–Evans burst onto the scene as a sophomore and quickly became one of the best wide receivers ever to play for Wisconsin.

His sophomore season ended with 13 games played, 33 catches, 634 yards and four touchdowns.

His junior and senior seasons then–with them coming in 2001 and 2003 respectively after he missed the 2002 season with a torn ACL–put him in the Wisconsin record books as he recorded 75 catches his junior season for 1545 yards and nine touchdowns and 64 catches his senior season for 1213 yards and 13 touchdowns.

His career accolades include an All-American nod and the Big Ten record for receiving yards as a junior, and a total career with set the school record in receiving yards with 3468 and touchdowns with 27 and finished with the second-most receptions with 175.

His college production was enough to make him the No. 13 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.

The Ohio native’s NFL career was as productive, if not more productive, than his time in Madison.

He ended up retiring in 2011 after playing eight NFL seasons–seven for the Bills and one for the Baltimore Ravens–during which he recorded 381 receptions for 6008 yards and 43 touchdowns.

His best season came in 2006 with the Bills when Evans played 16 games and caught 82 passes for 1292 yards, eight touchdowns and 15.8 yards-per-reception.

The Badgers haven’t had much NFL talent come through the program at the wide receiver position so the Evans choice for this number was an easy one, especially given what he did after he reached the NFL.

Check back in tomorrow for jersey No. 4 who is another Badger wide receiver to dominate at the college level and receive a shot at NFL football.

Former Georgia QB Jake Fromm recalls favorite UGA football memories

Former Georgia football QB Jake Fromm discussed his favorite UGA memories this week in a video tweeted by the Bulldogs program.

For Jake Fromm, picking out a single favorite memory from his historic three-year UGA career cannot be easy to do.

In three years, he accomplished his dream of playing football for the University of Georgia, beat Florida three times, won the SEC Championship and Rose Bowl, made it to the national title, won the SEC East three times, beat Notre Dame twice, played in some classics and lost some heartbreakers.

This week, the Georgia football program released a video of Fromm discussing his favorite memories from his time as a Georgia Bulldog, and there was a lot to touch on.

Fromm was not able to pick just one. He mentioned most of what was written above, but his journey as a whole is what he will look back on the most.

“You think about it, even the team runs in the summer,” Fromm said. “There were so many amazing things that happened. The way Coach Smart runs his program, it really just opened me up to so much more about the game of football. The guys we have around us, you’re already with NFL-caliber guys every single day at practice. The teammates you meet and grow up with along the way.

It’s a fun and exciting time for everybody. What’s not to love about it? Everything…honestly. The people, what we did as a football program. Honestly, I loved every minute of it. I would not trade it for anything in the entire world. The fans are amazing. That is what makes Georgia football fun. The whole state of Georgia and Dawgnation gets on board.

You don’t want to miss out on being part of the University of Georgia.”

Best of luck to Fromm as he begins his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills.

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Buffalo Bills playoff odds and predicted total wins: NFL futures picks and best bets

Assessing the betting odds of the Buffalo Bills making the 2020 NFL playoffs and predicting their exact win total.

Will the Buffalo Bills make the 2020 NFL playoffs? Below, we look at the BetMGM betting odds and make our pick. We also predict their exact win total for the upcoming season.

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Thursday, May 21 at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Will the Buffalo Bills make the 2020 NFL playoffs?

Yes: -176  | No: +145

The Bills are one of the biggest winners from the 2020 offseason. Not only did they add proven veterans in the offseason such as WR Stefon Diggs, DE Mario Addison and DE Quinton Jefferson, but Tom Brady also left the division. While Brady clearly is in decline, the New England Patriots don’t appear to be as strong as they were for most of the century. That opens up a lane for the Bills to take the AFC East for the first time since 1995.

Buffalo has made the playoffs in two of the last there seasons, but it hasn’t won a playoff game since  1995. That could change this season as head coach Sean McDermott enters his fourth season with the team.

The Bills had the league’s No. 2 ranked scoring defense last season, allowing just 16.2 points per game. They will bring back 10 of their 11 starters from last season and even added more depth including CB Josh Norman, DT Vernon Butler and LB A.J. Klein. It’s also worth noting they spent their first draft choice on Iowa DE A.J. Epenesa, who had 22 sacks over the last two seasons.

The biggest story surrounding the Bills will be their offense. QB Josh Allen improved his completion percentage (58.8%) and yards per attempt (6.7) in his second season, but both of those numbers need to continue to improve for the Bills to make the next step. The hope is Diggs will help make Allen’s job a little bit easier as he is one of the best route runners in the NFL. Pairing him with the likes of John Brown and Cole Beasley gives Buffalo one of the best receiving corps in the NFL.

The Bills have one of the best overall rosters in the NFL, a head coach who knows how to get the most out of the talent and a fairly easy schedule. Expect them to make the playoffs (-176) and potentially win the division in 2020.

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How many games will the Buffalo Bills win in 2020? Bands

0-4 Wins: +6500

5-8 Wins: +125

9-12 Wins: -154

13-16 Wins: +2500

There is some decent value available on the Bills to win between 9-12 games (-154) this season. McDermott has guided the Bills to a winning season two of the last three years. The only season (2018) when that didn’t happen was when Allen missed five starts due to an elbow injury. The team failed to win a game without him on the field (0-5) as their backup quarterback situation just wasn’t up to par.

Consider Buffalo a lock to win at least nine games during the 2020 season.

How many games will the Buffalo Bills win in 2020? Exact number

BetMGM‘s win total for the Bills in 2020 is set at 8.5. Not surprisingly, 8 wins (+300) and 9 wins (+275) are the exact win totals with the lowest odds. While both of those present decent value, the best bet on the board is 10 wins (+325).

The Bills won 10 games last season and just one of their six losses was by more than seven points. Buffalo has a really strong defense which will allow them to keep games close.

Given their relatively easy schedule, look for the Bills to win either 9 and 10 games in 2020 as they look to overthrow New England and win the division.

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If UGA was fielding a starting team based on current NFL players, here’s what it would look like

We assembled a starting lineup full of former Georgia football players who are currently on NFL rosters.

Georgia continues to be one of college football’s leading producers of NFL talent, with seven players being taken in the 2020 NFL Draft.

At almost every position does Georgia have an NFL star — linebacker and running back being the most notable.

From veteran passer Matthew Stafford to new Falcons back Todd Gurley, to rookie kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, former Georgia Bulldogs look to put up big numbers again in 2020.

We’ve gone through an exercise of picking the best at each position to field a starting team of former Georgia players, all from a current pool of those currently on NFL rosters. 

Remember, free agents did not make the team.

So, let’s get it started shall we?

Next … QB

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Ed Oliver arrested overnight for DWI, unlawful carrying weapon

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver arrested.

Buffalo Bills sophomore defensive tackle Ed Oliver found himself in some legal troubles overnight, as he was arrested in Montgomery County, Texas, for driving while intoxicated and unlawful possession of a weapon.

According to police reports, another driver called 911 to report a driver in a white pickup truck, who was swerving between lanes in a construction zone. When the police caught up, they found Oliver with an open beer between his legs. Oliver conducted a field sobriety test before being arrested. 

Here’s video posted by The Montgomery County Police Reporter:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvt4S_-qREc&w=480&h=270]

After a search of his vehicle, Montgomery County Police also discovered an unregistered pistol in the vehicle, adding to the budding NFL stars woes. He is currently being held at the Montgomery County Jail.

The Bills released a statement early Sunday morning: “We are aware of the situation and we are gathering more information. We will have no further comment at this point.”

This is a tough break for Oliver, who is coming off of a rookie season with 43 tackles and five sacks, and was expected to be an anchor for the Bills defense this upcoming season, and beyond. Oliver was the No. 9 overall pick of the Bills at the 2019 NFL Draft. 

 

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Tony Romo to disperse wisdom to 3 young NFL QBs in CBS special

Tony Romo’s new show airs Sunday, May 24, on CBS.

Tony Romo was hired by CBS to be the lead color analyst after retiring in 2017, and in just three seasons has became the highest paid commentator in professional sports. Now with no live sports to  occupy the airwaves, CBS is airing a new show for Romo to further display his traits that made him such a natural in the booth.

The show is titled, “In The Huddle with Tony Romo,” and will feature Romo in an online interview with three up-and-coming quarterbacks, all who happen to be playing in the New York area; Josh Allen of the Bills, Sam Darnold of the Jets, and Daniel Jones from the Cowboys NFC East foe, the Giants.

Romo will be discussing the X’s and O’s of the position, the challenges created by a virtual offseason, and other aspects of the three young quarterbacks mentioned above lives on and off the field.

This 30-minute special is set for Sunday, May 24 (2 p.m. ET), will be on CBS, and will be hosted by Tracy Wolfson.

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Former Georgia QB Jake Fromm signs with Bills — contract details here

Former Georgia football QB and 2020 NFL Draft pick Jake Fromm signed his rookie contract with the Buffalo Bills. Here are the details…

Former Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm signed his rookie deal on Friday with the Buffalo Bills.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, it’s a four-year contract worth $3.7 million total, $899,490 guaranteed with a $302,960 signing bonus.

A pedestrian combine performance reportedly caused Fromm to slip to the fifth-round of the 2020 NFL Draft where the Buffalo Bills felt fortunate to select him with the No. 167 overall pick.

General manager Brandon Beane said that drafting Fromm was not meant to send a message to Bills starter Josh Allen, but rather to fill a “premium position” with a talented player.

Fromm will have an opportunity to compete for the backup position this off-season with fellow Bills quarterbacks Davis Webb and Matt Barkley. And as Georgia fans know well, don’t count Fromm out in a quarterback competition. He has beaten out a couple of 5-stars before and won a few games in between…

 

Chargers set to travel fourth-most miles in 2020

Being located furthest on the west coast doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

The Chargers spent a lot of time in an airplane last season, finishing as the third-most traveled team in the NFL.

How do the Bolts fare this upcoming season with the amount of miles that’ll be tacked up?

Traveling quite a bit will once again be a common thing for the Chargers this year as they are set to travel a total of 25,455 miles, which marks the fourth-highest, right behind the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers.

Los Angeles has to embark on 9,794 more miles than the Chiefs (15,661). That’s the biggest disparity between any two division rivals in the league this season, according to ESPN’s Stats & Info.

This statistic shouldn’t come as much of a surprise because L.A. is furthest on the west coast.

While there are more local games like those against their rivals in the AFC West, the Chargers have to go all the way to the east coast to take on the Buccaneers, Dolphins, Bills, Saints, as well as the season opener against the Bengals.

Regardless of the location, the Bolts are eager to pick up as many victories as possible in hopes of turning things around after a disappointing 2019 season.

5 hardest games on Chiefs’ 2020 schedule

The 2020 NFL schedule has arrived! So which games will be the toughest for the Kansas City Chiefs? Find out here.

The 2020 NFL schedule has been released, and we finally know the exact order of when the Kansas City Chiefs will play each of their games. While the Chiefs boast an average schedule among NFL teams, according to strength of schedule rankings. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’ll be an easy path for Kansas City to make it back to the postseason.

The Chiefs are slated to play some very good football teams with some high-quality players, specifically at the quarterback position. They also have a few games that fall at some inopportune moments which will make things even more difficult. With an eye towards the future, let’s take a look at the matchups that could prove to be the hardest for the Chiefs in 2020.

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

5. Week 15 at New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints have been a very complete team over the past three seasons, boasting a 37-11 record in that span.

Sean Peyton is a brilliant head coach, ranking fifth among active NFL coaches in career win total. Their defense is stingy, allowing fewer yards or points than you’d expect. They have a great group of offensive weapons, headlined by star receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara. Their quarterback, Drew Brees, became the all-time leader in passing touchdowns during the 2019 season. And at 41 years old, he’s still playing and slinging the football at a high level.

This game is the second of two road matches before Kansas City wraps the final two games of the season at home. They’ll face the Miami Dolphins and rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa the week prior. That certainly won’t help the Chiefs with this tough matchup.

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Every prime time NFL game featuring former Georgia football players

After the release of the 2020 NFL schedule, here’s a look at every prime-time game that former Georgia football players will appear in.

On Thursday, the NFL released its 2020 schedule, providing more optimism that a football season will take place come September.

With Georgia having added seven new players into the league via the NFL Draft, there’s going to be a number of UGA fans hoping for a chance to watch some former Dawgs play on prime-time television.

The Patriots, Cowboys, Chiefs, Packers, 49ers, Rams and Buccaneers will be featured most in prime time during the 2020 NFL season with five games apiece.

Georgia players on those teams:

Cowboys, Packers and Bucs do not have any Bulldogs.

Patriots: C David Andrews, RB Sony Michel, OL Isaiah Wynn

Chiefs: WR Mecole Hardman

49ers: TE Charlie Woerner

Rams: OLB Leonard Floyd, ILB Natrez Patrick, DB Tyrique McGhee.

Here is a list of every nationally televised NFL game featuring Georgia Bulldogs.

Some of these game are subject to a time change and some of the players signed as undrafted free agents. As of right now, these are the teams they are on.

For a full list of Georgia players and their NFL teams, click here.

Thursday Night Football:

  • Start time: 8:20 p.m. ET
  • TV channel: Fox, NFL Network
  • Live stream: Amazon Prime

Thursday Sept. 17: Browns at Bengals

Georgia players on Browns: RB Nick Chubb, RB Brian Herrien

Georgia players on Bengals: DT Geno Atkins, WR AJ Green, DT Tyler Clark, DB Shawn Williams

Thursday Sept. 24: Dolphins at Jaguars

Georgia players on Dolphins: OG Solomon Kindley

Georgia players on Jags: WR Chris Conley, WR Terry Godwin, DT Abry Jones, S J.R. Reed

Thursday Oct. 1: Broncos at Jets

Georgia players on Broncos: N/A

Georgia players on Jets: WR Lawrence Cager, OLB Jordan Jenkins

Thursday Oct. 8: Buccaneers at Bears

Georgia players on Bucs: N/A

Georgia players on Bears: WR Reggie Davis, DT John Jenkins, WR Riley Ridley, LB Roquan Smith, WR Javon Wims

Thursday Oct. 15: Chiefs at Bills

Georgia players on Chiefs: WR Mecole Hardman

Georgia players on Bills: QB Jake Fromm, WR Isaiah McKenzie

Thursday Oct. 22: Giants at Eagles

Georgia players on Giants: OT Andrew Thomas, LB Tae Crowder, OLB Lorenzo Carter

Georgia players on Eagles: RB Elijah Holyfield

Thursday Oct. 29: Falcons at Panthers

Georgia players on Falcons: RB Todd Gurley

Georgia players on Panthers: N/A

Thursday Nov. 5: Packers at 49ers

Georgia players on Packers: N/A

Georgia players on 49ers: TE Charlie Woerner

Thursday Nov. 12: Colts at Titans

Georgia players on Colts: K Rodrigo Blankenship, OLB Justin Houston

Georgia players on Titans: C Ben Jones, OT Isaiah Wilson, OLB D’Andre Walker

Thursday Nov. 19: Cardinals at Seahawks

Georgia players on Cardinals: OL Lamont Gaillard

Georgia players on Seahawks: DB Jayson Stanley

THANKSGIVING

Thursday Nov. 26: Texans at Lions (12:30 p.m. CBS)

Georgia players on Texans: OLB Davin Bellamy, WR Tyler Simmons

Georgia players on Lions: RB D’Andre Swift, QB Matt Stafford, DT John Atkins, TE Isaac Nauta

Thursday Nov. 26: Redskins at Cowboys (4:30 p.m. Fox)

Georgia players on Redskins: OLB Thomas Davis, S Maurice Smith

Georgia players on Cowboys: N/A

Thursday Nov. 26: Ravens at Steelers (8:20 p.m. NBC)

Georgia players on Ravens: LS Nick Moore, TE Eli Wolf

Georgia players on Steelers: N/A

Thursday Dec. 3: Cowboys at Ravens 

Georgia players on Cowboys: N/A

Georgia players on Ravens: LS Nick Moore, TE Eli Wolf

Thursday Dec. 10: Patriots at Rams

Georgia players on Patriots: C David Andrews, RB Sony Michel, OL Isaiah Wynn

Georgia players on Rams: OLB Leonard Floyd, ILB Natrez Patrick, DB Tyrique McGhee

Thursday Dec. 17: Chargers at Ravens 

Georgia players on Chargers: N/A

Georgia players on Ravens: LS Nick Moore, TE Eli Wolf

Friday Dec. 25: Vikings at Saints

No Georgia players in this game

Next: Sunday Night Football

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