March 2015 - Buffalo Bills Wiretap

NFL Exaggerates Numbers, Yahoo's Broadcast Averaged Just 1.64M Viewers

Oct 27, 2015 2:24 PM

The NFL initially disclosed that 33.6 million watched Yahoo's stream of the Jacksonville Jaguars-Buffalo Bills Game, but that quickly was adjusted to 15.2 million unique viewers.

Roger Goodell said on ESPN Radio that “over 15 million people were viewing the game.”

The Bills-Jaguars game on Yahoo averaged, according to SportsBusiness Journal, 1.64 million viewers. In contrast, the Jets-Dolphins game from London, broadcast on CBS in the 9:30 a.m. ET window, had an average audience of 9.86 million. 

Mike Florio/Pro Football Talk

Tags: Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars

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Yahoo Draws 15.2M Unique Viewers For Jaguars-Bills

Oct 26, 2015 12:45 PM

Yahoo's stream of Sunday's game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills had 15.2 million unique viewers.

"It's been a great opportunity to partner with the NFL and deliver a truly exceptional global live streaming experience for our users," said Adam Cahan, Yahoo's SVP of Product and Engineering, said in a release. "We're seeing a dramatic shift in the industry as audiences' primary video watching moves away from TV. We were thrilled to join the NFL in setting a new standard for sports programming for our users and advertisers."

Thirty-three percent of streams were from international users.

"We're a lot closer to the internet being a real, legitimate distribution platform for NFL games than we were one or two years ago," NFL executive vice president of media Brian Rolapp told The MMQB's Peter King.

"We're thrilled with the results of our initial step distributing an NFL game to a worldwide audience and with the work of our partner, Yahoo," said Hans Schroeder, Senior Vice President, Media Strategy, Business Development & Sales for the NFL. "We are incredibly excited by the fact that we took a game that would have been viewed by a relatively limited television audience in the United States and by distributing it digitally were able to attract a global audience of over 15 million viewers."

The NFL averages 17.6 million unique viewers for Thursday Night Football and 13.5 million for Monday Night Football.

Kevin Patra/NFL.com

Tags: Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars

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Buffalo's Ronald Darby Ranks 1st Amongst Rookies In PFF Grades

Oct 22, 2015 4:38 PM

Ronald Darby has the highest Pro Football Focus grade amongst NFL rookies entering Week 7.

Darby was the 50th overall pick out of Florida State by the Buffalo Bills and has been excellent at cornerback.

Henry Anderson, defensive end of the Indianapolis Colts ranks second ahead of New York Jets' defensive end Leonard Williams.

Marcus Mariota fell out of PFF's top-10.

Khaled Elsayed/Pro Football Focus

Tags: Buffalo Bills

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Rex Ryan Has No Regrets Trading For LeSean McCoy

Oct 22, 2015 2:04 PM

Rex Ryan has no regrets about trading for LeSean McCoy.

"Not for two seconds. If they offered that trade again, I'd do it," Ryan said Thursday of the March swap that sent Kiki Alonso to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for McCoy.

McCoy has been limited to just 236 yards at 3.9 yards per carry as he deals with a hamstring injury.

The Buffalo Bills signed McCoy to a new five-year, $40 million contract after they traded for him.

Marc Sessler/NFL.com

Tags: Buffalo Bills, Misc Rumor

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Percy Harvin Frustrated With Injuries But Not Considering Retirement

Oct 23, 2015 12:40 PM

Percy Harvin has grown increasingly frustrated with hip and knee injuries that are expected to sideline him indefinitely but he is not contemplating retirement.

Harvin was reportedly considering retirement, according to a report from the Buffalo News.

Harvin did not travel with the Bills to London this week for what coach Rex Ryan called personal reasons, and will not play in Sunday's game.

"I'm not going to say anything more than what we said yesterday about it," Ryan said Thursday. "I don't know where he is right now."

 

The Bills have held Harvin out of Wednesday practices since the start of the regular season after he missed the entire preseason because of hip soreness. 

Mike Rodak, Adam Schefter/ESPN

Tags: Buffalo Bills, Injury, Misc Rumor

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Sammy Watkins On Crutches After Ankle Injury

Oct 19, 2015 11:11 AM

Sammy Watkins on crutches outside the Buffalo Bills' locker room after he suffered an ankle injury late in the first half of Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Watkins fell in the end zone before making a 22-yard touchdown catch with less a minute remaining in the second quarter. He remained on the ground as his teammates simultaneously celebrated and called for trainers.

Watkins was playing in his first game since suffering a calf injury Sept. 27.

X-rays on Watkins' ankle are reportedly negative.

Mike Rodak/ESPN

Tags: Buffalo Bills, Injury

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Watkins To Bills: You're Making Us Both Look Bad With Lack Of Targets

Oct 15, 2015 6:59 PM

Sammy Watkins believes the Buffalo Bills are making him look bad with his lack of targets.

The Bills traded two first round picks to draft Watkins in 2014.

"I need the ball at least 10 times -- I need 10 targets -- and l'll be fine with however many yards I get," Watkins told the newspaper. "And that's what I addressed in talking with my agent. We reached out to a couple people and tried to pull some string like, 'Hey, I need my targets. You came up to draft me and I'm not getting targets -- that's a problem.'

"'You're making me look bad, and you're making yourself look bad. Why not make both of us look good?'"

Watkins finished his rookie season with 65 catches for 982 yards and six touchdowns.

"For a guy you go up in the draft to take as your No. 1 receiver, you would love those 15 targets that Julio [Jones] gets, those 20 targets that Odell [Beckham Jr.] gets," he told the newspaper. "Of course I'd have 100 yards every game and a TD, if I'm getting 20 targets."

Mike Rodak/ESPN

Tags: Buffalo Bills

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E.J. Manuel Preparing To Start Week 6 With Tyrod Taylor Injured

Oct 13, 2015 3:03 PM

Tyrod Taylor has a sprained MCL and the Buffalo Bills are preparing for E.J. Mauel to start against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Rex Ryan told reporters that Taylor “is pretty beat up.” LaCanfora reported that Taylor injured his knee on a horse-collar tackle on what became the go-ahead drive in the Bills’ 14-13 win over the Titans last Sunday.

Taylor, a first-time starter, is completing 70 percent of his passes and has thrown nine touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s also rushed 31 times for 187 yards.

Zac Jackson/Pro Football Talk

Tags: Buffalo Bills

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Bills Sign Josh Johnson

Oct 14, 2015 11:32 AM

Josh Johnson has signed with the Buffalo Bills, giving the team depth at quarterback.

Tyrod Taylor played through a nagging ankle injury in Week 5.

"I can tell you this: He is beat up right now," Ryan said, per The Buffalo News. "He's sore. You ought to see him -- he is sore. We knew he would be. Guys, he hasn't been 100 percent all season."

Johnson makes sense for the Bills after he spent time with play-caller Greg Roman in San Francisco.

Marc Sessler/NFL.com

Tags: Buffalo Bills, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor, Signing

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Bills Accuse 'Prima Donna' Odell Beckham Of Punching Duke Williams

Oct 6, 2015 4:36 PM

Odell Beckham Jr. appeared to punch Duke Williams in Week 4 following an Eli Manning interception.

Beckham was lit up by Williams during Stephon Gilmore's return.

"I don't know what's up with him," Gilmore said, per Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News. "He acts like nobody's supposed to hit him and you're supposed to let him catch the ball. He's weird. He gets mad when you play physical with him. He's weird.

"He's different. It's kind of like you're playing your little brother and he gets mad at you for being too physical with him -- throwing a tantrum. I'm like, 'Man, we're playing football. It's a physical game. ... He's a prima donna. He feels like he's on top of the world and nobody's supposed to do anything to him."

Sean Wagner-McGough/CBS Sports

Tags: Buffalo Bills, New York Giants

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Bills Sign Dan Herron
Dan Herron has played in 25 career games, starting three, and racking up 389 yards and one touchdown on 87 carries.

RealGM Staff Report

Trent Richardson, Boom Herron Working Out For Bills
LeSean McCoy is dealing with an injured hamstring, while Karlos Williams suffered a concussion.

Dan Hanzus/NFL.com

LeSean McCoy Out For Week 4, Won't Return Until 100 Percent
LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins will not play in Week 4 for the Bills against Giants.

Mike Rodak/ESPN