Here's the Bills news of note for Jan. 31st.
**1 - Anderson: Decision to re-sign was easy
**There were a number of factors weighed by Bills free agent to be Colt Anderson before deciding to re-sign with the club last Friday. Chief among them was an unusual level of familiarity with the new coaching staff.
Anderson was obviously happy to see that special teams coordinator Danny Crossman was retained, but he also has good familiarity with both Buffalo's new head coach and defensive coordinator.
"Not only did they keep Danny, but the guy they hired I'm familiar with too," Anderson said in an appearance on the John Murphy Show. "Sean McDermott was my first defensive coordinator in 2010. And then a couple of other guys, when I was on the practice squad in Minnesota, my defensive coordinator was Leslie Frazier, so I'm familiar with his system and Sean's system. And I know a couple of other hires on the coaching staff. So I'm definitely looking forward to the season and believe the guys they hired are the right guys. I'm ready to get the offseason program going."
Anderson is fully recovered from the broken arm that required surgery and the insertion of a plate and screws, and cost him all but two games in his debut season with Buffalo.
"I got to Buffalo last offseason and immediately fell in love," he said. "My season was cut short with an injury, so I felt it was an easy decision. The way I looked at it I felt I had some unfinished business there. So I'm looking forward to getting back and being the leader on special teams."
The special teams stalwart is currently training in his hometown of Butte, Montana.
"I like doing this high elevation training back in my hometown, I'm a mile up right now," said Anderson. "So I come back here and train here with a friend of mine. I just do a bunch of different things. I do what the Bills give me along with some things that I've picked up along the way. Some Olympic lifts and power movements. I'm a big believer that the more powerful you are then the faster you are. I'm always looking to build on my craft and improve. I am going into my ninth year, but I feel like I've got a few more years on me."
**2 - Edwards: Bills have talent. Is leadership strong enough?
**We heard veterans on the roster reference it as the 2016 season wound down. Players needed to be more accountable and responsible as professionals in handling their business on the field and preparation off of it. Pro Bowl LB Lorenzo Alexander felt the blame for last season's shortcomings should be put more on the players than the coaches who ultimately lost their jobs.
Former NFL coach and current ESPN analyst Herm Edwards believes there's talent on Buffalo's roster, but he maintains that strong leadership in the locker room is a must.
"You want your team to be led by the players," Edwards told Buffalobills.com. "For these players it's time for them to really realize that if we want to keep going for this do we want to be a team that has a lot of potential and (falls short) or one of those teams like Miami that got into the playoffs?"
Edwards likes the talent that's been assembled on Buffalo's roster the last few years. He just doesn't think it's been effectively maximized.
"They've done a nice job with drafting players," he said. "Injuries play a factor. You have a dynamic player in Sammy Watkins who can't stay on the football field. That's not good. They've been close, but they have to learn how to finish the season. That's the key with a lot of teams, they can get off to a hot start, but it's a long season."
3 - Theme parks can take a tollVeteran DT Kyle Williams was one of a handful of Bills players who took part in the Pro Bowl this past Sunday. It was Williams fifth career Pro Bowl, but the first he has experienced in Orlando. With a brood full of young kids, the Williams family took advantage of the popular theme parks in Orlando. The only problem was the time spent at Disney and Universal served as a reminder to Williams that it doesn't take long to get out of shape in the offseason.
"My feet hurt," said Williams. "I think it was walking all those miles at Disney and Universal. I've been trying to take a couple of weeks off. It's amazing how fast you can out of shape just going hunting and hanging out with friends at home. Then you got to Orlando and walk five miles going to theme parks it's kind of a shameful deal so I've got to get back to work."
At this point it sounds like Williams is on board with returning for his 12th NFL season in 2017, thanks in part to getting a good first impression of new head coach Sean McDermott.
"I'm excited about coach McDermott," he said. "I briefly spoke with him. I had some questions for him and he had some great answers. So as far as starts go I think it's been pretty good."
