Here's the news of note for March 15th.
1 - McDermott welcomes March MadnessThe NCAA Tournament field of 64 play gets underway on Thursday, and Buffalo is hosting a total of eight teams for March Madness including the top seed in the East region, Villanova, last year's national champion.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott, a man with Philadelphia roots, took the time to welcome Villanova head coach Jay Wright and his team this week in advance of their first round game Thursday evening at Key Bank Center.
The Wildcats tip off at 7:10 pm.
2 - Bills make top 10 free agent moves list… twiceThe Bills appeared twice on Bleacher Report's top 10 early free agent moves list. Buffalo's free agent signing of Micah Hyde ranked sixth and their renegotiation of Tyrod Taylor's contract to keep him ranked fourth. Here are some excerpts from BR’s assessmentof the two moves and why they were good for the Bills.
*6: Bills Sign DB Micah Hyde
We should remember this period for the Bills for their acquisition of former Green Bay Packers defensive back Micah Hyde.*
Not only did Hyde have a heck of a divisional-round game against the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, but he also quite a nice season where he displayed that he can play essentially any position in the secondary.
After losing Gilmore and releasing Williams, the versatility of Hyde is going to come in handy at some point during this contract, and it will make it all worth it to the Bills Mafia.
Versatility, playmaker and durable are three words that sum up Hyde—these are all traits you want your players to have.
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4: Bills Keep QB Tyrod Taylor
Give Bills general manager Doug Whaley credit here—he pulled off two stellar moves in free agency.*
*Taylor is far from the perfect quarterback, but his running ability and low amount of turnovers make him a quarterback that you can win with. *
Whaley isn't quite off the hook yet, though—the Bills lost wide receivers Marquise Goodwin and Robert Woods, which leaves them basically with no one after Sammy Watkins on the depth chart.
Whether Taylor is the long-term answer Buffalo remains to be seen, but he will definitely be with the team in 2017 and look to prove that he can be.
The Bills got (kept) one of the best available quarterbacks on the market—that's a win in my book.
3 - Mills downright jumpy to be back with BillsLast week was the first time that Bills OT Jordan Mills was hitting the free agent market. While it can be an exciting time for players it can also be a stressful time. It was the latter for Mills, at least until Buffalo called late last week.
"It was kind of nerve-wracking because it was my first actual time going through it and getting a feel for free agency," said Mills. "I was glad to get the call from Buffalo and get back here."
Mills was a bit more than glad that returning to the Bills was an option.
"I just jumped over the coffee table [because] I was excited," said Mills upon receiving the news that the Bills had made him a contract offer. "When my agent told me that the Bills had offered me, I was glad about that and I'm glad to be back here and signed. My fiancé was probably thinking I was going crazy when I was on my phone."
Mills, whose wedding date is set for July 8th, is determined to prove himself to the new coaching staff, chiefly head coach Sean McDermott, offensive coordinator Rick Dennison and offensive line coach Juan Castillo. Not only to win the starting right tackle job again, but to prove he belongs on Buffalo's roster long term.
"Like I told Coach McDermott and the GM (Doug) Whaley, even though (my contract is) for two years, I want to be here for the rest of my career and I just got to work hard at it and get after it," Mills said. "We'll be back starting April 3rd and get around the guys. I know we have a few new pieces, get to know them and get after it."
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