1 - Waufle: Bills D-line in good hands
On Monday, former Bills defensive line coach Mike Waufle retired after 20 seasons in the NFL. He's passing the torch off to Bill Teerlinck and Aaron Whitecotton, who were both on Buffalo's staff in 2017.
Teerlinck will take over Waufle's duties as defensive line coach in 2018. He served as the Bills assistant defensive line coach this past season.
"The defensive line themselves, I talked to all of them and said they're going to be in great hands with Bill Teerlinck," said Waufle on the John Murphy Show. "Bill, I allowed him to do a lot of teaching in the classroom this year. When I was working with the defensive ends, he would work with the defensive tackles. When I worked with the defensive tackles, he would work with the defensive ends. Coach [McDermott] asked me if he was ready and I said, 'He's more than ready coach.' He can command the room and he's going to do an outstanding job."
For Whitecotton, he's been named the assistant defensive line coach following Teerlinck's promotion. Whitecotton served as Buffalo's administrative assistant to the head coach in 2017.
"Aaron Whitecotton, I've known Aaron since he was a defensive line assistant in Jacksonville," said Waufle. "He's going to bring a new element. He was a center at South Carolina. He worked on our offense this year. He's going to bring that element into the defensive line room."
"I explained to all of the guys, I said, 'You're in great hands. I'm passing the torch. I love you guys. I'm going to miss you.' I had a chance to talk to every one of them. I was really proud of them."
Waufle's had a successful 20-year career in the league. On paper, winning the Super Bowl in 2008 with the Giants would seem like the highlight of his tenure.
However, his first season with the Bills and his final one in the league brought the brightest moment of them all.
"I'll never forget that locker room in Miami. I was sitting behind Kyle Williams, and Reed and Gray, his sons, were right there," said Waufle. "Just the joy he was experiencing, the joy in my heart that he had the opportunity to reach the playoffs finally as a Buffalo Bill. That alone was the highlight of my career, experiencing that in Buffalo."
2 - Buffalo a possible landing spot for Cousins?
On Tuesday night, the Chiefs and Redskins agreed on a trade to send Alex Smith to Washington. This all but assures that Redskins quarterback, Kirk Cousins, will either be traded or hit the open market in March.
NFL.com believes there are seven likely landing spots for Cousins this offseason. Those teams include: Arizona, Buffalo, Cleveland, Denver, Jacksonville, Minnesota, and the New York Jets.
Here's why Chris Wesseling could see Buffalo as a potential home for Cousins.
The Browns aren't the only outfit with draft picks to burn and a long-standing need under center. The Bills have two picks apiece in the first two rounds, plenty of ammo to join the Cousins hunt should they opt to pursue an upgrade on Tyrod Taylor. Considering Taylor has been benched for less than stellar backups in each of the past two seasons, nobody should be surprised to see Buffalo enter the Cousins derby.
In 2017, Cousins signed a one-year, $23.94 million franchise tag with the Redskins. His next contract may offer more annually, as he's reportedly looking to become one of the higher-paid QBs in the league.
Relive Buffalo's most memorable moments from Thursday Night Football throughout the years, presented by Bud Light.
3 - Where Bills fans can find TNF in 2018
Beginning in 2018, the NFL's 'Thursday Night Football,' will have a new home. They're transitioning from CBS and NBC and making the move to FOX, the league and network announced on Wednesday.
FOX Sports reached a five-year rights agreement with the league to broadcast TNF. It will start in 2018 and runs through the 2022 season.
The agreement awards FOX with a five-year deal that includes 11 games between Weeks 4-15 (excluding Thanksgiving night) to be broadcast on FOX and simulcast via NFL Network. In addition, the network will exclusively televise the seven games next season that FOX doesn't.
"Football is in our blood at FOX and we understand that nothing beats the NFL when it comes to television that captures people's attention," said Peter Rice, President of 21st Century FOX. "Our historic relationship with the NFL dates back to the earliest days of FOX, and we couldn't be more excited to expand our deep and enduring partnership to include primetime games on Thursday night." SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF THE DAY
