Buffalo Bills Negotiating Trade For Tavaris Jackson

BUFFALO, NY (AP)

The Buffalo Bills are negotiating to restructure the final year of Tarvaris Jackson's contract before completing a trade with the Seattle Seahawks to acquire the seventh-year quarterback.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll confirmed the deal had been agreed to by both teams Sunday, but added the trade wasn't completed.

"It has been agreed upon, but there is still a little bit of paperwork to do," Carroll said during a telephone conference call with reporters. "It might be done tonight. It is scheduled to be done."
A person familiar with discussions told The Associated Press that the Bills were in negotiations with Jackson's agent, Joel Segal, to restructure the player's contract. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because neither team has disclosed why the trade had not yet been completed.
"It's close," the person said.
Jackson is scheduled to make $4 million this season, which the Bills deem to be too expensive for a player to fill a backup job.
Carroll didn't say what the Seahawks will get in return, though it's expected to be a mid- to late-round draft pick from Buffalo.
The Bills have no commented on the trade.
Jackson's future was in question with the Seahawks after the team acquired Matt Flynn in free agency this offseason, and after using a third-round pick to draft Russell Wilson in April.

The timing of the deal came shortly before Carroll announced that Wilson would open the season as the starting quarterback.
"Because of our situation, and the opportunity with the guys that we have, (Jackson) deserves a chance to be playing, so Buffalo came after him and hopefully it's a good thing for him," Carroll said.
Jackson sat out the Seahawks' first two preseason games, before getting his first action taking over for Wilson in the second half of a 44-14 win over Kansas City on Friday. And Jackson served as the backup in part because Flynn missed the game due to a sore elbow.
The Bills' interest in Jackson potentially spells trouble for Vince Young in his bid to win the backup job in Buffalo behind starter Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Young, who signed a one-year contract with Buffalo in May, had the edge to win the No. 2 job until he struggled in a 38-7 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday. Young threw two interceptions, the first coming on his first pass attempt, and finished 12 of 26 for 103 yards passing in playing the entire second half.
Young had been competing with returning backup Tyler Thigpen for the No. 2 job. And coach Chan Gailey has maintained that there's only room for one backup, because the No. 3 job is going to receiver/wildcat specialist Brad Smith.

It would become the latest blow to Young's once-promising career. After leading Texas to win the national championship in 2006, Young was selected third overall in the draft by the Tennessee Titans and eventually went on to earn NFL offensive rookie of the year honors.
The Titans eventually ran out of patience for Young and released him last summer. Young had a disappointing season as Michael Vick's backup in Philadelphia last season.
He's 17-17 as a starter, with 38 touchdowns and 35 interceptions in 51 career games.
Selected in the second round of the 2006 draft by Minnesota, Jackson had an up-and-down five-year career with the Vikings. His most productive season came in 2007, when he started 12 games.
Jackson lost the starting job to Gus Frerotte the following season, and then spent 2009 and 2010 seasons relegated to backup duty behind Brett Favre.
Jackson signed a two-year contract with the Seahawks last year, and was credited for playing a major role in the team's turnaround after a 2-6 start. He posted career numbers in completions (271), attempts (450), 3,091 yards passing with 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Jackson also earned plenty of support among his teammates after playing most of the season with a painful pectoral injury.
Jackson has had his faults, with much of the criticism focusing in on his decision-making and holding onto the ball too long.
There were also times he faltered in the fourth quarter — including late-season home losses to Washington and San Francisco — which contributed to costing the Seahawks a shot at playoff berth.

Pittsburgh Steelers Crush Terrible Bills 38-7

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Coach Mike Tomlin doesn't blame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for showing his frustrations after a penalty that backed the Pittsburgh Steelers to a yard from their goal line.
Tomlin was just as upset with the penalty, and yet not surprised with how Roethlisberger responded.
After taking a step backward, Roethlisberger moved the Steelers forward with a 98-yard, go-ahead touchdown march in the final two minutes of the second quarter of a 38-7 preseason rout of the winless Buffalo Bills on Saturday night.

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"I've been looking at Ben going on six years now, I'm not surprised by it," Tomlin said.
Roethlisberger hit 8-of-9 passes for 95 yards on a drive he capped by threading a 6-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown with 13 seconds left. And the spark could be credited to an illegal substitution penalty that put the Steelers on their heels, facing second-and-11 from their 1 yard line.
Shortly after the penalty was called, Roethlisberger showed his displeasure by angrily gesturing at the bench.
"He definitely got fired up and got a little hyped," Brown said. "He's special. The things he's able to do in two-minute situations, there's something special about his leadership and playmaking ability."
Brown had seven catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns, including a 39-yard catch from backup Byron Leftwich in the opening minute of the second half. Roethlisberger shook off a slow start in going 17 of 24 for 169 yards passing in helping the Steelers improve to 2-1.
The Bills dropped to 0-3 this preseason while continuing a trend of familiar struggles on both offense and defense. And that's not what coach Chan Gailey was looking for this week in expressing a desire to see more consistency from his starters.
"We got a little bit rattled," Gailey said, referring to allowing the Steelers to score at the end of the half. "We have to hold our composure better than we did."

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The Ryan Fitzpatrick-led offense managed just 131 yards and seven first downs in playing the entire first half. It was limited to scoring just one touchdown -- Fred Jackson's 1-yard plunge -- despite five of seven possessions inside Steelers territory.
"That goes down to consistency, and it's something we need to get better at," said Fitzpatrick.
And yet the starter remained upbeat, cautioning that this was only the preseason and adding that there isn't need for concern.
"It's going to be OK, it's going to be OK, take a breath," Fitzpatrick said on several occasions while making his way through the locker room.
Fitzpatrick finished 7 of 18 for 89 yards, while backup Vince Young struggled in his bid to clinch the No. 2 job. Young went 12 for 26 for 103 yards passing and two interceptions.
On the bright side, Bills defensive end Mario Williams -- who became the NFL's highest-paid defensive player after signing a six-year $100 million contract in March -- was credited with his first two sacks of the preseason. Defensive tackles Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus also had a solid game in plugging the middle while also flushing Roethlisberger out of the pocket.
"I think it was a step forward," Kyle Williams said. "After that sudden change, we didn't respond well to it, but in the future hopefully we can put it behind us."
The trouble was a failure to finish, in allowing the Steelers to score despite being backed up deep in their own end.
Steelers running back Isaac Redman also scored on a 2-yard run, Leftwich threw two touchdown passes, including a 10-yarder to Derrick Williams, and running back Chris Rainey scored on a 41-yard touchdown run with 2:44 left.
The Steelers defense also contributed, forcing three turnovers -- a forced fumble and two interceptions -- all of which led directly to touchdowns.
In closing the half with a touchdown, the Steelers gained more yards (99 in total) than the 96 they had in their first six possessions. The key play on the drive occurred with the Steelers facing third-and-9, when Roethlisberger hit running back Jonathan Dwyer with a perfectly placed 33-yard pass up the left sideline.
"I just started calling my own plays," Roethlisberger said. "We went no-huddle and up-tempo, and we were throwing the ball."
Roethlisberger did it with an offense that's missing two key starters, running back Rashard Mendenhall (right knee) and receiver Mike Wallace (contract holdout). And it was a unit that lost rookie first-round draft pick, right guard David DeCastro, who did not return after hurting his right knee on the second possession.
Notes: Tomlin said DeCastro's injury is potentially severe, but will wait until further tests. ... Leftwich went 5 of 8 for 105 yards, including a TD to Williams, which came shortly after Robert Golden intercepted Young. ... The Bills' only scoring drive came on their second possession, and set up by Fitzpatrick's 25-yard pass in hitting David Nelson on a crossing pattern over the middle. ... Steelers PK Daniel Hrapmann rounded out the scoring with a 40-yard field goal.

Preseason: Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers Preview

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — A lack of consistency has raised questions as to how ready the Buffalo Bills are a little more than two weeks before the start of the season.
“We’ve got plenty to work on,” coach Chan Gailey said. “We don’t need to cancel any practices.”

Gailey hasn’t let his players off easy this week, especially with the starters set to get their most playing time of the preseason on Saturday when the Bills (No. 19 in the AP Pro32) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 7). It’s the third preseason game, and one in which the starting units will have one last chance to work out the numerous kinks that have hampered them in two losses.
“We need to get better. We want to see improvement,” said Gailey, who traditionally rests his starters in the fourth preseason game. “I don’t know what that will show. It should show more production, but we have to get better.”
His message applies to both sides of the ball.
The Ryan Fitzpatrick-led offense has lacked both finish and efficiency.
In seven possessions through two games, the Bills’ starting offense has totaled just 113 net yards, five first downs, a touchdown and a field goal. The running game has been anemic, having combined for 24 net yards, and the offensive line has been in flux as a result of injuries.
“This is the last big one for the starters to go out there and get everything fine-tuned before it counts,” Fitzpatrick said. “This one, I would say, is important to us to get out there and play well.”
The production’s been little better on a retooled Mario Williams-led defense that’s shown glimpses of its pass-rushing potential, but has also been susceptible to giving up big plays.
That was particularly apparent in a 36-14 loss at Minnesota last week, in which the Vikings starters racked up 166 yards offense, eight first downs and scored 10 points on three possessions. It could’ve been 13 points had Minnesota kicker Blair Walsh not hooked a 49-yard field goal attempt wide right.
The numbers overshadowed the success of Buffalo’s pass rush, in which tackles Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams each picked up a sack.
“I think we got some good pressure on them, but I was displeased with allowing the big plays,” Gailey said. “We would get them in a hole, and let them out. And you can’t do that to be a great defense, which I think we can be.”
Defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt described the big plays as “disturbing.”
The Bills have placed big expectations of their high-priced defense after signing Mario Williams to a six-year, $100 million contract in free agency this offseason, and then landing defensive end Mark Anderson a week later. They are being counted on providing an immediate impact to improve a defense that had difficulty applying pressure and allowed a franchise-worst 5,938 yards last season.
Williams doesn’t see a reason for concern.
“Whenever we come out here in the regular season, we’re going to be smoking,” he said.
And yet he acknowledged a need for the defense to step up its play on Saturday.
“We’re taking this like a regular game,” Williams said. “So we’re definitely going to get amped up for this and get it in the right direction.”
Gailey’s taken a different approach to practice this week in which he’s had each session mimic what a regular-season week of practice would resemble.
He’s installing the semblance of a game-plan against the Steelers, and also having his starting units practice against scout teams. Part of the reason Gailey’s done this is to provide newcomers to the team — both players and coaches — a chance to be familiar with an in-season game week.
Another is to prepare for a Steelers team that remains among the NFL’s elite.
“We need a mental challenge, but it will be a very physical challenge, too, because they’re a physical football team,” Gailey said. “You want to be physical. You want to set the tone.”
NOTES: Veteran CB Terrence McGee is expected to make his preseason debut after sitting out the first two games to rest his surgically repaired left knee. ... Gailey expects the starters to play at least the entire first half. ... DE Anderson (groin) missed his third practice and is not expected to play Saturday. Gailey expects Anderson to return to practice next week.

Buffalo Bills GM Buddy Nix: 'Pats Don't Scare me'

Field Yates - The Buffalo Bills orchestrated one of the most noteworthy offeseasons of 2012, landing prize defensive end Mario Williams on a $100-million free agent contract, and supplementing the big splash with the pickup of former Patriot Mark Anderson in free agency and cornerback Stephon Gilmore in the first round of the draft.

Those moves, plus the continued development of such offensive players as wide receiver Stevie Johnson and running back C.J. Spiller, have expectations soaring in Buffalo.

Along those lines, general manager Buddy Nix exuded confidence in a recent intereview with the Toronto Sun, saying, "We expect a lot out of ourselves. New England, the AFC -- they don't scare me. I think we can compete with any of 'em, and our intention is to try to win the division." (hat tip to Pro Football Talk for pointing out the interview).

"I think anything short of going to the playoffs for me, personally, would be a big disappointment," Nix added.

Nix's confidence should not come as a surprise, as the offseason is a time in which nearly every NFL team possesses optimism heading into the regular season slate. The Bills also look improved on paper, although questions remain with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and whether left tackle Cordy Glenn can adeptly step into a blindside protection role.

From a Patriots perspective, the team still seems like a safe bet to reign supreme in the AFC East. Despite falling to the Bills early in 2011, the Patriots still bested the rest of their division by five games, and were a full seven games clear of the Bills in the standings.

Though the competition in the AFC East may prove stiffer, a gap appears to remain entering 201

Buffalo Bills look Terrible in The Preseason, Bills Fans Are Worried

Norm Duhamel - So the Bills lost 36-14 to the Vikings, big whoop! If the Bills would have won I would have said the same thing. The preseason is merely a formality and it’s primary functions are to get the players back in football form, make adjustments to your rosters, fine tune plays and get fans excited about the upcoming season.
So what did we learn from this game?

• Fitzpatrick had a good game going 8/11, 58 yds and 1 touchdown
• Vince Young can still throw deep, check out this 64  yard pass and catch to rookie T.J Graham
• Brad Smith should only be used for wildcat formation. This ball should not have been thrown
• Bills defense gave up 160 yards rushing. Tighten up boys!
• The preseason should stay 4 games, because if the season would start next week, the Bills might be in trouble!

With all that said, Buffalo will be just fine. The season starts in 3 weeks and by then Bills will be running on all cylinders and the New York Jets will be in a world of hurt when Mario Williams and the Buffalo defense come to town!

Till then enjoy these highlights and see you next week!

Bills DE Shawne Merriman Cut

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- It's lights out for Shawne Merriman in Buffalo after the Bills cut the one-time star pass-rusher on Monday.

The move was announced by the team in a one-sentence news release as the Bills prepared to return to practice following a two-day break.
Merriman's release was regarded as a mild surprise for a player who described himself as being in his best shape in years after having season-ending surgery in November to repair a partially torn right Achilles tendon. It's an injury that had nagged him for much of the previous two seasons.
The Bills had also kept their faith in Merriman, believing he had an opportunity to play a key backup role on a defensive line that was revamped in free agency this offseason with an eye on pressuring opposing quarterbacks. Buffalo signed defensive end Mario Williams to a six-year, $100 million contract, and then landed pass-rushing defensive end Mark Anderson.
Merriman posted a note on his Twitter account just before noon Monday, thanking the team, coaches, his teammates and fans for his time in Buffalo. The news did appear to catch him off guard, because on Sunday night, Merriman wrote he was preparing for practice Monday while also watching the Pittsburgh Steelers' 26-24 preseason win over Indianapolis.
The Bills host the Steelers on Saturday.
Bills coach Chan Gailey was expected to discuss the thought process behind the move after the team's late afternoon practice.
Merriman had spent much of training camp backing up both Williams and Anderson.
Though Merriman missed a few practices nursing a twisted ankle, the Bills gave no indication that his job was in jeopardy.
Merriman was credited with three tackles in two preseason games. He had one tackle and played with the backups well into the second half of Buffalo's 36-14 loss at Minnesota on Friday.
The seventh-year player was entering his third season in Buffalo. The Bills claimed him off waivers after he was cut by San Diego in November 2010.
He finished the 2010 season on injured reserve after aggravating the injury to his Achilles tendon a half hour into his first practice with Buffalo. Merriman had two sacks in five starts with the Bills last season before landing on I.R. to have surgery on his Achilles and also repair a nagging shoulder injury.
Merriman, on numerous occasions this offseason, suggested he felt rejuvenated.
"I feel young," Merriman said in May. "Anybody that will get a chance to watch me this year will see I'm moving around as I did when I came into the league."
At his peak, the three-time Pro Bowl selection was regarded as one of the league's top pass-rushers and earned the nickname "Lights Out." He was the NFL's 2005 defensive rookie of the year after being drafted 12th overall by San Diego.
He served a four-game suspension in 2006 for violating the NFL's policy for performance enhancing drugs. He blamed a tainted supplement for his positive test for the steroid nandrolone.
Merriman had 39½ sacks through his first three seasons before injuries slowed his production. He combined for just six sacks in his past four seasons, a stretch in which he appeared in only 23 games.

Buffalo Bills vs. Minnesota Vikings Preseason Preview

Sal Maiorana - There was certainly no reason to panic following Buffalo’s undeniably poor performance in last week’s preseason opener against Washington.
Wince, maybe, but not panic.
After all, the key words there are “preseason opener” because generally, that particular game is a nightmare for all NFL teams on several different levels.
But while the Bills quickly moved on from their six-point, 14-penalty debacle against the Redskins, they were also reminding themselves this week in practice that they need to be a whole lot better tonight when they take on the Vikings in Minnesota.
“It’s not make or break,” quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said, “but I think we have that mindset that we’re going to come out and we’re going to be more clean in terms of the pre-snap penalties and in terms of our execution and making sure that we have the right assignments for blocking the right guys, throwing to the right guys, running the right routes, and then coming out healthy.”
As incompetent as the Bills were on offense — they gained just 219 yards and their quarterbacks combined to complete only 14 of 34 passes for 149 yards — it was the penalties that really irritated coach Chan Gailey. Of the 14, eight were false starts, which is too many for four games, let alone one.
“Yeah, that is just undisciplined and that’s my fault,” Gailey said. “When we play that undisciplined that’s my fault. I have to get that straight.”
In a nice bit of timing, the last few days at St. John Fisher College were the days that the NFL had scheduled officials to be at Bills camp, so even though they were the much-maligned replacements, they were calling infractions and it should help the Bills this week.
Assuming it did and the Bills remember the snap count a little better, the focus should shift to the backup quarterback derby between Vince Young and Tyler Thigpen.
Once Fitzpatrick exits, probably by the end of the first quarter, Young will take the field looking to build on what has been a pretty good week of practice.
Joining the Bills in May, Young has been racing to learn the Buffalo offense. Gailey said he’s just about there, and it was starting to show in the way he operated in practice. On Monday Gailey said Young enjoyed his best day since he’s been with the team, and he also acknowledged that Thigpen has looked better after a rough start.“They have made it tough the whole time,” said Gailey, referring to the choice he’s going to have to make in a few weeks. “Vince was really behind the eight-ball early, but he has come on strong. It’s going to be a tough decision for us.”
Gailey has a number of other positions where he’ll be confronted with some hard choices, namely wide receiver, linebacker, and defensive backfield, and as he has often said, special teams contributions are very likely going to decide the issue.
Almost all of the players battling at those spots are similar in skill set, and it will come down to who can be the most valuable on the kicking units.
“They need to show what they can do,” Gailey said. “And really, what it boils down to is special teams is their place to make their statement. If they can go make some plays there, that really helps their stock in our mind. And they’re not only playing for us, they’re playing for 31 other teams, too. Everybody evaluates everybody on every squad.”
SUMMARY: After a sloppy opener, the Bills look to be smarter and better in their second preseason game against MinnesotaSal MaioranaStaff writer There was certainly no reason to panic following Buffalo’s undeniably poor performance in last week’s preseason opener against Washington. Wince, maybe, but not panic. After all, the key words there are “preseason opener” because generally, that particular game is a nightmare for all NFL teams on several different levels. But while the Bills quickly moved on from their six-point, 14-penalty debacle against the Redskins, they were also reminding themselves this week in practice that they need to be a whole lot better tonight when they take on the Vikings in Minnesota. “It’s not make or break,” quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said, “but I think we have that mindset that we’re going to come out and we’re going to be more clean in terms of the pre-snap penalties and in terms of our execution and making sure that we have the right assignments for blocking the right guys, throwing to the right guys, running the right routes, and then coming out healthy.” As incompetent as the Bills were on offense - they gained just 219 yards and their quarterbacks combined to complete only 14 of 34 passes for 149 yards - it was the penalties that really irritated coach Chan Gailey. Of the 14, eight were false starts which is too many for four games, let alone one. “Yeah, that is just undisciplined and that’s my fault,” said Gailey. “When we play that undisciplined that’s my fault. I have to get that straight.” In a nice bit of timing, the last few days at St. John Fisher College were the days that the NFL had scheduled officials to be at Bills camp, so even though they were the much-maligned replacements, they were calling infractions and it should help the Bills this week. Assuming it did and the Bills remember the snap count a little better tonight, the focus should shift to the backup quarterback derby between Vince Young and Tyler Thigpen. Once Fitzpatrick exits, probably by the end of the first quarter, Young will take the field looking to build on what has been a pretty good week of practice. Joining the Bills in May, Young has been racing to learn the Buffalo offense. Gailey said he’s just about there, and it was starting to show in the way he operated in practice. On Monday Gailey said Young enjoyed his best day since he’s been with the team, and he also acknowledged that Thigpen has looked better after a rough start. “They have made it tough the whole time,” said Gailey, referring to the choice he’s going to have to make in a few weeks. “Vince was really behind the eight-ball early, but he has come on strong. It’s going to be a tough decision for us.” Gailey has a number of other positions where he’ll be confronted with some hard choices, namely wide receiver, linebacker, and defensive backfield, and as he has often said, special teams contributions are very likely going to decide the issue. Almost all of the players battling at those spots are similar in skill set, and it will come down to who can be the most valuable on the kicking units. “They need to show what they can do,” said Gailey. “And really, what it boils down to is special teams is their place to make their statement. If they can go make some plays there, that really helps their stock in our mind. And they’re not only playing for us, they’re playing for 31 other teams, too. Everybody evaluates everybody on every squad.

Buffalo Bills WR T. J. Graham Having a Good Training Camp

Sal Maiorana - Buffalo rookie wide receiver T.J. Graham has heard the characterization on every step of his football journey — he’s just a track star who’s trying to play football.
“Been hearing that my whole life,” Graham said during a break from Bills training camp at St. John Fisher College a few days ago.
Of course, it’s not hard to understand why.
First of all, he was a track star growing up in Raleigh, N.C., a nationally ranked sprinter in high school who finished third in the country in the 100-meter dash at the Nike Nationals in 2007, and was North Carolina state champ in the 100 and 200. When he stayed home to attend North Carolina State (on a football scholarship, mind you), he took a few years off from track, but then ran his senior year and earned all-ACC and All-America recognition in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Then there’s his family’s track pedigree. His father, Trevor, was on Jamaica’s 1988 Olympic silver-medal winning 400-meter relay team in Seoul, and later was a renowned coach who mentored the likes of Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery and Justin Gatlin before being banned for life seven years ago due to his involvement in the BALCO steroids scandal. T.J.’s mother, Ann, was a college All-American at St. Augustine’s, and his younger sister, Ariah, who will enroll at North Carolina State in a couple weeks, is the national high school champion in the indoor 400 meters.
Had Graham not preferred football to track, and continued to run when he entered North Carolina State, you might have seen him competing in the recently-completed Summer Olympics in London against Gatlin and the great Usain Bolt rather than running routes in Pittsford against fellow rookie Stephon Gilmore. He was that fast.
However, football was and is his true love, and now he’s on a mission to disprove, once and for all, that he’s not a track star playing football, but that he’s a football star who used to run track.
“Having that track guy label has been kind of a bad thing because people think I can only run fast straight,” Graham said. “But I’ve always considered myself someone who can run routes and I had to come out here and show it. There might be times when the routes aren’t as crisp, but everyone has those moments.”The Bills knew Graham would be a project as he adapted to the NFL game, and they hope he rewards their belief in him. His numbers were not eye-popping in college (46 games, 22 starts, 99 catches for 1,453 yards and 12 TDs), but someone that fast, with obvious ability that just needed to be honed, was a gamble they were willing to take in the third round in April.“He has done some really good things,” coach Chan Gailey said. “He has come a long way, in my opinion, since the first week of OTA’s. I don’t think he’s there yet; we don’t have very many players that are there yet, they all can improve. I think he’s getting a lot better and I like his progress so far. He has too many mental errors right now and we have to alleviate those.”
Graham had a decent preseason debut in the loss to Washington as he caught three passes for 37 yards. Now, he’s looking to improve on that performance Friday when the Bills visit Minnesota.
“It went well and I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be,” he said. “I just tried to keep my cool and execute. I’m glad I got it out of the way; now there’s no more excuses that I’ve never had a game under my belt. I have to go build on what I put down and come out this week and do a lot better.”
Graham explains his relative calm before the Redskins game this way: “It’s something I’ve always wanted. I’ve always had dreams and always envisioned myself being here so there’s no need to be afraid of what you want. I wanted this opportunity and I embraced it instead of being scared.”
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and No. 1 receiver Stevie Johnson were both impressed. Johnson sat out the OTA portion of the offseason and he was able to watch Graham while giving him pointers along the way.
“He has football instincts and it’s early,” said Johnson. “Some guys get that in the second or third year, but he’s jumped from the OTAs to training camp pretty fast and that’s only going to benefit us. I believe he’s going to be a playmaker for us. We’ve got a good pick in that kid.”
Fitzpatrick is still trying to build a rapport with Graham because there aren’t a whole lot of times when they’re on the field together during camp practices because Graham is buried on the depth chart. Still, the quarterback sees some traits that are going to serve Graham well.
“A lot has been made of his study habits and that’s fine, he studies, but his progress is not just the mental side of it,” said Fitzpatrick. “I think he’s learning how to be a receiver. He has done a nice job and he just needs to continue to get better. He’s certainly not there or not even close to being where he has the potential to be, but he’s doing a good job in terms of getting better every practice so hopefully that continues.