Here are the Bills-related stories making headlines around the Internet this afternoon...
Tight end Robert Royal will miss the remainder of OTAs after "spraining" his shoulder in an awkward collision with two defenders in yesterday's workouts. The injury will not require surgery and Royal will be 100% for training camp in mid-July. Good thing, too - he's going to be an integral part of our passing game (especially near the goal line), and having him healthy is key as J.P. Losman continues to mature as a pro quarterback. It's reassuring to get a quick diagnosis and put to rest any notion that he'd miss significant time.
What a surprise - more Darwin Walker talk, this time from Connor Byrne:
Byrne makes a good point here, but I think there's a fundamental difference between the Evans/Schobel/Peters trio and walker - our three guys are franchise cornerstones. While all three of our guys play premium positions, Walker resides at a wave-rotation position that doesn't see consistent playing time, especially in our defensive system. I think that reason alone would make paying huge contracts to our trio of stars a bit easier than shelling out for Walker. Perhaps that's why Walker's not getting a deal now...
Boy, does it suck to be Larry Zierlein. In case you hadn't heard, our former assistant O-line coach forwarded a pornographic e-mail message to 33 pretty important inboxes - 32 NFL GMs and Commissioner Roger Goodell all received the contents of the message. The twist to the story is that apparently, Zierlein isn't even fully aware of how to do such a thing. Mass e-mail is not something that Zierlein has mastered. Stupid technology. My hope is that the NFL doesn't punish him for his technical ignorance; mistakes do happen, after all.
Pete Prisco continues to earn my respect, giving props to Jason Peters and knocking Willis McGahee down a peg:
RB Willis McGahee. Blame the Bills line all you want, but his per-rush average of 3.4 just doesn't cut it. He isn't a star back.
True that, Pete. Mark my words - McGahee won't break the 10-TD barrier this season in Baltimore, unless he's not doing anything between the 20s. You don't get everything from this guy, he's simply not that elite.
LT Jason Peters. He's close to being a Pro Bowl player. This converted tight end has a ton of potential.
We hope you're right, Mr. Prisco. Peters could make the Pro Bowl, but I'm more concerned with him being a big part of cutting down the 46 sacks our O-Line gave up last season. That's lightyears more important than personal accolades.