At the beginning of August 2017, things seemed to be looking up for the Buffalo Bills. Their top wide receiver Sammy Watkins seemed healed after foot surgery. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin had just agreed to a one-year contract with the team to help plug holes after Robert Woods, Marquise Goodwin, and Justin Hunter jumped ship. The loss of Stephon Gilmore was buffered by having the athletic cornerback Ronald Darby still on the roster. Three weeks later, and the above players are gone. The Buffalo Bills’ offseason is looking like a bad Seinfeld episode, as the team loses good players to trades, retirement, and injuries.
Aug. 11: Shockwaves of Sammy Watkins Trade
Despite sportscasters such as Buffalo’s WGR 550 host John Murphy stating that the Bills should be over the shock of Sammy Watkins being traded on his talk show, the football field says something else. The excitement of seeing Watkins and quarterback Tyrod Taylor connect on 4 passes in the preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings was short lived. Buffalo Bills fans woke up the next day to reports that Watkins was traded to the Los Angeles Rams and that Darby was now a Philadelphia Eagle. Many angry fans felt that the team was tanking. However, the team could find some comfort in inheriting wide receiver Jordan Matthews and cornerback E.J. Gaines. Anquan Boldin was also signed to a one-year contract on Aug.
7.
Aug 13: Jordan Matthews Gets Injured
Video footage from Buffalo’s Channel 4 News did not show a happy Jordan Matthews when he arrived in the Queen City. That smile faded even more when Matthews suffered a chipped sternum during the first 15 minutes of his Bills practice on Aug.12. Matthews was forced to miss the preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles this past Thursday.
He may be ready for the Bills’ regular season opener against the Jets, but he is still week-to-week. As snake bitten as the Buffalo Bills felt, they still had veteran Anquan Boldin in their back pocket. Surely Boldin, who caught Taylor’s first pass as a Baltimore Raven, would find that old magic with his new quarterback.
Aug. 14: Tyrod Taylor fights with Lawson and Hughes
When the Buffalo Bills took the field on Aug. 14 for training camp, players were on edge. Taylor got into skirmishes with teammates Shaq Lawson and Jerry Hughes, the heated arguments out of character for the Buffalo quarterback, as stated by ESPN. The loss of Watkins seemed to be weighing on the third- year starter. Cordy Glenn, an offensive lineman who helps open running lanes for LeSean McCoy, is also hurt with a foot and ankle injury.
Aug. 17: Tyrod Taylor posts a 12.0 QB Rating
Tyrod Taylor and the Bills faced Philadelphia Eagles on Aug.17. The Bills starting offense was a train wreck. Taylor posted a 12.0 QB rating, as stated by ESPN, after tossing two interceptions and throwing for about 50 yards.
Karma reared its ugly head, as one of the picks was caught by Darby, who Taylor tackled on the return. Taylor should have been picked off two more times, but he got lucky. Taylor looked indecisive and shaky without Watkins. Boldin hauled in one pass for 5 yards. Rumors of draft pick Nate Peterman taking over for Taylor began to catch fire. Wide receiver Rod Streater, who has had a great training camp, gets carted off the field with a toe injury.
Aug. 20: Anquan Boldin announces his retirement
13 is an unlucky number for the Buffalo Bills. On his 13th day as a Buffalo Bill, veteran Anquan Boldin announced that he is retiring from the NFL. Buffalo fans cannot believe their bad luck. While Boldin claims he wants to focus more on human rights activism, seeing how bad the Buffalo offense played under Taylor without Watkins last week probably pushed him out the door.
One less wide receiver is not what the team needed. With Matthews and Glenn still hurt, McCoy is the heart of Buffalo. An injury to him could mean a 3-13 record for 2017.
Will more twists keep Buffalo mired in a bad Seinfeld episode? The team plays the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 26.
