WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

Notes, Quotes

The Sports Xchange

December 07, 2018 at 6:34 pm.

–The Bills cut the cord with wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who proved to be one of the most disappointing players in recent Bills memory. General manager Brandon Beane was in Carolina when the Panthers made Benjamin a first-round pick out of Florida State. When the opportunity arose to obtain him in a trade on Halloween 2017, Beane and head coach Sean McDermott – who was also in Carolina at the time of Benjamin’s drafting – made the move.

It wound up costing Buffalo third- and seventh-round draft picks in the 2018 draft, and at this stage, you would have to say the Panthers won the deal. In the 18 games he played for Buffalo, Benjamin produced just 39 catches for 571 yards and two touchdowns and he drew heavy criticism for the laziness of his play and his inability to consistently get open and make impactful plays.

The Bills also cut veteran wide receiver Andre Holmes on Tuesday, a move coupled with the release of Benjamin that indicates that following their eighth loss of the season Sunday, the hierarchy is now concentrating on the future. Neither Benjamin nor Holmes factored in for 2019, so over the last four games, McDermott can continue to audition players such as wide receivers Isaiah McKenzie and Robert Foster in their place.

–It appears that defensive end Jerry Hughes will not be disciplined for the post-game interaction he had with official Roy Ellison, though Ellison has been put on administrative leave by the NFL while the incident is being reviewed.

Following the loss in Miami, Hughes claimed that Ellison called him a “bitch” which caused Hughes to scream back, “You called me a bitch! I’ll catch you! Trust me, I’ll catch you! Guarantee it! Gonna knock his ass out when I see him on the streets.” As he was doing so, he was being held back by Bills’ offensive lineman John Miller.

Once he reached the locker room and was asked about what happened, Hughes denied anything occurred, not the smartest reply in this world where everything is caught on video. Clearly, the NFL deemed that something happened because they have punished Ellison.

Ellison, of course, has a prior mark on his record, having used a profane and derogatory remark in an altercation with Trent Williams of the Redskins in 2013.

“I did see the video, and out of respect for the situation, I’m going to let the league handle that,” McDermott said Monday. “Jerry and I have spoken. I’ve gotten all the information from Jerry that I need and we’ll move forward from there.”

BY THE NUMBERS: 4 – That’s how many players in NFL history who have thrown at least two touchdown passes and rushed for more than 125 yards in the same game. The others to do it were Michael Vick of the Eagles in 2010, Bears running back Walter Payton in 1983, and Green Bay’s Tobin Rote in 1951. Josh Allen joined that group last week in Miami with two TD passes and 135 yards rushing.

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