AFC Notes: Bills Stadium, Dolphins, Jets

Bills

Following reports that the Bills wanted taxpayers to pay for their new stadium, team owners Kim and Terry Pegula released a statement saying they would be footing some of the bills for construction costs.

“When it comes to the future new home of the Bills, [the Pegulas] have always known that, like virtually all NFL stadiums, this will ultimately be some form of a public/private partnership,” Pegula Sports and Entertainment senior VP Ron Raccuia told the Associated Press.

Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz told the media he is confident that there will be “a fair deal for all” while also stating that the county would not be providing “a blank check” for stadium costs.

“I want the public to understand there’s been no gun put to the head of Erie County and New York state stating, ‘If you do not do this, we are moving,'” Poloncarz said, via Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. “I want people to understand negotiations are a long process. … A negotiation takes time. It takes compromise on both sides.”

• John Wawrow of the Associated Press says that the initial cost of the new stadium in Buffalo will be $1.4 billion, and will likely come with a higher price tag when the final cost is tallied up.

Dolphins

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa told reporters that he did “alright” in Saturday’s preseason game, but admitted there are still things he needs to work on from here. 

“I think the better question for that is what didn’t I do wrong?” he said, via the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero. “ I thought I did alright. There are a lot of things we need to clean up offensively — with our communication, more so our execution with our plays that we were given.

“But that first time coming out with a real game-like situation and environment, I thought it was real good. Obviously, there’s a lot of things we need to clean up, but that’s what we got film for. When we get on the plane we’ll look at those plays that didn’t go the way we wanted and we’ll get those fixed.”

• The Dolphins believe that injured rookie TE Hunter Long should be able to return without surgery, as he is currently wearing a brace and walking fine. (Barry Jackson)

Jets

Jets HC Robert Salah praised second-year WR Denzel Mims for his performance during the team’s preseason game for the work he’s put in the past few weeks. 

“It was awesome,” Robert Saleh said, via JetsWire.com. “He has had such a good week, week and a half of training camp and leading up to this game. It paid off for him. His size, his length, his speed, his power, all of it was showcased in a couple of catches that he had. Obviously the third down, but a couple of plays before that he lowered his shoulder on a corner and was able to pick up a few extra yards.”

Mims says he has a “lot of love” for Saleh and appreciates his support. 

“He told me to just keep going, keep playing my game, stay focused, stay locked in, in the moment,” Mims said. “I have nothing but love for coach Saleh.”