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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - The Buffalo Bills were better. In the end, they werent good enough.Thats the message general manager Doug Whaley intends to present the franchises new owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, after Buffalo (9-7) closed its best season in a decade, but still extended the NFLs longest playoff drought to 15 seasons.Were encouraged, but were not satisfied, Whaley said. Weve got things that we can build on. But again, we cant be satisfied until we get into the playoffs.The Bills showed signs of being relevant and having resilience in a year full of distractions — from the death of Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson in March, to a severe snowstorm that forced the team to relocate its home game to Detroit last month — in matching their best finish since 2004.Buffalos strength was a dominating defence that produced three Pro Bowl linemen: Mario Williams, Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus.More bitter than sweet, Kyle Williams said.A sputtering offence and inconsistent play at quarterback dragged them down. EJ Manuel was benched after a 2-2 start, and 10-year journeyman Kyle Orton was erratic down the stretch after providing an early spark.That puts Buffalo in the all-too-familiar position of having a big question mark at quarterback. Manuel will be back, but the 2013 first-round draft picks status as a franchise player has been compromised. Orton surprised the team Monday by announcing his intention to retire.It will be up to the Pegulas to determine what approach to take in the coming months.Whaley and coach Doug Marrones jobs are considered safe entering their third seasons. The Pegulas havent ruled out adding a veteran presence to oversee the football operation, with former Bills GM turned broadcaster Bill Polian mentioned as a candidate to fill what would be a newly created role.Here are a number of things that stood out for Buffalo, which finished second in the AFC East after six straight last-place seasons:NOT GOING ANYWHERE: A year after defensive co-ordinator Mike Pettine left Buffalo to take over in Cleveland, Kyle Williams vows to put up a fight should anyone attempt to lure away Pettines successor, Jim Schwartz.Im going to chain him to a car in the parking lot, Williams said. Obviously, wed be happy for him. But hed probably have to leave town with people hanging on his legs.Its premature to tell if the former Detroit Lions coach will be considered for any NFL vacancies. Whats evident is the stamp Schwarz placed on the defence in his first season in Buffalo.The Bills led the NFL with 54 sacks, were third with 30 takeaways, and fourth in yards allowed. They made a marked improvement in stopping the run. After giving up 2,063 yards rushing under Pettine, the Bills allowed just 1,703 this season, the teams fewest since 2004.PEDESTRIAN RUN: Injuries and inconsistent offensive line play led to the Bills finishing with 1,482 yards rushing, the teams fewest in a 16-game season.Fred Jackson was slowed by knee and groin injuries, while co-starter C.J. Spiller missed seven games with a broken collarbone.We failed miserably, Jackson said.TURNING POINTS: Two losses stand out that put huge dents in the Bills playoff hopes.Coming off their bye week at 5-3, Buffalo squandered a 10-point second-half lead in a 17-13 home loss to Kansas City. With the Bills leading 13-3, the game turned on their opening drive of the third quarter. Running back Bryce Brown was three steps from scoring before fumbling into the end zone, where the ball bounced through tight end Scott Chandlers hands and out of bounds for a touchback.Then came the dud at Oakland on Dec. 21. A week after beating Green Bay, the Bills were eliminated with a 26-24 loss to the then-2-12 Raiders.WATKINS CATCHES ON: Sammy Watkins set franchise rookie records with 65 catches and 982 yards receiving, along with a team-best six touchdowns. The trouble was his inconsistency, though he finished fourth in yards among NFL rookies.The Bills traded their first-round pick in the 2015 draft to move up five spots to select Watkins fourth overall. Whaley defended the gamble he took, saying Watkins played to his potential in filling the No. 1 receiver spot.FREE-AGENT WATCH: Spiller, defensive end Jerry Hughes, who finished with 9-1/2 sacks, and run-stuffing linebacker Brandon Spikes head the Bills list of players eligible to become free agents.Whaley intends to make an effort to re-sign Spiller and Hughes. Spikes status is uncertain after rookie Preston Brown established himself as a starter, and with Kiko Alonso set to return after sustaining a season-ending left knee injury in July.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Grayson Greiner Jersey . -- Washington Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo is going to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks. Jim Bunning Jersey . Leverkusen said on Friday it signed Schmidt on a two-year contract. He guided Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian championship this season. https://www.cheaptigers.com/759z-frankli...sey-tigers.html. Gonzalez participated in his final game on Sunday, Atlantas 21-20 defeat at the hands of the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers, having posted four catches for 46 yards. Jack Morris Jersey . Onyshko, from Minnedosa, Man., will compete in artistic gymnastics while Hanet, from Kelowna, B.C., will compete in lawn bowling as a para-athlete. "It is exciting that our Canadian athletes are starting to arrive at the Games Village," said Chantal Petitclerc, Canadas Chef de Mission. Rocky Colavito Jersey . The Bruins forward has been fined $5,000 by the National Hockey League for spearing Red Wings defenceman Danny DeKeyser in the groin.Peter Budajs exit from Montreal came by request. The 32-year-old Slovak netminder was dealt to the Winnipeg Jets Sunday, handing the Canadiens back-up job to Dustin Tokarski. However, Budajs agent Rolland Hedges confirmed to RDS that the former Habs back-up requested a trade out of Montreal after the teams Eastern Conference Final loss to the New York Rangers. In an interview with RDS, Hedges stated that he believes the move to Winnipeg will benefit his client. Its a good opportunity for Peter, Hedges told RDS Sunday. Peter just wanted to go to a team that wanted him. Budaj appeared in 24 games for the Canadiens in 2013-14, going 10-8-3 with a .909 save percentage and a 2.51 save percentage. However, when starter Carey Price went down in Game 1 of the Conference Final, head coach Michel Therrien ultimately gave the crease to Dustin Tokarski, who saw just three games with the Canadiens during the regular season. Budaj wouldd finish Game 1, saving five of eight shots in the third period, but it was Tokarski that would play the rest of the series.dddddddddddd The Canadiens would lose in six games. With all three netminders in camp, Hedges knew that a move was coming sooner or later for his client. Still, the opportunity in Winnipeg - where Budaj will begin as a back-up but may even get a chance to start if Ondrej Pavelec can not improve on his .901 save percentage from 2013-14 - came as a pleasant surprise for both agent and client. I cant say we were expecting it today, but we were hoping for it, Hedges said. We expected something to happen in the next few weeks, but you never know at this time of year. Budaj himself took to Twitter on Sunday night to reach out to the Canadiens fan base. Thanks for all the support habs fans. It was a privilege to be part of Montreal Canadiens.... But I am very excited to join the Jets, he wrote. ' ' '