Bleacher Report - Articles by Carl Wagner

Buffalo Bills: Tight End Preview

Carl Wagner — Sun, 04 May 2008 12:11:07 -0400

This is the third of 11 articles targeting all position situations for the Buffalo Bills entering the 2008 season. The third entry will deal with the tight end position.

It seems ideal for the Bills to try to instill in their passing game a solid tight end who can make plays and force the defense to have a linebacker specifically shadowing the tight end on the field.

In 2007, the Bills received a very slight increase in production from the tight end position.

In '07, their core combined for 54 catches for 485 yards and five touchdowns went up from 30 catches for 280 yards and three touchdowns from the previous season.

The loss of Michael Gaines, however, takes away much of that yardage in 2007.

The decision to move back to a "true fullback" offense, ending officially the one-year trial of placing a tight end in the fullback position to save a roster spot, will force the Bills to maintain one less tight end on the roster.

They will likely keep three up for the season unless the fullback ploy proves disastrous.

Robert Royal is a lock, of course. He is the starter at the position for the Bills and will be the catalyst should the Bills prove successful in finding the tight end in the passing game.

He is also a sound blocker, with his 6-foot-4, 255 lb frame.

From there, nothing is certain. The Bills have six other tight ends tentatively under contract. One of those six is Kevin Everett, who is a non-factor barring yet another unforeseen miracle.

That leaves the team with five players and only two spots on the 53-man roster.

Tim Massaquoi, a former seventh round draft pick, received limited work on the field in his first season. It would be a long shot for him to make the team.

The most likely scenario for the Wolverine would be a year on the practice squad with the potential to move up should an injury occur.

Derek Schouman, also a former seventh round draft pick, is a more mobile tight end and is slightly undersized.

However, this, one would think, would be ideal for the Buffalo Bills, whose offensive line should not need the assistance of a sixth man.

If he makes the team, he has to be the current favorite to step in as the No. 3 man. Bills’ fans would likely see him on the majority of special teams’ plays and on third and long situations when Royal needs to take a breather.

Derek Fine, the Bills' second fourth round pick in this year's draft, was considered a reach where he was taken. However, it isn't surprising that they did select him.

The Bills went out and signed three fullbacks. Two through free agency prior to the draft, and the other signed as an un-drafted FA post-draft in their attempt to move away from the H-back offense.

However, only one of the three has legitimate NFL experience.

Derek Fine is an H-back coming out of college. He has extensive experience at the fullback position, despite being a "true" tight end. Given his potential value to the team, it wasn't as much of a stretch as it seemed.

He was rated by "draft guru" Mel Kiper as being the 19th best tight end in the draft and was taken as a stretch in the fourth round.

However, he was a solid tight end for the Jayhawks. He also performed well on the back end of the passing game, picking up his assignment and protecting the quarterback from blitzes.

He will have to work for it, but he should be kept on the roster by the Bills. If the fullback they go with perform poorly, he will be optioned into the H-back role once more.

Teyo Johnson and Courtney Anderson, the two remaining tight ends, are both giants at the position. Both 6-foot-6 and over 260 lbs, they will be competing with Schouman and Fine for the final two spots.

Assuming the Bills don't elect to have four tight ends on their roster as well as the fullback, one of these two is certain to spend the season on the Practice Squad or waived before the season starts.

It'll come down to which of the two differentiates himself from the other. Both are blocking tight ends, and both are ideal in running situations, but it is NOT ideal to maintain them together.

It will be Robert Royal, either Derek Fine or Derek Schouman, and either Teyo Johnson or Courtney Anderson on the Bills' roster this season.

Royal provides the receiving threat coupled with sound blocking. The Derek's both provide speed and agility in the passing game with average blocking.

The two big men each give the team the ability to send four wide outs on the field and still feel comfortable that their quarterback will be protected.

It'll come down to which two of the four want it more, which only works in the favor of the team as competition inspires improved play.

Buffalo Bills 2008 Preview: Wide Receiver

Carl Wagner — Sat, 03 May 2008 04:17:24 -0400

This is the second of 11 articles targeting all position situations for the Buffalo Bills entering the 2008 season. The second entry will deal with the wide receiver position.

Speed, agility, power, size. This is what the '08 receiving core will bring to the table for the Buffalo Bills.

Lee Evans is an outstanding receiver. Everyone already knows this. His game against the Texans in 2006 in which he caught two 83-yard touchdown passes in route to a 24-21 victory, demonstrated his ability to step up and be "The Man" for the Buffalo Bills, whomever the quarterback is. Evans created a small buzz around the city when he implied that he would have rather had Losman throwing him the ball than Edwards. This is mostly because when Losman is on the field, he is willing to take the risk of looking for Evans beyond 30 yards down field, a risk that Edwards wasn't ready to take in his rookie campaign. Evans will once again take up two sets of eyes this year, except this year there'll be another reliable option for the quarterback.

Josh Reed had problems in his first two seasons with a Bills jersey on his back. He dropped balls that hit him square in the numbers. He also was criticized last season for a questionable curl-up at the end of a meaningless game, seemingly too scared of getting hit to stay midair. However, all public criticisms aside, Reed made the decision in himself that he was not going to let his career fizzle out so soon. He chose to work doubly hard and come back in '07 with vengeance in his heart. Giving his quarterback a solid target, he also showed the willingness to cross the field. He will perform well in slot, and opposite Evans when needed.

Roscoe Parrish has won himself a place in the hearts of Buffalo fans with his outstanding returning ability. He set an all-time Bills record in yards per return in the punting game last season, and that was despite having multiple returns for touchdowns called back on blocking penalties. His only touchdown in the passing game came on Sunday night, the only touchdown in a blowout loss. It's still yet to be seen, however, if he can provide the deep threat the team needs to steal momentum in games.

James Hardy, the Bills' second round selection in the 2008 draft, will step in and have an instant impact. It's up to the coaches whether he will fill in the #2 role, or swap that time with Parrish and Reed. The biggest criticism last season of the Bills' receiving core was the lack of size and power. Hardy brings that with his 6'6 frame. There has been a trend recently in the NFL of large possession receivers making the headlines, so hopefully Hardy will provide the Bills with some headline-worthy plays.

After these four, it's up in the air if any other receivers will make an impact for the team.

They currently have 5 other receivers under contract- Justin Jenkins, Steven Johnson, Scott Mayle, Jason Jones and Felton Huggins. They will likely keep one of these 5 on the team, and place two on the practice squad. The most likely candidate to make the team is Justin Jenkins, who played well on special teams last year and likely will have the backing of Bobby April, the Bills' Special Teams Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach. Steve Johnson, a 7th round pick for the Bills in 2008, and Scott Mayle, , will most likely be the two designated to the practice squad. Given the amount of injuries last season for the Bills, there's a decent chance that one of them, if not both, will be brought up by the end of the season. None of these 5, however, will have a significant bearing on the passing game.

Buffalo Bills: Quarterback Controversy?

Carl Wagner — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:05:23 -0400

This is the first of 11 articles targeting all position situations for the Buffalo Bills entering the 2008 season. The first entry will deal with the quarterback position.

It has been a while since the Buffalo Bills had any security at the quarterback position.

Whether it's the recent controversy between JP Losman and Trent Edwards, or the previous battles pitting Losman vs Drew Bledsoe and Doug Flutie vs Rob Johnson, there hasn't been a solidified starter for more than one season at this position since the retiring of Hall of Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly.

However, it appears as if Dick Jauron has finally found his starter in No. 5 Trent Edwards.

The Bills had their opportunity to trade away the pesky J.P. Losman before and during the draft, but elected to follow the safe path and maintain him as a backup through the upcoming season. This was a wise move, as it has been apparent in the past few seasons that a team can not be successful with one quarterback unless that player has the staying power of a Favre or a Manning.

Should Edwards begin the season on a down side, or if he were to sustain an injury, it would once again fall on the shoulders of the unproven J.P. Losman. Ralph Wilson and the front office understand that this is a possibility, keeping Losman and practice squad quarterback Gibran Hamdan and signing undrafted talent Luke Drone.

But none of these players has shown that they have the ability to perform at a level necessary to play in the NFL.

Trent Edwards will start the season under center for the Bills.

It would be easy to say that it'll take a catastrophic breakdown on his part for him to lose the starting job, but that has been the notion for the past three seasons in Buffalo. In truth, a start worse than 2-2 would cause him to lose the job.

This is the year the Bills should establish themselves as an above average team, and losses this early in the season will be blamed on the quarterback position, whether deserved or not.

But I expect a very solid season from Edwards. He won't lose games, which makes him better than half the quarterbacks in the NFL today. To make this team playoff-caliber, though, he has to win.

Buffalo Bills Poised For Playoff Run With Favorable Schedule

Carl Wagner — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:44:31 -0400

It's been a long time coming for Buffalo fans. The last time the Buffalo Bills were in a playoff game, there was a different president and the Colts were still a member of the AFC East. The last time they hosted a playoff game was in 1995, 13 years in which the majority of Buffalonians have forgotten the team altogether. Far removed from the early 90's powerhouse, the small-market Bills are finally poised to return to their winnings ways.

The outsourcing of both a preseason game and a regular season game to the metropolitan Toronto area will provide the Bills with an increased fan base, as well as higher intrigue among older fans who have stopped "Billieving." It is a common argument in Buffalo right now that this agreement is just the city of Buffalo's way of pushing the Bills' first step out the door. On the contrary, all this move does is allow the Bills organization to run their operations at a slightly more reasonable net gain.

The 2008 schedule brings with it a reason to be optimistic in itself. The Bills play non-division teams with a combined record of 73-87 in 2007, and only three of those ten teams made the playoffs. Last season, the Bills were facing ten opponents with a combined 82-78 record in 2006. They will go from having one of the most difficult non-division schedules to one of the softest.

Every indication tells us that the Bills will once again be the second-best team in the AFC East. Though the Dolphins have revamped their team, pruning some of their older players such as Zach Thomas, they still have a lot of questions to be answered, most glaring at the quarterback position. The Jets have Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens still on the roster, seemingly heading to a quarterback controversy in Gangrene Land.

Once again, it will come down to the final four weeks of the season for the Bills, which will pit them against all three of their divisional foes as well as the Broncos, who may also be in contention for a Wild Card position.

The 2008 campaign is officially underway after the end of the draft, and for the first time since Drew Bledsoe was signed over from the Patriots, there is a definite buzz in Buffalo.