Bleacher Report - Articles by Matt Schaefer

Is Another "Extreme Makeover" Coming to Buffalo To Fix the Bills?

Matt Schaefer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:20:35 -0500

After a local Buffalo home and surrounding area were fixed up with the coming of the ABC hit Extreme Makeover, Home Edition most Buffalonians thought that the drastic makeover was over for the time being.

That may not be the case, as it looks like another extreme makeover might be coming to town, and it involves the local football team.

Instead of Ty Pennington and his group of volunteers, Ralph Wilson Jr. looks to be overhauling the operation.

Wilson talked to the Associated Press today in his first interview since head coach Dick Jauron was let go. In the short interview, Wilson made several strong statements, leading fans to believe that enough is enough, and that there will be some big changes this offseason.

“I tell you, we have a lot of work to do,” Wilson said. “We’ve got to revamp and take a look at the whole operation and that’s what we’re going to do.”

It isn't going to be an easy process turning this team around, but Wilson sounds willing to try.

But what exactly is going to happen?

Over the past decade, Wilson hasn't been one to spend a great deal of money. The only way he could pull this off is to have a strategy in terms of bankrolling the entire make-over.

"It's not about money, it's about winning," Wilson said. "If it was about money, we wouldn't have brought in and paid for somebody we know was a great player."

Wilson was referring to the signing of Terrell Owens, the Bills' big signing of the offseason.

It might not have worked out like he imagined, but just the fact that Wilson made the move to bring in an NFL star with a big contract shows that he is willing to throw around some cash to improve the team.

Yesterday, most Bills fans were excited (or at least intrigued) to hear that the Bills were talking to a proven coach.

The ones who weren't calling for the Bills to throw everything they had at the possibility of landing a big time coach (like me, for example) looked for reasons why the Bills wouldn't go after one.

One big reason was money, but it seems that Wilson may have changed his ways.

"Anybody that says I'm cheap is looking down the wrong side of the street," Wilson also said.

It looks like Wilson had a change of heart about his football team, and it has Bills followers excited about what is to come.

Now I don't really care (and neither should anyone else) what the reason was for the change on Wilson's part—whether it was to make more money, to help fix his tarnishing legacy, or just because he was finally sick of losing, too.

It doesn't really matter to anyone in Buffalo if it means the Bills are winning football games again.

Give Mike Shanahan Anything He Wants If It Means He Will Come To Buffalo

Matt Schaefer — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:21:01 -0500

When NFL Superstar Terrell Owens came to Buffalo after he signed a deal in the off-season with the Bills, he was greeted with cheers and given the key to the city.

If Mike Shanahan somehow comes to coach in Buffalo, give him the whole damn city.

It was first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter that the Buffalo Bills have contacted the Super Bowl winning coach. Buffalo was believed to be setting up a meeting with Shanahan, to take place some time in the next week.

Enough is enough with the Bills just going out on Sundays and losing horribly. I can say honestly, that they are turning into the joke of the NFL. Think about it, what comes to mind when you think of Buffalo?

Snow, chicken wings and the Bills losing.

It is time for things to change in Buffalo. Enough of the losing mentality that has surrounded the team over the past decade.

How could a team that was so great fall so low, so quickly?

Lack of stability is one problem. Lack of talent is another.

The Bills haven't had a legitimate quarterback option since Jim Kelly retired after the 1996 season and many of their top players went to different teams. Terrible draft classes over the years certainly haven't helped either.

One of the main problems is the fact that owner Ralph Wilson hasn't been a big spender in players or coaches in recent years, but now he might give anything just to win again.

And Mike Shanahan is that hope, the hope to return them to their winning ways in Buffalo.

Speaking to WGR550 AM , former quarterback Jim Kelly had this to say about the Bills ageless owner and the chance that he would bring in a big name coach; "Do I think Mr. Wilson will do that this coming year? To be honest with you, I really do. He’s tired of losing, he’s tired of putting money into coaches that have not panned out in the past, he’s going on 92 years old—I really think if he doesn’t do it this year, he may never see this again. For him, he wants to go out and build something before he goes and I hope he lives to 110 years old but the thing is I feel he has gotten to the point where he is saying right now I’ve got to do whatever it takes. I want to get that winning feeling not only back for the city for the Buffalo and for the fans but for himself too.”

I personally don't care what it takes for the Bills to seal the deal with Shanahan, they need someone with his expertise to come in and turn this team around. Give him a blank check signed by Mr. Wilson that he can fill out himself and give him the control of the entire team.

As a Bills fan, all I am looking for is hope. I have sat through countless Sunday games watching a mediocre team finding ways to lose games.

An outsider wouldn't understand how much Buffalo fans just want the team to become relevant again. It is one of the best fan bases in the NFL that hasn't been treated to a winning team. With tough times hitting the city, all anyone is looking for is a winning football team here to take their thoughts off of everyday problems.

It is more than just a team here, it is a way of life.

In all honesty, I personally don't see Shanahan or any other big name coach for that matter coming to Buffalo. The organization has so many holes in it that a coach like Shanahan won't even want to waste his time here when he can go to a much better team.

Just that little hope though is all anyone is looking for. As Bills fans, we just want to be able to rally around something we haven't seen in quite sometime.

A winning football team.

Time to Look Ahead: Who the Buffalo Bills Should Keep for 2010

Matt Schaefer — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:18:56 -0500

There is no doubt about it anymore, the Buffalo Bills are one of the worst teams in the NFL.

This is a team that is going to miss out on the playoffs for the tenth straight year, which is unacceptable. So many things are wrong with this team, and the fans are starting to get impatient with all of these years of rebuilding.

Apparently the Bills have been rebuilding for the past decade but no good has come of it. They have had only one winning season as a team during this time. One. Let me just repeat it for a third time in case it is not sinking in, this team has had one winning season in ten years.

Sometimes you just want to laugh out loud at how bad this team is.

Don’t get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for the players on the team. They put themselves through hell to be able to be in top physical condition to play in the NFL, not to mention the beatings they take during the offseason, the weeks in practices and on Sundays.

Effort is not the problem here, it is talent.

The players on a whole just aren’t good enough to win.

So instead of writing about how I hate Trent Edwards, or how I have better hands than Terrell Owens or even how all the fans should boycott at halftime of the next home game, lets try to come up with something productive and look ahead to the next season to see just how far away the Bills are from finally reaching their goal of a playoff berth.

Quarterback

On the Current Roster: Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Gibran Hamdan

The NFL is a league that is dictated by quarterback play, and the Bills have fallen way short.

Trent Edwards isn’t the answer . Most of Buffalo can agree on that.

Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t the answer either and I am not going to even waste much breath on Gibran Hamdan. The guy is a nice guy, but isn’t a very good football player, especially at the NFL level.

Buffalo doesn’t really have many places to turn to though. The free agent quarterback class is very weak this offseason, with Kyle Orton and Jason Campbell on the top of the list.

Say what you want about Orton’s numbers, all the guy does is win games. However, he will most likely be re-signed by Denver and Campbell is only a slight upgrade over Edwards, as he hasn’t really developed yet either.

Even worse, the draft doesn’t have a lot of guys who are worth taking either. Most of the projected teams that are going to wind up drafting in the top ten of next year’s draft are going to be looking at quarterback prospects and only a few jump off of the page.

Jimmy Clausen, Jake Locker, and Sam Bradford are the top quarterbacks in the draft, but they are all likely to go very early and if the Bills fall outside of the top ten, I don’t seem them trading up to get one of them.

After the top three, the rest of the quarterback class drops of in terms of talent, other than Tim Tebow, who I would personally like the Bills to take.

Like I stated before in previous articles, Tebow brings leadership and a sense of winning to whatever team he goes to. Tebow is a proven winner who could help change the losing mentality at One Bills Drive.

Who Should Stay: Both Edwards and Fitzpatrick should stay with the team, but both should be moved to backup roles. The Bills shouldn’t waste a roster spot on Hamdan anymore.

Players to Look At: Kyle Orton, Jason Campbell, and whatever quarterback they view as the best available in the draft.

Running Back

On the Current Roster: Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson

Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson are having sub-par seasons, especially by their standards.

Jackson started off of the year hot, but has cooled off greatly since Lynch returned to the team after his suspension. The two have combined to give the Bills the 19^th best running game in the league.

A lot of the problems in the running game have been because of the poor run blocking by the offensive line. It just hasn’t show up on a consistent basis.

Now there are the Bills fans out there that want Lynch traded after this season, but in my eyes that isn’t the smartest move.

People have to remember that Lynch still has youth on his side, which is a plus for a running back. He has a unique blend of speed and power that a lot of backs lack in the league.

Fred Jackson is a great football player and will run through a wall for his teammates. Jackson will turn 29 by the start of the next season and we have all seen what happens when running back hit 30, the best of the best start to lose the explosiveness from their game.

Jackson has only been in the NFL for three seasons but he has been a workhorse all his career. From college, to the United Indoor Football league and in NFL Europe, he had to take a pounding running the ball.

Jackson is great now, but who knows how many more carries those legs have left?

Lynch and Jackson are a perfect change of pace backs for each other. Lynch brings a lot of power while Jackson is more finesse and most importantly, each of them runs hard, breaking a lot of tackles in the process.

The NFL is turning into a two-back league and keeping these two together is a must.

Who Should Stay: Both Lynch and Jackson should return to the Bills next season, splitting time with each other.

Players to Look At: No players are really needed with the duo still together. A third running back will be needed just in case, but that could be anyone as they will barely see the field.

Wide Receiver

On the Current Roster: Lee Evans, Terrell Owens, Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish, Steve Johnson, James Hardy, Justin Jenkins

Let me start this out by saying that I thought that the “T.O. project” in Buffalo would work out well for both sides.

Boy was I wrong.

Owens hasn’t produced and hasn’t really given the offense a new wrinkle to throw at opponents. Poor quarterback play hasn’t helped either but he is starting to quit on this season.

Lee Evans and Josh Reed are also off to the slowest starts in their career, but Evans has a lot more upside than Owens, who might have reached the ceiling. Reed is an excellent slot man who finds the zones in defenses and keeps the chains moving. For the right price he should stick.

Stevie Johnson and James Hardy are developing and should stay on the team as both are cheap to keep around and have potential.

Roscoe Parrish is a terrible wide receiver, who is only good on screen plays, because he doesn’t recognize defenses well, has suspect hands, and can not create separation on his own.

Justin Jenkins has to be looking for a new team next season also. I understand the value of a guy like him as a special teamer, but that is all he can do. The Bills have to stop wasting roster spots on just special teams' players. You can get quality backups to play special teams just fine, and Jenkins isn’t one of them. He is a 7^th string wide receiver for crying out loud who is taking up a roster spot because he can tackle on special teams. You can not tell me that the Bills could use the roster spot more wisely but getting a player who might see the field while also contributing to special teams too.

Who Should Stay: Lee Evans is here for the long term and if he can be brought back cheaply, Josh Reed should return to his slot duties. Johnson and Hardy both stay because of their upside as they continue to learn what it takes to be a wide receiver in the league. Owens, Parrish and Jenkins should all be looking for work elsewhere.

Players to Look At: With Owens on the way out, the Bills still need a legitimate number two wide receiver opposite Evans. There are a ton of high priced options available (Vincent Jackson, Brandon Marshall, Braylon Edwards, Antonio Bryant, and Steve Breaston), but I doubt the Bills will want to go after anyone of them. Kevin Walter, the wide receiver from the Houston Texans, would be decent candidate. He is struggling this season after coming back from an injury, but he is a play-maker. His off year might reduce how much it costs to get him, and he is only making $1.5 million this year. A slight raise is needed, but the Bills could get a quality guy for a good price.

Tight End

On the Current Roster: Derek Fine, Shawn Nelson, Jonathan Subpar, Derek Schouman

The Bills have a bunch of the same guys at the tight end position, players who can block well, have good hands and can run good routes, however, none of their players now are play-makers.

The jury is still out on rookie Shawn Nelson who has shown signs of becoming a threat, but the offense now doesn’t utilize the tight end position at all, except in the play-action game.

There are some play-making tight ends available in free agency like Owen Daniels and Tony Scheffler, but both will come with a high price. Some other options could be guys like Bo Scaife from Tennessee or Ben Watson from New England.

There aren’t really any players available though that would be an upgrade over what they have and I don’t see them taking a run at one of the play-making tight ends.

Who Should Stay: Derek Fine and Shawn Nelson will be back next season. Schouman is a free agent and he has a similar skill set as Fine, not to mention the fact that Schouman will be coming off of a knee injury, it is really not a must that he stays.

Players to Look At: Tony Scheffler has turned into a solid blocker this season, and can still stretch the field. The Bills would be foolish not to give him a look.

Offensive Line

On the Current Roster: Demetrius Bell, Jonathan Scott, Kirk Chambers, Jamon Meredith, Eric Wood, Andy Levitre, Geoff Hangartner, Seth McKinney

I am not going to sit here and pretend like I know all of the blocking assignments for the line. I can’t tell who’s fault it is on missed blocks, all I know is that the line as a whole is not getting the job done.

They could blow up the entire line again if they wanted too because what they have now is garbage.

There is constant pressure on whoever is behind center and the running game has been non-existent since Week 3.

The line is leading the league in one category though, false start penalties. I don’t understand how that is even possible. Sure, bring up the fact that the line is inexperienced, that still doesn’t matter. These guys have been playing football their whole life and they can’t remember the snap count?

Wood and Levitre are the only one in my eyes worth keeping. Demetruis Bell has shown upside to the coaching staff (although I haven’t seen it) so I guess he gets a pass too. Geoff Hangartner has been ok, and he is still under contract for pretty cheap so he is staying too. Everyone else should be out of work.

Who Should Stay: Wood and Levitre because of their upside, along with Bell and Hangartner.

Players to Look At: Anyone. Really. The team needs some experience on the line, and anyone who knows how to actually block. I haven’t had a chance to look at any lineman in particular, so I guess I’ll leave that one up to the readers in the comments on who they would like to see.

Defensive End

On the Current Roster: Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay, Ryan Denney, Aaron Maybin

Aaron Schobel is starting to lose some of his speed and power that he had during his Pro Bowl days. He isn’t getting any younger either.

The problem is that the Bills don’t have anyone to turn to if they were to try to trade Schobel while they can still get some value for him. Denney and Kelsay are both the same player, good at stopping the run but disappear when they need to pressure the quarterback, and neither is an upgrade over Schobel.

Aaron Maybin has also been a non-factor in the limited playing time he has received.

The Bills don’t have anywhere else to turn to other than the draft to try to get a force at defensive end. Other than Julius Peppers, there really isn’t a true upgrade over any of the players the Bills already have. There are a lot of underachievers the Bills could take a chance on, but it doesn’t really make any sense to do so.

Who Should Stay: The Bills have their hands tied on this position. They have to keep Schobel even though his best days are behind him. Kelsay and Maybin will stay too and Ryan Denney is a free agent and should be shown the door. He isn’t worth the money.

Players to Look At: Defensive end prospects in the draft, although anyone they pick will take time to develop. Whoever they can get will come in the later rounds. The Bills can not spend high picks on defensive ends two years in a row.

Defensive Tackle

On the Current Roster: Marcus Stroud, Spencer Johnson, Kyle Williams, John McCargo

Defensive tackle is the position on the team that I have liked the most this season.

The stats suggest otherwise, but watching this unit every week lets me think that the Bills are set at this position.

Marcus Stroud is still a force and Kyle Williams' game has been elevated because of him. Spencer Johnson is a quality backup who can fill in if needed. John McCargo has finally got his head on straight and is working hard to stay on the team. In his limited playing time, he has made some decent plays and is starting to show some promise if he continues to work. He comes on the cheap too.

Who Should Stay: Everyone should be back next year.

Players to Look At: None.

Linebacker

On the Current Roster: Paul Posluszny, Chris Draft, Keith Ellison, Nic Harris, Jon Corto

Unlike the defensive tackles, this unit has been terrible this season.

The Bills need a play-maker at the linebacker position. They have guys who can just make tackles. Posluszny hasn’t turned into the force he was suppose to be, and most weeks I don’t even realize Keith Ellison is on the field. Both can pile up tackles, but neither can change the course of a game.

Chris Draft is a decent veteran who is a good backup to have on your team. Harris is still a work in progress.

It hates me to say it, but Jon Corto should not be on the roster. He is a great story, the hometown kid playing for the team he grew up rooting for, but he isn’t a good football player. When the Bills move a safety to linebacker instead of going with Corto, you know there is a problem. He is another guy kept around just for special teams.

Who Should Stay: Posluszny, Ellison, Draft and Harris should all be back. Only Posluszny should be starting though. John Digiorgio should also return to the team as a backup (he is out with an injury). Also remember that Kawika Mitchell will be returning from knee injury next season. He is signed long term, but after watching him during training camp and the preseason the Bills might want to part ways with the under productive, overpaid linebacker.

Players to Look At: All of the elite linebackers out there will come with a high price, but they really need a play-maker. Youngsters like Barrett Ruud, Thomas Davis and DeMeco Ryans could be available and the Bills should pay whatever any one of them wants to get on the team. They could also take a chance with Shawne Merriman, who has been slow coming back after a knee injury, but that is a high-risk/high-reward chance that the Bills might not want to take. No matter what, Buffalo has to get an elite linebacker someway or another, whether it is on the outside or at the middle linebacker position. Posluszny can play any spot on the field at linebacker.

Cornerback

On the Current Roster: Terrence McGee, Leodis McKelvin, Drayton Florence, Reggie Corner, Ashton Youboty, Ellis Lankster

Terrence McGee is one of the most underrated corners in the league and he continues to shut down top wide outs who line up against him. Leodis McKelvin was starting to show promise but an injury knocked him out for the rest of the season.

The signing of the offseason turns out not to be T.O. but Drayton Florence who has returned to top form He still is vulnerable to the deep ball, but if you can get him a little help over the top, he is a solid number two cornerback. Reggie Corner has also shown some promise as he continues to develop.

Who Should Stay: McGee, McKelvin, Florence, and Corner are all locks. Youboty can provide depth as the number five guy, and would be cheap to keep. Lankster was a good preseason story, but he shouldn’t be on a NFL roster. I don’t see how the Bills could upgrade this position either through the draft or free agency. The players I named are very good, and all come responsibly priced.

Players to Look At: None

Free Safety

On the Current Roster: Jairus Byrd, Donte Whitner

Have you heard?

The Byrd is the word in Buffalo as rookie Jairus Byrd has been the only bright spot on the Bills so far this year. The Bills finally found the takeaway machine they were looking for when they drafted Donte Whitner is the first round of the 2006 draft.

Byrd is leading the league in with eight interceptions and he wasn’t even a starter coming into the season. With the rest of the year to learn, along with the off-season to improve his game, he could turn into an elite free safety very quickly.

While Byrd has watched his playing time increase one hundred percent, Donte Whitner is now the odd man out. The trade value of Whitner is not great so you can’t really move him and he does provide depth at both the free and strong safety position. He is also a leader on the team, and is good for team chemistry on the defensive side of the ball. He should stay as a backup, as he only makes about $2 million for the next two years.

Who Should Stay: Both Whitner and Bryd will be back in a Bills uniform in 2010.

Players to Look At: None. The Bills finally found their guy at free safety.

Strong Safety

On the Current Roster: Bryan Scott, George Wilson, John Wendling

Bryan Scott and George Wilson are two veteran players who will do anything to stay on the field. Wilson is exactly what am I talking about when I say that the Bills should get guys who can be backups who can not only play on special teams but can fill in when needed too.

Scott is very good against the run and taking opposing tight ends out of the game. He is exactly what you want out of a strong safety. Wilson is a good backup and Whinter can play the position well too.

John Wendling is the odd man out, seeing as he can only produce on special teams.

Who Should Stay: Both Scott and Wilson should return. Wendling will be looking for a new home in 2010.

Players to Look At: None.

Special Teams

On the Current Roster: Brain Moorman, Rian Lindell

Who Should Stay: Both players are very good at what they do, and there are no upgrades available over them.

Players to Look At: None

There are some players that can help the Bills win in the future, but something needs to be done in order to help turn this team in the right direction.

The Bills should keep some of the old and then go out and get some new players to help fill in holes on their team.

A decade is long enough to wait. The Bills need to make the playoff soon.

This season is already over, might as well start looking forward to the future.

Trent Edwards Isn't the Answer at QB for Buffalo Bills, So Now What?

Matt Schaefer — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:02:47 -0500

For all intents and purposes, the Trent Edwards era in Buffalo is over after this season.

It is really simple, Edwards just hasn’t been any good. After watching him play this year, it has just helped draw the conclusion that many people were forming after last season; Edwards should not be starting in the NFL.

He isn’t a rookie anymore, which some people like to argue. He has played in 30 NFL games, and still hasn’t shown any signs of improvement. Sure he has games where he puts up solid stats, but they are usually against sub-par defenses and are few and far between.

In his three years as a starter, he average 177 yards per game, which is absolutely pathetic. Throwing one more interception (24) than touchdowns (23) doesn’t help the matter.

Most importantly though, he isn’t a winner either. His career record of 14-15 as a starting quarterback is dreadful and that includes loses in 10 out of the last 14 games he has started in, with his back-up earning two of those wins.

Not only does he not win, but he can’t stay on the field either. He was missing time in college and that followed him into the NFL.

Blame the offensive line if you want, but that is trying to make excuse for a bad player. Give him the New England Patriots offensive line and he still wouldn’t be a difference maker.

The reason: he lacks confidence that is needed to play the position. He doesn’t look down field in the passing game, instead going for the safer, check-down patterns. He has weapons around him and still can’t get them the ball.

Go ahead and bring up the fact that Edwards has a career completion percentage of over 61 percent. That is a stat that is highly misleading. Looking at that number, you might say that he is a very accurate quarterback, which is certainly not the case.

His intermediate to deep-ball accuracy is below average, and his check-down completions help pad the numbers. Remember, this guy has a career average of 6.7 yards per completion. Think Chad Pennington, but worse.

Blaming the coaches, offensive line, Terrell Owens, and anything else you can think of is just trying to stick with your guy. I get it, I am a Bills fan. We don’t want to go through anymore rebuilding, I get it.

People are still holding out hope for Edwards because of the few flashes that he showed early on last season, and because they don’t want to go through it anymore.

Trent is not the answer we are looking for. Good quarterbacks stay on the field and win games, even when their team is not playing its best.

The problem is that the Bills don’t really have anywhere else to turn to as they only have three options to move on with Edwards now out of the equation.

Acquire a Quarterback in Free Agency

Sometimes a team gets a good break when they go out and pick up a quarterback off of the free agent market. When all of them resemble Edwards' production though, you might just want to pass.

Kyle Orton, Jason Campbell, Chad Pennington, Tarvaris Jackson, Kellen Clemens, Kyle Boller, Charlie Batch, David Carr, Daunte Culpepper, Rex Grossman, Joey Harrington, Jon Kitna, and Troy Smith are all free agents after the offseason (with Smith being a restricted free agent).

Who out of that would you want running your team?

Orton just wins games, but he is most likely going to be resigned by the Denver Broncos. Campbell and Jackson are two younger quarterbacks compared to the rest, but neither one of them have really developed. Ditto for Clemens. Pennington might be able to be a stop-gap solution, but how much longer can he go on a bum shoulder?

The rest of the list just makes me laugh. If the goal of the game was to collect as many terrible or washed-up quarterbacks as you could, I would like the Bills chances, however, the name of the game is to win and none of these quarterbacks can do it anymore.

Free agency is out.

Go Get Michael Vick

Now this option is not one I see as very likely, I just wanted to throw it in after the rumors about the Bills being interested in Vick this offseason were confirmed this last Monday by Tony Dungy.

Vick was never a quarterback who was accurate or read defenses well, he used his physical talents to overcome his shortcomings.

We haven’t seen much of him this season in Philadelphia, but trust me, the arm strength is still there and his legs are still capable of outrunning NFL defenders.

Character issues and his NFL IQ will be his downfall to teams, and many won’t give him the chance.

In my mind though, he is worth a shot in Buffalo. He can use his feet to make plays and can get the ball down the field to Lee Evans. His confidence was always high and after a year working on his footwork and fundamentals, along with an offseason to prepare for the season, he might turn into his former self.

He is still only 29 years old and isn’t really washed up. Yes I know he isn’t playing now but why would he with Donovan McNabb in front of him?

Again I don’t see this as a likely choice at all, but if Buffalo was interested when he got released from jail, why wouldn’t they be after a year on an NFL team?

Draft a Quarterback

This is the most likely option the Bills could go with in my mind. They are going to have a top-15 pick, maybe even a top-10 with the way they have been playing.

The Bills will have some top prospects to pick from as Jimmy Clausen, Sam Bradford, and Tim Tebow, who I would personally love to see them get.

Go ahead and jump all over me for wanting Tebow, but I believe that with his attitude and leadership abilities, he can help change the culture for the better at 1 Bills Drive. Plus you wouldn't have to worry about him not being able to suit up for a game, he is just an absolute warrior.

Well that and the fact that other teams need help at the quarterback position and the Bills are not going to want to trade up into the Top 5 and lose picks and money to draft one player.

With a new coach likely coming after this season, he is going to want to bring in his own players and start from scratch.

We can all sit here and argue about what the Bills are going to do, whether going to get Vick or drafting a quarterback.

One thing we should all be decided on is the fact the Trent Edwards isn't getting the job done, and someone needs to be brought in who will.

NFL Week Two Predictions

Matt Schaefer — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:18:57 -0400

Week One finally came!

After a long summer and what seemed like a thousand preseason games, NFL fans finally got their early Christmas present with kickoff of the regular season. The week had great comebacks, a quarterback going bananas and widespread optimism for many fan bases.

Let's see what Week Two will bring us. (Picks are in bold)

Houston at Tennessee

The Houston Texans are an up-and-coming team with young talent on both sides of the ball. This year, I believe that they can piece it all together and finally make it over the hump and into the postseason.

Quarterback Matt Schaub, wide receiver Andre Johnson and running back Steve Slaton run the offense while defensive end Mario Williams, tackle Amobi Okoye, and linebackers Brian Cushing and DeMeco Ryans lead the defense into battle week in and week out.

Despite how much promise I think this team has, it won't come together this weekend against the Tennessee Titans, a hungry team after an overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend. They have too much on the defensive side of the ball and, with Kevin Curtis most likely out for Houston, they can really focus on shutting down Johnson.

The Texans still need to come together. The Titans are the pick.

New Orleans at Philadelphia

The Eagles looked like an elite team last week, with quarterback Donovan McNabb leading a strong passing attack.

However, McNabb won't be playing this week and it is uncertain who will line up under center for the Eagles. In any case, the defense needs to put pressure on Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who has thrown 22 touchdown passes in his last seven games. If the Eagles can't get pressure on him, Brees will have a field day.

The Saints will need to stop the running game of the Eagles, who will turn to Brian Westbrook to take some of the pressure off of backup quarterback Kevin Kolb. If the Saints can stop the run, and put points on the board, the Eagles don't stand a chance.

New Orleans is the pick.

Arizona at Jacksonville

Last year's Arizona Cardinals couldn't run the ball during the regular season. Last week, they continued that trend, gaining a mere 40 yards in their home loss to the 49ers. In order for the Cardinals to make another run at the postseason, they need to get the ground game going with Tim Hightower and rookie Beanie Wells.

I like the Cardinals more than the Jaguars this year, despite Maurice Jones-Drew being the best all-around back in the league. The one thing going for the Jags is the Cardinals' East Coast woes. Arizona lost all five games in the regular season last year when they had to travel across the country.

If the Cardinals are sluggish, Jacksonville will take it to them early. But I think veteran Kurt Warner will find his rhythm and get the Cards a win on the road.

Oakland at Kansas City

In the worst game on the schedule, both the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs have huge question marks on all sides of the ball.

Why waste my time delving into this game any more? I will spend as much time talking about this game as you will watching it.

Oakland is the pick.

Cincinnati at Green Bay

The Bengals are the joke of the NFL and knowing how that team is run (not to mention the last-second loss last week) I don't see them keeping up with the Green Bay Packers this week.

The Packers are good on all sides of the ball. Aaron Rodgers is leading the offense against a very weak defensive unit that the Bengals have.

The Packers offense alone should be too much for the Bengals to handle, and I don't see them putting many points up either.

Packers are the pick.

New England at NY Jets

The game of the week pits two AFC East rivals against one another, both coming off big wins last weekend.

The Jets showed that they have one of the best defensive units in the entire NFL last weekend as they dominated the Houston Texans attack. The question mark on the team is still at the quarterback position.

I know that Mark Sanchez played very well last weekend, but this isn't the Houston Texans defense. He is facing one of the best coaches of all time this week who will certainly be throwing out disguised coverages and blitzing schemes.

Look at that, already a few lines in and I still haven't even mentioned that Tom Brady is back and is looking for revenge. He didn't play well out of the gate against the Buffalo Bills last week but finished strong.

Look for him to build off of the second half performance against Buffalo and get the ball to their playmakers, Wes Welker and Randy Moss. Both hauled in 12 catches last week.

It will be very close, but ultimately it will come down to quarterback play against two very good defenses. I'll take Tom Brady any day of the week.

Pats are the pick.

Carolina at Atlanta

Watching last week's highlights, it was hard not to assume that the Panthers are a bad team. Quarterback Jake Delhomme had five turnovers, but the defense played huge, giving up just 267 yards of total offense.

The Falcons bring in an explosive offense with quarterback Matt Ryan, running back Michael Turner, wide receiver Roddy White and tight end Tony Gonzalez. The Panthers will have to try to take all of their playmakers out of the mix, which I don't think will be possible.

Atlanta takes this one.

Baltimore at San Diego

The San Diego Chargers were my Super Bowl pick, but last week they looked very average, just squeaking past the Oakland Raiders.

Baltimore has a much better defense than the Raiders and will look to stop the run against a Chargers team playing without running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Darren Sproles will try to take over the workload, but he is not a between-the-tackles runner like LT and won't fair well against the Ravens killer defense which limited the Chiefs to 1.7 yards a rush last week.

The Chargers will turn into a one-dimensional team, never a good thing to do against the Ravens. San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers might put up some good stats, but in the end, the Ravens defense will be too much.

Ravens taking this one.

Pittsburgh at Chicago

As if franchise quarterback Jay Cutler throwing a ton of passes to the other team wasn't bad enough, the Bears lost Pro Bowl linebacker Brain Urlacher for the season. It shouldn't get any better for them this week as the Bears go up against a very strong Pittsburgh defense.

Ben Roethlisberger should be able to make enough plays to be able to take it to the Bears.

NY Giants at Dallas

In the first regular season game played at the new Cowboys Stadium, Dallas fans are hopeful about quarterback Tony Romo after his strong performance last weekend. Romo is 4-0 in his career against the Giants in the regular season, but I have a feeling something is about to give in this game.

The Giants defense will be getting after Romo all game and will force him into turnovers. I am still not high on Eli Manning, but with the great running game behind him, he should be able to manage the game well.

Giants in a close one.

Indianapolis at Miami

The Monday night matchup pits a team battling injuries against a team trying to regain the momentum they had last season.

Even with wide out Anthony Gonzalez and safety Bob Sanders out for Indy, Peyton Manning will keep the Colts in every game they play.

In what could turn into a high-scoring affair, I like Peyton to keep the Colts ahead on the scoreboard.

Colts are the pick.

The rest

Minnesota at Detroit

St. Louis at Washington

Tampa Bay at Buffalo

Seattle at San Francisco

Cleveland at Denver

Last Week: 13-3

Season: 13-3

NFL 2009-10 Season Predictions (with Week One Picks)

Matt Schaefer — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:19:35 -0400

Well here it is, what we all have been waiting for.

In just a few hours, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans will be kicking off the 2009-10 NFL season. After the offseason and the four long preseason games, not only are the NFL fans ready to get things started, the players are, too.

So, like everyone else out there who follows football and is able to get anyone to listen to them, I will be giving my NFL predictions for the up-coming season.

Sure they could be right and I could pat myself on the back (for the record, I picked the Steelers to win it all last season) or I could completely butcher all of the picks too (I picked the Packers to make it to the Super Bowl, the Ravens to finish dead last and the Bills to make the playoffs, yuck).

What is great about the new season is the parody the NFL brings. On any given Sunday, anything can happen. The start of the season gives everyone a fresh slate. It gives 32 cities the reason to hope that this is the year for their team.

Note: This was not suppose to be an in-depth look at teams, just a look at a few teams and divisions I thought that needed to be explained. Also the four division winners make the playoffs of course, and the * symbol is the Wild Card team).

AFC EAST

1. New England Patriots: It comes to no shock that the Patriots are once again the front runners to win the Super Bowl this season. Getting Tom Brady back will do that to a team. Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker are teaming up to try to put together another season for the record books.

With the addition of veteran Fred Taylor and the return of underrated running back Laurence Maroney , the running game will certainly return to top form. The question mark on this team is the defense, as it has many new faces stepping into starting roles, but the offense will certainly help take the pressure off. This is a Super Bowl contender for sure.

2. Miami Dolphins: Last seasons defending AFC East's champion is getting no respect in the national media, but with Brady, T.O. and rookie Marc Sanchez all in the same division, there really isn't much coverage to go to the 'Phins.

The Dolphins are a solid team on both sides of the ball. The most interesting thing about the team coming into this season for this team is how are they going to improve their Wild-cat offense for the up-coming season. Chad Pennington, a MVP snub of last season, just completes passes and wins games.

The 'Phins should be in the thick of the Wild Card race all season.

3. Buffalo Bills: The offensive line needs to come together in order for this pick to hold any water. If they don't, the Bills could turn into one of the worst teams in the NFL. The weapons are all in place as the Bills have Terrell Owens, Lee Evans, speedster Roscoe Parrish, bruiser Marshawn Lynch (who serves a three-game suspension to start the season) and underrated Fred Jackson all on the offensive side of the ball.

Trent Edwards needs to play consistently as Bills fans saw flashes of greatness one week, and a J.P.Losman wannabe the next. This is his third year in the league, a year in which quarterbacks blossom. The defense is nothing to write home about, but they are a bend but not break unit who keep the team in the game for as long as possible.

A Wild Card contender if everything comes together, but will continue the playoff drought.

4. New York Jets: This is a team that is built to win now, however the quarterback isn't. I will not argue that the Jets have a top defense and one of the best offensive lines in the league, but they also have a rookie at QB with no targets to throw, too.

There will definitely be a learning curve for the rook as he will have big games with terrible games all season. Jets fans have a right to be optimistic, as the rest of their team is above average, however this is a quarterback run league.

If Sanchez can put it together, the Jets could be in the playoff race. I don't think he will, though.

AFC NORTH

1. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Super Bowl champions will be headed on their way to try to defend their title. Ben Roethlisberger returns to lead the offense which includes Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward.

Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall missed 17 combined games last season, which led the Steelers to have the 23rd ranked rushing offense in the league. If they can stay healthy, they will form a dangerous combination. Expect another deep playoff run.

2. Baltimore Ravens*: The Ravens went on a playoff run last season, and should be in the same situation this year too. The running game is what carries this team, and they have a stable of running backs led by Ray Rice and Willis McGahee.

Joe Flacco is entering his second year in the league after a superb rookie campaign. If he can limit his mistakes there is no reason the Ravens won't be back in the playoffs.

3. Cincinnati Bengals

4. Cleveland Browns

AFC SOUTH

1. Indianapolis Colts: Peyton Manning will help hide a lot of problems, but lets remember this is the first year he will be without long-time target Marvin Harrison, and the Colts do have a new head coach taking over the team.

Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez will help Peyton forget Harrison, as will tight end Dallas Clark. Rookie Donald Brown will help out Joseph Addai and the running game. If the defense improves slightly from last year, the Colts will be a Super Bowl favorite for sure.

2. Houston Texans*: Despite what the casual fan might think, the Texans have slowly been building a sleeping giant as they have finished 8-8 the last two season. This is the year the giant finally wakes up.

Matt Schaub is a pro bowl talent and as long as he can stay on the field, the Texans will be able to have a top rate passing attack. Andre Johnson is the best wide reciever in the league and Steve Slaton returns after almost a 1,300 yard season as a rookie last season to help lead the offense.

Mario Williams and star linebacker DeMeco Ryans will have some help on defense too, as Cato June and Brain Cushing join the squad. This is the year the Texans finally get over the .500 hump and jump into the post season.

3. Tennessee Titans: Even after the loss of Albert Haynesworth to Washington Redskins in free agency, the Titans still return a solid group of defenders. Veteran Kerry Collins will once again lead the offense, and Chris Johnson and LenDale White will show why they are one of the best running back tandems in the league.

The team will be knocking on the playoff doors, but I just don't think they have enough to make it through.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars

AFC WEST

1. San Diego Chargers: This team is by far the best team in the division and everyone knows who is on the team. The only thing I need to address is that LT will return to top form.

2. Oakland Raiders

3. Kansas City Chiefs

4. Denver Broncos

NFC EAST: Instead of going team by team because the division is so close, I will just let it be known that this was one of the hardest divisions to pick and seeing as it would be boring to read the small essays I could come up with each team, I will just let the prediction stand as is. No matter if I write something or not, it will spark debate.

1. Philadelphia Eagles

2. New York Giants*

3. Dallas Cowboys

4. Washington Redskins

NFC NORTH: Same as the NFC East.

1. Minnesota Vikings

2. Green Bay Packers*

3. Chicago Bears

4. Detroit Lions

NFC SOUTH

1. Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons improved from last season with the addition of tight end Tony Gonzalez, and should be in the running for the Super Bowl as long as the defense can hold up.

2. Carolina Panthers

3. New Orleans

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC WEST

1. Seattle Seahawks: The team is healthy, which puts enough playmakers on both sides of the ball to give this team a chance to make the playoffs.

2. Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals are a decent team, but nothing spectacular. They will still put points up on the board but I don't think their defense is good enough to take them to the playoffs for the second year in a row.

3. San Francisco 49ers

4. St. Louis Rams

SUPER BOWL: VIKINGS VS. CHARGERS

CHAMPIONS: CHARGERS

And just because the NFL season starts today, let me get all of my picks in too (winners are in bold)

Tennessee at Pittsburgh

Miami at Atlanta

Denver at Cincinnati

Minnesota at Cleveland

Jacksonville at Indianapolis

Detroit at New Orleans

Dallas at Tampa Bay

Philadelphia at Carolina

Kansas City at Baltimore

NY Jets at Houstion

Washington at NY Giants

San Francisco at Arizona

St. Louis at Seattle

Chicago at Green Bay

Buffalo at New England

San Diego at Oakland

Enough Is Enough, Denver Broncos Suspend Wide Reciever Brandon Marshall

Matt Schaefer — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:00:11 -0400

The Denver Broncos have finally had enough of the drama.

They have now officially suspended diva wide receiver Brandon Marshall for conduct detrimental to the team, according to multiple reports.

According to ESPN.com's Adam Schefter, the suspension is only for the rest of the preseason, and then Marshall can return for the season opener if he behaves during that time period.

If he does not, however, he could be facing an even longer suspension.

Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the NFLPA, the maximum suspension for conduct detrimental to the team is four games. Including Denver's last two remaining preseason games, Marshall could return during week three if he doesn't turn around his behavior.

Even if he does return for week one though, it is not a sure thing that he will start.

Because of his behavior and his lack of knowledge off the team's playbook, Marshall has worked with the second team during team practices and will have to show the coaching staff that he is ready to go if he wants to start again.

It does come to no ones surprise that the suspension was handed town from the front office. The entire offseason Marshall has been pouting about still being on the Broncos and after he saw franchise quarterback Jay Cutler shipped to the Chicago Bears, he wanted out, too.

Team around the league are not willing to give up what the Broncos want in return for the the pro bowl wide receiver and Marshall himself has shown no reason for a team to trade away at least a number one pick to get a player who has had his problems on and off the field.

The talent has also been there however he is too much of a high risk player to give away multiple top picks for.

Marshall was already suspended last season for three games (eventually turned into one game after the appeal process) after seven police-related incidents with his former girlfriend, Rasheedah Wately. Marshall was also arrested for the fourth time since 2006 this offseason on disorderly conduct charges (which were later dropped).

On the field hasn't been much better for Marshall either this offseason as he has been sitting out of practices because of injuries and when he finally gets onto the practice field, he goofs off and doesn't show that he even cares about the team. He also has admitted that he does not have any grasp of new head coach Josh McDainels playbook.

Marshall has now put up back to back 1,000 yards receiving seasons and has eclipsed the century mark for receptions the past two years. Marshall also hauled in seven touchdown receptions last season.

This article also appeared at SportsFullCircle.com.

Is This the End for John Smoltz's Career?

Matt Schaefer — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:01:00 -0400

Could this be the end to one of the best pitchers of this era?

One question has been answered though, and that is that John Smoltz's short lived career with the Boston Red Sox is officially over.

Smoltz—who was designated for assignment by the Red Sox last Friday after going 2-5 with an 8.32 ERA in just eight starts this season—cleared waivers, which gave Boston a few options on what to do with him.

They could send him to Triple-A, release him outright, or find a trading partner for him very quickly. One choice though was quickly crossed off the list.

Not surprisingly the 42-year-old refused the option of an assignment to the minor leagues and now may be facing an end to his storied career.

The question now is whether or not Smoltz will be able to throw again, or if he might just hang it up for good.

The Red Sox's only real option now is to release the struggling great, seeing as no team will be giving up any value to get a 42-year-old pitcher at the decline of his career and no matter if he is traded or not, Boston will be on the hook for his 1-year, $5.5 million contract he signed back in January. Any team that does want him (the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers are teams rumored to be interested) will just wait out the ten day period in which he is allowed to be traded, and wait for the Red Sox to cut him lose.

Smoltz is of course not happy with how things worked out and is very disappointed in his performance this year. Whether he still wants to come back and pitch though is now up to him.

Smoltz underwent off-season shoulder surgery to try to have a chance at pitching again in the the major leagues this season. The Red Sox took the gamble on him, seeing as before he had to be put under the knife, he was pitching very well for the Atlanta Braves, going 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA in six starts. He also had 36 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched last season, and had a WHIP of 1.179. He was also lights out in the post season.

Smoltz commented last season that if he was going to undergo the operation to fix his right shoulder, he would be coming back for more than one year. Now, it remains to be see after he struggled mightily this season.

Smoltz's shoulder obviously didn't allow him to pitch like he used to be able to with his time with the Red Sox. At times he showed flashes of his old self, but wasn't able to put it together for five innings of work each game. He would be able to string together a nice run for an inning or two but it always seemed to blow up on him.

The question now is whether or not Smoltz has anything left in the tank to work hard during the off-season and try to make a return again for the start of next season (while also making very little money). He already had to battle his way through the minors this season, it is unclear if he wants to attempt that again in order to make the rotation of another team.

If his arm returns to full strength, a starting spot with a National League team might be in-store or even a return to the bullpen. It's up to Smoltz to decide whether he wants to continue or not.

Just like with what we saw in the Brett Favre saga, it will be extremely hard for an all-time great to walk away from the game he loves.

"He's certainly not a quitter, that's one thing he's not," General Manger of the Red Sox Theo Epstein said. "So it never entered his mind to stop pitching."

The eight-time All-Star helped the Atlanta Braves to their single World Series championship along with 15 straight division titles, won a Cy Young Award, and is the only pitcher with more than 200 victories and 150 saves.

If this is indeed the end, Smoltz will end his career with a 212-152 career record, 154 saves and a 3.32 ERA. Smoltz was also 15-4 with four saves and a 2.65 ERA in the postseason.

This won't be the last from Smoltz if this is indeed the end; we will be reliving his career a few years down the road when he is elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

"Pretty humbled right now, the way things have gone," Smoltz said Thursday night, after the New Yankees chased him in the fourth inning of a 13-6 romp. "Time may not be on my side if this continues."

It's Very Simple, Eli Manning Is Not a Top QB and Is Now Highly Overpaid

Matt Schaefer — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:09:49 -0400

The Giants didn't really have a choice. In their eyes the New York Giants had to give quarterback Eli Manning a contract extension. What he got though is out of this world.

Manning was entering the last season of his rookie deal he signed back in 2004 that was going to pay him $9.4 million. Franchise quarterbacks certainly don't just pop up, and some teams spend years looking for the right piece to fall into place to lead their team. The Giants felt they had their man, and had to give him the money he was looking for.

When the two sides eventually reached an agreement, it left Eli with the highest annual salary in the entire National Football League.

The two sides agreed to a six-year, $97.5 million contract extension, that will run through 2015 (it includes the last year of his current contract which makes the total value of the new deal at $106.9 million over seven years, or $15.3 million per season).

What puzzles me though is why didn't the Giants front office wait until the end of this up-coming season before throwing bags of money at Eli?

Sure, they might have been worried about his mind set, and wanted to make sure contract talks didn't affect his play on the field, but Eli is way too inconsistent to be getting the money he is currently getting paid.

It all comes down to the fact that Eli Manning is a middle of the pack quarterback, even Giants' fans will admit this.

Don't get me wrong, the guy knows how to win. Since becoming the starter for the Giants in 2004, Eli has a 42-29 regular season record and a 4-3 record in the postseason (including a Super Bowl win).

However, Eli hasn't been one of the top quarterbacks in the league (he has even struggled to be in the top 15). The guy has a career 55.9% completion rate, 98 touchdowns, 74 interceptions, and a 76.1 quarterback rating for his five-year career.

In comparison to the top picks of his draft class, Manning has a lower completion percentage than Phillip Rivers (+6.4), Ben Roethlisberger (+6.5) and even now UFL-star J.P. Losman (+3.4), and trails Big Ben and Rivers in almost every other passing category.

It also needs to be mentioned that Eli has had a great team around him for most of his years with the Giants. He has constantly had one of the best running backs lining up behind him (whether it be Tiki Barber or Brandon Jacobs), one of the best offensive lines in the game, a top of the line receiver in Plaxico Burress, and to help take the pressure off of him even more, one of the best teams on the defensive side of the ball.

Manning needed to prove that he is one of the best QB's in the NFL while also showing that he needed to be consistent over the course of a season.

Why not wait until this year plays out to offer him a deal like this? Even if worse comes to worse, and you sure aren't sure about Eli after this year, you could've stuck the franchise tag on him after next season and you still get two more years of Eli playing in the Giants uniform.

There are just too many questions marks in Eli's game and there is an even bigger one coming into this season—Can he succeed without a pro bowl caliber wide reciever to throw to?

Elite quarterbacks create great wide receivers (Tom Brady anyone?) and Manning has not played well when he hasn't had an elite threat in the line up. In the five games played last season without Plax (including the first game of the playoffs for the Giants in the divisional round against the Philadelphia Eagles), Manning threw just two touchdowns to four interceptions, didn't throw for more than 191 yards in any of those games, and the team went 1-4 when they needed their quarterback to step up the most.

Manning is being paid as not only the best quarterback, but the best player in the entire league, and that just isn't the case.

Give me a choice and my top quarterbacks consist of Brady, Peyton Manning, Roethlisberger, Rivers, Brees and Donovan McNabb. It's not like Eli is a throw in right after the top-tier players either. I'll even take Chad Pennington, Jay Cutler, Carson Palmer, or Aaron Rodgers over Manning. And with guys like Matt Ryan waiting in the wings to become an elite quarterback, Eli has trouble even cracking the top 10 list of current NFL quarterbacks.

Has Manning been very durable? Yes.

Has he won games? Yes.

Does he have a Super Bowl ring? Yes.

But just because he has all of the things above, doesn't mean that he is worth $100+ million over the course of the next seven years.

I don't know about you guys out there, but $15 million per season is way too much to be paying a guy to get me 3,000 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions a season.

Especially if the winning stops.

Will Donte Whitner Start in 2009? You Better Billieve It!

Matt Schaefer — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:46:36 -0400

Buffalo Bills safety Donte Whinter has played multiple positions on the football field in his career with the Buffalo Bills. From the two safety to nickel corner back, Whitner has been the most versatile defender on the team.

In the off-season, news came out that Whitner would be moving to the free position full time, as veteran Bryan Scott stepped into the strong safety role. The move would help Whitner become more of the "center fielder" of the defense to create more big plays, something that he has been criticized for in his career.

It is now being reported by FoxSports and ProFootballTalk.com's Gregg Rosenthal that Donte Whitner could be playing a position he has never played before in his career; backup.

FoxSports.com reports that "Buffalo's coaching staff is eager to see Byrd in training camp at free. If he beats Whitner out, then Whitner, who is being supplanted at strong safety where he has started three seasons by veteran Bryan Scott, will be relegated to a utility role."

Rosenthal also added that "Buffalo is looking for more play making ability in their secondary and believes Byrd could provide it and that if Whitner loses the starting gig, he won't be moving back to nickel corner. He'll be a utility man at both safety spots."

While it may be true that Byrd, a former corner back selected in the second round of this year's draft, may be the starting free safety come September, it certainly doesn't mean that Whitner will be spending the year on the bench.

For starters, in order for Byrd to start, he will have to have a very strong training camp and preseason (he has already missed OTA's due to final exams), and even then it might be tough. He does have potential and has superb ability to intercept passes (17 interception during his three year college career) but he is learning a new position and it will take some time.

Remember the Bills didn't just trot out No. 11 overall pick Leodis McKelvin last season, even when starter Terrence McGee was playing through an injury. The coaching staff is not going to throw someone out on the field if they don't feel that he is ready.

If Byrd does perform well enough to start though, Whitner will be moved back to the strong safety position.

It is no knock on Scott, who is a serviceable vet, and plays very well against the run. Scott also plays the game very physical and does a good job at taking the opposition’s tight end out of the game, however, Whitner is still a better player overall. He is faster, a stronger hitter, and still has more upside.

The knock against Whitner is that he doesn't make enough plays. Writers and fans alike are quick to bring up the fact that Whitner has only two interceptions in his three year career. They don't, however, look at the fact that Scott has only four interceptions in his six year career and hasn't picked off a pass in the last two seasons.

A move back to the strong safety spot suits Whitner better in my eyes.

Whitner is great against the run and playing strong safety will keep him closer to the line of scrimmage.

He is a very strong hitter that should be attacking the ball carrier. Playing strong safety makes him like a fourth linebacker on the field in certain formations, a spot in which he thrives in.

Not to mention, that he is a great leader on and off the field. He wasn't just named team captain last season for no reason.

No matter if it is at free safely or strong safety, Donte Whitner will be starting in the 2009-10 season.

Playoff guarantee for the upcoming season? Not included.

You can find more great articles on every team of the NFL at NFLTouchdown.com.

Fumble! Former Buffalo Bills QB JP Losman Is Heading To The UFL

Matt Schaefer — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:01:28 -0400

After the football season came to a close, everyone in Buffalo knew that Bills quarterback J.P. Losman would be playing for a new team in 2009. No one could have guessed that his new team would be playing their games in Las Vegas.

Losman, the Bills' first-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, is set to be the signal caller on the Las Vegas team in the United Football League, according to UFLAccess.com.

It is now clear that Losman has officially hit rock bottom. After being benched for the last two seasons, Trent Edwards took the reins of the Bills starting job and now Losman is taking snaps in a UFL jersey.

Losman certainly has the raw talent to make it in the NFL, that was never a concern about him. What hurt him was his inconsistency, his lack of field vision, undiscipline play, and locking onto wide receivers even when they were tightly covered.

He had his good times with comeback wins and almost leading the Bills to the playoffs in 2006. He also had his bad times, with not being able to finish critical drives and constantly coughing up the football in the absolute worst moments.

The move makes sense for Losman as he is trying to work his way back onto a NFL squad. With most spots already filled this season, Losman didn't have many options in terms of teams to go to, and the ones he did he had no chance of starting. He chose playing over sitting the bench and the UFL will give him a chance to show that he still has some talent worth putting on a NFL depth chart.

The UFL (which doesn't even have nicknames for its four francishes in Las Vegas, Orlando, New York and San Francisco), only plays six regular season games, and is expected to have a Championship game around Thanksgiving.

Who knows, there may even be an injury to a team at the quarterback position in which they will be looking for depth. If everything goes right for Losman, he might even be back in a NFL uniform during the 2009 season.

In his five-year NFL career, Losman completed 558 of 941 passes (59.3 percent) for 6,211 yards, 33 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. Losman also gained 489 yards on the ground, scoring three touchdowns. He also fumbled the ball 32 times during the five-year span, 17 of which that were lost to the opposing team. Overall in his career, Losman accounted for 36 touchdowns but 51 turnovers.

Most fans have already said good riddance to the 28-year-old quarterback. However, I am quite interested to see how this whole thing turns out. Maybe under Las Vegas coach Jim Fassel, Losman can finally turn the corner in his development and turn into a serviceable NFL QB...

...or maybe Losman might be looking for a new day job come next year.

Either way, you can't blame him for trying.

Visit NFLTouchdown.com where you can see great articles like this one on all 32 teams of the NFL written by the die hard fans!

Buffalo Bills B/R Community Newsletter Vol. 3

Matt Schaefer — Sun, 31 May 2009 13:15:30 -0400

Welcome to the Buffalo Bills Community here on BleacherReport.com!

In case you missed the first two newsletters (here and here), the point of these short write-ups is to bring the Bills community together and improve communications between all of the Bills fans here.

This newsletter will focus mostly on the community and some ideas to improve it. Included will be monthly/weekly awards during the regular season, ideas for writers, round-table discussion topics, and much more.

The newsletter will come out during both the off season and the regular season.

Right now there is no set date for these newsletters to appear, but by the start of the preseason they will become a weekly event.

Also, there will be a few tweaks each time, based on your suggestions of what you want to see.

Without further adieu, lets get the third newsletter underway!

Welcome New Writers!

I haven't had a chance to welcome all of the new members to the community, so I will do it very informally right now.

Welcome!

I know that most of the writers jumped aboard because of the CBS Sports competition, but only one person can win that, so I hope that most of the new writers stay because there has been some great work coming out of the Bills B/R section this month!

Bills Bleacher Report Community Now on Twitter!

In an attempt to get more great writers to jump on board with us here, along with getting out the great work already in place, I have set up a Bills Community twitter for the writers here.

You can visit the site by going here: twitter.com/billsbr.

As of yesterday when I started it, I will be updating the twitter page with the great work here everyday!

The format of the postings will be the writers last name (to get you guys recognition with the people seeing it), a small overview of the article, and the direct link to the article.

Hopefully this brings in new members to the community here while also getting out the great work done here to new readers.

Bills On-line Radio Show

No I haven't forgotten about it.

I will be looking to start up the show around the start of the preseason, so if anyone is interested, sent me a message, PM, or write a comment in below.

I have narrowed it down to two sites, either blogtalkradio.com or ustream.tv.

I am still looking at which one would be better so we can get multiple people on the air at once. Right now blogtalkradio is leading the way, but I will be testing both in the near future.

Bills Community Ranks at B/R

With it being the end of the month, I thought I would update everyone on where we stand with the rest of the 32 teams.

Here is a quick rundown of where we stand for this month:

Articles: 259 (11th)
Comments: 337 (24th)
New Writers: 147 (6th)
Active Writers: 22 (7th)

I will take no credit for any of these stats of course, seeing as you guys were the ones who kept pumping out great articles.

With the explosion of new writers, we have now passed both the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, to settle into 2nd in the AFC East in terms of total members.

Two Minute Drill

Your ideas, suggestions, and comments about this newsletter are greatly appreciated.

Any ideas on how to strengthen the community would be great too!

If you need me for anything, you can contact me through my B/R profile, by sending me a private message here on bleacher report or by sending an e-mail to buffbillsfan517@yahoo.com.

I am available at anytime for anything you need or any question to be answered.

Thanks for reading the third volume of the Bills Community Newsletter! Have a great day everyone, and…

LET’S GO BUFFALO!

Donte Whitner Defending the Deep Ball: A Mock Interview

Matt Schaefer — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:57:20 -0400

Donte Whitner is entering his fourth season in the National Football League and is looking to help take the Buffalo Bills over the hump and into the postseason.

Whitner was the Bills first round selection in the 2006 NFL draft—eighth overall. He has been productive in his first three seasons and has been one of the Bills most versatile and durable defensive backs over the past few seasons.

Below are the questions that I would ask if I could get a minute of Donte Whitner's time

Last season you made the guaranteed that the Bills would be playing postseason football for the first time this decade. The team ultimately fell short of that prediction.

Do you feel the same way about the Bills this season and did missing the playoffs last season push you even harder this offseason?

Taking a look at the schedule for this season, is there a game that you are looking forward to the most?

The Bills are looking at you at the free safety position for this upcoming season after you have spent your first two years mostly at strong safety. Do you prefer to play at the free safety spot or do you like playing strong safety more?

The Bills played very good against the pass last season, ranking 13th in the league in pass defense. Despite this, the Bills struggled to force turnovers.

Do you think this season will bring the same success against the passing game for the secondary and what can be done to force more turnovers?

How would you rate the Bills defensive unit overall?

Last season you were used all over the field. How did you become such a versatile player?

How did it feel to be selected by your teammates last season as a team captain and did it come as a surprise to you?

Seeing as you are going against him from the other side of the ball everyday, how would you describe the progression of Trent Edwards from his rookie year to now?

Speaking of facing the offense in pratice, is it still weired to you sometimes that a player like Terrell Owens is lining up on the other side of the ball or has he settled in nicely with you and your teammates here?

There have been quite a few blogggers and writers that have labeled you as a "bust," which you have spoken against. Is this extra motivation for you to go out there and produce every Sunday, or do you just brush it off and play.

Last question.

You are very active in the community helping out multiple foundations and underprivileged kids in the Buffalo area. What do you want kids to take away from your actions and do you think of yourself as a role model, not only to the people in the community but also to other players in the league?

Nine Steps the Buffalo Bills Need To Take in Order To Make the Playoffs

Matt Schaefer — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:42:50 -0400

Enough is enough.

The Buffalo Bills have missed the playoffs for the past ten years, and have gone 7-9 for three straight seasons in a row. It is now or never for everyone at One Bills Drive.

Dick Jauron, Trent Edwards, and Turk Schonert, just to name a few, are all on the hot seat entering this season. When you start to think about it, everyone in the Bills organization is in a do-or-die situation for this up-coming season.

While the national media will laugh at the notion of the Bills making the playoffs this season, they can accomplish it if the following happens.

Aaron Schobel and Aaron Maybin Give the Bills a Consistent Pass Rush

There is one word that can sum up the Bills pass rush in 2008, non-existent.

Aaron Schobel was considered by most fans overrated and overpaid, but we saw that was clearly not the case. Schobel was gone after the first five games of the season, and the Bills suffered severely in his absence.

While Schobel got only one sack in his five games in 2008, just him being on the field created more opportunities for his teammates.

The Bills had 10 sacks in the five games that Schobel was in the lineup. Without him, they were able to put up a meager 14 sacks in 11 games to finish the season 28th in the NFL with only 24 sacks (only 1.5 sacks per game).

The return of Schobel alone will strengthen the Bills pass rush on the right side, and the addition of first round pick Aaron Maybin will help out on the left side.

Don't get me wrong, Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney are decent defensive ends for the Bills. Both of them are great in stopping the run, but neither excels in getting after the quarterback (neither one has produced six sacks during a season).

Bringing Maybin in will give the Bills a speed rusher on the other end of the defensive line, complementing the power rusher on the other end.

While Schobel will run right through you, Maybin will take two quick steps and already will be around you. It's a lose-lose situation for the opponents offensive line.

Not only will Schobel and Maybin help out in the sacks department, but the pressure they can both put on opposing quarterbacks will also cause interceptions for the defensive backs when poor decisions are made.

Trent Edwards Plays Like the Quarterback of the Future Now

Everyone in Buffalo loves quarterback Trent Edwards, but that could change by the end of the season.

Edwards is entering his third NFL season, a year in which quarterbacks usually blossom into stars of the league. Many thought last year was when Edwards took to the big step, but an injury in Week Five seemed to turn the young QB gun-shy.

His consistency was also a huge problem in the Bills fall from 5-1 to finish the year 7-9. Durability is also a concern, seeing as Edwards has not stayed healthy for two straight seasons.

When it comes down to it, Edwards just hasn't played good enough.

He has a career record of 12-11 to go along with 18 career touchdowns and 18 career interceptions. He also doesn't have any more excuses to use.

He knows the offense, and isn't a rookie anymore, playing in 24 games in his first two years (23 starts). Lack of experience is no longer an issue.

He has weapons around him now too. Lee Evans, Terrell Owens, Josh Reed, Steven Johnson, Roscoe Parrish, Derek Fine and Shawn Nelson give him plenty of targets to throw to.

The Trent Edwards of the first four games of last season is the Trent Edwards the Bills must get if they expect to make the playoffs. He wasn't throwing for 300+ yards or 3 touchdowns in any of those games. What he was doing was moving the ball down the field to sustain drives and not turning it over to the other team.

Edwards doesn't need to be the next Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. With a strong running game behind him, all he needs to do is play consist, moving the chains and most importantly, not turning the ball over.

Marcus Stroud Plays Like He Did Last Season

While the stats might not show it, Marcus Stroud was a force to be reckoned with in his first year with the Bills last season.

After many thought the 30-year-old defensive tackle had seen his last days after two straight injury-riddled seasons, Stroud showed up big time for the Bills in 2008 and posted some of his best numbers in years.

Stroud had 45 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and seven passes deflected, and was rewarded for his efforts when the Bills gave him a contract extension that keeps him with the team through 2012.

What the stats don't show is how much Stroud impacted each and every game this season.

As soon as the ball was snapped, Stroud was in the backfield already, causing chaos for the opposing offensive line. He forced running backs to run to different holes, quarterbacks to stray from the pocket and most importantly, made the players around him better.

It certainly wasn't just a coincidence that Kyle Williams had his best season in Stroud's first year with the team.

If Stroud can return to the same form he was in last season, he will continue to wreck havoc on the oppenent's rushing attack, while also creating opportunities for Schobel and Maybin/Denney/Kelsay when he gets doubled teamed.

A healthy, productive Stroud, paired with Schobel will create nightmares for offensive coordinators week in and week out as they figure out how to stop the two of them long enough to get their offense running properly.

Josh Reed Builds off of a Career Year

Josh Reed was by far the Bills most reliable wide receiver last season and will need to improve his game for this year too.

Reed is a very important part of the offense, as he will be lining up in the slot this year with Lee Evans and Terrell Owens lined up on the outside. Reed will turn into Trent Edwards security blanket and will also be relied upon to pick up first downs.

Reed is coming off arguably his best season in the NFL, having 56 receptions for 597 yards and one touchdown. With the move back into the slot position along with two of the top wide receivers in the game on the outside, there is no reason why Reed will not see another increase in numbers for this season, too.

The Offensive Line Jells

Just like the pass rush, the Bills offensive line play last season was down right awful.

The Bills struggled to get their rushing game going at all during the season, and also struggled in the pass blocking game too, letting up 38 sacks on the season (a little more than two per game).

The Bills traded disgruntled left tackle Jason Peters in the off-season and with one of the picks they received in return, they picked up G Eric Wood and then traded up in the second round to select G Andy Levitre to help bolster the offensive line.

Add in Brad Butler at RT, Langston Walker moving to LT and new center Geoff Hangartner and the Bills will have new starters at all five offensive line positions for 2009.

However, despite what it looks like on paper, the line looks like a solid group of players.

Langston Walker is great at run blocker and is decent at pass blocking. An offseason working at the position though will do him good, and he should be fine for the season.

Despite what most think, Brad Butler is a good player who was out of his position playing guard for the Bills. Now he returns to his normal spot of right tackle and will do just fine.

Hangartner is a smart player who uses his brain and good positioning to block bigger defensive tackles. Add in the two rookies and you have a bunch of players who play to the whistle, are smart and play with a mean streak (which is very important to have on the offensive line).

Kirk Chambers is also a very versatile player who played at both tackle spots last season and Demetrius Bell is a raw talent that could turn into a star on the line in years to come.

Say what you want about his overall talent, but Peters didn't play with that mean streak. He looked like he could care less if he just got burned, as long as he made his money at the end of the season.

The new line looks capable of holding off most teams and will also have good chemistry by the time the season rolls around.

There are no distractions this year on the line, just a bunch of guys who love playing football.

The Bills' Linebackers Need to Improve

Consistency has been a word tossed around a lot when talking about the Bills for the up-coming NFL seasons and the linebacker position is no different, the Bills need some sort of consistency at this spot if they want to make the playoffs.

Some games the linebackers look like super stars but at other times, you think the Bills are playing with four down linemen and four defensive backs. Everyone at the linebacker position tends to disappear at times and no player does it more than Kawika Mitchell.

The newcomer last season took games over at times, but other times suffered from severe lapses in judgement. It seemed like Mitchell was either on or off and there was no in between.

For example, on blitzes he would either sack the quarterback or run right into the offensive line. He was either getting the sack or was creating no pressure at all.

Along with Mitchell, the same can be said for middle linebacker Paul Posluszny, who is a fan favorite on the team. What most fans don't realize though is that "Poz" isn't exactly a game changer and struggles in pass coverage. If anything, his tackle numbers are so high just because he plays the middle linebacker position.

The Bills also need a weak side linebacker. Keith Ellision is nice to have on the team, but should be in a back up role, not the starter. Behind Ellision is a bunch players who are very unproven, and don't provide much upside in a starting role either.

The Bills could really use an addition like that of free-agent linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, the leading tackler on the St. Louis Rams for the last few seasons, but he might be looking for too much money.

Seeing as the Bills are not going to be bringing anyone new in, the players already there need to step up and play consistent. Players can't just disappear for stretches of key games (or never show up for the game altogether).

They don't need to be the best linebackers in the NFL, they just need to play to their potential for 60 minutes every game.

The Bills Win against teams in their Division

It is well known that the Buffalo Bills have been annihilated by the New England Patriots who have won 16 of the last 17 games between the two teams (including 11 straight).

However, the Bills were expected to compete with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins last season, but instead went 0-6 in the tough AFC East last season.

That of course can not repeat if they have any chance to be playing football games in January.

It gets no easier this season as the Patriots get back Tom Brady while the Jets and Dolphins still have top squads in the AFC. The Bills have to go at least 3-3 in the division if they want any hope of making the post season.

How they do it is up to them. Will they end the Patriots domination over them? Can they sweep either the Jets or the Dolphins?

It doesn't matter how they do it, but they need to be competitive and win games in the division. They certainly aren't winning the AFC East, but they will need the wins now as they will have to make it in as a wild-card team.

Those tie-breakers will be critical if the Bills have any hope of making the post season.

Special Teams Unit Remains at the Top of the NFL

This one isn't as big as a concern as the others, but with the new rule changes, the Bills need to remain at the top of the NFL in the special teams department.

The Bills have a excellent punter (Brain Moorman), kicker (Rian Lindell), return players (Roscoe Parrish, Leodis McKelvin, Terrence McGee) and coverage teams, however, the rule changes this season will bring new challenges for ST coach Bobby Aprils.

The special teams coach of the year should easily field another strong unit in 2009, but it will be a little harder than previous seasons.

The Bills Open up the Offense

Last season every fan in the stadium and watching on TV knew what play the Buffalo Bills were going to run.

Run on first down, run on second down, incomplete pass on third down, then punt.

Just think how easy it must have been for NFL defensive coordinators to figure out what the Bills were going to run.

Offensive coordinator Turk Schonert has no excuses not to succeed this year. He has weapons at all positions on the offensive side of the ball.

Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson and Dominic Rhodes can all make plays from the tailback spot. The wide receiving core is one of the deepest in the league and the tight end position features two young players in Derek Fine and play making rookie Shawn Nelson.

The Bills have talent all around to become one of the top offenses in the AFC, but it is up to the coordinator to help the unit reach its full potential.

If the offense doesn't produce this year with all of the talent, it is most likely only one persons fault, Turk Schonert's.

This is an all or nothing year for the Bills this season and making the playoffs is a realistic expectation. Anything short of making the postseason is a complete failure.

And if the Bills make it 0-for-the decade in terms of making the playoffs, it will result in drastic changes in the off-season.

Buffalo Bills Position Battles to Keep an Eye On

Matt Schaefer — Tue, 19 May 2009 22:34:41 -0400

The Buffalo Bills opened up the 2009-10 NFL season with Organized Team Activities on Monday of this week in Orchard Park, New York.

While the organization is heading for their first playoff berth in the last decade, there are multiple positions that are open for any player to step in and take over the starting spot.

Almost the entire nation believes that the Bills are not going to come anywhere close to making the playoffs this year, but the players at One Bills Drive certainly don’t believe that they are just going to roll over.

In the quest to make the playoffs this year, the key players are going to need to step up and play much better down the stretch than they did last season in their collapse.

Of course you also need players to come out of nowhere too.

That is what offseason activities, training camp and the preseason are for, to find those players that will step up and fill big roles on the team.

Here are the positions in which the coaching staff will be looking the most closely at:

Back-Up Running Back

There is no debate about who is the starting running back this year, as Marshawn Lynch will go for his third straight 1,000 yard rushing season.

Lynch is a power runner who gets stronger as the game goes on. His physical style of play tires out defenders and Lynch is one of the hardest runners in the league.

Defenders need to make sure that he is tackled before they stop moving their feet, because Lynch never stops his. He has the ability to push the pile and carry defenders on his back to gain a few more yards.

He should be getting most of the Bills carries this season. You can pretty much mark him down for 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns.

Even with a Pro Bowl running back on the top of the depth chart, the back-up running back is a spot that will be a battle until the start of the regular season, and even then it might not be decided.

The back-up to Lynch will start the season as the Bills No. 1, as Lynch serves his three game suspension due to his run in with the law during the offseason (Lynch is appealing the suspension length however, and could see his three game suspension turn into one or two games).

The only downside to Lynch’s style of play is the fact that he is exposed to injury. During his first two seasons in the league, Lynch has missed fours games due to injury, making the back-up running back even more likely to get a good amount of playing time.

The battle fans should be watching as the offseason goes on is between Fred Jackson and Dominic Rhodes, although Xavier Omon could also factor into the decision.

Jackson just re-signed with the Bills for a four year, $7.5 million deal this offseason. The Coe College product is entering his third year in the NFL and is coming off of two straight very productive seasons serving as Lynch’s backup.

While Lynch is the power back, Jackson is the speed rusher. While Lynch may be able to run you over, Jackson can make you break your ankles with a quick few cuts and has the ability to put it into fifth gear to out run defenders.

Jackson gave the Bills one of the better one-touch punches in the league as he rushed for 571 yards on 130 carries (averaging 4.4 yards a run). He also reached the end-zone three times.

Jackson knows the Bills offense to a “T” and has shown the Bills coaching staff that he belongs on the field.

In last season’s finale against the New England Patriots, Jackson rushed the ball 27 times for 136 yards against one of the best run stopping defenses in the league.

Not only does Jackson rush the ball well; he also is a big threat out of the backfield. Jackson hauled in 37 catches for 317 yards, just behind Lynch’s 47 receptions (he only had 300 yards receiving). The difference between the two is that Jackson has the better pair of hands.

Lynch might have caught almost 50 passes thrown his way, but he had his fair share of drops, especially on easy dump off passes. Jackson not only showed sure hands on short passes, but had a few very nice down the field receptions too.

Another multi-threat back that is fighting for the backup spot is former Indianapolis Colt Dominic Rhodes.

The 30-year-old Rhodes, who many thought was on his last legs last season, revived his career, filling the role of Joseph Addai’s back up.

Rhodes played in 15 games last season (four games started) and rushed for 538 yards on 152 attempts. He also showed that he could reach the end zone still, cashing in for six rushing touchdowns.

Like Jackson, Rhodes also has sure hands coming out of the backfield, having 302 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The Bills thought highly enough of him to give him a two year deal as a free agent this offseason.

Rhodes will give Jackson a run for his money, but in the end, I have a feeling that Jackson will pull away and earn the backup role.

Rhodes certainly isn’t just going to roll over, though.

"The way I always look at it is, when I get in the game, I try to give them a reason not to take me out and a reason to keep putting me back in," Rhodes said. "The first three games are definitely a plus and anything after that, I'll just, with practicing hard, playing hard, I'll just show them what I can do." (CBS Sports)

Last year’s draft pick, Xavier Omon, does have some upside, but might be a victim of roster numbers and still has practice squad eligibility. It will be a very tough time for Hall to make the squad due to the people in front of him.

Projected 2009-10 Depth Chart: Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson, Dominic Rhodes, Xavier Omon, Bruce Hall

4^th and 5^th Wide Receiver Spots

Just like the running back position, there is no question about who the starters are at wide receiver.

Lee Evans and Terrell Owens are on the top of the depth chart coming into this season and for good reason.

Evans is coming off of his second career 1,000 yard season in a year in which the offense was nothing to write home about. Terrell Owens, who racked up 1,000-plus yards and 10-plus touchdowns for the third straight year, is definitely a surefire decision.

It doesn’t matter who is the No. 1 or the No. 2 wide out, both receivers will complement the other nicely. While Owens's numbers might take a minor drop, look for Evans to catch a lot more than just three touchdowns, like he did last year.

After Owens and Evans, Josh Reed will start at the slot position, a spot where he thrives on.

“Mr. First Down”, as he is known by the fans, excels at finding the soft spots in the defenses and sits in zones. Last season, Reed spent time as the No. 2 receiver, a spot that doesn’t suit him well, and yet he still had a career year, hauling in 56 catches for 597 yards.

He won’t burn you to get into the end zone (his 9 career TD’s in 8 NFL seasons prove that), however, he will move the chains and defenses will have to choose to cover the deep threats in Evans and Owens and nine out of 10 times will leave Reed with a ton of open field.

After the top three wide receivers, it gets a little bit trickier to figure out as a speedy playmaker and two 2008 draft picks go head to head for two spots.

One of the most underrated players coming into camp last season was seventh round selection Steve Johnson. He wasn’t even suppose to be on the roster last season but a great off-season with the team got Johnson a roster spot.

At first he didn’t get a chance to do too much with it, as he spent most of his time on the bench, however, when he was given his chance towards the end of the season, he thrived.

In the last four weeks of the season, Johnson showed that he belonged on the team, catching seven passes for 71 yards including a go ahead score against the Denver Broncos in Week 16.

Johnson has a solid frame, standing at 6-foot-2 and 202lbs and excels at shielding the ball away from defenders. There is no reason why Johnson will not continue to get better and should earn some solid playing time this season too.

After Johnson, Roscoe Parrish is penciled in as the fifth string wide out, but even then, his name is easily erasable.

Parrish has not panned out since being selected in the second round of the 2005 draft. His athletic ability has never been the question, as he is one of, if not the fastest player, on the Bills.

The problem is his size and route running abilities.

Parrish is undersized at just 5’-9”, 171 lbs. He also struggles getting open.

The only way Parrish can be used to his best ability is by getting him the ball quickly, using him on mostly screens and quick slants. When having to run routes down field, Parrish is usually covered and lacks the ability to generate space from his defenders.

With the amount of targets on the Bills offense this season though, Parrish will come into the line up as a change of pace wide receiver, who in the right matchup could provide big returns to the Bills.

Don’t expect him to get above his career average numbers of 24 receptions, 263 receiving yards and one touchdown per season, but he will have his big game every now and then.

In the sixth spot, James Hardy will try to battle his way back from a poor rookie campaign and a torn ACL.

For the start of next season, Hardy needs to improve his route running and his ability to gain separation from defensive backs. His hands were also a concern at times last season, as he dropped easy passes.

He certainly isn’t a bust yet though, as most wide receivers struggle in their first year in the league as they get used to much better coverage than in college. It was a wake up call for Hardy, as he learned that he can’t just run streaks and out jump defenders.

Hardy has one great asset that you can’t teach though—height. His 6-foot-5 frame gives him a height advantage over almost any defensive back in the league. As long as he gets the offense down, while also working on his overall game, Hardy should do fine in the future.

He won’t get much playing time because of all of the wide receivers in front of him, but he gets to learn the position from a future Hall of Fame wide out and should be a factor on the offense two years from now.

Of the other six wide receivers that I haven’t mentioned yet, only Justin Jenkins has a chance to make the roster. He played special teams last year and will look to do the same thing again this season.

It will be very tough for any of the other wide receivers listed on the roster, including Jenkins, to make the roster. With all of the talent, it becomes a numbers game at the wide out position and a tough choice will be made here to see who stays.

In my eyes though, seven wide receivers is too much to keep on one team during the year, unless on really shines in the preseason/training camp. It depends on how much say special teams Coach Bobby Aprils has on the matter.

Projected 2009-10 Depth Chart: Lee Evans, Terrell Owens, Josh Reed, Steve Johnson, Roscoe Parrish, James Hardy

Tight End

The Buffalo Bills let their starting tight end go this offseason by releasing Robert Royal, making the tight end position one that needed to be addressed in the offseason.

The Bills did just that by selecting tight end Shawn Nelson out of Southern Miss with their fourth round pick (No. 121 overall).

Nelson was thought to be the No. 2 tight end overall in the draft class, yet still fell to the Bills with their fourth round selection. They are certainly happy about it.

Nelson has a good frame, standing at 6-foot-5 and 240 lbs. His blocking ability is the weakest part of his game, but he can easily make you forget about it with the plays he makes in the passing game.

Nelson uses his body to shield the ball from the defender in the air and has great hands. He also can go up and get the ball in a jump-ball situation and makes the hard catches look easy.

When Nelson is on the field, the Bills have an extra wide receiver in the game. He is too quick for linebackers and too big for defensive backs to cover. When he is on the field the Bills will create matchup problems before the ball is even snapped.

While Nelson is improving his game in the early part of the season, last year’s fourth round pick, Derek Fine, will try to lock down the starting role.

Nelson’s weakness is Fine’s strength, as he is a superb blocker (some believe even better than Royal, who was considered as one of the best in the league). He also has shown soft hands, and is utilized best in the play action game.

While his sample size is still small, Fine took great strides in his rookie season. Many thought that Fine was just a special teams player, but he worked hard at his game and got himself onto the field to run some of the offense.

He was used mostly in double tight end formations, so the Bills could take advantage of his blocking abilities. While he wasn’t relied much on in the passing game, he ran crisp routes and had 10 receptions for 94 yards and one touchdown on the season.

Just like last offseason, Fine is looking to improve his game again, except this time he should be the one starting when the season begins.

Derek Schouman is going to be breathing down the back of the necks of both Fine and Nelson, as he too, is a good blocker. Like Fine, he didn’t put up big numbers, but looked very good on play action plays when the tight end would block and then release into the open field to run his route.

Fine, Schouman and Nelson will all be seeing a good amount of time on the field, just on different situations.

Fine and Schouman will be relied on in the running game and short passing play while Nelson is looking to become to play making tight end that the Bills have been looking to get since Jay Riemersma, almost a decade ago.

Projected 2009-10 Depth Chart: Derek Fine, Shawn Nelson, Derek Schouman

Safety

The Bills certainly have many different ways they can go with the free safety position, but most of it comes down to what they what to do at free safety.

Reports came out earlier in the offseason that the Bills were going to move Donte Whitner from his spot at strong safety to free in order for him to become more of the centerfielder of the defense to create more plays, but Buffalo selected a defensive back in the second round that could change the plans.

Jairus Byrd was one of the Bills second round selections in this year’s draft. Although he was a corner back in college, his ability to intercept passes makes the move to safety an easy one for the Bills.

In order for Byrd to start though, he will have to have a very strong training camp and preseason, and even then it might be tough. He does have potential (17 interceptions in college in three years) but he is learning a new position and it will take some time.

If Byrd does start though, Whitner will be moved back to the strong safety position, a spot that in my eyes suits him better. Whitner is great against the run and in his few years in the league, hasn’t really shown the ability to make big plays.

He is a very strong hitter that should be attacking the ball carrier. Playing strong safety makes him like a fourth linebacker on the field in certain formations, a spot in which he thrives in.

I highly doubt the Bills are going to just hand the spot over to a young player switching positions, so it looks like Whinter will make the move to free safety as veteran Bryan Scott takes the spot at strong.

Scott is a serviceable vet, who, like Whitner, plays very well against the run. He isn’t as big of a hitter as him, but Scott is reliable in the open field. He plays the game very physical and does a good job at turning the opposition’s tight end out of the game.

Once promising Ko Simpson, whose career has been rocked with poor play and injury, will have an up hill battle to find himself a spot on the roster.

He would have to leap frog both veteran George Wilson and John Wendling who are both solid back ups while also being great at special teams.

I don’t see Wilson going anywhere, as he is respected by both his coaches and his teammates (he was named one of the team captains last season) and special teams coach Bobby Aprils will not let Wendling leave the roster.

Projected 2009-10 Depth Chart

FS: Donte Whitner, Jairus Byrd

SS: Bryan Scott

Back Ups: George Wilson, John Wendling

Offensive Line

The offensive line took a big hit on paper, with the loss of LT Jason Peters in a trade to the Philadelphia Eagles.

I am still not sure if it will hurt in this upcoming season though.

Peters was not only a distraction as he sat out all of the team activities, even missing the first game of the regular season, but he was not good on the field. If anything, he was one of the weakest members on the line as he gave up 11.5 sacks in only 13 games played.

Giving a long term deal to that kind of player is not something that I would’ve been behind and neither was the Bills organization as they told him not to let the door hit him on the way out and they would find someone else to fill the spot.

Well that player will be mammoth RT Langston Walker, as he moves from the right side to the left to protect Trent Edwards blind side. Walker is characterized as a “masher”, or a lineman good as pounding opponents in the running game.

His footwork will need to improve as he is now going against the opposition No. 1 rusher, but he should step into the role just fine. Even thinking of the worst case scenario, I will guarantee right now that he lets up less than 11.5 sacks.

With the right tackle spot now being available, Brad Butler and Kirk Chambers will both be battling to start. Either way the Bills go, it gives them a good starter with a solid back up behind them.

Butler is a good player, who will finally get a chance to start full time. Last season Chambers played at both the LT and RT spots, adding great depth to both positions.

Demetrius Bell is still a work in progress, but shows some real potential in only his fifth season ever playing football. He was thought of enough not to be placed on the practice squad last season so another team couldn’t sign him, and was put on the active roster (although he was listed inactive for all of the regular season games).

Bell is an athletic freak and has great size for the position. Who knows, the seventh round selection could be the Bills next Jason Peters project (Peters was undrafted).

The two guard spots will go to rookies, as Andy Levitre and Eric Wood were selected in the first two rounds of the draft.

Both of the rookies play the game the same way, hard, physical and to the whistle.

Both players will not back down from anyone and play with a mean streak. They are also both students of the game who work just as hard off the field as they do on it.

To anchor the line is another smart player, Geoff Hangartner, who was signed by the Bills in the offseason.

Hangartner will be the brains behind the line, calling plays and recognizing defenses.

He was on the Panthers last season and was used as their “sixth offensive lineman” being used at all positions. He was strongest at the center position though and will be an upgrade over the Bills former centers.

Projected 2009-10 Depth Chart

Tackles: Langston Walker (LT), Brad Butler (RT), Kirk Chambers (Bench), Demetrius Bell (Bench)

Guards: Andy Levitre, Eric Wood

Center: Geoff Hangartner

Weak-Side Linebacker

What exactly do the Bills plan on doing with this position?

It is a depth chart filled with veterans and rookies, and non of them seem like strong opinions on paper, however, the Bills did not go out to sign anybody to try to upgrade the position, standing pat with what they have. They are sending the message that they are happy with what they have at the position.

Keith Ellison is the starter on paper, as he tries to return to his spot from last season. His performance was nothing to write home about though.

He struggled in both pass coverage and in defending the running game, and is not a playmaker at all.

The players behind him might not be much better though.

Pat Thomas was signed during the off-season to give Ellison a run for the starting spot. He is not considered by most to be an upgrade though. On most teams, he would be added for the depth that he brings to the position and while Ellison is nothing special, Thomas certainly won’t overtake him easily unless he shines in the pre-season.

The Bills also picked up Nic Harris in the draft, a college safety too slow to stick with the position at the next level. He does have the size to play linebacker though, and the Bills took a chance with him.

Harris is a very athletic player who should do well in pass coverage. He did spend a little time at middle linebacker his senior year due to injuries, and played very average. He was overpowered on some plays and on others, wasn’t in the right position at all. He is a work in progress with some upside.

Alvin Bowen is making his return after a leg injury knocked him out all of his rookie season. He was thought of highly after college but didn’t get much time to show his talents as he was injured in an early practice last year.

Overall, this position is a toss up as no one really stands out above the others. It is one of, if only, weak spot on the Bills defense this season.

Projected 2009-10 Depth Chart: Keith Ellison, Pat Thomas, Alvin Bowen, Nic Harris

Defensive End

Aaron Schobel is going to be playing healthy for the first time in almost two years.

The question is will this be the Schobel of 2005-2006 in which he average 13 sacks over two seasons, or will this be the Schobel of recent, struggling to get to the quarterback and losing playing time due to injuries.

Schobel is looking to rebound this year, and to be honest, is much better than anyone else on the depth chart and will be welcomed with open arms after the Bills ranked 28^th in the league with only 24 sacks.

Along with getting after the quarterback, Schobel is tough in the running game.

Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney are pretty much the same player, both are good at stopping the run but both struggle putting pressure on the quarterback and they disappear way to often during games.

Kelsay and Denney will both be looking through the rear view mirror as eleventh overall pick Aaron Maybin tries to crack the starting line up.

It is too early to say now, but if Maybin can put on a little more weight, along with getting some valuable experience in pre-season, he might be able to be the opening day starter.

That of course is the optimistic view, as Maybin will most likely struggle his first season in the league as he gets accustomed to the NFL.

He will be used on mostly passing situations as the Bills look for him to use his speed and finesse moves to get around slower tackles and put pressure on the QB.

Progected 2009-10 Depth Chart

RE: Aaron Schobel

LE: Chris Kelsay, Ryan Denney, Aaron Maybin, Chris Ellis

The regular season doesn’t begin for about another four months, but positions are won and lost in practice and the preseason.

While we might not know who the winners will be of the position battles yet, it sure gets everyone excited for the football season.

Most importantly, the players, who are going to be fighting for playing time.

Buffalo Bills to Bring Back No Huddle Offense

Matt Schaefer — Sun, 10 May 2009 21:49:20 -0400

The Buffalo Bills are bringing back the no-huddle offense for the up-coming season, the same offense that won them four straight AFC Championships.

The question is, what the heck took them so long?

Before the start of last season, fans listened to new offensive coordinator Turk Schonert talk about big changes to the offense and the addition of formations that would be used for the no-huddle offense they were trying to install.

In reality though, the Bills used the no-huddle very sparingly last season. Due to their lack of creativity of the coaches and the lack of talent on the field, the Bills, for the second straight season, turned into one of the most predicable offenses in the NFL.

If I knew what play was going to come next, opposing team's coaches and personnel, who spent hours and hours studying game film, certainly know what play the Bills are going to go with next.

Unlike last year though, the Bills finally have some weapons to work with.

Trent Edwards is entering his third NFL season as a starting quarterback, a year in which young quarterbacks blossom.

While there are questions with his arm strength (his ability to throw the deep ball) and his durability (has missed time due to injuries the past two years in the NFL and took a beating in college when he played at Stafford) he brings a lot to the table in the Bills new no-huddle scheme.

Edwards is a smart quarterback, who doesn't try to force anything if it's not there. He is also very accurate (completed over 65 percent of his passes last season). With his attributes, he won't be mistaken for Jim Kelly in Buffalo, however, he fits the no-huddle offense very well.

Edwards will also have talent around him to throw to.

The Buffalo Bills went out and signed Terrell Owens in the offseason, and he will be teamed up with Lee Evans as the top two wide outs. Say what you want about T.O. as a distraction off the field, but also realize that the 35 year-old can still play.

Nine out of the past 11 seasons, Owens has eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark. It is also the third straight year that he has hauled in double digit touchdowns.

With Owens on the squad, Evans will finally have a true No. 2 to compliment him. He is a play maker who can get open deep at any time. Last season, without much around him, Evans hauled in 63 catches for 1017 yards and three touchdowns. During the span of his five year career, Evans averaged 16 yards a catch.

No offense to Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish, or James Hardy, but none of them belong lined up wide as the No. 2 option on plays and none of them should for the up-coming season.

Josh Reed will fit in nicely as the slot wide receiver, a role that fits him well. "Mr. First Down" constantly moves the chains with his ability to find the soft spot in zone coverage. His sure hands will also give Edwards a safety valve on every play, even if Owens and Evans are covered down field.

Seventh-round draft pick Steve Johnson blossomed towards the end of his first season in the league, and in my eyes has passed both Parrish and Hardy on the depth chart. Johnson caught 10 passes last season, for 102 yards and two touchdowns but received more and more playing time as the season went on.

His good size (6'-2", 202 lbs) gives him the ability to shield the ball away from defensive backs. Just like a basketball player, he has the ability to "block out" defenders trying to stop him when the ball is in the air. He is very physical and his good speed will help him create separation from defenders.

Parrish is a guy who will sub in from time to time when the Bills might be looking to get a big play. Parrish's speed is his biggest threat, but he struggles at times getting open. He has always had a small role with Buffalo since joining the team, the Bills have used him mostly with screens, crossing patterns, quick three-step throws, and on WR reverses.

His role won't decrease this year, but it also won't get any bigger either. When Parrish is on the field though, defenses have to make sure he is accounted for or else he is gone.

James Hardy had a disappointing first year with the Bills after being selected in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft. Most wide receivers struggle at first to make the switch from college to the pros, and the Bills are certainly not giving up on him.

Hardy still is a very raw talent. His route running ability is below average and he struggles heavily with getting separation. He is a guy in college who could just out run and out jump people and he can't do that in the NFL. He also lacked explosiveness at the line of scrimmage and had trouble with defenders jamming him at the line.

Coming off of ACL surgery will not help Hardy out either. He might not get much of a role this season, but with another year under his belt and being able to learn from one of the best wide receivers in Owens, Hardy should look to be in a good position for a starting role in 2010-11.

Tight-end has been a position that has been lackluster in recent years. From drops to fumbles, no one lining up at TE for the Bills could be the game changer they needed. Well all of that changed this year, with the selection of tight end Shawn Nelson in the forth round of the draft.

Nelson is a big, pass catching tight end, who will help the Bills spread the field and give defenses something to think about with the no-huddle offense. Nelson even has the ability to spread out as a forth wide receiver, spreading the field even more and creating a miss match with much smaller defensive backs or linebackers.

Nelson is too quick for linebackers and too tall for defensive backs, giving him an advantage almost anywhere he lines up. He also makes the hard catches look extremely easy and can fight for the ball.

Zone defenses could cause a problem against him, as he learns to find the holes in zones and improves his route running, but overall, Nelson has great potential for the up-coming season.

Back-ups Derek Fine and Derek Schouman both run routes well and both have soft hands. They will most likely be used in two tight end formations for their blocking abilities though, although both were utilized in play-action plays.

The running back position is filled with two play makers and a solid reserve.

Fred Jackson is the starter, with Marshawn Lynch being suspended for the first three games of the season. Jackson is no stranger on the field though, splitting time with Lynch for the past two seasons while even picking up a few starts. Jackson showed his ability is the passing game, having 37 receptions for 317 yards.

Lynch might not have the most reliable hands on the team, but he hauled in 47 receptions last season, up from 18 catches during his rookie season two years ago.

Defenses have to watch out with who is in the backfield, as Lynch will run over anyone who tries to get in his path while Jackson is a good route runner who will use his speed and quick footwork to get by defenders.

The Bills also added Dominic Rhodes in the off-season to add more depth at running back. The veteran back might not be at the top of his game anymore, but he still can produce in the passing game, having 45 receptions last season when splitting time with Colts running back Joseph Adda in a Peyton Manning no-huddle offense.

Overall, the Bills have the weapons all over the field for the no-huddle offense to be a great success. Not only will it tire out defenses, opening up the deep passes but it will also minimize some of the Bills struggles at offensive line coming into the season.

The line is rebuild and looks promising for the future, but they could struggle out of the gate. Spreading the field forces defenses to play pass back in coverage and will help minimize blitzes coming from the opposing team. It will also tire out the defensive line, making the opposition's pass rush even weaker.

The Bills have the players in place for the no-huddle offense to be a success, and seeing as the Bills are in the "Playoffs or Bust" mode this season, maybe a return to the offense that made them elite will help return them to the playoffs.

Day Two Pick Shawn Nelson Will Contribute Right Away For The Buffalo Bills

Matt Schaefer — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:50:44 -0400

He wasn't expected to be there in the fourth round, but the Bills were sure glad he was still on the board.

Top rated tight end Shawn Nelson took an unexpected free fall and was snatched up by the Buffalo Bills with the 121st overall selection in this year's NFL Draft. The former wide receiver will have the chance to make an immediate impact on the field.

Tight end has been a position in Buffalo that has recently been turned into the sixth offensive linemen. The Bills went after guys who could help out greatly in the run block. Robert Royal was the latest tight end to fit this mold for Buffalo, but was released in the off-season, creating a hole in the depth chart.

While a blocking tight end is nice to have on the roster, he should be a guy you pick up for cheap in free agency or late in a draft. The problem with Royal was not his blocking, which was excellent, but his ability to make a difference in the passing game.

Linebackers who played against Buffalo the last few seasons were not exactly keying on Royal, in fact they didn't need to. The tight end hauled in 33 passes for 351 yards last year, which were both career highs.

Unlike other tight ends in the league, Royal was not a goal-line threat to score either and scored only one touchdown last season.

Nelson will bring a new mentality to the tight end position, and to be honest, it is about time.

Blockers are nice, but the Bills haven't had a tight end who could help contribute to the offense since Jay Riemersma in the early 2000s. Nelson finally brings the skillset the Bills have been looking for.

Pros

Nelson is a prolific receiving tight end who caught 157 receptions for 2,054 receiving yards, recording 16 touchdowns in his collegiate career.

He has great size at 6' 5", 240 lbs, and an amazing wingspan which allows him to pluck passes out of the air. Nelson does a good job of shielding the ball from defenders, has great overall speed (ran a 4.56-40 at the combine), and has a quick burst off the line of scrimmage.

He also has good footwork and good lateral ability to be able to get off jams at the line so they won't affect his route. He can gain separation on slower linebackers in man-on-man coverage, has decent strength and shows good efforts in terms of blocking.

His greatest ability is he is able to stay balanced when fighting with defenders and constantly makes the hard play look easy.

Cons

He lacks the bulk to become a good blocker right away and also needs to add more upper body strength to help out in the run game. His routes can be inconsistent at times, which he got away with in college.

Nelson can also lack concentration at certain times which leads to drops of easy passes. He lacks the agility down-field to make defenders miss and pull away from would be tacklers. Some say that Nelson looked the same playing as a senior as he did as a freshman which leads them to believe he might have maxed out already, or lacks the drive to become the best player he can be.

Where He Will Fit in the Offense and Season Outlook:

The Bills currently have Derek Fine, the fourth round selection of the 2008 NFL Draft, and Derek Schouman at the tight end position.

Fine played well at times last season, but wasn't used much in the passing game and was mostly brought in to block on two tight end formations. He was also used at the goal line, again, mostly for his blocking skills.

When given the chance, Fine showed soft hands and the ability to get open, hauling in 10 passes for 94 yards and one touchdown. He will stick mostly to his role last season, coming in for blocking purposes or double-tight sets. He is a great special teams player too, and will certainly be on the roster for the up-coming season.

Schouman, a seventh round pick in the 2007 draft, split playing time with Fine in double tight end formations and when Robert Royal was not on the field.

His blocking skills are certainly up to par, as he had a similar role to Fine last season. Also remember, in his rookie campaign he was moved into the "H-back" role, a hybrid of the full back position, basically a guy who can block but can catch passes out of the backfield too.

Schouman also showed the ability to catch the ball, having 15 receptions for 153 yards and one touchdown.

Depending on how Fine and Schouman progress overall, they should be expected to come in on running downs again, and used mostly for their blocking skills. However, opposing defenses have to pay attention as the two of them can turn into reliable targets on play action passes.

Nelson should step into the starting role and will be utilized as a pass catcher. Towards the end of the season, his blocking skills should start to come around, but for the most part of his rookie year he should be expected to be a pass catching tight end only.

Nelson adds to a receiving corps that already includes deep threat Lee Evans, Terrell Owens, "Mr. First Down" Josh Reed, Steven Johnson, James Hardy, and speedy wide-out Roscoe Parrish.

The Bills now have the option to spread the field against weaker defenses. In terms of targets, the they have plenty and it should greatly help out third year signal caller Trent Edwards. Reed and Nelson should wreak havoc on the middle of the defense while Evans and Owens spread the field with their deep threat ability.

Overall, Edwards has plenty of weapons to get the ball to and with Marshawn Lynch (after suspension), Fred Jackson, and Dominic Rhodes in the back field, along with the addition of Nelson, the Bills should have an offense that defensive coordinators will be up late at night studying for.

Or at least spending more time than they have in the past.

This article was also featured on NFLTouchdown.com.

Buffalo Bills Add Four Potential Starters in Day One of NFL Draft

Matt Schaefer — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:44:54 -0400

The Buffalo Bills are in a playoff or bust mode this season, and for good reason.

For once, they understand that the fans can only take so much. The Bills brass realizes that anything short of the playoffs is unacceptable, and their are jobs on the line.

Head coach Dick Jauron will certainly be looking for a new job next year if the Bills don't reach the postseason, while Tom Modrak (assistant GM) and Russ Brandon (GM/COO) also are on the hot seat.

The Bills realized that they have big holes on both sides of the football. A pass-rushing defensive end, linebacker, tight end, and offensive guard/tackle were all gaping holes on the roster and that needed to be filled coming into this season.

They addressed some of those needs with four picks on day one of the NFL draft, adding two solid offensive line prospects while also adding two play-makers on the defensive side of the ball as well (although one pick was surprising).

Round 1, Pick 11: Buffalo Selects DE Aaron Maybin

Rumors came out the night before the draft began that the Bills were very interested in trading up in the draft to pick up OT Andre Smith (who ended up going to the Cincinnati Bengals at pick No. 6), however, the price was just too high, so the Bills stayed put at No. 11 and selected play-making defensive end Aaron Maybin.

Pros

Maybin will certainly help out a team that had just 24 sacks last season, which was 28th in the NFL. He is an explosive pass rusher who totaled 12 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in his sophomore season.

He falls into the category of a speed rusher and is highly athletic. He has good burst off of the line and can change directions quickly and smoothly, creating headaches for slower offensive lineman.

He has the quickest first step in the draft this year. Maybin is definitely a high motor guy who pursues like no other. Backside pressure is relentless, as he goes hard after the ball carrier. He is a very aggressive player who plays with outstanding passion and effort.

His long arms will help bat down passes, while also creating fumbles by stripping the ball from the quarterback (three forced fumbles for Penn State this season). Maybin also has played both sides of the D-line, while also having some experience in dropping back into coverage (something that will help a zone blitzing scheme that the Bills use time to time).

He can not only get after the quarterback, but will also help out in the running game. He is still very young (only 21 years old) and still has tons of potential. He has added 20 pounds of muscle mass this offseason already (listed at 249 lbs. now). His height is also a plus (listed at 6-4 3/4). The sky is the limit for this kid.

Cons:

Maybin only played in two seasons in college after being red-shirted his freshman year. He is defined by some as being a one-year wonder. He is still a little undersized in terms of weight, which could cause him to get pushed around, and could also cause him to struggle to get off of blocks against NFL talent. Not a great timed-runner. Doesn't play with much discipline at times, although effort and pure athletic ability can help him recover. Needs to gain awareness and is still a little immature.

Already There:
The Bills currently have six defensive ends with Maybin being added to the roster. Aaron Schobel is returning after two injury plagued seasons, but the Bills are hoping he can return to his Pro Bowl form, in which he can be a game changer. Remember, Schobel is a guy who registered 14 sacks just a mere two seasons ago. He will be the starter on the right side of the line.

Ryan Denney and Chris Kelsay will have to battle with Maybin at the left DE position. Denney and Kelsay are both guys who are great at stopping the run, however they struggle to generate pressure off of the edge and can disappear at times.

Kelsay is reportedly being shopped around by the Bills, which is understandable, especially with the pick-up of Maybin. Seeing as Kelsay and Denney both have similar skill sets, and both are highly overpaid (although Denney is the cheaper of the two), the Bills really need only one of them.

Maybin along with Denney/Kelsay will most likely be the rotation on the left side of the defensive line. Kelsay should be traded for whatever the Bills can get, while Denney and Maybin have a rotation on the left side, giving the Bills a good run-stopper along with a solid speed-rusher.

Copeland Bryan and Chirs Ellis are also still on the roster. Ellis was the Bills third-round selection in last year's draft, and has the same skill set as Maybin as a speed pass-rusher. Ellis played in a few games at the end of the year for the Bills and didn't look like he belonged. He is still a work in progress and too big of a question mark for the Bills.

Bryan on the other hand is a guy with little upside. He shouldn't be anything more than a fringe player looking to sub in a few times a game when others get tired. Other than that, he should stick to special teams.

Outlook:

Maybin has the potentia,l but for the near feature, he looks to be a situational pass-rusher and not an every-down player. The thing is, that is just what the Bills need. With Schobel on the right side and Maybin and Denney rotating on the left side, it gives the Bills a solid pass rush, along with guys who can help out in the running game.

Bills fans have to be patient with Maybin, as he will not be a force on day one of the season, but will improve as the season goes on. For this year, he is a pass-rusher that the Bills greatly need, but has all the tools to be an every-down player in the feature for the Bills.

Round 1, Pick 28: Buffalo Selects OL Eric Wood

In the pick that the Bills received for the trade of Jason Peters, Buffalo selected Wood to help out the middle of their line and to help protect young QB Trent Edwards.

Pros

Wood has great size (6-4, 310 lbs.) and excellent strength (30 reps at the combine). He plays to the whistle on every play and has a nasty demeanor, because of this he is also very physical and tough.

He is a very smart player with great footwork and is pretty light on his feet in comparison to his size. He is also quick and can pull on running plays, something that the Bills love to do when trying to run outside.

He is very intense while playing and is a hard worker off the field. He studies the game and has a great football IQ. He also brings a lot of experience with him, as he has started 49 straight games at the center position in college.

Considered one of the best centers in college football coming out this year, he can play other positions on the offensive line too. He is also a leader and loves contact.

Cons

Can sometimes get pushed back in pass coverage, and can get overpowered sometimes. He has trouble with big nose tackles, something the AFC East has plenty of. He is not a dominating run blocker, so he needs to add a little bit more strength. He can also struggle with leverage and balance at times.

Already There

Wood is expected to start at the offensive guard position, where the Bills currently have Brad Butler and Kirk Chambers penciled in.

Both Butler and Chambers are good players to have, and with Wood added to the mix, the depth at the position is pretty good. Chambers could also move out to right tackle.

Wood could also get some look at center, along with newcomer Geoff Hangartner, who the Bills signed this offseason.

On paper, the Bills line has Langston Walker at LT, Wood at LG, Hangartner at center, Butler at RG and Kirk Chambers at RT.

However, with Demetrius Bell, and another first day pick, OG Andy Levitre (we will get to him in a little bit), the Bills have plenty of talent and depth on the offensive line. A line that looked to be in trouble after the Peters trade was re-done with two early picks to make it a position in which you don't have to worry about too much.

Outlook

Wood is a player with great size and intelligence and should be starting for the Bills this season. His experience will certainly help him out, as he will be quick to learn the Bills offensive. He is a student of the game and will study his opponents strongly before each game. Overall, Wood was a great pick and will greatly help out the middle of the line.

Round 2, Pick 42: Buffalo Selects DB Jairus Byrd

This is the pick that surprised me most, as the Bills selected Jarius Byrd with their second-round pick. Byrd is certainly a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball, but he plays a position that the Bills already have great depth at. The only reason I see the Bills taking Byrd so high is the fact that he will be playing safety in the NFL.

Pros

Has good size, standing at 5' 10" and 207 lbs...Is a ball-hawk with soft hands and the ability to get his hands on a lot of passes (17 career interceptions in college career)...Has good closing speed when ball is in the air...Can jam wide receivers at the line of scrimmage while also having the ability to open up his hips and run one-on-one with wide receivers...Good in rush defense and can blitz when called upon to do so...Physical, fights to get off of blocks and plays with a mean streak...Good route recognition as he can tell what wide receivers are running...Helps him break up passes and picks off passes. Good athlete...Good vision and a natural playmaker...Can also punt return.

Cons

One of Byrd's biggest concerns coming into the draft was his slow timed runs...May lack the speed to play a true man-to-man defense, better suited for zone coverage...Loves to play phyiscal down the field, and messes up wide receiver's routes but that may lead to penalties in the NFL...By no means a big hitter...At Oregon, he was assisted by an aggressive pass rush and a veteran secondary, leading to poor QB throws/decision making, giving him more chances to make plays.

Already There

The pick was a surprise to most fans based on the depth of the Bills cornerbacks. While Leodis McKelvin and Terrence McGee will both start next year, the Bills already have good slot men in Ashton Youboty and free agent signee Drayton Florence.

You can't forgot about Reggie Corner either; a fourth-round selection from last season. He made great strides in his rookie campaign and might be the starter of the future at the cornerback position. Even if the Bills are not going to resign McGee next season (he is only signed for one more year and will fetch a big asking price in free agency), McKelvin and Corner are here long-term. Byrd would have to leap from multiple players in order to start two years from now.

Byrd was expected to make a move to safety though, which makes senses for the Bills to address, just not this early. The Bills have Donte Whitner, who can play either safety position and was expected to start at free safety this up-coming season while Bryan Scott took over the strong safety role.

Scott is a good player who plays very physical, but with the pick of Byrd, he might not be viewed as high as far as the team sees it. Whitner might now stay at the strong safety position with Byrd starting at free.

Others at free safety are Ko Simpson and George Wilson. Simpson was linked to trade rumors and hasn't done much in his time with the Bills so far (although injuries haven't helped).

George Wilson is a good backup, but is more of a special teams player (in that role, he was named a team captain last season). Byrd could start over both though if he can learn the position quickly and perform well in the pre-season. I would pencil him in the FS spot and Whitner back at SS.

Outlook:

Bryd is another great play-maker that the Bills added to their defense. While there were more pressing needs (a linebacker and tight end come to mind) the Bills like him enough to pull the trigger.

He could easily be an upgrade over Simpson at FS and could help out in forcing turnovers. He is a player with all the skills to play in the league, but he will need a little work. Most likely a starter for the Bills for at least the next few years at safety, while also providing depth at corner.

Round 2, Pick 51 OL Andy Levitre

The Bills weren't done shoring up the middle of their offensive line, as they give up their third-round pick and one of their two fourth-round selections to move up to get OL Andy Levitre.

Pros

Levitre is very strong and powerful...Is another player who is very tough and plays with a nasty demeanor (a thing the Bills looked for in a player this year, someone who loves to play football)...Very versatile and can play multiple positions on the line...He is also very intelligent and has great awareness...A very technical player, who, like Bills C Geoff Hangartner, uses positioning and angles to block and also has good hands...He also gets a good push in the running game...Very experienced and a former team captain...Can be a leader.

Cons

His height (6'-2") and short arms are concerns...He also isn't a great athlete and isn't very quick...He can sometimes struggle in space and doesn't always use good levarage...He will have to learn a new position to play in the pros.

Already There

Levitre is a player who will get a good look at tackle and might be in a starting spot when the season comes along. He will have to overtake veteran Brad Butler, which is possible. Like I stated earlier, on paper, the Bills line has Langston Walker at LT, Wood at LG, Hangartner at center, Butler at RG and Kirk Chambers at RT. Demetrius Bell could also give Levitre a run for his money.

Outlook:

The Bills did a very good jump trying to retool their offensive line, not only for this season, but for many years to come. They got two players in Wood and Levitre who are very smart and will turn into leaders on the O-line. They also will be on small contracts, which is good for the Bills financially, compared to going out and trying to get a high-priced free agent. The good lines in the NFL are built through the draft, and the Bills took a step in the right direction on day one.

This article was also featured on NFLTouchdown.com.

Trade Rumor: Roscoe Parrish Could Be Heading to the Pittsburgh Steelers

Matt Schaefer — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 13:20:36 -0400

After trading away left tackle Jason Peters just a few days ago, another current member of the Buffalo Bills could be suiting up in a different uniform for the start of next season.

Speedy wide receiver and return specialist Roscoe Parrish could be on the move to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Matt Pawlikowski, of Examiner.com, reported today that according to an NFL source, the Bills have been in talks about dealing wide receiver Roscoe Parrish to the Steelers. It is also being reported that the Bills are looking for a draft pick or multiple picks in return for the wideout.

Parrish has been one of the best punt returners in football during the past few years and has a career average of 14 yards per punt return to go along with three career return touchdowns.

He also hauled in 24 catches for 232 yards and one touchdown last season.

The move would be because of a numbers game within the Bills organization. What it comes down to is that there are too many wide receivers on the roster, so someone has to go, and Parrish would fetch the most in return (other than Lee Evans, of course).

The Bills have their top two wideouts in Evans and newcomer Terrell Owens. Josh Reed is a zone-busting machine and will fill in the No. 3 spot.

Steve Johnson, a seventh round selection in last year's draft, has showed that he has the physique (6'2", 202 lbs.) and, most importantly, the skills to belong in the NFL. Johnson got more playing time as the season went on, and towards the end of the season was even starting a game or two while hauling in two touchdown receptions on the year.

In my eyes, Johnson has passed Parrish on the depth chart, and also makes a lot less.

Johnson makes $385,000, $470,000, and $550,000 in salary over the next three seasons. Parrish, on the other hand, is due to make much more over those same years due to roster bonuses and signing bonuses that came with his extension he signed back in 2007. This year for example, Parrish has a $2.7 million cap hit against the salary cap.

Even with this possibly being the last season with a salary cap, $2.7 million is way too much to be paying a fourth string wide receiver. I haven't even mentioned last year's second round pick, James Hardy, who the Bills are not just going to give up on.

It all makes sense for the Bills to trade Parrish now and take what picks they can get. It hasn't been reported what rounds the Bills are exactly looking to get. However, a late day one pick can't be out of the question.

While Parrish brings a lot to the table in terms of his special teams ability, the Bills don't really need him anymore.

They have players they can put back there to return, so there shouldn’t be too big of a drop-off in terms of return yardage on punts.

Bills cornerback and first round selection Leodis McKelvin could pick up the punt return duties. He had seven touchdown returns on punts in college, as he is starting to turn into the Bills' special team ace.

Fred Jackson could also move back to catching punts, something he has done sparely during his time with the Bills. He did average 16.6 yards a return and had a long of 35 yards. He can certainly step in too.

While Parrish leaving would create some upset fans, it would be a step in the right direction for a team looking to become a contender in the next year or two.

That possible draft pick (or picks) in return for Parrish could help the Bills address more of their needs this offseason and move them one step closer to becoming a winning team.

It would give them more possible pieces to add to the puzzle.

Matt Schaefer is the Bills Fan Voice of NFLTouchdown.com. You can contact him anytime with comments, suggestions, and questions by sending over an e-mail to buffbillsfan517@yahoo.com.

Pro Bowl Tackle Jason Peters Traded for Picks by the Buffalo Bills

Matt Schaefer — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:27:38 -0400

Just when I thought the offseason couldn’t get any better.

First off, J.P. Losman will never be taking a snap under center in a Bills uniform ever again. Second, the Bills went out and signed game changer Terrell Owens to help out the offense while also showing that they were serious in trying to win ball games.

Yesterday I heard news that trumped those first two events. Other than Dick Jauron being fired, one of the best possible events happened to the team yesterday, they finally waved goodbye to left tackle Jason Peters.

Peters was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for a first and fourth round pick this season, and a conditional pick in next year’s draft (most likely another fourth round selection).

Don’t get me wrong, Peters is a Pro Bowl LT who still has age on his side, however, the guy was warming out his welcome way too fast. Peters wanted to be paid as the best LT in the NFL, which he might be someday, but that was certainly not the case last season.

Peters held out until a day before the regular season, missing workouts, training camp, the pre-season, and the first game of the regular season last year. This year he was expected to hold out the same amount of time or possibly even longer if he wasn’t paid top dollar.

He might have been the Bills most talented player on the roster, but he wasn’t worth the price and certainly wasn’t worth the headache either.

Will he be missed? Most likely. However he was letting up sacks galore last season (11.5 sacks allowed) and didn’t help out the running game either.

It does create a whole in the offensive line, however it gives a team like the Bills on the rise, two first round picks (11th and 28th overall) that will greatly benefit the team.

With a young core of players under contract, two more pieces can be added to the puzzle, one that is almost complete.

This article was also featured on NFLTouchdown.com.

Buffalo Bills B/R Community Newsletter Vol. 2

Matt Schaefer — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 10:40:53 -0400

Welcome to the Buffalo Bills Community here on BleacherReport.com!

In case you missed the first newsletter, the point of these short write-ups is to bring the Bills community together and improve communications between all of the Bills fans here.

The newsletter will come out during both the offseason and the regular season.

Right now there is no set date for these newsletters to appear, but by the start of the preseason they will become a weekly event.

Also, there will be a few tweaks each time, based on your suggestions of what you want to see.

Without further adieu, lets get the second newsletter underway!

Looking for Bills Draft Roundtable

I told everyone that I would be bugging them again soon.

I am looking for members of the Bills community to give their take on what the Bills should do for the upcoming draft.

If you are interested, just make a post on my B/R profile or send me an e-mail at buffbillsfan517@yahoo.com.

The draft is a little over 27 days away from the time I am writing this. For those interested, the post will come out about a week before the draft, giving the rest of the Bills community the chance to get their two cents in.

There is also no set limit to the number of people who can participate. The more, the merrier!

Bills Community Online Talk Show

A Buffalo Bills online talk show is something that was sitting in the back of my mind for a while, and I think now is the time to get the views of the Bills B/R users on trying to start up a talk show about their favorite NFL team.

I have reviewed multiple sites and, seeing as how I want this to be a community event, I found out that blogtalkradio.com is the best site to use. It comes with a free call-in number, allowing for multiple Bills fans to join the conversation online.

A date for the show has not been set, though I am guessing there will be a draft show if people are interested in helping out.

We'd like to start airing the show once a week, starting the first week of the preseason.

Now, seeing as this is for the community, there will be no set host. I might start it up for the first few shows, but after that it belongs to the Bills community here.

Again, this is only if people are interested. More information to come on this as well.

Bills Community Ranks at B/R

I don't know if I was asleep every time I logged into B/R, but I just noticed a CL Lounge icon put on the top of the page when I log in.

Since we are trying to build a strong community here, I don't see any point in keeping the community stats/ranks to myself. You guys are the ones who write articles and comments here, so why should I be the only one to see where we rank?

Here is the quick rundown of our ranks for the month of March out of the 32 communities:

Ninth in Articles Written (116)
16th in Comments (614)
12th in New Members (20)
21st in Active Writers (1)

Not too shabby!

Active writers are those who write four or more articles a month about their community. Our low number in that category shows we are getting articles from a wide range of people, which is good.

I have a strong feeling that as soon as the season starts, that active writer number will shoot up for us.

As for the member count, since the last writing of a newsletter we are up 38 new members! Great job by everyone out there spreading the word about the community!

Two Minute Drill

Your ideas, suggestions, and comments about this newsletter are greatly appreciated.

Any ideas on how to strengthen the community would be great too!

If you need me for anything, you can contact me through my B/R profile or by sending an e-mail to buffbillsfan517@yahoo.com.

I am available at anytime for anything you need or any question to be answered.

Thanks for reading the second volume of the Bills Community Newsletter! Have a great day everyone, and…

LET’S GO BUFFALO!

Burning A Timeout With T.O.

Matt Schaefer — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:14:58 -0400

Just like head coach Dick Jauron, I am going to have to spend an early time out, but mine is in regard to this whole T.O. situation already.

Enough already! I am done with it.

Now I knew that the signing of the controversial wide out would bring tons of media attention to the Bills organization. I assumed that the added attention would be good for the Bills, bringing some light to a city that has been ignored by the national media as much as possible. I thought that it would be great for the team and the city. It would finally get some coverage and it will be interesting to actually see a Buffalo team on ESPN every now and then.

What I didn't realize was that every time Owens takes a nap or ties his shoes, I am going to have to hear about it, because it is apparently considered "news." Just a little over two weeks with Owens on the team, I am already done hearing about him.

Is it huge news that a future Hall of Fame wide receiver got the jersey number that he has been wearing for his entire career (which turns out later, wasn't a big deal anyways)?

Is it a big deal that Owens did not participate in day one of voluntary work-outs?

I don't even see where the story was in Owens not showing up. Did anyone out there really think that T.O. was showing up on Day One?

I just don't see the news being broke here. I could have told you this "news" when he signed with the Bills. Hell, I should have sent it over to ESPN then, because apparently it is flat out jaw dropping Owens isn't there.

Unless he eats nothing but popcorn and junk food for the next few weeks, I don't see a guy with his build and drive not coming to the team in top form and most importantly, producing on the field.

I don't know if it is just me, but I am pretty sure the media has a big ol' man crush on Owens. They are just looking for him to be a story, when in most cases, he is not.

To me, it just seems lazy for members of the media to fall into this trap. Go out and find a story, don't make one out of nothing, especially with the skills that the writer has in order to be writing for a living.

Like most Bills fans, I want the attention to be on my favorite team, however, I would like it to be about their play on the field. Not about jersey numbers or T.O. fell asleep in a Bills offensive team meeting.

Although in his defense, who could blame him, most fans catch some nice Zzzz's when the Bills have the ball.

Hopefully his play on the field can help change that. No matter if his jersey is tucked in or if he is wearing two different gloves, I don't care!

It's all about what he brings on the field.

Terrell Owens to Wear No. 81 for the Buffalo Bills—What Is the Big Deal?

Matt Schaefer — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:45:14 -0400

I knew that Buffalo's signing of Terrell Owens would bring national media attention to the Buffalo Bills, but I didn’t realize in an effort to break a story, media members from all over the country (even you Jim Rome) will now have knee jerk reactions to anything with the star wide receiver’s name in it.

The latest "news" surrounding T.O. is about him “taking” the No. 81 from fellow wide receiver James Hardy, and that it is just the first of many problems to come in the future for the Bills.

I hate to break it to everyone out there, but that is certainly not the case.

When Owens met with Bills management in his visit at One Bills Drive, a No. 81 jersey with his name on it was hanging up in a locker. Of course, T.O. was getting that number. Who in their right mind thought that T.O. was coming to Buffalo and picking up No. 84 or No. 88?

The Bills were looking at this deal to help them out on the field but also to bring money in too. Not having the future Hall of Fame wide out wearing the number he is known for would not sell as many jerseys as the Bills have sold already.

This is just a story that the media is taking way out of proportion and James Hardy’s comment during an interview on Sirius NFL Radio proves this.

“(Terrell Owens) is over a 10-year veteran and usually the organization, really they can just take the number from you and give it to him if they wanted to,” Hardy said. “But with the respect the general manager has for me, he came to me and I was willing to give him the number. He’s a Hall of Fame receiver and it was really an honor for me to give him the number.”

Just so everyone knows, Hardy has no connection to the No. 81 at all anyways, it is just a number that was available. My guess would be that he would like to put on No. 82, the number he wore in college, but that currently belongs to Josh Reed.

We can all thank the media for taking a story and blowing it way out of proportion, again.

A tip to the fans out there—make sure you research a topic about T.O. before you form an opinion on it. The national media certainly isn’t doing it for you.

TO to the B-Low: Buffalo Bills Sign Terrell Owens (Good Move All the Way Around)

Matt Schaefer — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 20:53:45 -0500

Buffalo was impatiently waiting. Fans, journalists and talk show hosts were waiting for the Bills to make a move in free agency to improve the hometown team.

The city wants head coach Dick Jauron out, and is sick of missing the playoffs year in and year out. Three straight 7-9 seasons to go with a nine-year playoff drought will do that to a football town.

I cannot tell you right now if Buffalo will be able to make the post-season this year, but what I can tell you is that the front office is trying, and it looks like the Bills should start the slogan; “Playoffs or Bust” for this upcoming season.

What I can tell you though is that the team is much better today than they were yesterday. Signing playmaking wide receiver Terrell Owens will do that to you.

T.O. is coming to Buffalo after signing a one-year deal this afternoon at Ralph Wilson Stadium that will pay him $6.5 million for this upcoming season ($0.5 million less than Laveranues Coles, another veteran wide receiver the Bills were interested in).

It is a great move by the Bills both on and off the field.

They went out and got a NFL star (whether it is for good or bad reasons) who can still perform at a high level between the hash marks.

Nine out of the past 11 seasons, Owens has eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark (including 3 straight in which he was between the ages of 33-35). It is also the third straight year that he has hauled in double-digit touchdowns.

Even at 35 years old, the guy can still play.

With Owens being teamed up with Lee Evans, the Bills finally have the receiving threat they have been looking for since the days of Eric Moulds and Peerless Price.

Owens will take the pressure off of Evans, and help turn him into the deep threat that he really is. Add in slot man Josh Reed, who can always find a hole in a zone defense, and speedster Roscoe Parrish, the Bills have players that they can stretch the field with.

Having running backs Marshawn Lynch (after his suspension) and Fred Jackson to help out as well might even turn this offense into one of the best in the AFC. The running game will help take pressure off of the passing game and vice-versa.

Defenses will be scratching their heads every week.

It all comes down to young Trent Edwards, who is entering his third season as a NFL quarterback, the year that QB’s blossom. With all of these targets around him, it would be hard for Edwards not to succeed.

If the defense sends a blitz, Edwards will have two playmakers with man-to-man coverage who can go up and get the ball. If they drop back into a zone and focusing on Evans and Owens, Reed will be able to settle into zones and pick up first downs.

You can say what you want about his attitude and all of the drama that he might bring, but he is entering a city that won’t be following him, 24/7 like he experienced in his previous jobs.

Not to mention the fact that T.O. usually splits a locker room during his second season with a team and seeing as he is only signed for one year, I doubt he will do much damage to team chemistry.

Even limp-wristed Wade Phillips kept him in check during his first season with the Cowboys and seeing as T.O. will be looking for the big contract at the end of this season, he has to perform on the field while also behaving.

The interest wasn’t very high for him this off-season (with teams even making statements that they were not going to sign him) and there will be even less if Owens rips apart another team.

Marketing will skyrocket for the Bills too. With a team that is possibly expected to move in the near future, bringing in a NFL star like T.O. will sell tons of tickets and merchandise to generate revenue for the team. Plus, it gives a team that receives little to no national attention, a little bit of the limelight.

It is definitely a gamble on the part of the Bills, but it is one that is very low-risk. They pick up one of the best wideouts in the game for the right price, while also limiting any damages to the team by T.O. with any of the problems he might bring.

Income, talent and wins are what all organizations are looking for. The Bills took the right direction with the signing today.

They also did something important too, showing the fans and the city that they are committed to winning, something they have not done for a long time.

While it might not bring a championship ring or even a playoff berth, it will make football in Buffalo interesting to say the least.

Get your popcorn ready!

Laveranues Coles to Buffalo Update: If Coles Signs, Is Roscoe Parrish Traded?

Matt Schaefer — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:36:05 -0500

Pat Moran of Scout.com has the latest on the possible Bills signing of Laveranues Coles:

“The Buffalo Bills are attempting to bolster their sagging passing game by signing Laveranues Coles. Buffalo along with Miami were destinations Coles was supposed to decide on, but reports out of Miami indicate the Dolphins are no longer interested.

However, Cincinnati, anticipating losing T.J. Houshmandzadeh, is emerging as a player for Coles’ services. A report from nfldraftbible.com states the Bengals are now interested.

The Bills have formally made Coles an offer. The terms are not yet known. Coles is expected to make his decision by Monday.”

The Bengals are making T.J. an offer in the $6-7 million range and certainly have the money to go after Coles, if they cannot bring back Houshmandzadeh.

Coles is looking for a contract in the $6 million range as well and if T.J. signs with another club, the Bengals might go after Coles to complement Chad Johnson and give Carson Palmer another target.

I have a feeling that Coles is waiting for Houshmandzadeh to sign, before he makes a decision. The Bills offered him the money that he wanted, however he still remains unsigned.

My guess is that Coles doesn’t want to come to Buffalo very much, unless they are the only team that is offering him the money that he wants. With no interest in him and the Bills offering him the money that he wants, why else would he have not already signed? We will have to wait for Housh to sign, before we hear anything else on Coles.

If the Bills do end up signing Coles, Moran speculates that a Bills' wide receiver might be on the move.

“Parrish could become a prime candidate to get traded, due to his added value as a punt returner. He’s due to count about $2.7 million against the cap in 2009, a number the team may find too high for a fourth or fifth receiver.”

I actually would not mind Parrish being moved. Honestly, the only reason he is on the team is for return abilities. We have been hearing for years how the Bills want to get him more involved with the offense, and yet, he has not eclipsed 35 receptions in one season in his entire career.

His numbers can be replaced by another player on the roster (Parrish has averaged only 24 receptions, for 263 yards and has a career total of five touchdowns in four seasons).

I would personally like to see Steven Johnson get a bigger role on the offense, leapfrogging over James Hardy and Parrish in the depth chart.

The Bills have players that they can put back there to return too, so there shouldn’t be too big of a drop-off in terms of return yardage on punts.

Bills' corner Leodis McKelvin could pick up the punt return duties. He had seven touchdown returns on punts in college, as he is starting to turn into the Bills' special team ace.

Fred Jackson could also move back to catching punts, something he has done sparingly, during his time with the Bills. He did average 16.6 yards a return and had a long run of 35 yards. He could certainly step in too.

With Coles signed and a proposed deal with left tackle Jason Peters in the near future, the Bills' salary cap is going to rise considerably. With the Bills interested in resigning corner Jabari Greer too, trading Parrish and his $2.7 million cap hit only makes sense.

More to come throughout the day on Coles and everything Bills at buffsportsguy.blogspot.com.

FREE AGENT FAN: My Quest to Find an NBA Team (I Need Your Help)

Matt Schaefer — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:27:22 -0500

I have finally been hooked by the NBA.

I didn’t think it would ever happen. I have always detested the NBA for as long as I could remember.

My stance was swayed though after watching a college basketball game and then a NBA game following it.

I realized what a bunch of freaks the players are in the NBA. Sure I liked college ball more because of the team play and defense, but after watching a few games I realized what a great game the NBA is.

The players are top of the line athletes and are as good as the game in general. Sure defense isn’t always there, but who wants to watch defense anymore anyways? Give me dunks, fadeaways, and buzzer-beaters. I want to see some offense!

That then gave me a new problem, I need a team to root for.

It is just the way I am. I can’t just follow a league without a team to root for. I need something to associate myself with. I might need some help.

Well for starters, the only NBA team in the Western Conference that I will follow is the Phoenix Suns.

I hate the Lakers (and Kobe) and the start times for game are way too late for me, seeing as I live on the West Coast.

The Suns I would follow because the games I have seen of them I really loved the way they played. Plus, they have five games on national television that have a start time before 10:00 PM (eastern). If I can stay up a few days, I can watch nine games of the Suns down the stretch in total.

Only nine games though? I might need to do better than that.

Now I start looking at teams close to me.

Toronto and Cleveland are the closest cities with teams to me from my Buffalo, New York home.

I personally don’t want to support a Canadian team (nothing against Canada, I just don’t want to do it, especially my hatred for the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and the Bills in Toronto).

Cleveland though has one of the best players in the league, LeBron James. The Cavs are the team I have actually been watching the most and they really interest me with their play. They have 12 games on national television that I can watch on TV, with only one starting at 10:30 PM.

Looking at the standing though, Cleveland is the second best team in the East and I don’t want to be considered a bandwagon fan (the worst kinds of fans).

If I jump on board with the Cavs now, and officially announce myself as a Cleveland fan, would I be considered a bandwagon fan? If so, I’m out.

So how about the New York-area teams. The New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets.

Both teams I can watch regularly on the channels MSG and YES that I get on my TV lineup.

The Nets have one of my favorites Vince Carter, but he is aging. They also have young players like Devin Harris and Yi Jianlian that I can watch for years to come. If they still had my favorite player, Jason Kidd, on the team it would be an easy decision.

The Knicks are a team I can get behind now after some of the soap opera ways have gone from the team this year (all except for Starbury). Nate Robinson, Wilson Chandler, and Chris Duhon are all players I can root for.

I don’t know if I want to root for a New York City team though.

So that brings me now to Orlando.

After watching Dwight Howard in a few games and the slam dunk contest for the second year in a row, I realized how great he is. One of the best players in the NBA, just a freak of nature.

His personality is a plus for me too.

Orlando is a team I can see myself getting behind. It is a team I can watch every now and then. Although they only have five national televised games I can watch. That might not be enough.

Becoming a bandwagon fan could also come into play with the Magic too though.

This is where I need help for the fans of these teams (or even other teams); can someone convince me one way or the other?

I have it narrowed down to the following teams (in no order, with some of the strong points):

Orlando Magic (Dwight Howard)

Cleveland Cavaliers (Lebron James, 12 national televised games)

New York Knicks (Nate Robinson, Can watch most if not all games)

New Jersey Nets (Vince Carter, Can watch most if not all games)

Phoenix Suns (Love the way they play, Steve Nash, Shaq, nine national televised games)

I am a passionate fan and I will always get behind my team. As a free agent fan signing, I will bring the best that my "fandom" can bring to a team‘s fan base.

I just need to know what team to get behind.

I need some help from you, the fans of these teams. This is a big decision in my life as a sports fan. I need your help.

If you would like to help the cause, write a comment below, or send over an e-mail to buffbillsfan517@yahoo.com. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Give Fred Jackson the Contract He Deserves: Show Me the Money!

Matt Schaefer — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:59:36 -0500

The Buffalo Bills' Marshawn Lynch is now in legal trouble for the second offseason in a row. With his Pro Bowl debut and second straight 1,000-yard season, people have forgotten that backup Fred Jackson is a free agent this offseason.

Profootballtalk.com is reporting that Jackson “is looking for a multi-year deal, and the money that goes along with it.” The Bills should give it to him.

For starters, Jackson is a high-character guy who has paid his dues. He is a player who represents the city of Buffalo well in his humble ways.

He is a guy you don’t have to worry about running over a woman with his SUV.

He has worked his way up the ladder and isn’t going to do anything stupid to diminish his hard work.

Most importantly, the guy can play, and that's what matters most to fans and the Bills front office.

This season, after coming off an eight-game, 300-yard 2007 campaign, Jackson rushed for 571 yards and three touchdowns. Having rushed for 136 yards against the New England Patriots in the last game of the season, Jackson finished '08 averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

Jackson is anything but a one-trick running back. He is a real threat catching the ball out of the backfield, hauling in 37 catches for 317 yards in '08, making his career totals 59 receptions for 507 yards (8.6 yards per catch).

The impact that Jackson had on the special teams did not go unnoticed, either. Returning punts while Roscoe Parrish was injured and fielding kickoffs (averaging 15.1 yards per kickoff return) when opponents elected to avoid kicking to Leodis McKelvin, Jackson more than proved his worth.

With Lynch’s future uncertain, why not retain a high-class, quality player in Jackson?

Hopefully the Bills don’t take the cheap way out of these negotiations. With all of the money tied up in players who don’t deserve it, why not give a pay raise to a guy who does?

Make the easy decision and give Jackson the multi-year deal that will please him and help out the team in the process.

When Will Alex Rodriguez Strike Out For Good?

Matt Schaefer — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:01:55 -0500

After watching thirty-five minutes of a press conference, you would expect to learn some new information about the subject it is on. Especially when that press conference is to save the integrity of one of the best baseball players of our era.

After watching the Alex Rodriguez press conference today though, I came away unimpressed and even more skeptical about the All-Star slugger.

The biggest confession from A-Rod was his use of “Boli,” with his cousin during the 2001-2003 seasons with the Texas Rangers, and the fact that he was also using “Ripped Fuel” during his early days with the Seattle Mariners.

Despite Rodriguez saying that he didn’t really know what he was putting into his body, I find that hard to believe.

Pro athletes know what they put into their bodies at all times.

There is no question that the highest-rated baseball prospect in the last 15 or so years would just leave something like this to chance.

His admission of using Ripped Fuel earlier in his career shows that he had some idea what he was looking for with the substances he took; an energy boost.

Ripped Fuel is a substance that is taken in a capsule form.

It is supposed to bring the user a “huge” energy boost, promote fat loss, improve the ability to gain more lean muscle, increase the metabolic rate of the user and reduce the appetite of users (helping out with weight loss.)

It is now banned by Major League Baseball for being a stimulant.

The ironic thing is that Primobolan (“Boli” is the street name,) is taken for a very similar reason as Boli, that being of course the energy boost it brings.

Not to mention that Primobolan also has very few downsides.

It doesn’t cause the many unwanted side effects of most steroids, like enlarged breasts, shrunken testicles, or a higher voice, because it does not convert to estrogen after it is taken.

Terry Todd, a former champion power lifter, told the New York Times in an article about Primobolan recently that, “It’s a drug that you take when you don’t want all of the behavior changes that may go along with other steroids. But still, you would also have to feel that you wouldn’t be tested, or that there would be no consequences to you getting caught.”

Primobolan is a substance that is made up of things that are not produced in the body.

Therefore, it would send off red lights like crazy to any drug test.

How ironic that when A-Rod was using the substance, there was no consequences for taking it, seeing as there was no steroid policy in place at the time.

Primobolan is also a drug that the FDA banned back in July of 1989. It was one of forty anabolic steroids that were banned to prevent them for being used as performance enhancers in the United States.

It is a drug that is illegal to sell and/or market in the US, so when A-Rod said that he got them from the Dominican Republic, you should believe him.

I just find it so hard to believe that after using Ripped Fuel, he just happened to switch over to a drug that he supposedly knew nothing about that had the same result.

Another thing I found ironic was the fact that A-Rod used the substance for three years, saying he only used it “twice a month” during that time period.

The thing about Primobolan is that in is ineffective in small doses, and needs to be taken over a longer period of time to see the results that some of the stronger steroids produce.

I don’t know about you, but three years is certainly enough time to be taking it to get the best results.

A-rod dodged questions about why he would continue to take a substance that he wasn’t sure was doing anything for him. He didn’t give any reason other than he was “young and curious.”

Really, there is only one thing I took from the press conference today, and A-Rod even admitted it too. Kids, go to college because if you do not ,apparently your brain just rots away.

That is all I heard when a question was trying to get details out of him. “Well, I was young, stupid, dumb, curious, or ignorant.”

That is all he would say. To be honest, he really didn’t answer any of the questions with a real answer.

He was showing some great dance moves, dodging questions left and right. Maybe he was auditioning to be the next sports star to go on Dancing with the Stars.

Thank goodness that the Yankees P.R. man only took questions from people who focused on the Yankees the most.

I have a feeling that if A-Rod sat at the microphone for a little longer, we would have gotten to see a lot more great dance moves.

I mean you have got to be kidding me. Most people would research what they were putting into their body at 24, 25, 26 or 27 years of age.

To use young age as an excuse for his actions is ridiculous.

Also, something that people might not realize is that when A-Rod failed the drug test five years ago, he also had testosterone in his system. He didn't address this at all either.

His baseball numbers certainly don’t lie either.

Sure, A-Rod is a Hall-of-Fame talent, but it is quite easy to see that his numbers went up when he was taking these supplements.

During his five full seasons with the Mariners or the “Ripped Fuel Years,” (I will throw the first two years out when A-Rod hit five home runs and 21 RBIs in just 65 combined games,) Rodriguez had an average of 37 home runs, 115 RBIs, 184 hits and a .314 batting average.

In the press conference, A-Rod said that the best year of his career came at age 20 in which he had 36 homers, 123 RBIs, 215 hits, and a .358 average.

How do we know that the Ripped Fuel didn’t have anything to do with it.

During his three seasons in Texas, the “Boli Years,“ A-Rod averaged 52 home runs, 132 RBIs, 190 hits and a .305 batting average.

His power numbers went up by a pretty considerable margin.

Now let’s move on to his “clean” years.

In his five seasons with the Yankees, A-Rod averaged 42 home runs (-10 HR’s,) 123 RBIs (- 9,) 174 hits (-16,) and a .303 batting average (-.002.)

Funny how his numbers dropped with New York, even though they came during the years in which a player is considered to be in his prime.

Let’s be honest here with each other, A-Rod did not tell the whole truth today.

Like most athletes caught red-handed, he told some of the truth that will let some people forgive him, but he didn’t tell all of it.

We will figure that out for sure in a few years, when even more news comes out about him.

And please, let’s remember that he is only doing this because he was caught. If no one knew it was him, A-Rod would still have his secrets to himself.

He would not have come out just for the good of the game or anything like that. He was caught, and was forced to restore some credibility to himself, seeing as he is the first big-time active player to be caught while still playing in the league.

At least he has a good team of agents and lawyers behind him to help him try to get some future Hall-of-Fame votes and to try to prove to people that he should be forgiven now. It might actually work.

While A-Rod thinks he is off the hook and can focus on baseball, the fans out there should not let him off so easy. He still hasn’t told the public the whole truth.

He has two strikes with me (and should with you too for first cheating and now not coming out with the whole truth.)

How much longer can A-Rod stay in the batters box without striking out?

A year? Two years? Ten years?

It doesn’t really matter how long A-Rod is able to protect the plate, he will strike out come eventually.

Too bad he couldn't help out his chances to stay alive today.

Marshawn Lynch Arrested

Matt Schaefer — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:51:00 -0500

Well there goes the 2009 season...

It was confirmed by multiple website and sources (ESPN, Profootballtalk.com, the Bills) that Marshawn Lynch was arrested by the Culver City (Cali.) Police Department on Feb. 11 for possession of a concealed firearm.

Here is some quotes from about the incident:

From the Bills:

"We can confirm that Marshawn was arrested in California and has retained an attorney. We are in the process of trying to gather the facts and will not offer a comment while that process is ongoing."

From WGR550.com:

"This is the second run-in with the law for Lynch within the last 10 months. Last May, he was involved in a hit-and-run incident in the Chippewa area.

Lynch plead guilty to a lesser charge of failure to exercise due care to avoid striking a pedestrian, a traffic violation. As part the deal, his driver's license and car registration were revoked and Lynch was assessed a $100 fine."

From an update on Profootballtalk.com:

"Lynch’s lawyer, M. Gerald Schwartzbach, told the Associated Press that Lynch was visiting friends in California and said there wasn’t a traffic accident."

So how exactly did this happen?

Well, it is being reported by everyone that Culver City police officers were patrolling the Fox Hills area of Culver City when they came into contact with three adult males in a 2006 Mercedes Benz.

After speaking with the people inside the car, they determined that one of the men in the car was Lynch. A field investigation led to the “discovery of a loaded firearm.”

My question is why the hell were they stopped in the first place?

Sure Marshawn was in the wrong carrying the gun, but why was he stopped? Was it because it was a really nice car with three African-Americans in the vehicle? Could this possible have been a race issue?

I don't want to speculate too much, but basically the cops talked to the people in the car, figured out one was famous, and then searched the car in which they found the weapon.

Something fishy might be going on here. I doubt Lynch will face any punishment from law enforcement if this is the case.

Was he in the wrong? Yes. But I have a feeling a good lawyer can get this thrown out before it goes to trial.

The main issue for Bills fans (and management) is determining whether Lynch is worth the trouble.

This is his second run-in with the law, and he is showing some real character issues.

Even though he is a great young running back (with two straight 1,000-yard-seasons and one Pro Bowl,) he is replaceable, especially with Fred Jackson ready to take over in the backfield.

He is a fan favorite also, so we will have to wait and see what actions the Bills take.

The real problem here is players carrying guns they are not licensed to.

We are quick to bash athletes, but we don't know what they are going through. It is really showing something though, with how many music and sports stars are carrying weapons.

If anything, something needs to be done to get to the problem of carrying guns.

The Buffalo Sabres Erase Some Pain With Shootout Win (At Least For a Few Hours)

Matt Schaefer — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:29:15 -0500

All the people in the Buffalo area needed tonight was something to distract them for a little while. They got that and more.

While people should not forget the tragic plane crash in Clearance, New York, a crash that claimed fifty lives late last evening, at least they have something to talk about for a little while.

The Buffalo Sabres took to the ice to a sold-out HSBC Arena tonight, looking to give the fans something to watch for a few hours to forget the pain.

They took them on an emotional roller coaster ride, that ended with a 6-5 shootout victory over the best team in the NHL, the San Jose Sharks.

The two points were important in this game, seeing as the Sabres are in a tight race for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. This one was for the entire community though.

With the NHL inquiring to cancel this game, they ultimately decided to do the right thing and play it while also showing their respect to the lost lives by having a moment of silence before the game got underway.

Sports is a weird thing in our lives. The game tonight in HSBC Arena brought people from all over the community together as one. When people needed to get together and release some of that raw emotion inside of them the most, the Sabres were there for their hometown.

Even though the Sabres might not be from the area originally, the players currently call this their home. Head Coach Lindy Ruff, Patrick Lalime, Jason Pomminville, Teppo Numminem, and Jaroslav Spacek all live close to the Clearance location in which the plane went down.

They certainly know what people are going through here.

What most people forget is that these athletes are human too.

So even with the heavy hearts, the Sabres played one of their hardest games of the season.

Adam Mair, Spacek, and Drew Stafford all scored goals within the first 15 minutes of the game to put the Sabres up 3-0.

A goal by Patrick Marleau for San Jose made the score 3-1 heading into the first intermission.

A blast from the point from Ales Kotalik put the Sabres back up by three again on the power play during period No. 2. The goal was the Sabres third power play goal of the night. This came after Buffalo went 1-for-12 with the man advantage against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night. They finished converting 3-of-6 power play opportunities.

San Jose would battle back though, showing why they are they best team in the NHL. Four unanswered goals by Marleau (his second), Dan Boyle, Devin Setoguchi and Joe Pavelski gave the Sharks a 5-4 lead.

It looked as if the game would end that way and the fans would be sent home with their sorrows. Not on this night though.

A shot from the point by Buffalo Captain, Craig Rivet, was tipped home by Jason Pominville with 3.9 seconds left to play to send it to overtime. It was Pominville’s first goal in 17 games.

After the first three shooters for each team were stopped, Pomminville and Marleau exchanged goals in the shootout.

A backhand by Derek Roy and then a save by Ryan Miller’s glove sealed the win for Buffalo.

It wasn’t your normal game though. When the Sabres looked down and out they battled back to win the game and put some smiles on the faces of their fans.

The people of Buffalo were hurting and so were the players that represents the hometown. Their hard work was greatly appreciated, as they received a standing ovation from the crowd after tying the game at five.

It was the second time in recent memory that the Sabres were there for there hometown.

Although not to the same extent, but the “October Storm” a couple of years ago affected the citizens and players of Buffalo too. They happened to be on a road trip when the storm itself occurred and with the power outages in the area, they were worried about their families.

Generators were sent to their homes by the team to help take care of their troubles but may people in the Buffalo area were not so lucky. People were out of power for days and in some places even a week or longer.

The first home game in HSBC Arena though was huge. It brought the entire community together as one. People were showering in the dark with ice cold water (or even not at all) to make the game to spend some time with more than 18,000 of their closet friends.

Ones that could not gathered around battery powered radios or even missed the game entirely.

The Sabres knew what they had to do then to pull out a win and they did the same thing tonight.

When the city needed them most, the Sabres came through and provided three hours of entertainment for the fans at the arena and watching on TV.

In hindsight, it was just a meaningless hockey game, but to the city of Buffalo it was so much more.

It was an escape.