ChanOverChin

Here's a nice article, which outlines the current status of the Bills' CB situation. The link: http://www.buffalorumblings.com/buffalo-bills-roster/2013/5/28/4372172/buffalo-bills-stephon-gilmore-leodis-mckelvin-strong-bets-to-start. I have real concerns about our depth at CB, which is why I bring this issue up. For a defense that plans to be very aggressive, to blitz often, and to cover man to man, it better have some reliable CBs or things aren't going to work out too well. I would categorize our current CB crop as follows: 1. Top Notch - Gilmore. I expect him to just get better and better and for Pettine to match him up with the opposing team's best WR on a regular basis. 2. Average to Above Average - McKelvin/Brooks. If used wisely (i.e. where their skills are best suited) both guys could perform well. McKelvin will likely play outside, while Brooks will likely cover the slot. Both are fast/agile enough to get to the QB on the blitz in Pettine's aggressive scheme. 3. Average - Rogers/Butler/Robey. Rogers is not big enough to play outside and neither is Robey. Both may be well suited for covering the slot however because of their quickness. Butler is a player that the Bills really like. He will play outside because he has good size. Butler and Robey are both newcomers to keep and eye on because they both could be pleasant surprises. 4. Hopefuls - Ellis/Kearney/Heath/Edwards/Rolle. The Bills' new regime obviously likes the long, lanky, athletic type (i.e. the CB/S hybrid) and these guys fit that roll pretty well. Maybe 1-2 of them will surprise. Note: A. Williams and D. Williams will primarily be safeties in Pettine's scheme, but may be asked to cover various types of receivers at times. Thus, they at least add to the depth of the CB group. Two questions for you. 1. How do you rate our CB group?? 2. is there a strong need to add at least one veteran CB after June 1st??

Thanks for bringing that up. The last I heard the Bills were approx. $13.5M under the cap, but still needed to account for their draft picks and Byrd (franchise tag). If you do the math, the draft picks will account for approx. $5M and Byrd about $6M. That means that they will have approx. $2.5M plus the $7M that you mentioned plus even more when final cuts are made and only the top 51 salaries count against the cap. We haven't seen a lot of activity from the Bills as of late because I think they're waiting for June 1st to see what veteran players will be released around the league. The Bills could certainly use at least one vet CB, a TE, an ILB, and possibly an OG. That would give us approx. $9.5M to spend from June 1st through the preseason to add veteran FA players.

I did not mean to intimate that the five 30 something players would be cut or should be cut because of their age. I did say though that the Bills will definitely consider releasing them or moving when it comes down to finalizing the roster if there are other players at their respective positions who are comparable. Lindell is 36. Hopkins is 21 and an invested draft pick. If Hopkins proves to be reliable through training camp and the preseason games (i.e. comparable to Lindell), Lindell will be released. F. Jackson is 32 and has had injury problems. However, he is still a very good RB and is looked upon as a team leader. I do not anticipate that he will be released because beyond Spiller, the Bills don't have a RB on the roster who is comparable. Brian Scott is 32. Even though there appears to be a lot of competition for Scott on the roster in the form of much younger players the fact that Scott is pretty good at covering big TEs makes him very valuable. My guess is that Scott has an 80-20 chance to make the final roster. T. Jackson is 30. J. Tuel is 21. Tuel has a lot to prove, but does appear to have what it takes to be an NFL QB. My guess is that there is a 70-30 chance that TJax makes the roster and Tuel is kept on the practice squad as a development player. I believe that Kolb and Manuel will both make the team. Pears is 30 and appears to be slowing down. I hope he proves to be as good as he has been in the past, but much younger guys like Hairston/Young/Sanders are breathing down his neck. If two of the three appear to be comparable, Pears could be released. Realistically, I can only see Lindell being beaten out because of Hopkins' talent, Lindell's age and salary. i believe all of the others will make the final roster, but Pears and TJax could be in the most jeopardy both because of their age and their salary.

I'm more hoping they will at this point. They have interest in all three. They have kicked the tires on Owens and really want him as much for his ST prowess as anything else. I happened to follow Owens pretty closely last year because I was short on RBs in my FFL. When MJD and Jennings went down Owens got his chance to carry the ball and looked good. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, I think he scored two TDs vs Buffalo last year. The guy is a young, upcoming player who could really help us. I happen to think that we really need a big back to carry the ball in short yardage and goal line situations. Spiller and Jackson are not built for that. The image of Wilfork bouncing Spiller like a ping pong ball at the goal line last year is all the reason you need. Moore is a very talented vet OG who could help us to comfortably forget Levitre. He wanted a lot of money (about $3M per season) earlier in the year, but if he's willing to come down on the price, which is bound to happen, i think there's a good chance that the Bills will pick him up because of Marrone's familiarity with him. Otherwise, we may be looking at the revolving door that is C. Brown/Young/Sanders/C. Scott/D. Snow at LG. Sheldon Brown is the best vet FA CB on the market currently. He has good size and speed and more than held his own against the best WRs in the league when he played for Cleveland last year. Bringing him in would improve our depth at CB and allow McKelvin to contribute more on ST.

The Bills now have a lot of very young, talented players. It's interesting to make projections at this point and then look back at them just prior to the start of the season to see how things have changed, which players have risen to the top, and which have fallen. With that, here is who I would project onto the Bills' 53 man roster from what I've seen and heard as of today (with NO FA vet additions): Offense - 24 QB: Kolb/Manuel/T. Jackson. RB: Spiller/F. Jackson/Choice/B. Smith (Smith makes the team because of his versatility and ST contributions; listed at RB because there are already 6 listed at WR). TE: Chandler/L. Smith/Gragg. WR: Johnson/Woods/D. Rogers/Graham/Goodwin/Kaufmann. O-line: Glenn/Urbik/Wood/Young/Pears/Hairston/C. Brown/Sanders. ST - 3 K/P/LS: Hopkins/Powell/Sanborn Defense - 26 D-Line: Dareus/K. Williams/Branch/Carrington/Troup/Gilbert. DE/OLB: Ma. Williams/Lawson/Anderson/Hughes/Pough. ILB: Bradham/Alonso/Moats/Dowtin/Br. Scott. CB: Gilmore/McKelvin/Brooks/Rogers/Butler. SS: A. Williams/Searcy/D. Williams. FS: Byrd/Meeks. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Here is who I would project onto the Bills' 53 man roster from what I've seen and heard as of today (with FA vet additions): Offense - 24 QB: Kolb/Manuel/T. Jackson. RB: Spiller/F. Jackson/M. Owens/B. Smith (Owens gives us a big ball carrier for short yardage/goal line situations). TE: Chandler/L. Smith/Gragg. WR: Johnson/Woods/D. Rogers/Graham/Goodwin/Kaufmann. O-line: Glenn/B. MooreUrbik/Wood/Young/Pears/Hairston/C. Brown (Moore gives us a vet OG who can nearly match Levitre's performance level). ST - 3 K/P/LS: Hopkins/Powell/Sanborn Defense - 26 D-Line: Dareus/K. Williams/Branch/Carrington/Troup/Gilbert. DE/OLB: Ma. Williams/Lawson/Anderson/Hughes/Pough. ILB: Bradham/Alonso/Moats/Dowtin/Br. Scott. CB: Gilmore/Sh. Brown/McKelvin/Brooks/Butler (Sheldon Brown gives us another proven NFL CB). SS: A. Williams/Searcy/D. Williams. FS: Byrd/Meeks. The projected vet FAs RB/FB M. Owens/OG B. Moore/CB Sh. Brown would replace RB T. Choice/OT/OG Z. Sanders/CB Rogers respectively. Owens is particularly strong near the goal line and has the body type of a MJD. he's also a 2 time Pro Bowl ST player. Moore is older at 33, but is still very good and he was molded by Marrone himself. Sh. Brown is a solid all around vet CB who is better and more proven than McKelvin/Brooks/Rogers/Butler/Robey.

I don't think Fred Jackson will be cut, but he is 32 and the Bills will be looking at that at some point. Pears, who is 30, will hopefully stay, but guys like Hairston, Young, and Sanders could prove to be just as good at some point through training camp and that might sway the Bills to release him. T. Jackson, 30, is not safe by any means. I expect Kolb and Manuel to be #1 and #2 going into the season. TJax will need to fend off J. Tuel, who is very talented and almost ten years younger than TJax. If Tuel has success in the preseason games TJax and his $2.5M salary will likely be gone. Brian Scott is 32 and now is playing a cover LB position. I think he has a great chance to stay with the team, but he has a lot of viable competition so his age could be a factor. Guys like Dowtin, Pough, and Moats stand a very good chance to make the team and Scott make get caught up in a numbers game where the coaches need to choose between him and 1 or 2 others for the #52 and #53 spots on the final roster. Lindell is 36 and has shown signs of not being able to consistently make 48+ yd FGs. The Bills drafted Hopkins in R6 and he was probably the best kicker in the country in college. You know that they have high hopes for him and he is 15 yrs younger than Lindell. Still, he will have to prove that he is reliable enoguh to keep.

What jumps out at you when perusing the Bills' current roster is just how young they are. They have no less than 65 players who are 25 yrs old or younger. Only FIVE players are 30 yrs old or older - Pears (30), T. Jackson (30), F. Jackson (32), Br. Scott (32), Lindell (36). I would say that those players could all be in jeopardy of being waived simply because of their age. You can bet that the Bills will be considering it. I especially think that Pears (Sanders and Young could replace him), T. Jackson (Tuel), Br. Scott (Dowtin, Pough, others), and Lindell (Hopkins) could all be waived. With the release of those four players the Bills would probably be the youngest team in the league. That should tell you why they haven't signed any 30 something vet FAs so far and why they probably don't plan to. They want to bring this team up together.

A. Williams will be the only starter from that group (at SS) so he is the winner.

Often times when someone comes from a certain organization they are greatly influenced by the thinking of that organization. They also get know the players and because of the knowledge of those players and/or the relationship with those players they are prone to bring some of those players with them to the new organization because they know what they're getting vs signing a vet FA off the street that they only get to know for a day or two. To me, it will be interesting to see if Whaley prefers to bring in any current Steelers that could fill a need with the Bills based upon his prior knowledge/relationship with those players. the same may hold true for players that Pettine and Marrone and Hackett have worked with previously. Pettine, for instance, may have an interest in ILB Bart Scott or DE/OLB Calvin Pace or OG Brandon Moore, all former Jets.................if the price is right.

The Bills already have quite a few ex-Steelers on the current roster, including Whaley in the front office. The question is, "Will Whaley be looking to steal even more players with Steeler ties"?? Link: http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2013/5/21/4351218/buffalo-bills-ties-to-steelers-doug-whaley-kraig-urbik. Kraig Urbik, guard (Round 3, 2009): Urbik was waived after just one season in Pittsburgh, and the Bills quickly scooped him up. He has been a full-time starter since the 2011 season began, and has performed well enough to earn a four-year contract extension as of last December. He may now be Buffalo's best offensive lineman. Frank Summers, fullback (Round 5, 2009): The Bills were in need of a fullback this spring, and signed Summers to the 90-man roster after a tryout before the 2013 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh took the 5'9", 241-pound bowling ball of a player with a fifth-round pick, but he only appeared in two games for them. Chris Scott, guard (Round 5, 2010): A legitimate contender for the team's starting left guard position, Scott was a tackle in college that spent parts of three years with the Steelers before eventually landing in Buffalo last fall. It would be very interesting, indeed, if both Bills starting guards end up being Steelers cast-offs. Crezdon Butler, cornerback (Round 5, 2010): Butler was taken 13 picks after Scott, but only spent a year there before getting waived. He landed in Arizona with his former position coach, Ray Horton, but an ankle injury landed him on IR and he was waived before 2012. Now he's in Buffalo, where he could conceivably win a nickel or dime back role. Keith Williams, guard (Round 6, 2011): The third former Steelers offensive lineman on the list, Williams was let go by Pittsburgh during his rookie season and has been in Buffalo ever since. A practice squad player for the last two years, Williams is a darkhorse candidate for a roster spot this summer. Corbin Bryant, defensive lineman (undrafted, 2011): Bryant, a former undrafted free agent out of Northwestern, spent parts of his first two seasons on Pittsburgh's practice squad before landing there with Buffalo last season. He'll benefit from a move to a defense with more 3-4 looks under Mike Pettine. Other notables Tyrone Wheatley, running backs coach: Wheatley, a former pro running back and Michigan Star that followed Doug Marrone to the Bills from a coaching gig at Syracuse, got his start in coaching as a minority coaching fellow with the Steelers in 2008. Greg Lloyd, inside linebacker: Added to the roster as a deep reserve and specialist last season, Lloyd is the son of the former Steelers great by the same name, who recorded 54.5 sacks, made five Pro Bowl appearances and was selected to three All-Pro teams in his decade-long career in Pittsburgh. Buffalo's Lloyd is a former seventh-round draft pick in Philadelphia.

RB/FB M. Owens can run the football. He's a heck of a lot more than just a ST player or a blocking FB. I paid a lot of attention to him last year because I had picked him up in my FFL. He would be a very nice addition to the team and might be the short yardage running back that the Bills really need. If you recall, the one NE game last year when Spiller tried to score from the one yd line and got absolutely crushed by Wilfork then you understand what I mean when I say that the Bills could really use a big back for short yardage/goal line situations.

The Bills are getting things done. Tehy've signed all of their 2013 draft picks except for R1 pick Manuel. Now they need to concentrate on signing Manuel and Pro Bowl FS J. Byrd. In case you forgot, Byrd is pretty good. The link: . Let's get manuel and Byrd signed ASAP...........and then maybe Whaley can get to work on a few vet FA signings.

I was shocked to see the Bills pick up K. Kolb. The fact that they did an exhaustive amount of research on the QBs in the draft and appear to have selected one who is big, fast, athletic, has a strong arm, and can be a running threat is a very good sign. Manuel and Kolb will give us a chance to compete. There has also been a definitive plan to get faster as a team. That is quite obvious. I would still like to see them continue to help themselves via FA and via trade this offseason. There are still quite a few vet FAs available who can fill holes and really help this team. I think they still need to obtain at least one proven CB or they could be in trouble. I do have high hopes for CB N. Robey.

How dare the OP start a new thread on Dansby. How dare he. Thread Police, wheeeeerrrrrreee aaaaaaarrrrrrrreeeee you??

One of the things that I think Marrone brings to the table as a former NFL player is that he knows what it takes to be prepared for the season and he knows the importance of motivating players to perform at their best. After all, the two most important factors in coaching are: 1. Preparation and 2. Motivation. One of my favorite quotes from Marrone as he attempts to build the Bills into a consistent winner reads as follows: ‘On a good team, a coach holds his players accountable. On a great team, the players hold each other accountable.’ This is so very true and I love it that Marrone is instilling this virtue into his players.

Hughes is a pass rushing OLB who fits better in Pettine's system than he does with what the Colts run on defense. He's more speed, wiggle, and quickness than he is power and strength. He's a very good athlete, but wasn't cast in the right role with the Colts. The Colts want their OLBs to be big strong powerful guys (260-270 lbs) who can set the edge and force the play inside. That's NOT what Hughes can do well. The bottom line is that Hughes fits well with the Bills want to do and doesn't fit well with the Colts. Hopefully, he can be another good pass rusher for us. I think the Bills realized that Sheppard wasn't going to be of much help to them in Pettine's system.

If the Bills continue their excellent offseason by signing a few key vets I'll be drinking the K-A.

ILB K. Dansby is a vocal veteran leader, a playmaker, a hard hitter, a turnover machine. We need him to lead our defense and give youngins like Bradham and Alonzo some time to grow. Don't settle Nix. Add Dansby and a vet CB and your defense is set. .

Nelson doesn't appear to fit the mold of speed receiver that Marrone apparently wants and is very serious about. He is trying to come back from a serious injury as well so I'm sure that was a big factor as well. I think Marrone's days in New Orleans really influenced him regarding how to build a successful NFL offense. N.O. HC, S. Payton, who Marrone worked for as an offensive assistant coach, has a great offensive mind and has taught Marrone the ins and outs of running a successful offense in the NFL. He has had nothing but good things to say about Marrone and his potential as an offensive mind/NFL HC. I think that it's great to see that we have a HC who has a definitive plan when it comes to building an offense.

I think the Bills did well by trading back to #16 and getting the extra picks (which they really needed). So many of us wanted to see them trade back again (and Nix did say that he had a few offers to do so), but at some point you just can't take that chance. The Bills knew that there were a handful of teams that needed to draft a QB and anyone of them could have traded up ahead of Buffalo in R1 (if they had traded down again) or in R2 at #41 (if they had not traded down again. It shows you that the Bills feel very strongly that Manuel is the best QB in the 2013 draft. They knew what he could do in bad weather and the fact that he's very intelligent, mature, and coachable sealed the deal for them. When you watch him on tape you see on multi-dimensional he is. The biggest knock on him is that he does move through his progressions quickly enough. To me, that's something that he can learn. In the meantime, calling the type plays where he won't have to do much of that will give him the best chance for success. This kid is a real weapon. He can burn you with his arm and he can burn you with his feet. I still say that when Nix saw what C. Kaepernick could do as a young NFL QB as both a passer and a runner it really opened his eyes, influenced him greatly, and gave him the strong inclination to draft Manuel in R1. Kaepernick is part of the new wave of NFL QBs (much like RGIII and C. Newton. EJ Manuel is our C. Kaepernick.

Here's a rundown of all of the moves that the Bills have made thus far. The Bills have obviously been very active this year.............even making a trade for a veteran player (DE/OLB J. Hughes) and trading down in R1 of the draft, both of which they rarely do. They were able to draft their franchise QB in R1 and beat out half the NFL for prized UDFA WR D. Rogers. On top of that, they were able to secure the second best haul of UDFAs including two very good players in QB J. Tuel and CB N. Robey among others. It's been an amazing transformation for just one year. Additions Player Pos. 2012 team Acquired via EJ Manuel QB Florida State 2013 NFL Draft - Round 1 Kevin Kolb QB Cardinals Free agent Jeff Tuel QB Washington State Undrafted free agent Kendall Gaskins RB Richmond Undrafted free agent Drew Smith RB Albany Undrafted free agent Frank Summers FB N/A Free agent Robert Woods WR USC 2013 NFL Draft - Round 2 Marquise Goodwin WR Texas 2013 NFL Draft - Round 3 Da'Rick Rogers WR Tennessee Tech Undrafted free agent Brandon Kaufman WR Eastern Washington Undrafted free agent Kevin Norrell WR Stony Brook Undrafted free agent Chris Gragg TE Arkansas 2013 NFL Draft - Round 7 Zack Chibane OG Syracuse Undrafted free agent Ryan Turnley C Pittsburgh Undrafted free agent Alan Branch DL Seahawks Free agent Izaan Cross DL Georgia Tech Undrafted free agent Aaron Tipoti DL California Undrafted free agent Manny Lawson OLB Bengals Free agent Jerry Hughes OLB Colts Trade with Indianapolis Kourtnei Brown OLB N/A Free agent Jamie Blatnick OLB N/A Free agent Keith Pough OLB Howard Undrafted free agent Kiko Alonso ILB Oregon 2013 NFL Draft - Round 2 Marcus Dowtin ILB Eagles Waiver claim Nickell Robey CB USC Undrafted free agent Vernon Kearney CB Lane Undrafted free agent Jumal Rolle CB Catawba Undrafted free agent Kip Edwards CB Missouri Undrafted free agent Duke Williams S Nevada 2013 NFL Draft - Round 4 Jonathan Meeks S Clemson 2013 NFL Draft - Round 5 Jordan Dangerfield S Towson Undrafted free agent Dustin Hopkins K Florida State 2013 NFL Draft - Round 6 Brian Stahovich P N/A Free agent Subtractions Player Pos. Departure 2013 team Ryan Fitzpatrick QB Released Titans Tyler Thigpen QB Free agency unsigned Corey McIntyre FB Free agency unsigned Donald Jones WR Free agency Patriots David Nelson WR Free agency Browns Ruvell Martin WR Free agency unsigned Joe Sawyer TE Released unsigned Adam Grant OT Released unsigned Andy Levitre OG Free agency Titans Chad Rinehart OG Free agency Chargers Kyle Moore DE Free agency Bears Chris Kelsay DE Retired N/A Shawne Merriman DE Retired N/A Spencer Johnson DT Free agency unsigned Nick Barnett ILB Released unsigned Kelvin Sheppard ILB Traded Colts Kirk Morrison ILB Free agency unsigned Terrence McGee CB Released unsigned George Wilson S Released Titans

Wow, the tape on QB Jeff Tuel does not lie. He has great escape-ability in the pocket. He makes quick decisions. He is very accurate. He can make all of the throws......especially the jump ball end zone corner routes. He senses pressure very well. He knows when to move in the pocket and when to run. He's quick enough to get away from pressure and fast enough to run for first downs. I don't know how this guy wasn't drafted. This guy has a great chance to make the final roster. Let me tell you, this guy could be something special for the Bills. I am going to keep a close eye on him through training camp and preseason. A really nice steal for the Bills. Link: .

Robey's lack of height could work against him, but only if the Bills aren't smart about how they match him up with opposing receivers. In Pettine's scheme, he needs to have CBs who can bump and run with a fast receiver for a 2-3 sec. window. Every team needs small fast/quick defenders to cover small fast/quick receivers. Robey can do that so he becomes an asset. The guy is fast/quick/physical and very confident. I think he's got a great shot at making this team.

It turns out that a big reason why the Bills had such a strong conviction for taking Manuel as early as they did is that besides his strong arm and impressive intangibles they felt like they needed someone who could function well in bad weather. The bad weather situation played a big part in the overall decision. After all, the Bills play seven games in Buffalo and often play at other locations such as Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Cincy where the weather can be very bad. It just so happens that Manuel and his big hands/strong arm worked out for the Bills in very bad weather and when they saw how well he performed that sold them that he would be well suited for playing in Buffalo. See link to an article on this subject. As it turns out, the Ravens made the same decision with Joe Flacco. They traded up in R1 to get him even when all of the experts were saying that it was a big reach. Several years and a SB win later that decision seems to have worked out pretty well for Flacco and the Ravens. Link: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/clark-judge/22172567/manuel-a-badweather-qb-it-sealed-the-deal-for-bills.

USC CB Nickell Robey is listed as Gil Brandt's top UDFA for a reason. He's a real playmaker. He can cover man to man and knows how to jump a route. Check out his video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IIJQFvJ1LY and his bio: At 5'8" and 168 pounds, Nickell Robey isn't the biggest cornerback prospect in the 2013 NFL draft. However, what Robey lacks in size he makes up in playmaking abilities, emotion and physicality. Strengths Robey is one of the draft's premier athletes. Even though he ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, Robey has the speed to keep up with quicker receivers. Robey is an athletic and physical cornerback with very good playmaking skills. He's extremely light on his feet, is fluid throughout his hips and can easily turn and run with receivers. Robey also displays excellent balance and quickness. His playmaking skills are also evident when you watch Robey on the field. He possesses above-average hands (seven interceptions in three years) and the ability to make plays after the catch. Robey can also be a factor when blitzing from the cornerback position.