Whats going on with the Bills? | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Whats going on with the Bills?

I think if the Bills get decent QB play they can beat you guys out for 2nd place. They need to ride CJ Spiller who is the most dynamic weapon in the division.
 
Can't wait to see the Fins Bills game in December. I'll be there!
 
AphexPhin said:
I haven't seen what they've done this offseason or in the draft for that matter.

Can anyone fill me in? I take it they are in rebuilding mode.
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It looks as if they are rebuilding, AGAIN.....

By position:

QB - Kolb looks to have the edge as of now, but the race is wide open. If EJ Manuel starts the year, expect some learning curve mistakes as the kinks in his game are ironed out.

WR - There's SJ13 and then a muddled group that has the potential to work well, but with the lack of veteran leadership at QB, I don't expect too much from the WR underlings.

RB - Solid. Should be the main focus of the Offense.

TE - See WR.

OL - Levitre left and it should weaken the unit, but they should be decent in 2013. Picking up Legursky was a good depth move.

DL - Who knows? A lot had high expectations last year, only to watch the unit start out the season flat on their face. Dareus was facing some huge family issues last year, so we'll see how his season pans out. They finished better than they started, but they couldn't finish much worse from where they started.

LB - Should be improved, but easily the worst unit on the entier Bills roster last year, so that's not saying much.

CB - This could be the weak spot this season. When Leodis McKelvin has the chance of nailing down a #2 CB spot, you know you need help.

SS/FS - They may not be all that bad here, even if Byrd holds out or is traded away. However, bringing guys from the CB position to play Safety does nothing for your CB depth.

ST/K - The only real news is that Rian Lindell may have serious competition in TC.

GM - Doug Whaley steps in as new GM after serving as Assistant GM with the Bills. Comes from Steelers pedigree, so I'd expect the years to come to take on more of that philosophy.

HC - Doug Marrone is the new HC after going 25-25 @ Syracuse the last four seasons. Was OC under Sean Payton in NO, but who knows if that'll translate into success. So far, he is talking the talk, but we'll see if his in game play calling and clock management are up to NFL HC standards.

Owner - Ralph Wilson is really getting up there in age. Russ Brandon has taken over in terms of making all the decisions that Ralph normally makes. Huge shift at the top, but should take a few years to see results.

It's kind of a cliff notes version, but that's pretty much the Bills offseason heading into TC, IMO.

Optimist viewpoint: 11-5
Pessimist viewpoint: 2-14
Realist viewpoint: 7-9
 
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They picked up Nikkel Roby from USC a cornerback who got a pick six on Andrew Luck in Lucks senior year.
My son was a sophomore on the same high school team as Robey when Robey was a senior.
If anyone hears how Robey is doing I would love to hear it.
 
MAYHEM said:
They picked up Nikkel Roby from USC a cornerback who got a pick six on Andrew Luck in Lucks senior year.
My son was a sophomore on the same high school team as Robey when Robey was a senior.
If anyone hears how Robey is doing I would love to hear it.
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Here's a write up about the CB's from June 25th

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-2/Bills-like-cornerback-depth/d1846982-850d-4c54-987a-2dd56908e1fb

Bills like cornerback depth
Posted Jun 25, 2013

Chris Brown
Lead Journalist
Email @ChrisBrownBills


Leodis McKelvin did not participate in the team portion of any spring practice coming off groin surgery and Aaron Williams is making a promising transition to safety. So where does that leave Buffalo’s situation at cornerback, especially out on the boundary? In just the right place as Buffalo’s brass sees it.

Bills GM Doug Whaley is confident the group will round into a reliable coverage contingent.

“First of all I think if you look at Gilmore and you’ve been around the practices this spring he’s made a leap from year one to year two. Anytime you see a rookie going into his second year make that transition and not have a sophomore slump and make improvement that’s always a positive,” said Whaley. “Leodis has been here and we’re expecting good things from him.”

Some might have a measure of concern knowing beyond McKelvin and Stephon Gilmore there is limited experience at cornerback. Third-year corner Justin Rogers is the most experienced after the projected starting duo as he had about half the snaps (547) that Gilmore (1,082) did in 2012 on defense as the primary nickel corner.

Beyond him Ron Brooks appeared in seven games, but had just 162 snaps on defense last season. Crezdon Butler, on the practice squad for most of last season, logged 17 defensive snaps. T.J. Heath was on the practice squad in 2012.

Whaley sees Rogers and Brooks, who are on the smaller side, fighting for the slot corner job more than he sees them competing on the boundary.

“Brooks and Rogers those guys are going to compete for that nickel role and then we’ve got some young guys coming in,” Whaley told Buffalobills.com. “Nickell Robey, for example.”

Robey certainly showed some flashes of ability and was competitive for the football rivaling Aaron Williams for the interception lead during spring practices. Despite being an undrafted rookie he had the opportunity to get reps with the starting defense in a few practices.

“Yes, I come out here and I want to show everybody that I’m worthy to play and be a Buffalo Bill and make the team. So I just strive every day to get to that point,” said Robey. “It’s good to play out there with the ones just to see where your skill level is and see how good you are and how good you fit in with the players and how you work with them.”

At 5’8” and 165 pounds however, Robey may also be best suited for an inside role as well.

When it comes to depth behind Gilmore and McKelvin, Buffalo is pulling for the aforementioned Butler and Heath. Both stand six-feet tall and have been on an NFL field before. Butler has appeared in 13 games over the past three seasons. Heath appeared in five as a rookie in 2011 with Jacksonville.

“I love this opportunity I’m getting with the new coaches coming in it’s like a start over for me with the new coaches,” said Butler.

Butler and Heath ran mainly with the second team defense in the spring. Behind them are undrafted rookies. Knowing how quickly a team can run short of corners due to the high-impact demands of the position which can lead to injury, it might create some concern for a defensive coordinator. That is not the case with Mike Pettine, thanks mainly to the work of his assistants.

“I just think we’re pleased with where we are on the back end,” said defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. “I think (secondary coach) Donnie Henderson and (defensive assistant) Samson Brown have done a real nice job this spring with limited meeting time and limited field time to get those guys up to speed and into what we’re doing schematically.”

“I’m learning this scheme faster than I did last year,” said Butler, who likened some of Buffalo’s scheme to what he did in Pittsburgh earlier in his career. “It’s all in the reps so I’m glad I’m getting my reps.”

The depth may not be overly experienced, but there is still another option to turn to should injury strike the starting lineup at cornerback. Aaron Williams is transitioning to safety, but could always move back outside if the situation called for it.

“Being there the last two years, I’m comfortable there,” said Williams of lining up at cornerback. “So whatever time coach needs a corner there I’m the first one to jump up. Just because I moved to safety doesn’t mean I can’t play corner.”

Still, less shuffling would be necessary in the event of injury if the Bills chose to add a veteran free agent. The problem is the market is a bit thin at this stage of the game. There are veterans available, but many are available for a reason. Either declining skills, an injury history or poor play from a season ago have them drifting out in the marketplace.

For now it appears Buffalo’s personnel department and coaching staff believe that giving more reps to the younger players on the way up is the most effective way to have depth at the ready should it be needed.

“I believe that when you have at least three or four guys (chances are) you’re going to need them,” said Whaley. “Hopefully you don’t need to use all four, but if you have four in the pipeline you have a good chance to compete especially in this division.”
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MAYHEM said:
Thanks NYC He is a realy good guy that if he sticks with you guys will never embarrass the team or town.
If not I know a tem in his home state that might could give him a spot.
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TB? JAX? Just kidding. Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep an eye on him.
 
AphexPhin said:
Thanks for the write up NYCBillsFan. I totally forgot you guys have Kolb now.
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Yeah, a lateral move from Fitzpatrick, who's now in Tennessee. Kolb/Fitz are decent stop gaps, but nothing to hinge success on.
 
Uuummm..........the Bills D-line on paper is nasty and shouldn't be taken lightly. If everyone is healthy and playing as expected that D-line is one of the best in the league.
 
Not a bad showing for EJ Manuel in his first pro-start. He started shaky, but led an impressive 2 minute drill that resulted in a TD at the end of the first half.

I know, it's pre-season, just keep you guys and gals updated if you're interested....
 
The Bills built their defensive line to follow the Giants formula for beating the Patriots. If their pass rush plays up to speed, they're going to crush on the Jets something hard and will be coming for a wildcard spot
They don't have a gravy schedule though, and they're the Bills, who like to make everybody believe they might be on the upswing, then suck horribly.
 
Manual looked good on the 2 minute drive; however, only one pass was longer then 10 yards and that was the TD, which was a really nice throw. I saw some things I expected early and that's difficulty going through progressions. The Bills kept the calls pretty simple to get him in a rhythm which he did at the end of the half.

Marquis Wheaton looked damn good. He returned less then 20 KOs in college and on his first or second attempt broke it for 107. He wasn't even close to being touched.

Two other kids that stood out to me were Kiko Alonso and Ron Brooks. Brooks committed a really stupid penalty early but recovered from it with some nice coverage and hits. Alonso was impressive in both coverage and against the run. Bills are putting together a nice defense. If they get good QB play to go with Spiller, they could have a pretty decent season.
 
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