SB Nation - Marvin Philip

State of the Bills Roster: Guards and Center

Brian Galliford — Sun, 17 May 2009 18:15:09 -0000

More photos » by David Duprey - AP

Buffalo Bills first-round pick, OG Eric Wood. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

Now that the 2009 NFL Draft is in the books and off-season player acquisition will crawl at a snail's pace, Buffalo Rumblings has begun re-examining the Buffalo Bills' revamped roster. We continue off our 'State of the Roster' series this morning with a look at the safety position. Previous installments: QB, RB, TE, OT, DE, DT, S.

When the 2008 NFL regular season came to a close for the Buffalo Bills, the team, at that point in time, employed five interior offensive linemen on its active roster. Roughly four months later, one of those five players remains with the team - and he's new starting right tackle Brad Butler.

Derrick Dockery? Released. Melvin Fowler and Duke Preston? Bid adieu. Jason Whittle? Hasta la vista. With Butler moving out to right tackle, the Bills are in line to feature three starting interior linemen - and four in total, taking in the entire depth chart - that were not members of this team last season.

If that's not an indictment of the team's play along the inside of the line last year, then no low level of play will ever go punished again. Playing in a division that features three dominant nose tackles in New England's Vince Wilfork, New York's Kris Jenkins and Miami's Jason Ferguson, the Bills' interior line was routinely dominated last year. With radical changes having been made, no one is sure if things are looking up inside - but rest assured that it can't get much worse than 2008.

STARTER (C): Geoff Hangartner
Rhetorical question: was there a player position in Buffalo last year that was as much-maligned as center? The Bills, to their credit, saw the need to address the position entering free agency, and Hangartner quickly jumped to the top of the team's wish list once teams were able to sign players. Make no mistake about it: if the Bills had been allowed to sign only one free agent this year, Hangartner would have been their choice. A smart, technically sound player, Hangartner's got his work cut out for him in this division.

STARTER (RG): Eric Wood
A center in college, Buffalo will move Wood to right guard - at least for now. Wood is another highly intelligent player, and is considered an outstanding leader; he was a team captain during his time at Louisville. He plays the game with a fiery demeanor, and his positional versatility will be an asset for the team as well.

STARTER (LG): Andy Levitre
The second interior lineman that the Bills selected on day one of the 2009 NFL Draft, Levitre was a left tackle at Oregon State. Though he lacks the athleticism and measurables to play outside at the NFL level, he brings some of his more endearing qualities (hand punch, finishing ability) to guard, and shouldn't take too long to adjust. He'll play the left side - he's more familiar with that side of the line - and, if the Bills are lucky, will be an immediate upgrade over the departed and severely overpaid Dockery.

Seth McKinney
A seven-year veteran that has spent time with Cleveland and Miami, McKinney offers some value in that he can play either guard or center. He's also got solid experience, having made 45 starts in his career. Don't expect much more out of McKinney than a dependable reserve presence.

Brandon Rodd
If you're asking Pete Prisco, Rodd is a solid player. I, however, am not completely certain how a one-year practice squad player earns that reputation. Rodd will fight for a practice squad spot again this year, barring injury.

Marvin Philip
Philip was the center at Cal-Berkeley during Marshawn Lynch's first two years in college. The sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2006 draft, Philip has yet to appear in an NFL game.

Nick Hennessey
A 6'5", 291-pound undrafted rookie free agent out of Colgate, Hennessey has an uphill climb to stick with the team in any capacity.

Contract situations: When you're talking about this many new additions, there isn't much to worry about from a contract standpoint. Wood, as a first-round pick, is likely going to get a five-year deal. Levitre will probably get a four-year accord as a second-round pick, and Hangartner signed a four-year deal - so the Bills have some relatively long-term investments amongst their starters. McKinney is on a one-year deal; this is exactly what the team did with the departed Whittle as well.

Bottom Line
Buffalo gets an 'A' for recognizing that change was needed, and a solid 'B+' for finding low-risk, solid-upside, tough-nosed players to fill out the inside of their line. The starting trio of Levitre, Hangartner and Wood has promise - you won't ever see any of these guys take a play off, but you might see them block a guy out of bounds. The attitude adjustment can't be the only fix, however - these guys need to prove they can play, and they also need to show some cohesion as soon as possible. The Bills did good work here this off-season - but in this division, the work's not done until the Bills are able to actually run the football against the Pats, Jets and Dolphins.

Potential Bills: C Jason Brown

Brian Galliford — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:00:11 -0000

C Brown amidst a murky situation in Baltimore (View Images)

During the process of identifying the Buffalo Bills' biggest positional needs, the Buffalo Rumblings community nearly unanimously listed a pass-rushing defensive end as the one spot where the Bills most desperately needed an upgrade. Tight end, center and linebacker closely followed. We have already begun the process of profiling potential Bills free agents; for reference now and in the future, all of these profiles will be available at this link.

With the NFL's free agent signing period set to begin less than one month from today (midnight on February 27), we here at Rumblings are now starting the process of profiling several top-notch free agents that the community has identified as worthy of donning the red, white and blue in 2009. Buffalo's need at center is as dire as their need at any other position; the only debatable topic is whether or not the position is as important as others where attention is needed. Wherever you may stand on that topic, Ravens C Jason Brown has to be an intriguing free agent option simply because he's a solid player at an area in need of a serious upgrade. Joining us once again is Rexx, head blogger at Baltimore Beatdown, to discuss another big-name Ravens free agent. Joining Rexx from the Beatdown, however, is math_geek, who joined us in yesterday's discussion of DE Terrell Suggs and offered up some solid opinions on Brown's impending free agency as well.

Jason Brown
Age 26 at start of 2009 season
6'3", 320 pounds
4-year NFL veteran out of North Carolina

On Baltimore's potential interest in re-signing him
Rexx: "He is one of the top two or three Ravens priorities to re-sign and I fully expect him to be over the ball in 2009."

math_geek: "They really do want to sign Brown, but don’t like signing interior offensive lineman to large contracts. It’s not clear what they think of Chris Chester, a second round pick in 2006 who everyone assumed to be a bust, until Marshall Yanda was injured and Chester took his spot at RG and played well. They also drafted Oniel Cousins and David Hale. Chester, Yanda, and Hale have all taken snaps at center in practices."

On Brown's playing abilities
Rexx: "Brown is the centerpiece of the Ravens offensive line. At just 25 years old, he is the veteran of the group, other than former Cincinnati OT Willie Anderson, whose status is undecided for 2009. Brown has a nasty streak in him and therefore has the size and ability to fight off the tough nose tackles that he faces each week. He, along with his mates, were a huge reason that rookie QB Joe Flacco had the time to find his receivers and enjoy a great first year."

math_geek: "Top 3 center? Not really. I mean, it’s hard to say, but Jared Gaither, Ben Grubbs, and Marshall Yanda have all gotten a bunch of accolades, and our offensive line isn’t that good. Jason Brown is a good center, and some guys like Dr. Z love him, but he doesn’t remind me of the dominant centers such as Matt Birk or Jeff Saturday."

Does Brown "Fit the Bill"?
Baltimore's offense has not been dominant over the past couple of years, but it has been efficient, particularly in the running game. There's a reason that converted FB Le'Ron McClain had a good season despite the limitations imposed on the offense as Flacco was brought along. Brown - chosen two picks after current Bills center (and much-maligned athlete) Duke Preston in the 2005 draft - has been a stabilizing force at the pivot during that two-year stretch.

Brown is an intriguing option because he's young and comes from an offense built for the power running game. Coming out of the AFC North, Brown is used to handling nose tackles, dealing with Pittsburgh's Casey Hampton and Cleveland's Shaun Rogers twice per season. Buffalo needs a center that can stand up to the AFC East's dominant nose tackles (Vince Wilfork, Kris Jenkins and Jason Ferguson); Brown is that type of player. He's also not so well-known that he'd demand big dollars on the open market like a Matt Birk or Jeff Saturday would.

As Rexx alluded to, Brown is going to be a priority free agent in Baltimore, but the Ravens have at least three such players on the roster - and they've got a franchise tag to use. Center salaries aren't exactly through the roof throughout the league, so it's not inconceivable that Brown gets tagged. But of the Ravens' "big three" free agents, Brown is undoubtedly a lower priority than Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs. If the Bills want to go after a Ravens free agent that would fit perfectly in Buffalo, Brown seems like the most logical choice.

Sound off
Any thoughts on Brown you'd like to add? Yay or nay to Brown potentially becoming a Bill? What do you expect his price tag to be? Do you believe there will be interest out of One Bills Drive for Brown's services? Let's get cracking, folks. For the record, Brown is one of four players I think the Bills should be aggressive in pursuing when free agency opens. You?

Poll

Is Brown good enough and available enough to be considered a target free agent for the Bills?

Yes

331 votes

No

46 votes

377 votes | Poll has closed

Cleveland Browns Final Cuts Announced - Travis Wilson Among Them

Chris Pokorny — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:42:41 -0000

It's one of the more exciting days as a fan to find out who will be available on gameday during the regular season, but for those who have been cut, it has to feel like a downer. Overall, my projections were pretty good, but there was a shocker -- the removal of wide receiver Travis Wilson. You have to wonder if that one dropped catch against the Bears cost him everything.

FINAL TRANSACTIONS (TO GET ROSTER DOWN TO 53)

Players Waived

WR Travis Wilson - I wouldn't be surprised if he still gets brought back at some point though, if we run into another injury.
WR Steve Sanders
WR Efrem Hill
WR Lance Leggett
TE Brad Cieslak - Good luck to wherever he goes next.
TE Kolomona Kapanui
OL James Lee - I hope to see him on the practice squad.
OL Jonathan Palmer
DL Melila Purcell
LB David McMillan - A shame he never caught on.
LB Chase Ortiz
DB A.J. Davis
DB Jereme Perry
DB Travis Key - Big-time playmaker in little time with the Browns; hope to see him on the practice squad.
DB Brandon Mitchell
K Jason Reda - If Dawson gets hurt, I think he did enough to get the first phone call.

Waived-Injured

RB Travis Thomas
OL Derrick Morse
OL Marvin Philip
DL Chase Pittman

Terminated-Vested Veteran

LB Shantee Orr

Injured Reserve

OL Lennie Friedman

Here are some of players who were on the bubble and made the final 53-man roster:

POSSIBLE SURPRISES (THEY MADE THE FINAL ROSTER)

WR Syndric Steptoe - His strong preseason effort paid off, and I'm sure his progress on kick returns helped him in case Joshua Cribbs gets banged up again.
WR Paul Hubbard - This is probably a fairness issue -- they gave Travis Wilson several years to develop before cutting ties with him, so why not give Hubbard at least a year to progress?
OL Nate Bennett - With Lennie Friedman being placed on the injured reserve (speaking of which, when did he get banged up?), Bennett takes his roster spot. I don't think anyone could've projected this one unless they had inside information on Friedman.
OL Isaac Sowells - My reasons hold true. Take that, doubters! ;)
DL Louis Leonard - He adds some versatility, because he can play nose tackle or defensive end.
DL Ahtyba Rubin - Showed more progress in his first camp than Babatunde Oshinowo seemed to.
DB Gerard Lawson - He had some trouble tackling in the final preseason game, but I thought his awareness level was a little higher than the rest of the guys trying to make the team. He's also taken a few reps at kick and punt return -- if Cribbs is out Week 1, the Browns could put Steptoe at kick returner and Lawson at punt returner (or Lawson could do both if Steptoe is out for a week too).

Leave your thoughts on the cuts here. I correctly projected 49/53 roster spots, which is 92.4% accuracy. Grade me with an "A" ;). I will be updating this post shortly with a little note next to some of the players.

Poll

Which roster decision are you most surprised about?

Paul Hubbard over Travis Wilson & Steve Sanders

104 votes

Shantee Orr getting the boot

71 votes

Isaac Sowells making the final roster

24 votes

199 votes | Poll has closed