SB Nation - Christian Gaddis

Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills Links, 11/19

MattRichWarren — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:13:53 -0000

WGR 550 SportsRadio - Report: Brohm signs
Prolific college passer and Green Bay practice squad quarterback Brian Brohm is now a member of the Buffalo Bills active roster, according to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel.

Brandon is conspicuous by his absence : Jerry Sullivan : The Buffalo News
Brandon still hasn't spoken publicly about Jauron's overdue ouster, or what might lie ahead for the Great Dysfunctional Family at One Bills Drive.

Diner morning news: No magic wand for Fewell | National Football Post
Michael Lombardi says Perry Fewell is walking into a difficult situation because the Bills don't lack passion or drive, they lack talent and that's something Fewell can't inspire.

Coaching Changes
11.18 Adam Schefter w/ Schopp + Bulldog on WGR 550
ESPN's Adam Schefter is all over the Bills search for a new Head Coach.

PFTV looks at the Jauron firing | ProFootballTalk.com
Here's the first of the five new segments, regarding the termination of Coach Jauron and whatever else we talked about but that I can't currently remember. Oh an Florio pronounces PF's name wrong.

Stroud on Jauron: "We let him down" | ProFootballTalk.com
"I feel like we let him down a little bit," Marcus Stroud said on Sirius XM radio, per Sean Leahy of USA Today, "as far as us not being able to produce and do the things we should have done to help the coach keep his job."

NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Shanahan likely to meet with Bills officials next week "
"This is his (Wilson’s) last coach and (he) is going to do everything it takes to get it right," the source said of the 91-year-old owner.

Most Bills surprised by Jauron dismissal – Inside The Bills
Lee Evans, Aaron Maybin, Kyle Williams, Jairus Byrd, Terrell Owens, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Marshawn Lynch and Andy Levitre weigh in on their coach's dismissal.

BillBoard: Let's not get carried away
Mark Gaughan throws some water on the Mike Shanahan news.

BillBoard: Bills coaching search
They also already have told interim head coach Perry Fewell that the remainder of the season amounts to a seven-week interview for him, and he will be assured of getting a formal interview with the Bills after the season ends. It’s expected any other assistant coach on the current staff who wants an interview will get one, as well.

Big names are in play for Bills' coaching search : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
Among the many personnel men who get mentioned as front-office candidates include former Raiders and Tampa Bay executive Bruce Allen, Chicago college scouting chief Greg Gabriel, former New Orleans executive Rick Mueller, former Redskins and Texans GM Charley Casserly and former Titans GM Floyd Reese.

WGR 550 SportsRadio - What they're saying...
Nick Mendola compiles national football voices into one column discussing the state of the Bills. It ain't pretty.

WGR 550 SportsRadio - Jim Kelly gives his opinion on the Bills
Jim Kelly had some very good things to say as he joined Schopp and the Bulldog the other day.

Democrat and Chronicle | Sports Exchange Blog
Bob Matthews writes Jim Haslett might be a good choice to replace Dick Jauron.

Video: AFC East Huddle - AFC East Blog - ESPN
ESPN.com's John Clayton takes a spin around the AFC East to discuss the Dick Jauron firing, Ronnie Brown's injury, the fallout from Bill Belichick's fourth-down decision and a change on the Jets' coaching staff.

Star ex-pupil praises Fewell as a leader - AFC East Blog - ESPN
Perry Fewell's greatest pupil, Aeneas Willaims, was pleased to receive news the Buffalo Bills had promoted Fewell to be their interim head coach.

Melted Faces and Freezing Lakes | The Goose's Roost
Ryan at TGR is frustrated because the Jauron firing, like so many other decisions at OBD, has come too late in his opinion.

NFL Videos: Wednesday's Around the League
Steve Wyche and Jason La Canfora report on the Bills' coaching search and more.

Marv Levy Reacts to Jauron Firing | wgrz.com
Marv Levy uses his gift for linguistics to discuss his hire, Dick Jauron.

Ex-Jaguar Fewell becomes foe as Bills' head coach | Jacksonville.com
Bills' new coach making debut vs. former team.

Bills a mess even without Dick Jauron | detnews.com | The Detroit News
"You knew [Dick Jauron was cooked], quite frankly, because history says former Lions coaches -- even an interim one like Jauron that might've deserved a longer look here -- don't become coaches elsewhere. "

A first step for Bills - Canandaigua, NY - MPNnow
"Firing Jauron isn’t a cure for all of the team’s problems. The list of problems goes well beyond the coaching staff ."

Other Bills News
Fewell: Ryan gives Bills best opportunity to win - AFC East Blog - ESPN
David Amber delves into new coach Perry Fewell's decision to start Ryan Fitzpatrick instead of Trent Edwards.

Buffalo Bills NFL News Updates - CBSSports.com Rapid Reports
- Bills interim coach Perry Fewell displayed his sense of humor when asked about how to get rid of false start penalties. "We worked on that today. I started to cut the guy’s finger off when he jumped offsides," he said with a laugh. "But (head trainer) Bud (Carpenter) told me I shouldn’t do that."
- Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick on inteirm coach Perry Fewell. "He addressed the team this morning, real straight-forward, going to tell you how it is. He’s here to kind of break us out of our little funk and I think he’s a good guy to do it. He’s got some fire in him."

Woodson Is Honored; Allen Is Released; Brohm In Buffalo - Acme Packing Company
Brian Brohm declined the Packers offer of a spot on the active roster to join the Bills.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 11: Hanging On to the Top for Dear Life -- NFL FanHouse
The Bills sit at 26, moving down one spot from 25.

OchoCinco News Network Poll
Who most deserves his first Pro Bowl in 09'? Vote for Jairus Byrd.

Bills know jobs on the line – Inside The Bills
When a head coach is dismissed during the season it’s an obvious indication that more change is soon to follow at the conclusion of the season.

Drafting a QB an improving possibility – Inside The Bills
"[Trent Edwards] has one year remaining on his contract in Buffalo, but with the way things are going the likelihood that the Bills draft a quarterback high next April is improving every day."

Bills notebook: Fewell adds fire to practice : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
Perry Fewell set a hard-working tone Wednesday in his first practice as interim head coach with the Buffalo Bills complete with full pads.

Fewell adds his own fire to Buffalo Bills | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle
Leo Roth and other local sportswriters are really impressed with coach Fewell's approach of having them practice outside and in pads.

Niagara Gazette - BILLS: Fewell makes impression on first day as Bills coach
The players and media are still abuzz over Perry Fewell's more animated approach.

Quiet Gaddis Signing Prelude to Levitire at LT? : Buffalo Sports Daily
Wednesday morning the Bills signed interior linemen Christian Gaddis to the practice squad (his third stint there) and released C.J. Hawthorne.

Do Not Trust These Men: Week 11 | National Football Post
Ray Gustini pokes fun at Ralph Wilson.

Jaguars notebook: CB Mathis to miss Buffalo game | Jacksonville.com
Coach Jack Del Rio ruled Mathis out because of a groin injury the cornerback suffered last week in the fourth quarter against the Jets.

Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd would gladly trade interceptions for victories | NFL and Seattle Seahawks - OregonLive.com
Aaron Fentress of the Oregonian interviews former Oregon Duck cornerback Jairus Byrd about his interceptions and the Buffalo Bills.

Bills-Jaguars Preview - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
Here's your first look ahead to the game this Sunday.

Defining the Buffalo Bills' roster bubble players

Brian Galliford — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:00:24 -0000

For one last time, at least for another year or so, we're about to talk about the roster bubble. It's pretty difficult to define a roster bubble, particularly if you're nerdy enough - like yours truly - to project an NFL's 53-man roster obsessively until your thoughts are no longer relevant.

Heading into their pre-season finale, the Buffalo Bills (and more particularly, its coaching staff) very likely has their final 53 already selected. For fans, however, speculation rules the day this time of the year. This post is meant to do three things: define Buffalo's list of "bubble" players, force you to pay attention to those bubble players, and serve as one last spot for y'all to formulate your thoughts before tomorrow's "Buffalo Rumblings Roster Projection Contest" begins.

Staying with the team, but they don't count yet (2)
RB Marshawn Lynch (Reserve/Suspended) - Lynch probably won't play tonight, and he begins his three-game suspension on Saturday.
WR James Hardy (Physically Unable to Perform) - Right now, Hardy is on Active PUP, meaning that he counts against the active roster, and that he can be activated at any time. Active PUP ends when the pre-season ends. It's very likely the coaches will give Hardy an extra six weeks to get into football shape and all healed up by placing him on Reserve PUP.

With those two moves in mind, the Bills will have 72 active players. That list, obviously, needs to be whittled down to 53 - so 19 more must go.

Certain cuts (11)
Let's face it - if any of these eleven players make the roster, every single one of us will be floored.

QB Matt Baker, RB Bruce Hall, WR Felton Huggins, WR C.J. Hawthorne, TE Tyson DeVree, OT Nick Hennessey, C Christian Gaddis, DE Ataefiok Etukeren, DT Derrick Jones, DT Corey Mace, LB Ryan Manalac

That list puts us down to 61 players. We've now officially reached the bubble portion of our roster.

THE BUBBLE (15)
I've got 15 players listed as "on the bubble." All of these players have at least something going for them that could keep them on the roster through the weekend. By current math, eight of these players will make the final roster, while seven will try to latch on with other NFL teams.

RB Xavier Omon, FB Corey McIntyre, WR Justin Jenkins, TE Jonathan Stupar, OT Jonathan Scott, OG Brandon Rodd, DE Chris Ellis, DE Copeland Bryan, LB Marcus Buggs, LB Jon Corto, LB Alvin Bowen, LB Ashlee Palmer, CB Cary Harris, FS Ko Simpson, SS John Wendling

Picking eight of these names as keepers may seem easy, but it's made a bit more difficult by potential surprises. We've got four such scenarios below. For every scenario that comes to fruition below (and we're not saying any of them will), pick another name from the above list and toss it onto your final roster.

Surprise cuts/roster decisions (4)
TE Derek Fine - He's dealing with a hamstring issue, and to say the competition at tight end is heavy is an understatement. It wouldn't completely shock us to see him released, even after being a 2008 fourth-round draft pick.

OT Langston Walker - WGR 550 reporter Paul Hamilton is already on the record as saying Walker could be a surprise release. I'm not sure I buy that, particularly given Demetrius Bell's bad back, but Walker's apparent fall from grace seems legitimate. I can't fathom a scenario in which the Bills would be comfortable entering a season with three highly unproven tackles - but in the spirit of "it wouldn't shock me," we'll list Walker anyways.

DE Ryan Denney - The Bills, for the first time in what seems like forever, actually have some depth at the defensive end position. They've got three young ends - two listed on the bubble above - that have proven worthy of roster consideration. It's difficult to imagine the team cutting Denney, but it's not impossible. They could also dangle him in trade talks if they try, as some suspect they might, to swing a deal for veteran linebacker depth.

CB Ashton Youboty - Speaking of veterans that are candidates to be dangled in trade talks, meet Mr. Youboty. 25-year-old corners with some promise aren't exactly easy to come by, but the Bills have solid depth at corner without considering Youboty. (There's also a reason I listed Cary Harris as "on the bubble" above.) Buffalo obviously doesn't feel the need to actively try to trade Youboty, and he certainly won't be released. But if the right offer comes along - particularly if it involves that aforementioned veteran linebacker - the Bills might just pull the trigger.

***

That's it. That's about as ironclad as you can get on a pretty ambiguous topic. I'm off to Ralph Wilson Stadium to take in tonight's game; the open thread will air at 6:00 PM ET, and I'll have a recap up for y'all when I get back from the stadium. Enjoy yourselves this evening.

Owens highlights growing Bills injury list

Brian Galliford — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:00:14 -0000

More photos » by David Richard - AP

Browse more photos »

The big news out of Buffalo this morning is, of course, the toe injury of Buffalo Bills WR Terrell Owens. After spraining his toe at an undisclosed point in the Bills' 21-18 loss to the Tennessee Titans in the Hall of Fame Game, Owens missed the Bills' Tuesday walk-through as well as their evening practice. Head Coach Dick Jauron described Owens as "day to day," and would not speculate on whether or not the star receiver will play in this Saturday's pre-season contest against the Chicago Bears.

Unfortunately for Buffalo, Owens isn't the only player injured. Fellow WR Steve Johnson, who returned to practice late last week after a rib injury sidelined him, re-injured the rib when he got tangled up with rookie CB Cary Harris in a drill on Tuesday. Harris landed on Johnson to re-aggravate the injury; from what Johnson told BuffaloBills.com last night, he will likely miss practices for the rest of this week as well as his second straight pre-season game.

Injuries seem to be a constant issue in Buffalo, and it's for that reason that the Bills have had to sign six street free agents over the past few weeks. C Christian Gaddis is the latest, joining WR Shaine Smith, DE Ataefiok Etukeren, DT Derrick Jones, DT Corey Mace and S Antwain Spann as players that have joined the Bills since training camp opened on July 25. However, one injured player did return to the field last night - and as he's a key figure on a revamped offensive line, Brad Butler's return is an important one.

Keeping track of the O-Line
Butler participated fully for the first time since injuring his back early last week, and looked good as he re-assumed his spot as the starting right tackle. It's still unclear if he'll play this Saturday - the coaches and trainers will likely wait to see how his back responds to a full practice load - but for now, the return is good news. Meanwhile, Butler's understudy, Demetrius Bell - who has impressed this pre-season - took reps with the second unit at left tackle.

With Butler back in the fold, Buffalo's entire offensive line is once again healthy. The more they play together this pre-season, the better.

Linebacker dinged, too
Arguably the most impressive Bills linebacker in the Hall of Fame Game was undrafted rookie free agent Ashlee Palmer. It would figure, therefore, that Palmer suffered a severe ankle sprain in the game and could be looking at missing a significant chunk of practice time. Alvin Bowen took his reps with the second unit on the weak side (as well as a few reps on the strong side with the third unit).

Meanwhile, BuffaloBills.com reports that Pat Thomas and Marcus Buggs continue to flip-flop with the second and third units at middle linebacker. Buggs started with the second unit against the Titans; it's therefore logical that Thomas is gearing up to get those reps against the Bears. This is one of the more unique battles going on at the moment; no matter the winner, both of these guys have excellent opportunities to make the final roster.

More lineup changes to note
Aaron Schobel continues to get a lighter work load, but rather than Ryan Denney taking his first-team reps last night - as usually happens - Chris Ellis took those reps, and took advantage of the opportunity by registering two would-be sacks on Trent Edwards, cleanly beating Langston Walker on both plays. That's what we like to hear. Now we just need to see it in a game.

RB Xavier Omon, who impressed against the Titans, was injured in practice and missed some reps. The injury is not considered serious, but Bruce Hall gladly took his reps.

With Owens and Johnson missing time, Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish and Justin Jenkins shot up the depth chart. Jenkins has had a strong camp and pre-season, and other than an ugly pass interference call against Tennessee, has impressed. Ponder for a moment, however, the prospect of the Bills playing any meaningful games without Owens. Who wouldn't mind if T.O. sat out the rest of the pre-season? We're not advocating it. It's just a thought.

CB Ashton Youboty continues to sit with a lingering groin injury. Three cornerbacks with whom Youboty is jockeying for time - Drayton Florence, Reggie Corner and Ellis Lankster - continue to reap the benefits of his sitting out.

Wednesday
Buffalo has a practice scheduled for the early afternoon on Wednesday. It is doubtful that players such as Owens, Johnson and Palmer will practice. Butler should continue to work; it will also be interesting to see if Youboty returns to action.

Cleveland Browns Add Seven to Practice Squad

Chris Pokorny — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:30:47 -0000

After signing offensive guard Scott Young to the 53-man roster last night, the Cleveland Browns named seven players to their practice squad today. I'm pleased with several of the players that we were able to stash away:

BROWNS THAT MADE PRACTICE SQUAD

WR Steve Sanders
WR Lance Leggett
DL Melila Purcell
S Travis Key

OTHERS THAT MADE PRACTICE SQUAD

RB Omar Cuff
OL Christian Gaddis
LB Titus Brown

That means the Browns have one spot remaining on the practice squad -- one that you would expect to go to OG Nate Bennett in a day or two.

Here is some quick background information on the new players, courtesy of the OBR:

RB Omar Cuff (5-10 and 195 lbs): "Was an undrafted rookie free agent out of Delaware who spent training camp with Tennessee. Cuff ran for 4,364 yards and 65 touchdowns during his collegiate career at Delaware."
OL Christian Gaddis (6-4 and 300 lbs): "Spent last season with the Buffalo Bills and appeared in one contest. Gaddis was originally an undrafted rookie free agent with Buffalo in 2007 out of Villanova. He spent ten weeks on the Bills practice squad before being signed to the active roster on Nov. 14, 2007. "
LB Titus Brown (6-3 and 245 lbs): "Was an undrafted rookie free agent out of Mississippi State who spent training camp with the Miami Dolphins. Brown was a four-year letterman at Mississippi State with 170 career tackles and 18.5 sacks."

Players who did not make the Browns' practice squad (and who were considered potential candidates) include DL Chase Pittman, RB Travis Thomas, LB Chase Ortiz, and DB A.J. Davis.