SB Nation - Kyle Williams

Top 10 Buffalo Bills draft picks: 2000-2009

Brian Galliford — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:14:32 -0000

More photos » by David Duprey - AP

I don't get into the whole "Hey, a decade's about to end, let's make lists!" culture. It's fun, but it's repetitive and boring. Still, those types of lists engender some fun discussions, so while I won't go overboard and do best/worst lists for every possible topic concerning the Buffalo Bills, I figured we'd knock off the most important aspect of the team: drafting.

This past decade has been a brutal one for Bills football. But even in bad times, a few (random and ultimately meaningless to the win column) good decisions are made. What follows is my list of the Bills' ten best draft selections of the past decade.

10: Travis Henry, RB, Tennessee (2001, Round 2, No. 58 overall)
We start our "best of" list with one of the more controversial figures in the NFL of the past decade, and he only played four seasons in Buffalo. That should tell you a lot. However, as a second-round pick, the Bills got three highly productive seasons out of Henry - until he was usurped by a man who will appear a little higher on this list.

Henry finished his Bills career with 3,849 yards and 29 touchdowns. He played in three more seasons with Tennessee and Denver, but his career was cut short thanks to off-field troubles. Henry is currently serving a one-year NFL suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, but that's made irrelevant by the fact that he's nearly a year into a three-year prison sentence for financing a cocaine trafficking operation.

9. Angelo Crowell, LB, Virginia (2003, Round 3, No. 94 overall)
He got his start as Takeo Spikes' replacement, and when he got into the lineup, he hung onto a starting job for a number of seasons. Not a flashy performer, Crowell nonetheless put up solid stat lines in three seasons as a key defensive contributor, tallying 233 tackles, 7 sacks and 5 interceptions in his brief Bills career. He spent the 2008 season on IR (controversially, I might add), and is now out of football after being cut by Tampa Bay prior to the start of the 2009 season.

8. Marshawn Lynch, RB, California (2007, Round 1, No. 12 overall)
He's only in his third season - and his third season isn't going so well - but Lynch has been a consistent performer on some bad football teams, to his credit. He's rushed for 2,489 yards and 17 touchdowns to this point in his Bills career, and you can add a Pro Bowl berth to his resume as well. Off-field issues have plagued him early in his career, but if he can lay those issues to rest, Lynch is in line for a solid career.

7. Willis McGahee, RB, Miami, FL (2003, Round 1, No. 23 overall)
Before he became the hated son of Buffalo, McGahee was one of the bolder and smarter picks of the Tom Donahoe era. Drafted in spite of a knee injury, McGahee rewarded the Bills for their risk in the form of 3,365 yards and 24 rushing touchdowns in three seasons as a Bill. Still one of the more productive scoring backs in the game with Baltimore, McGahee also makes the list because the Bills were able to trade him for three more draft picks. He wasn't a need pick, but the Bills got production and tripled their draft selections with this investment.

6. Nate Clements, CB, Ohio State (2001, Round 1, No. 21 overall)
The Bills have had a lot of "whoops" moments with their first-round draft picks in recent seasons, but Clements decidedly does not fit that criteria. In six seasons with the Bills, Clements picked off 23 passes and scored 7 touchdowns (5 on interceptions, 2 on punt returns) while establishing himself as one of the best corners in the game. He has spent the past three seasons in San Francisco, where he has added a further 7 interceptions to his resume as the cornerstone of a re-building defense.

5. Lee Evans, WR, Wisconsin (2004, Round 1, No. 13 overall)
With Drew Bledsoe in town, Buffalo needed a speedy receiver to complement Eric Moulds. They got a good one - and an immediate contributor, which is rare for rookie receivers - in the form of Evans. He caught 24 touchdown passes in his first three seasons, including 9 as a rookie, and since then Evans has established himself as one of the more under-appreciated receivers in the game. His production has slipped, but as he's been catching passes from awful quarterbacks, that's not overly surprising. Furthermore, Evans is one of the few draft-day investments the Bills have made at the receiver position in the past decade that actually panned out as planned.

4. Jairus Byrd, S, Oregon (2009, Round 2, No. 42 overall)
It's tough to put a current rookie on this list, but we'll make an exception for a guy who is still leading the league in interceptions (8) as a rookie making a position switch. Byrd has dealt with nagging injuries all season, and he's very much a one-dimensional player. But his ball skills and ball-hawking presence has been a tremendous boost to Buffalo's pass defense, and for his flaws, he's still a heck of a football player with a bright future.

3. Kyle Williams, DT, LSU (2006, Round 5, No. 134 overall)
I love it when teams find excellent, underrated contributors in the middle rounds. Williams has been a very nice find for the Bills, emerging as a very solid run defender as a fourth-year starter out of LSU. He'll never be a dominant player, but he's the type of guy that can find work on any NFL team thanks to his overall ability, his attitude and his work ethic. He's started every game he's ever appeared in as a Bill, and picked up 127 tackles and 7 sacks in the process.

2. Terrence McGee, CB, Northwestern State (2003, Round 4, No. 111 overall)
McGee is decidedly the "one who did NOT get away," as he's the only big name corner the Bills haven't allowed to leave via free agency in recent memory. A no-name draft pick out of Northwestern State, no one was really sure what to make of the McGee selection when it happened, but he's proven to be the steal of the decade for the Bills. A contributor since a rookie and a defensive starter for the last four years, McGee 390 tackles, 16 interceptions, 4 fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown to his name. He's also widely regarded as one of the best kick returners of the past decade, with a 26.3-yard average and 5 return touchdowns. He made a Pro Bowl appearance in 2004 for his return efforts, as well.

1. Aaron Schobel, DE, TCU (2001, Round 2, No. 46 overall)
Clements was the big name draftee in 2001, but Schobel has given the Bills the most production and the most longevity of any draft pick made this decade. In his ninth year as a Buffalo Bill, Schobel ranks second on the Bills' all-time list with 75 career sacks, trailing only Hall of Fame end Bruce Smith. He's also got 19 forced fumbles, 8 fumble recoveries, 30 tipped passes, 3 interceptions and a defensive touchdown on his resume. Schobel has never been flashy and he makes a bit more money than he probably should, but he's been one of the most respected pass rushers in the league over the past decade, and as a second-round pick, he's also by far been the Bills' best draft pick of the past decade.

Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills Links, 12/9

MattRichWarren — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:27:05 -0000

Simmons still playing catch-up with Bills : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
Rodney McKissic profiles the season of guard Kendall Simmons, the newest member of Buffalo's injury-depleted offensive line.

Bills still want to finish strong - BuffaloBills.com
"Coming off the field after practice early this week, the players made it clear that finishing strong is top priority with four games to play."

2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame Ballot | Pro-Football-Reference.com
PFR has put together a 2010 Hall of Fame Ballot with stats. Go check out and compare.

Chiefs enter the blackout derby | ProFootballTalk.com
"The Chiefs have announced that 3,500 tickets need to be sold before Thursday at 1:00 p.m. ET. The Chiefs have not suffered a local blackout since December 16, 1990, giving the franchise a 155-game streak of sellouts."

Chiefs Blackout Alert: 3,500 Tickets Remaining for Bills - Arrowhead Pride
Arrowhead Pride is doing their best to get the game sold out.

Terrell Owens wants to play 2-3 more years | ProFootballTalk.com
Terrell Owens told Jay Glazer he wants to play for two or three more years.

Buffalo Bills' problem is "our own stupidity" | ProFootballTalk.com
"Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams says he and his teammates are good enough that they could be right in the thick of the AFC East race. Williams says he's figured out what the problem is: He and his teammates are stoopid."

Bills players support KED | BuffaloBills.com
Buffalo Bills players Aaron Maybin, Fred Jackson, Chris Kelsay, and Bryan Scott sent a strong anti-drug message to kids in their support of the Kids Escaping Drugs (KED) Campaign Monday night at an autograph session at McKinley Mall.

Spielman enters Hall weeks after wife's death : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
Former Buffalo Bills Chris Spielman was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame a few weeks after his wife, Chris, Succumbed to a long battle with cancer.

Buffalo Bills the Early Favorites Over the Kansas City Chiefs - Arrowhead Pride
The Bills are favored by a mere point in Arrowhead.

AFC East Roundup - The Sports Network
"The Bills won a wild 54-31 win affair at Kansas City last Nov. 23rd. The team has averaged 15.4 points in their 17 subsequent contests."

How I See It: AFC East Stock Watch - AFC East Blog - ESPN
Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick's stock is falling in Tim Graham's (and everyone else's) eyes after his 34.3 passer rating Thursday night.

Week 14 power rankings: AFC East - AFC East Blog - ESPN
The Bills fall to 26 and as a result, the Raiders moved past Buffalo. Goes to show you how much a QB means.

Video: Bills hung 54 on Chiefs last year - AFC East Blog - ESPN
"ESPN's KC Joyner previews Sunday's matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium. Joyner believes the key for Kansas City will be forgetting last year's 54-31 loss."

Patriots scored in decade with trades for Randy Moss, Wes Welker - 2000s: The Decade in Sports - SI.com
Nate Clements signing with the San Francisco 49ers is the second-worst free agent signing of the decade mainly because of the contract. Mike Williams is the third-biggest draft bust.

Tom Brady, Patriots are tops in NFL decade; Lions at bottom - 2000s: The Decade in Sports - SI.com
Terrell Owens was named the Villain of the Decade.

Titans 22, Bills 16 - AFC wild card; Jan. 8, 2000 - 2000s: Top 10 NFL Games - Photos - SI.com
Music City Mirage is number 7 on the list of top ten games of the decade.

2010 NFL Draft
Evaluating Notre Dame’s early entries | National Football Post
NFP looks at Jimmy Clausen.

Jake Locker seeking NFL info; Ryan Mallett dodges draft question - Mocking The Draft
Top quarterbacks have yet to make a decision on their NFL futures.

Jets Flight Connections 120809

dvdvil — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:33:51 -0000

The New York Jets got a little help from the Packers last night. Rex Ryan was not rooting for his former team.

Meanwhile, Mark Sanchez did not practice yesterday. Somebody else was wearing his jersey on the field.

The Head Coach on the QB's situation, from NorthJersey.com:

I know he expects to play. We’re optimistic he’ll play. ... I think he seems to be getting better each day. We’re obviously going to be smart with this. I’m going to consult with the doctors [and] get their opinion of things. We’ll do the same thing about should he play in this game or not. All of those decisions are what we always talk about. We’ll consider what’s best for the player first, team second. We’ll see.

The Jets had the best defense in the league before the MNF game last night. Still, it's the highest rating our defense has had this late in the season in a long time. And we're still in the top rankings in other categories.

Speaking of defense, you can meet Kris Jenkins and Jim Leonhard next month.

More connections after the jump.

If you live in the Tampa area, you might want to check out this fan club.

Bart Scott and the Xaverian football team helped out the Food Bank on Thanksgiving.

Tom Brady thinks the Patriots don't fight very hard at times. New England may no longer be a dynasty, but they still control their destiny.

The Dolphins didn't use the Wildcat in their win. I did see Pat White in there, but I guess that doesn't count.

The NFL Commisioner is not impressed with LandShark Stadium, or whatever you call it these days.

And Bills DT Kyle Williams is not impressed with his own team.

Former Jets WR Wayne Chrebet admits some of his concussions could be due to his own competitiveness.

His former teammate and current Saints LB Jonathan Vilma likes the new rules on concussions.

Lastly, the NFL takes from the rich, but doesn't want to give to the poor.

Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills Links, 12/8

MattRichWarren — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:51:37 -0000

Williams Blames Bills Losing Record On 'Stupidity' - wcbstv.com
"To put it bluntly,Kyle Williams said Monday, if not for "our own stupidity," Buffalo (4-8) might still have something to play for in traveling to face Kansas City (3-9) this weekend."

McGee hoping this is the week – Inside The Bills
"Frustrated by his knee’s slower than expected recovery from surgery, Terrence McGee is hopeful that this is the week he can return to the starting lineup."

Line shuffling just another challenge for Kugler | BuffaloBills.com
"Unending change due to personnel moves, injuries and coaching decisions have made it a challenging year for Buffalo’s men up front. That challenge has been even greater for Bills offensive line coach Sean Kugler."

Time to turn to Hardy : Buffalo Sports Daily
Pat Moran says it's time to give James Hardy a look even if "head coaching suicide" for Perry Fewell.

Buffalo Bills NFL News Updates - CBSSports.com Rapid Reports
- The Bills currently rank last in the league in run defense. "It's frustrating because it’s the same thing," DT Kyle Williams said. "A lot of it's the misdirection, the counter plays, the cut-back runs. A lot of times, we’re over-pursuing ... it’s aggravating, it pisses you off."
- Across the board, the Bills were glad to have three days off in a row. "(I'm feeling) a lot better," RB Fred Jackson said. "It's a great time for us to get that much-needed rest. A lot of guys are getting back into the thick of things ... it was much-needed rest."
- Bills CB Terrence McGee feels he's likely going to be playing through pain the rest of this year after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in Week 9. "Probably so," he said. "It’s one of those things where I feel it’s going to take a while to fully go away, so I’ll just have to play through it."

Countdown Daily Insight Center: BUF-KC - ESPN Video - ESPN
Football Scientist KC Joyner takes you into the IBM Insight Center to tell you the keys to victory

TE Klopfenstein back – Inside The Bills
"The Bills have re-signed TE Joe Klopfenstein. Corey Mace was released and will presumably be re-signed to the team’s practice squad provided he clears waivers."

Draft visits with special children | BuffaloBills.com
"The Buffalo Bills and the Town of Hamburg Recreation Department partnered to host football clinics for youngsters with Asperger Syndrome/NVLD, High functioning Autism and physical/mental disabilities in the Buffalo Bills Field House once a week throughout November. "

NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Cassel will remain starter for Chiefs
Matt Cassel will be back as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback [against the Bills] following his benching against the Broncos.

Video - Video Central - FOX Sports on MSN
T.O. says he wants to play for two or three more years and talks about his birthday party.

Bills notebook: Tolbert reportedly a candidate at LSU: The Buffalo News
"LSU coach Les Miles is reportedly pursuing Buffalo Bills wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert for a similar job on the Tigers staff according to FootballCoachScoop.com."

After Pats loss, Bills left to say 'what if?' : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
"With the division suddenly up for grabs, the Buffalo Bills are in last place coming off a 19-13 loss to the Jets and lamenting a missed opportunity."

Buffalo Bills' boring game wasn't missed | Democrat and Chronicle
Was it a relief not having to watch the Bills this weekend? Leo and Sal sure seem to think so.

Bills’ Moorman hats raise $3,500 for charity - Pittsburg, KS - Morning Sun
"The proceeds from sales of hats specially designed and autographed by Moorman are in, and they benefit the local Angels Among Us group to the tune of $3,500. "

Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback, Week 13 - Peter King - SI.com
For those of you wondering how rookie DEs or rush LBs have been faring getting to the QB, Brian Orakpo is the only one from the last two years averaging a half-sack per game.

NFL Milestone Watch: Receptions | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Terrel Owens needs 6 catches to become the sixth ever with 1000.

NFL Milestone Watch: Receiving Yds | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Terrell Owens needs 123 yards to move into third place passing Tim Brown and is less than 400 from second place Isaac Bruce.

NFL Milestone Watch: Sacks | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Aaron Schobel picked up his 75th career sack last week against the Jets.

Twitter / Daniel Jeremiah
6 of 8 division leaders are top 10 in sacks allowed... 5 of 8 division leaders are top 10 in sacks... We harp on these two key stats at MTS

NFL Draft

Jimmy Clausen NFL Draft scouting report - Mocking The Draft
An in-depth look at the Notre Dame junior quarterback from SBN's Mocking the Draft. Draft coverage begins!

Pro-football-reference.com blog " PI Finds: Clausen & Irish QBs In the NFL
"Notre Dame quarterbacks are in the midst of a 20-year dry spell at the NFL level. The only question now is whether or not Clausen will be able to break that streak of mediocrity under center, or if he'll fade into obscurity along with almost every other name on that list."

Run defense a key off-season priority in Buffalo

Brian Galliford — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:30:14 -0000

More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

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Run and stop the run. It's an old football cliche, and it's cliche because it works. Successful NFL teams, by and large, are able to run the football effectively, and they're able to prevent their opponents from doing so.

The Buffalo Bills can't stop the run this season. Through 12 games, the Bills have surrendered 2,065 rushing yards, or about 172 rushing yards per game. The New York Jets - victors over Buffalo last night - have been particularly effective running against Buffalo, racking up 567 yards (283.5 per game) in two games against the Bills' porous run front this season. The Bills are ranked dead last in the league defending the run, giving up 11 more yards per game than the second-worst team - Oakland.

This season is the fifth of the decade in which the Bills have surrendered more than 2,000 rushing yards in a season. With four games remaining on the schedule, they're on pace to surrender around 2,700 rushing yards in 2009. If the Bills hit that number, they'll have fielded their worst run defense since 1978, when that 5-11 Bills outfit allowed its opponents to rush for a whopping 3,228 yards, or slightly over 200 yards per game.

Before they reach that lofty goal, however, there are some putrid Bills teams of yesteryear that they must first eclipse. The 1985 Buffalo Bills gave up 2,462 rushing yards on the season. They finished 2-14. (Surprise!) The '79 Bills (7-9) gave up 2,481 yards, and the 1983 Bills (8-8) gave up 2,503 yards. With four games left, at the current pace, these Bills are on pace to surpass all of those memorable teams.

Can the run defense be fixed?
Yes, it can. Anything can be fixed. But Buffalo's got a lot of work to do.

For starters, they need to make at least two major personnel changes. Buffalo's starting defensive tackle duo of Marcus Stroud and Kyle Williams are stout in the middle - according to Football Outsiders stats, they were the sixth-best DT duo in the league against the run in 2008 - but they also wear down, and Buffalo's depth players at the position lack the block-shedding abilities of Williams and the sheer power of Stroud. A massive defensive tackle would not only add a run-stuffing dimension to the defensive line rotation, but if he's big enough and can anchor, he also gives the team some schematic flexibility.

(Speaking of scheme - forget about changing it, because there's not a single scheme employed by NFL coaches that isn't equipped to stop the run. I know fans are clamoring for the 3-4, but ask the Cleveland Browns just how proficient they are at stuffing the run. Buffalo doesn't need a scheme change - though obviously they might get it with a new coach - they just need personnel tweaks.)

Paul Posluszny also needs to be moved out of the middle. In any defensive scheme, middle linebackers need to be able to shed blocks, and with all due respect to Poz - a guy I'm not nearly as down on as some folks here - he's not proven himself capable of slipping blocks consistently. Poz was a better player on the outside at Penn State, and that's where he belongs in the NFL, as well. Kawika Mitchell, when he returns, is still a solid fit at weak-side linebacker. That just leaves Posluszny's vacated middle linebacker spot as a major need area for this defense. Someone big, fast and capable of stacking and shedding, if you please, Mr. Future Bills GM Guy. Oh, and while you're at it, please find capable reserves at linebacker as well - we'll need more than one.

A little discipline wouldn't hurt, either. Buffalo has been susceptible to misdirection plays for years now; the Bills' ends and corners need to be more disciplined in their gaps to prevent big chunks of yardage being surrendered.

One last thing. The best friend of any run defense, good or bad, is a competent offense. Playing with leads is never a bad thing, despite Buffalo's best attempts to prove otherwise. Yes, Buffalo needs to fix its defense, but take a look around you - the best teams in the NFL this season have the best offenses. If you think the Bills have major work to do in shoring up their run defense, they've got a decade's worth of awful offensive football to shore up as well.

New York Jets Run Offense vs. Buffalo Bills Run Defense

John B — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:39:57 -0000

More photos » by Seth Wenig - AP

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The Jets went off for 318 rushing yards on the Bills in the first meeting. They are giving up 165.1 yards on the ground, which is the most in the league. They give up 4.8 per rush. That's Adrian Peterson's average over the past two seasons. That means every back they face turns into the 2008-2009 version of Adrian Peterson. Ok, that might be hyperbole, but the Bills are really bad at stopping the run. That's bad for them, considering the Jets are the number two rushing offense per game in football.

Surprisingly for a run defense so lousy, the Bills actually do not have a disaster tackle situation. Marcus Stroud and Kyle Williams are a good pair. Stroud's not having a great year, but he's still a guy who commands a lot of attention. Williams always seems to hold his own in the middle of the line. Aaron Schobel has also been decent.

Let's get into where the Bills will have problems. It's on the right side, which is New York's strength. End Chris Kelsay does a poor job holding the point of attack and containing. The Bills have also had a nightmarish year in terms of linebacker injuries. Chris Draft wasn't playing anywhere at the start of this season. He's now starting outside for Buffalo and seeing a ton of time. The other outside linebacker, Bryan Scott, is a safety by trade and very undersized for the position at 219 pounds. Paul Posluszny in the middle is an emerging quality young player, but there is very little depth for the Bills.

The problem for the Bills in the first game was even their good players against the run got beaten. Nick Mangold and Brandon Moore had their best games of the year against Stroud and company on the line. If the Bills have any hope of slowing down the ground game, this will have to improve. The way this offensive line is playing, that's a tall order. Even if the Bills play this to a draw, they are weak in the back of the front seven. We'll see a lot of eight man fronts out of necessity. I don't think the Jets go for over 300 yards again, but I do think they should have another good performance on the ground.

New York Jets Pass Offense vs. Buffalo Bills Pass Defense

John B — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:09:55 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

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You may remember the first meeting between the Jets and Bills as one of the most disastrous showings in the history of quarterbacking by Mark Sanchez. A week after holding Derek Anderson to a 2 for 17 game, Buffalo intercepted Sanchez 5 times in an overtime victory. More than any other factor, their pass defense won the Bills that game. Through one week of Rex Ryan's codes to Sanchez, things have worked out. Sanchez made good decisions against the Panthers, and the Jets won the game. Mark didn't try to do too much. If the Jets want to leave ~~Orchard Park~~ Toronto with a win, they could sure use an efficient game from the rookie quarterback.

The Bills will look to use the same formula everybody use against the rookie quarterback, attempt to generate pressure. Aaron Schobel leads their club with 6 sacks. He's probably the best pass rusher they have, although slowing him down will be an easier task for D'Brickashaw Ferguson than handling Julius Peppers. Schobel hasn't been a model of consistency this year, though. Chris Kelsay, who is battling a shoulder injury, is the other end. He has 3 sacks. You'd have to think Damien Woody has a favorable matchup.

In the middle, Marcus Stroud returned from a knee injury for the Miami game. He is a guy who always occupies attention. Neither he nor Kyle Williams register many sacks, but their job will be to get a push up the middle and flush Mark Sanchez from the pocket. We may find out a lot about the status of his knee and that brace.

Buffalo blitzed sparingly under Dick Jauron. Since Jauron's dismissal, the numbers appear to have increased a bit. Paul Posluzny is the most likely guy to come from the middle. It could present a test for the middle of the line dealing with the tackles.

Cornerback Terrence McGee has been limited by a knee injury for the Bills. Drayton Florence will start next to him. Florence is having a nice year, but he and a gimpy McGee are a good matchup for Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery. They do have a pair of good cover safeties in Donte Whitner and George Wilson.The problem could be the run defense for the Bills, though. The Jets ran all over them in the first meeting. You have to think the biggest adjustment they will make will be to stop the run. That probably means they'll want their safeties up and won't dedicate them as much to the passing game.

Buffalo has been decimated at the linebacker position by injury. In one regard, that might help them in this matchup. Bryan Scott is starting at outside linebacker. He was converted from the safety position and is a good pass defender, which leaves the Bills in good shape covering Dustin Keller. Posluszny is also a good pass defender. The other starting linebacker, Chris Draft, was limited in practice with a neck injury and is probably the weakest cover linebacker the Bills have but is still solid. It will have to be a day for the receivers. Sanchez should have time to find them. Again, after the rushing numbers the Jets posted in their first meeting, the Bills won't be overly aggressive for fear of being caught up field.

Identifying the "crux players" on Buffalo's roster

Brian Galliford — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:00:30 -0000

More photos » by David Duprey - AP

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Two weeks ago - a day before the Buffalo Bills fired head coach Dick Jauron, in fact - we here at Buffalo Rumblings took a look at the core players of Buffalo's roster. The idea behind the post was to identify players that, based on their contract status with the franchise, are very likely to survive a regime change at One Bills Drive.

We'll recap the fruits of that labor quickly after the jump, but the purpose of this post is to take that exercise a step further. With the core players out of the way, it's time to look at the players that I'll term "crux players" - guys with flexible contract situations that will define a new regime's focus on re-building the Bills.

Core player recap
We named 17 current Bills as "core players," splitting the group up into vested veterans, young players with promise and role-playing veterans awaiting new roles once the regime change is complete. Of those 17 players, we defined a solid 9 as starting-caliber, a further six as fringe starters, and two as reserves. Here's that breakdown:

Starters: RB Fred Jackson, WR Lee Evans, G/C Eric Wood, DE Aaron Schobel, DT Marcus Stroud, LB Kawika Mitchell, CB Terrence McGee, FS Jairus Byrd, P Brian Moorman

Fringe starters: TE Shawn Nelson, OT Brad Butler, OG Andy Levitre, DE Aaron Maybin, DT Kyle Williams, CB Leodis McKelvin

Reserves: C/G Geoff Hangartner, DT Spencer Johnson

Keep in mind that all of these players are currently under contract through the end of the 2012 season. That means that, if each plays to the end of their contract, they'll be in Buffalo for another three years. The fact that each player has at least three years left on his deal at least ensures that they'll be part of the roster in Year 1 of a new regime, and many of them will be playing considerably large roles.

For this exercise, the criteria changes a bit. "Crux players," as far as we're concerned for now, are players that, once the 2009 season ends, will have either one or two years left on their current deal. Each is under contract for the 2010 season, but each also has a deal that makes it possible for a new regime to play football in 2010 without these players under contract. They are truly "crux" players in that a new regime will be making its most important decisions amongst this group. The entire new direction of the franchise from a personnel standpoint will be based largely on evaluations of these 19 players.

Keep in mind, also, that this list changes if 2010 is an uncapped year. Ask MattRichWarren about it.

Buffalo's 19 "crux players"
You'll have a task at the end of this exercise, but for now, here's a quick summary of the 19 crux players on Buffalo's roster:

Trent Edwards, QB - Signed through 2011. He's been benched and needs a new environment, but some talent remains.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB - Signed through 2012. Has proven to be reliable as a backup, but is not considered a franchise signal-caller.
Brian Brohm, QB - Signed through 2012. A project player with some solid tools, there's a chance he never sees the field for Buffalo.
Marshawn Lynch, RB - Signed through 2013, with an opt-out clause in the final year. No longer the starting running back, Lynch might be the subject of trade talks this off-season.
Corey McIntyre, FB - Signed through 2011. Run-of-the-mill player.
James Hardy, WR - Signed through 2012. Buffalo invested a second-round pick in him, and the talent is there, but Hardy has had injury issues and hasn't seen the field much.
Roscoe Parrish, WR - Signed through 2012. Has clamored for a trade, but a new regime might be inclined to keep him as a punt returner. Unlikely to get PT as a WR anywhere.
Steve Johnson, WR - Signed through 2012. Held in high regard by current regime, but that could change quickly, and doesn't carry the same investment as Hardy.
Derek Fine, TE - Signed through 2012. Probably survives a regime change because he's a role player with special teams ability.
Demetrius Bell, OT - Signed through 2012. Has struggled with injuries and on the playing field, but again, there is raw ability to work with.
Chris Kelsay, DE - Signed through 2011. A heady veteran who has improved under position coach Bob Sanders, but has a large salary that might seal his fate.
Chris Ellis, DE - Signed through 2012. Does not play a significant role now and that's not likely to change, but represents a significant investment ('08 third-round pick).
John McCargo, DT - Signed through 2011. Nothing more than a rotational tackle at this point in his disappointing career.
Paul Posluszny, LB - Signed through 2011. Sure to be the most intensely-debated player on this list.
Drayton Florence, CB - Signed through 2011. Has been excellent as a fill-in starter, and has scheme versatility.
Reggie Corner, CB - Signed through 2012. Reserve-type corner that has his uses, but should never be counted on as a starter.
Donte Whitner, S - Signed through 2011, with an opt-out clause in the final year. Could be a UFA as soon as this coming March. New regime might feel differently about him.
John Wendling, S - Signed through 2011. Special teams player only.
Rian Lindell, K - Signed through 2012. Reliable and gets more consistent with age.

Your Task
There's your list, folks. Some of those names obviously carry much more weight and importance than others. Your task: pick out the players that you believe are worth keeping around. Then, of those names, split them into starters and reserves. Combined with your input from the original post, this should really cement your ideas about where you'd take the franchise if you were GM.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:20 -0000

Happy Tuesday, friends. It's a short week, with another game on Thursday night, so there's no time to mope or feel sorry for ourselves. In their scheduling wisdom, the NFL took away our right to do so - and I, for one, am glad. The Giants can be beaten, with sound play, but we'll get to that eventually. For now we'll put this week to bed and move on quickly. Ready.... BEGIN!!!!

1. I am approaching one full year as a staff contributor to MHR, having joined at the beginning of December 2008. It's been quite an interesting year, and my relationship to the team has kind of changed in an unexpected way during that time.

I first discovered MHR in April 2008, right before the draft. It, and SBNation, have come a long way since then, but the basics were the same; MHR is a respectful, knowledgeable community which discussed all things about their team. I was inspired to join such a community, and I started posting some FanPosts (which were still called Diaries only a year and a half ago).

Unlike a lot of staff members, I wasn't asked to fill a specific role, so I had to figure out what mine would be. I had always done some around the league stuff, but I wanted to find a delivery formula that would work well on a Broncos site. I debuted ST&NO on January 12, 2009, with the following opening:

As we enter the re-loading season, I felt like I needed to establish a fun new recurring feature. HT has MHR University, and Broncobear has the always excellent Tales from the Sunny Side. Styg is heading up some great draft coverage, which has a fun name, which you'll be hearing about very soon. Nick has some statistical analysis pieces which will be coming, and Zappa will continue to be Zappa, intermittently unleashing jolts of Broncos fan brilliance. And the Guru, when we form like Voltron, the Guru is the head.

So where does that leave me? Well, I was thinking a couple days ago, as I listened to Enter The Wu-Tang and shoveled a foot of snow, that two things I can consistently provide are shallow thoughts, and nearsighted observations. Since this is a Broncos blog, I'll focus on our team, but I'll also include some league-wide thoughts, for keeping-up-with- the-Jones purposes. Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. What else could be needed on top of that? Maybe just some more cowbell.... Did anybody bring a cowbell?

Well, ST&NO has grown, and I have too. As I was sitting on my couch Sunday, watching the debacle against the Chargers, I realized that I wasn't yelling and cursing as much as normal. I didn't get that excited, and I have to say, upon some reflection, that I have been less excitable about the Broncos this season than ever. For the first 6 games, I had a hard time finding new ways to express my pleasure with the situation, and for the last 4, I have had trouble doing the opposite thing.

All I can figure is that my role in writing for this site has subtly and gradually forced me to become more of an objective analyst, and less of a passionate fan. I think the change largely has to do with my relationship with and attitude toward reporters.

I like to beat up on NFL reporters, because I think that most of them only have a surface-level knowledge of what is going on in a football game. The Broncos have a couple of good reporters, in Lindsay Jones and Jeff Legwold, and I never take any shots at them. I actually have tended toward staying away from taking deserved shots at the Denver-area Woody Paige bloviator class, because I don't want to spend the site's goodwill with the Denver media; it's John's to spend, not mine, after all. (Woody going after Kyle at BroncoTalk made me briefly lift my moratorium in the comments section of Horse Tracks the other day.)

Here's a summary of my general attitude toward football reporting. I think there is relatively little value in the reporting of news, at the national level. When Lindsay Jones reports on what happened at the facility every day, there is value in that. When Chris Mortensen hears 10 minutes before Jay Glazer that Chris Simms will start, who cares? Everybody was going to find out soon enough anyway, so what's the difference who had it first?

The real value, to me, is in the analysis, which is why I devote my time and effort to being a good analyst. While I am not a journalist, I do admire the journalistic principle of objectivity, and I think that in reconciling my criticism of national NFL reporters with my long-held policy of non-hypocrisy, I have become more objective. If I am going to beat them up for not knowing the technical aspects of the game as well as me, I can't be less objective than them. Something like that.

I remember last spring sitting in a bar with some co-workers for a happy hour, and seeing Woody's face come on Around The Horn. I told this girl I work with, Trudy, that I competed with him in the marketplace of ideas, and that I kicked his butt, on the merits. Well, I really don't think of Woody as my competition anymore, for a lot of obvious reasons. (Like, for example, he can't compete with me.) Due to the established nature of my content, I feel like I am competing with national guys, like Peter King and Gregg Easterbrook, even if this platform is Broncos-specific.

So, the point of this is that I was struggling with what to say in a general way about Sunday's game, when I don't have the deep feelings that most of you do, and that I would have had a year ago. I feel like I imagine Tom Jackson to feel; I'm very disappointed at the result for my affiliated team, but at the end of the day, I have the rest of the football landscape to worry about, too, and I have to get on with the business of being an objective analyst. I am still coming to grips with this change, and I am not really sure what the ancillary implications are for me. This may be one of these existential crises like we're seeing with Team Edward or Team Jacob. (I have a lot of 20-something women among my Facebook friends, so, trust me, I know.) See here for a funny breakdown of that Twilight sitch-ee-ation.

(Big up my man Justin Dazet for finding that. Justin writes a blog that gets into gaming and other stuff, and a San Diego area column on Geek Culture. Check him out if you're into that sort of thing.)

Momentarily, I will get back to the business of breaking down the game details, like I always do, but I thought I should at least explain why there was no impassioned, emotional screed today about the Broncos.

2. Information From My Eyes - Chargers at Broncos

a. First things first. I am going to tell you why Kyle Orton didn't start the game. He couldn't take snaps from under center and drop back effectively. It's that simple. The injury that he has prevented it. If you can only play in the shotgun, your running game is severely limited, from the perspective of the direction you can run. Josh McDaniels said this without really getting detailed, but this is what he meant.

Orton took a few snaps under center, but he really labored with his footwork, and it hindered the timing of the running game, and the Broncos could only really run to the A and B gaps. When the QB is playing slow, it makes the whole offense play slow, unfortunately.

b. The Broncos came out running the ball like they meant business. They could do that with Chris Simms under center, but Simms obviously never held his end of the bargain as a passer. When Orton came into the game, it wasn't conducive to running the ball, and neither was Orton's ability to retreat from center.

c. Knowshon Moreno scored a Touchdown, and ~~Ron~~ Nuclear Winter's crew blew the call. When I saw who the referee was, right after kickoff, I tweeted;

I am sure Moreno's play was a TD by virtue of relative positioning. To wit, Russ Hochstein's knee was across the goal line, and if his knee caused the fumble, which it clearly did, then the ball had to be across the goal line. That play was an absolute killer, because with a TD at the end of the half, the Broncos are right back in the game at 13-7. The energy of the game had momentarily shifted to the Broncos, and just like that, it was gone.

d. I was very disappointed with the defensive scheme, as I have been the last several weeks. The Broncos have really changed from an aggressive defense to one which is reading and reacting, and I don't like it at all. In the game at San Diego, the Broncos had great success pressuring the A gaps, and I saw very little effort to do that Sunday. They also got Elvis Dumervil in favorable matchups against the terrible Jeromey Clary, and again, there was none of that. Clary was even injured, and they didn't seem like they wanted to go after him. The Broncos need to get back to what made them tough on defense.

e. A little noticed good thing about Sunday was kickoff and punt coverage. The Broncos never let Darren Sproles hurt them in the return game, and both Josh Barrett and David Bruton made outstanding plays in downfield coverage.

f. The Chargers defensive backs got away with playing through the bodies of Denver receivers several times. The Broncos were a lot sloppier than San Diego, but not to the point where the penalty disparity should have been as wide as it was. It seems to me that teams which have "physical" labels like San Diego, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore get away with mugging a lot of WRs, and not just with crappy officiating crews like Nuclear Winter. It's like how you might call a foul playing an indoor basketball game at the Y, but you wouldn't call the same thing playing streetball.

g. Speaking of penalties, I want to know what the unsportsmanlike conduct was against Marcus Thomas and Ronald Fields on those two kicking plays. It seemed to me that they just hit the long snapper, though it was hard to tell from the TV angles on the recorded Short Cut. Those seemed like Nuclear Winter ticky-tack calls.

h. Andre' Goodman had a hard time dealing with the size of Malcolm Floyd on Sunday. Chris Chambers has done very well in Kansas City, but Floyd is a much tougher matchup for a guy like Goodman.

i. I put a great deal of the Broncos' recent offensive struggles on the absence of Ryan Harris. They haven't been able to protect nearly as well as they did in the first six games. That's not exactly meant to be an indictment of Tyler Polumbus, who is fine as a backup OT and special teams player. It's just recognizing the fact that Harris is one of the best RTs in the game. The timing of the offensive struggles aren't coincidental. It looks like Harris is still hurt, but let's hope he can play on the other side of the Giants game.

j. Again, the gap discipline took a vacation in the second half of the football game. Peter King thinks the defense of the first six games was a mirage, which is dramatically oversimplifying the case. They have still been quick and active for big stretches during the losing streak. It's just been less common to see them sustain it for 60 minutes lately. D.J. Williams (again) and Andra Davis both had pretty bad days in the gap discipline department.

k. I was fine with the onsides kick call, even if it didn't work. It was a good situation for it, because the Broncos were going to lose anyway without a big play.

3. Information From My Eyes - Other Games

a. Again, Thursday seems like it was a long time ago. I was very impressed with the play of Ricky Williams in the absence of Ronnie Brown. I haven't liked the play of Williams so much, maybe ever. The Dolphins didn't do much of their Wild Cute Marine Mammal stuff, but they ran very well from traditional formations, against a Carolina defense which is usually stout against the run. The direct snap stuff is good because of Brown, who has a rare instinctiveness for the options it provides. The Dolphins were smart to go back to the handoff game with Williams.

b. I still don't like Chad Henne's tattoo, but he had a very steady game. He's improving as a player every week, and I give the Dolphins a lot of credit for taking it slow with him, and developing him in an intelligent way. Tony Sparano doesn't receive a lot of acclaim, but I have been very impressed with the coaching job his staff has done for two years now.

c. The Dolphins have started ST&NO Favorite Sean Smith at RCB all season, and are now starting Vontae Davis at LCB. They have done a great job, and they really more than held their own against Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith last Thursday. Both guys are very talented, but again, it's a testament to the coaching they are getting from Todd Bowles, the Dolphins Assistant Head Coach and Secondary coach. I fully expect Bowles to get a head coaching job this offseason, even though nobody in the reporter-o-sphere is talking about him.

d. I criticized Joey Porter's play last week, but the benching seems to have motivated him. He was dominant, with two sacks and two other tackles for losses. It helped that Jordan Gross was hurt, but Porter looked much better than I have seen him this season, regardless of the matchup.

e. I watched a great deal of the Green Bay-San Francisco game, and I came away thinking that Aaron Rodgers has it better than Alex Smith from a protection standpoint, which isn't saying much at all, obviously. San Francisco has a pretty good LT in Joe Staley, but he's been hurt for a few weeks now. Smith couldn't do anything at all for most of the game Sunday, because he was getting hit the second he got to the top of his drops.

In the second half, with the score getting lopsided, the Niners smartened up and just put Smith in the shotgun, where he is most comfortable. He responded with 3 TD passes and made the game look like it was closer than it was. I continue to think that Smith is more than good enough to win with, if he gets protection. When you evaluate what he does in a vacuum, he's doing the right things way more often than not.

f. I have heard a lot of criticism of Aaron Rodgers lately, but he continues to look like a top-notch passer to me. He is gaining 8.2 yards per pass attempt, with 19 TDs and 5 INTs this season. He has also run for more yards than any QB in the NFL, and 3 TDs. I also tend to think you have to evaluate Rodgers in a vacuum, and other than holding the ball a little too long sometimes, he doesn't do much wrong. The last couple weeks, he's been getting the ball out quicker, too.

g. The loss of Al Harris is really going to hurt the Packers badly. It severely limits their ability to use Charles Woodson in the wide variety of roles that they liked to use him in. Woodson has often covered TEs and is a great blitzer. He's played as well as any defensive player in the NFL this season, and now the Packers may need to use him more on the outside.

I actually think the loss of Aaron Kampman is pretty negligible for them, despite his big name. He hasn't adjusted well to playing OLB, and his tallness has hurt him. By coming from a standup position, Kampman hasn't gotten the leverage he used to play with. He needs to move on to a 4-3 team where he can play on the strongside again. He's about the best in the NFL at that, after Mario Williams.

h. I can't believe the Jaguars are 6-4, but they are. When they win, they have been getting good play from David Garrard and Mike Sims-Walker, which they did on Sunday against Buffalo. Garrard is an interesting guy, because he seems young, but he isn't. He's actually 31, and he's probably reached the prime of his career. He's good enough to take a team to the playoffs, obviously, but do you build around him? I kind of feel the same way about Garrard as I did about Jake Plummer at the end of 2005, though I think Garrard is a little better player than Plummer was.

i. A guy who has been an outstanding player for a few years, without getting any credit, is Kyle Williams for the Bills. He was dominant on Sunday. Williams is kind of a short, stout DT, who does a great job getting penetration from a 3-technique position. He's never been a big sack guy, but his ability to shoot gaps has disrupted a lot of running games.

j. It's funny how many ST&NO favorites become really good players in the NFL. Percy Harvin hasn't gotten a lot of credit, because the media is busy loving on Brett Favre, but he's become a good NFL receiver quickly. A lot of Mel Kiper's said Harvin didn't run a lot of routes at Florida, but he was always open when he did. It was clear to me that he'd be able to separate with quickness as he learned NFL technique. His technique is improving quickly, and he's a handful. Along with Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian, he's part of a really dangerous receiving corps. I can't think of a lot of groups I'd take over them, actually.

k. Joseph Addai has never been a favorite of mine, but he's playing better than ever lately. I still think that Donald Brown is going to be the better player, but Addai seems to have found some confidence and toughness that I never perceived in him.

l. The AFC has had a lot of outstanding safety play this season, but if I had to pick two starters for the Pro Bowl, they'd be Melvin Bullitt and Bernard Pollard. Bullitt got some notice for stopping the 4th and 2 last week, but he has been terrific in replacing Bob Sanders. Tampa 2-teams need a quick safety who can get from a cover-2 shell to the box very quickly, and Bullitt has done it as well as Sanders ever did.

Pollard was cut by Kansas City, and I just didn't get it. Maybe Scott Pioli was paying him back for last season's hit on Tom Brady? Pollard has been spectacular at times for the Texans, and has really been the star on the back end that they've never had. (No, Dunta Robinson is not a star; he's only paid like one.)

Brian Dawkins, Ed Reed, Jairus Byrd, Antoine Bethea, Kerry Rhodes, Brandon Meriweather, and Reggie Nelson would be battling it out for the last Pro Bowl spot, but I am sure about the top 2, as of today.

m. Laurence Maroney is doing a decent job of re-establishing his reputation as a solid RB. He has had the knock of not being particularly tough, kind of like Addai, but Maroney has been picking up a lot of tough yards lately. Take away the goal-line fumble against he Colts, and he's been really good.

n. Mark Sanchez looked confused almost the whole game on Sunday, against a New England team that knows how to confuse a QB. Sanchez is a classic example of what happens when teams get some film on you and know what you're going to do. I don't think it's time to bench him, like the average Peter King is calling for, but it would definitely behoove the Jets to figure out what Sanchez is comfortable doing, and sticking to only that stuff.

o. I can tell you right now, the Lions had a fantastic draft in 2009. Matthew Stafford, Brandon Pettigrew, and Louis Delmas all look like future Pro Bowlers. MHR favorite Sammie Lee Hill has been a solid starter at DT, and DeAndre Levy has been solid starting at WLB, since Ernie Sims as lost for the season, too. The guy I might like best, actually, is sixth-rounder Aaron Brown, a RB from TCU. He caught a TD pass on Sunday, but where he looked really dangerous was on kickoff returns. He's very explosive looking. I think Derrick Williams will eventually be a useful player too, and that makes 7 hits in one draft class. It's exactly the kind of performance that their opponents from Sunday (the Browns) need.

p. Speaking of he Browns, I have some thoughts. It sucks to lose like that, on an untimed down, but if I was a Browns fan, I would feel a lot better than I did a week ago. Brady Quinn had his best day as a pro, with 4 TD passes, and a 5th one dropped. Sure, he wasn't pressured a lot, when Detroit didn't blitz, but he looked like he was in command, and the offensive game plan looked like Brian Daboll trusted Quinn, finally. Mohamed Massaquoi and Chansi Stuckey did a very nice job making plays down the field.

I mentioned that the Browns need a good draft; they have 11 picks as of right now, and they need to hit on the majority of them. If I were their new football czar, I wouldn't draft a QB in the first round. I would give Quinn a full year with better talent (and coaching), and see what I have. My target would be Russell Okung, an OT from Oklahoma State, who I'd play on the right side. The Browns' current right side is flat-out awful. I'd be bringing in 2 good RBs, since they have zero right now. They need a Correll Buckhalter-type of free agent, and a second-round pick like a Jonathan Dwyer from Georgia Tech. One of their 3rd-round picks would go for a TE who can catch, like Ed Dickson from Oregon. With 2 new RBs, a TE, and a RT, all of a sudden, you have a solid group of players on offense.

Offense has to be the priority, because their 5 TDs on Sunday matched their previous total in 9 games. They aren't really that far away from being league-average, and I only used 3 of 11 picks in this hypothetical situation. The Browns could be 8-8 or 9-7 next season, if they make the most of their offseason opportunities. I can see it now; Todd Bowles wins coach of the year for them, after going from 2-14 to 9-7.

q. The Texans just continue to lose heartbreakers. Matt Schaub made plays, again, and gave his team a chance to win, again. And then Kris Brown blew it, again. I feel really bad for guys like Schaub, Andre Johnson and Mario Williams, who bring it every week. I'd hate to see these circumstances cost Gary Kubiak his job, but they just might.

r. I was going to talk about how everybody needs to slow down on the Vince Young hype train, but he justified the hype Monday night. Repeatedly, he picked up 3rd downs with his legs, and his throwing was pretty good too. He particularly threw a pretty ball that Nate Washington didn't come down with. He looked like he did at the University of Texas. You heard it here first; the Titans are going to beat San Diego by 2 TDs in a few weeks.

s. Trent Dilfer is a really terrible analyst, and I don't get the Steve Levy and Matt Winer combination with him. Usually, there's one anchor type to serve up softballs to the analyst. It's a weird setup. Back to Dilfer, I think the guy is just about always wrong.

t. Right after I typed that, ESPN went back to the Stuart Scott-Matt Millen-Steve Young set, and they proceeded to blame Matt Schaub for Kris Brown's missed field goal. Epic FAIL. All the guy could do was what he did. He moved his team down the field in 45 seconds, and set them up with a shot at a makeable kick. How in the world does that fall on the QB that they lost the game? That is just too idiotic for words

4. As promised, here is the rationale for why the Broncos can win on Thursday night. The Giants are extremely susceptible to getting beaten down the field, since they lost their starting Free Safety, Kenny Phillips. They are getting Aaron Ross back into the swing of things at CB, but he hadn't played all season, prior to this past Sunday.

With their shakiness on the back end, the Giants have blitzed a bit less than in past years, particularly in the A gaps. Tyler Polumbus will need some help on Justin Tuck, when they're matched up, but I expect the Broncos to be able to protect Kyle Orton reasonably well.

The Giants, meanwhile, aren't getting much from their running game lately. I also believe that their WRs don't pose a huge threat against Champ Bailey and Andre' Goodman. David Diehl will almost certainly struggle against Elvis Dumervil, because he's a natural LG playing LT. I feel pretty good about the defensive matchup, really.

This game is no lock, obviously, but it's one which the Broncos can win if they execute, stop taking bad penalties, and take care of the football. John Bena had it exactly right Sunday night. The Broncos can't beat good teams if they make mistakes, and the Giants are a good team. A victory is very plausible, though, if they do what they need to do.

5. I have cited several reasons lately for cutting ST&NO a little short, and I have another one. I got a bit sidetracked from writing, because of some big news in my family, which led to some calling, texting, and emailing, but not much writing.

On Monday night, my brother Chris911's wife Ana gave birth to their first child, Elizabeth Danielle Bartlett, at 7:36 Pacific Time, in Los Angeles, CA. Elizabeth weighed 5 pounds, 12.5 ounces, and was 17 1/4 inches long. Mother and baby are doing well. It occurred to me that I was in a good position to write the first birth announcement. Please join me in congratulating Chris and Ana on the birth of the newest little Broncos fan.

Since I am decidedly not in the having kids business, I took some time to live vicariously through them, and try to feel their excitement. Now, I am going to get back to living vicariously though myself, though. Y'all know how I do...

6. I am hitting the road for Connecticut on Tuesday, right after this story posts, to go eat some turkey, take a hellified tryptophan nap, and find a bar with NFL Network. My main reason for going, though, is to play in the 38th Annual Erb-Orsini Bowl in my hometown of Norwich, CT. I am only 32, so it predates me, but I have played in a number of them over the years. I said I would try to go back east for it last year, but it was snowing all across Pennsylvania, and I decided at the last minute to stay in Cleveland. I wasn't feeling 600 miles of driving in snow. This year, I wanted to show up and play, and the weather is cooperative. I have too much work to do to take the time, but I am going to work on Wednesday from a Tim Horton's restaurant.

The Erb-Orsini Bowl is a touch game, but it's been pretty physical and competitive in the past. The picture below is from the 2004 game. I am on the left. On the right is my brother John. He laid out for a pass early in the game, and was shaken up. His shoulder hurt, and he said that he didn't want to catch any more passes, and that he'd just stay in and pass-block, so he did just that. Thirty-six hours later, after not saying anything more about the topic, he decided to go to the hospital. Turned out, he had broken his shoulder. It's kind of the Bartlett way to suffer in silence, really, which is owed to being half Irish.

The keeper of the flame is the guy in the midde, my long-time friend Tony Orsini. Tony, as it happens, is a huge Giants fan. He's such a huge fan, actually, that he and his dad spent thousands of dollars to go to Arizona and get tickets for Super Bowl XLII against the mighty Patriots. Against that 16-0 team, i would have never spent that kind of coin, but he did, and he was rewarded. (To me, when I heard about it, it sounded like that time in 7th grade when I bet Pete Lacombe 5 bucks that Denver would beat San Francisco, straight-up, in Super Bowl XXIV, even though my allowance was $2 per week at that time. That was an all-time dumb call.)

On Thursday morning, I am hoping for a good Erb-Orsini Bowl, where I make some big plays, and on Thursday night, for our Broncos to beat Tony's Giants. Do any of y'all have good Turkey Bowls to play in? Let's hear some tangential Thanksgiving football stories. You might as well get with me on this meandering, because you never know where we might end up when the carousel stops.

7. Retired for John Elway.

8. The Buffalo coaching search is interesting. We know they've reached out to Mike Shanahan, and word materialized Monday night/Tuesday morning that Bill Cowher was contacted, and that he declined to be considered. Ralph Wilson is 91, and he wants to win now. Unfortunately for Buffalo, he is relatively cash-poor, and the team probably doesn't stay in his family when he dies, due to estate taxation. If it leaves his family, it almost certainly leaves Buffalo, which is a rapidly declining city.

If I were a coach looking for work, I would consider Buffalo unattractive for those reasons, as well as for the fact that they don't have a QB or any real quality on the O-Line. They have 2 good RBs, the fantastic Lee Evans, some good CBs and a good young safety in Jairus Byrd and pass rusher in Aaron Maybin. Paul Posluszny is solid, and Kyle Williams is very good, as I mentioned. The cupboard is not totally empty talent-wise, but it's a serious personnel challenge in a boring, economically depressed cold-weather town. The only thing they have on Cleveland, in terms of attracting free agents, is marginally better-looking uniforms. I expect that the Bills end up hiring a first time Head Coach, after being spurned by Shanahan and others.

That's all I have for this week, friends. I am off to get on the road for the East Coast. I won't see any comments until 10 or 11 hours from now, but I will check them out when I get where I am going, and will answer the ones that need answering. Have a great week, a great holiday, and a great Football Thursday. Go Broncos!

Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills Links, 11/23

MattRichWarren — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:24:49 -0000

Tyron Brackenridge saves the day for Jaguars | Jacksonville.com
Though he got torched for T.O.'s long TD, Brackenridge made up for it with a pass deflection on Buffalo's last drive and a fumble recovery on a Jags muffed punt.

Healing process will be lengthy one for this battered franchise : Jerry Sullivan : The Buffalo News
Jerry Sullivan frames his game recap recalling how Kyle Williams looked like a mummy after the game following his trip to the trainers.

Lynch thinks he'll be fine | ProFootballTalk.com
Despite being carted off the field with a shoulder injury during the first half of Sunday's loss to the Jaguars, Bills running back Marshawn Lynch believes he'll be fine, a league source tells us.

Game Recaps
Quarterly report: Bills-Jaguars : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
Mark Gaughan breaks down the game quarter by quarter with stats and key plays. He also mentions attendance was about 40k.

Bills' game effort grounded by penalties, miscues : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
"The Buffalo Bills played another valiant-in-defeat game Sunday. It was the kind of loss that brings a head coach respect early in his tenure but ridicule later on."

Bills-Jaguars report card : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
Running game gets an "F" while the run defense gets a deserved "A".

Bills notebook: Broken leg ends Wood's rookie season : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
The Buffalo Bills' already crippled offensive line suffered a devastating blow Sunday as rookie right guard Eric Wood sustained a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula in the fourth quarter of an 18-15 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

T.O. finally gets his close-up : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
The veteran wide receiver finally had his breakout game in a Bills uniform. He finished with nine catches for 197 yards, including a 98-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Jags outlast Bills | BuffaloBills.com
Chris Brown's recap of the game.

WGR 550 SportsRadio - Immediate Reactions, Wk11
Nick Mendola's immediate reactions following the Jaguars game.

WGR 550 SportsRadio - Jaguars Spoil Fewell's Debut To Top Bills 18-15
WGR's game recap.

Ryan Fitzpatrick's nice effort for Buffalo Bills wiped out by mistakes | Democrat and Chronicle
Sal Maiorana gives five points he saw in the Bills loss.

Buffalo Bills 2-minute read | Democrat and Chronicle
Sal Maiorana gives his to-the-point take on the loss.

Buffalo Bills report card | Democrat and Chronicle
No "F" in Sal Maiorana's grading session.

Buffalo Bills lose Fewell's debut on late TD | Democrat and Chronicle
Perry Fewell's wife Kathleen was at the game and gave her husband a big hug after the game. Sometimes you just need a hug.

Bills @Jacksonville The View from the Stadium - Big Cat Country
Associate Editor from Big Cat Country, Tkopa, was at the game and offered this analysis from Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

Recap: Jacksonville vs. Buffalo
The Sports Network recap of the game.

Wrap-up: Jaguars 18, Bills 15 - AFC East Blog - ESPN
Tim Graham wraps up the game against the Jaguars.

Terrell Owens breaks Buffalo Bills' franchise history with 98-yard touchdown | Jacksonville.com
Terrell Owens has had great personal success in Jacksonville Municipal Stadium but his team has never won there.

Bills Daily Gameday Grades
Bills Daily hands out their grades for the Bills performance in Jacksonville.

Bills Daily Gameday Review
Bills Daily has a recap of the game.

Scott Pitoniak: Another Bills defeat, but encouraging signs in Fewell's debut
The Rochester writer gives his thought on the Bills 18-15 loss to the Jaguars.

Injuries, Mistakes Waste Owens’ Big Day in 18-15 Loss : Buffalo Sports Daily
Pat Moran sounds sad as he writes his postgame recap.

At Least He’s Happy | The Goose's Roost
"Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any weirder, this game happens." Yup. The "he" in the title is T.O.

Team in Transition
Sunday at the Post | National Football Post
"No matter who gets the Bills job, the fact that owner Ralph Wilson is always so involved will make it hard for him to give full control to anyone. " - Michael Lombardi

Jim Haslett seems a perfect match for Buffalo Bills next head coach -- OrlandoSentinel.com
"Obviously being from that area (grew up in Pennsylvania) and having played for that team (Bills), it makes sense," Haslett said of the possibility that he might be considered. "Obviously it would be a great opportunity, but who knows what will happen."

Brandon Has "No Comment" on Coaching Situation | wgrz.com
Channel 2's Adam Benigni is in Jacksonville today and tried to approach Bills GM Russ Brandon about the coaching position and the progress they are making in selecting a new head coach. Brandon had no comment.

Fewell May Make Bills Transition Less Painful | wgrz.com
Ed Kilgore says the Bills have a long way to go to change the organization and it looks like Russ Brandon is going to be leading the charge.

Sharpe comments on Bills-Shanahan - AFC East Blog - ESPN
"I had a great conversation with Mike Shanahan this morning," said former Bronco Shannon Sharpe. "He is going to interview this week at some point in time." Boomer Esiason added this for some reason: "He's not going to Buffalo."

Shannon Sharpe on what it takes to land Shanahan : Buffalo Sports Daily
Boomer Esaison also said Perry Fewell is not a candidate for the job after Bill Cowher said Fewell could win the position.

Report: Wilson ready to spend $10M - AFC East Blog - ESPN
NFL Network reporter Jason LaCanfora shared what he was hearing about the Buffalo Bills' coaching search on NFL Gameday Morning.

Mariucci rips firing of Jauron | ProFootballTalk.com
Steve Mariucci (who himself was fired midseason and replaced by good friend Dick Jauron) ripped the Bills for firing their coach before the season was over.

Friends gather to watch Cramerton native's NFL coaching debut | cramerton, native, coaching - Gaston Gazette
A bunch of Perry Fewell's high school buddies got together and watched the game at a local establishment.

News and Notes
Bud Adams makes nice with Bills fans | ProFootballTalk.com
Bud Adams took out a full page ad in today's Buffalo News to wish the Bills good luck for the rest of the season as a peace offering following his inappropriate gesture last week.

Titans Owner Bud Adams Buys Newspaper Ad to Send Good Wishes to Buffalo | wgrz.com
Video evidence that Bud Adams actually apologized.

T.O. passes Harrison with 98-yard play | ProFootballTalk.com
On the long touchdown, Terrell Owens passed Marvin Harrison for fourth on the all-time receiving yardage list.

WK 11 Can't-Miss Play: T-Oh! (:49) | BuffaloBills.com Video Gallery
Relive Ryan Fitzpatrick to Terrell Owens covering 98 yards in one play.

A look at T.O.'s 98-yard touchdown - AFC East Blog - ESPN
A few notes on Buffalo Bills receiver Terrell Owens' 98-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Marshawn’s 3rd annual Turkey Drive today – Inside The Bills
Marshawn Lynch's family and friends handed out turkeys today to needy families in Lynch's hometown of Oakland.

Buffalo Bills NFL News Updates - CBSSports.com Rapid Reports
- The 98-yard pass play from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Terrell Owens was the longest TD pass in Bills history. [Ed. note: A shiny atta-boy to the person who can name the two who previously held the record.]
- Coach Perry Fewell said QB Ryan Fitzpatrick called an audible on the 98-yard touchdown pass to WR Terrell Owens. "He saw one-on-one [coverage] and pulled the trigger."
- WR Terrell Owens (197 yards) had his biggest day as a Bills receiver. "For me, personally, it is all for nothing when you don't get the win."

T.O.'s gift: the shirt off his back | Jacksonville.com
Continuing a trend with Owens, he gave Mike Sims-Walker his jersey after the game.

Bills Tweets
Thurman Thomas
Remember when u tried to get ur ass home b4 the street lights came on. Remember whe u cld say the entire Pledge of Alligance all the way through. Remember when the Bills use to make the Playoffs

Kawika Mitchell
BS aside... If u look @ the Bills performed, the way we faught today and how close we always r which I kno isn't new but we're rite there.

Kawkia Mitchell
I'm def not saying we dont have a lot of ish to work on. I'm sayin that I feel like we can b gr8. who knows tho? Its gotta happen 1st and theres going 2 b a lot of changes... We'll c.