Inside The Bills

Who will the Bills take with their top pick?

The M&T Bank Draft Day Challenge Promotion is back for the third straight year. Here are the details:

Guess which player the Bills select first in the 2009 draft and you’ll be entered for a chance to win…
• A meet and greet with the Bills #1 draft choice
• Autographed jersey signed by the Bills #1 draft pick
• Two tickets to a 2009 Bills regular season home game with pre-game sideline passes
• A private tour of the Bills training facilities

Enter Your Guess

TE Cook has brother in draft pool

South Carolina TE Jared Cook  might not be the only member of his family latching on with an NFL club draft weekend.

His brother is Ole Miss starting fullback Jason Cook. An old school true lead fullback Cook could come off the board late in the draft or sign somewhere as an undrafted rookie free agent.

Too slow? A receiver turned tight end running a 4.49 is too slow, for Ole Miss?

Of course no one is calling the 246-pound tight end slow now, not even his older brother.

“I kind of tease him a little bit about how much faster I am than him,” said Jared.

The younger Cook is hopeful that a missed opportunity to play together in college somehow changes for the better in the NFL.
 
“It’d still be nice to have my brother on the same team as me,” said Jared.

Countdown to Draft Day: Tight Ends

Bills called DE Taylor (per Miami Herald)

After Jason Taylor became a free agent the Bills were one of the many teams that called to inquire about his level of interest in playing for them. No word on what the answer was, but Taylor seems to be biding his time for a reason.

I’m hearing that the Patriots efforts to land Julius Peppers in a trade are not dead yet. So my thinking is Jason Taylor, who has said he’d like to play for New England, is going to lay low for now and see if anything happens with Peppers.

If a Peppers deal doesn’t happen he’ll push to sign with New England and probably get a little more money from New England with Peppers no longer an option (more leverage for Taylor).

If a Peppers trade with New England does happen, then Taylor considers his other options (just a hunch).

Buffalo did the smart thing, if the source for Herald colunist Armando Salguero is on the money. They expressed interest so if and when Taylor begins to look to sign somewhere he’s aware that Buffalo is an option.

Fan Friday 4-3

Another Fan Friday as we inch closer to the NFL Draft. Got some interesting questions this week. Keep them coming at AskChris@bills.nfl.net.

1. Chris
In college Brad Butler played right tackle. Do you think the Bills would think about switching Brad Butler and Langston Walker. Brad is quicker and Langston would be a monster inside?

Thanks
John

CB: I don’t see this change happening. Walker is best on the edge in my opinion and I felt had a very good season in 2008. Moving to left tackle for the opener in place of the ‘not ready’ Jason Peters, then back to right tackle was yeoman’s work.

Butler I believe is the type of player you want inside. A guy that likes to mix it up and get nasty. I don’t know that Brad is necessarily quicker than Walker. Just because Walker is 366 pounds, don’t assume the man can’t move. His feet are well above average for a man his size.

 
2. What’s happening with Chris Ellis? He was our 3rd rounder last year after all, his injury has set him back no doubt, but we haven’t heard any word on him lately? Is he healing well? Will he be the force we want him to be, allowing us to maybe go after one of the other needs that early at 11, like OL or TE where a lot of people are looking at players to fill gaps. Is Chris doing well enough for us to put DE at a second pick this year? If he’s not, than I sure hope we go DE -1st, and find some prospects to mold like we seem to do so well for our other positional needs.
-Jonathan Wyman
Virginia

CB: I think the team still has a lot of faith in what Chris Ellis can do for the defense. He is healthy and he’s here participating in the offseason conditioning program. I believe he needs to get stronger physically to hold up better against the run. It could get him more snaps this year.

The bottom line however, is the jury is still out on him so adding more pass rush talent is necessary and early. They need a pass rusher that was dominant at the college level. Someone that can make an impact as a rookie. You only get those kinds of players at 11. Aaron Maybin, Everette Brown and Brian Cushing (a LB) are the three I would target.

If it’s Cushing in round one I probably wouldn’t address DE until round three knowing the team needs offensive line or tight end help. Cushing can help on the pass rush.

The unconfirmed reports about Cushing testing positive for steroids would end my preference for him as a player if they proved to be true.

 
3. Chris,
 
       Wondering if Derrick Brooks is a possiblilty to help us with the Cover-2 Tampa defense ?
 
    Todd Logan

CB: I think the Bills will see how they fare in the draft at the LB position before they entertain the possibility of adding a player like Brooks.

 
4. Any word on Schobel’s foot injury?  Will he be able to be the force he once was and help the pass rush?  He is the rock of that line.
 
Curt

CB: Schobel is recovering nicely. Surgery as we reported back in early February will not be necessary. Whether he can be the force he once was as a pass rusher is a question only Schobel can answer through his play. He can say he feels fine and that he’s back to normal, but his play will be the only ammunition he has and he knows that.

 
5. Chris,
   
            What are your thoughts and opinions on Larry English, and him fitting in as a Buffalo Bill?  Also do you think we could draft him in the 2nd round, or will he probably be scooped up by then?  With his size and athleticism I believe he is a Terrell Suggs type player where he could play LB or DE…….What do you think he will be more of? 
 
Thanks – Showtime.

CB: If the right team likes English he could be off the board at the bottom of round one. After running a 4.74 and 4.79 40-times at his pro day I think that’s a possibility. There are some teams that are concerned that he might not be strong enough to hold up as an every down DE in a 4-3 system. I believe he can.

For a DE it’s more about explosiveness and with a 36-inch vertical and a 1.59 10-yard dash I believe he has the burst to be productive off the edge. He’s a little short at 6’2”, which is why some teams consider him a 3-4 OLB.

He has a similar issue to that of Everette Brown. Brown gets more of the benefit of the doubt having played in the ACC. Playing in the MAC knocks English down a peg by some talent evaluators, right or wrong.

I think if the Bills don’t get a DE in round one, English is definitely an option in round two, provided he’s still on the board.

Cutler trade increase value of Bills’ pick?

With Jay Cutler now traded to the Chicago Bears, could the trade value of Buffalo’s 11th pick now increase knowing the Broncos, who pick 12th, will be looking to add a quarterback?

If Mark Sanchez gets by San Francisco at 10, the Bills could be fielding a bunch of calls from teams that might be interested in trading up to 11 to leapfrog Denver to make sure they get Sanchez.

Getting a potential franchise quarterback is monumental stuff so NFL clubs are usually willing to pay a little more. Here is a list of teams, and where they pick, who might consider moving up to beat Denver to Sanchez.

NY Jets – 17th pick
Likelihood of Jets trading up is minimal especially with a division rival. With only six picks in the draft this year they don’t have much to offer either.

Tampa Bay – 19th pick
There’s no secret that the Bucs need a signal caller big time. But will defensive-minded head coach Raheem Morris make a bold move? Tampa has 8 picks, but no second rounder.

Detroit – 20th pick
In all likelihood the Lions will take Matt Stafford number one, making the need to move up to 11 moot to land Sanchez. But if they take an OT first like Baylor’s Jason Smith, this could be a possibility.

Minnesota – 22nd pick
Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels are the only answers you need here, but the Vikings don’t have a ton to work with either with just six picks, two of which are in the 7th.

Carolina – 59th pick
The Panthers could use a replacment for Jake Delhomme, but they just don’t have the ammo with no first round pick and only 5 picks total. They’d have to throw in picks from 2010 or include players.

Denver could also be included in this conversation. If Sanchez is on the board with the Bills on the clock, they might get so spooked that another team is trying to leapfrog them for the QB (the media backlash on the heels of Cutler debacle would be terrible) they might do a deal with Buffalo just to move up one spot to 11.

I’ll admit I’d be surprised if such a move happens, but it only takes one team to be enamored with a quarterback for it to take place, so if Sanchez doesn’t go in the top 10, Buffalo could make an advantageous trade come draft weekend.

If you want TE George Wrighster you can tell him

Jacksonville TE George Wrighster, who announced on his blog that the Jaguars will be cutting him today, is actually asking fans which NFL team he should play for in 2009 when he soon becomes a free agent.

Leading the poll right now is the Buffalo Bills with 27 percent of the vote. Atlanta is in second with 17% and Detroit at 15%.

The teams he listed were the Giants, Lions, Falcons, Cardinals, Bills, Eagles, Rams and Panthers. On his poll list he had the Bills third (Giants and Lions were 1st and 2nd). Not sure if that means anything.

Wrighster (stats) could be a blocking TE candidate for Buffalo. At 6’3″ and 265 pounds he has the strength and power to block on the line. He wasn’t used much as a receiver in Jacksonville so that part of his game is difficult to assess.

Ironically, his career took a downturn after he tore his ACL in a Nov. 2007 game against the Bills in Buffalo. He missed the last five games in ’07 and then 11 in ’08 while rehabbing.

But he’s healthy now and at age 28 he fits the age profile of players the Bills generally are comfortable pursuing.

Wrighster says he’ll be visiting some teams as early as this weekend so stay tuned.

Be interesting to see if Raji drops

With the SI.com report that Boston College DT B.J. Raji tested positive at the combine for marijuana, it’ll be interesting to see what it does to his draft stock. Raji was not expected to last beyond the sixth overall pick.

Raji did test positive for marijuana during his time at BC and NFL scouts were made aware of that. If this report is accurate Raji has no one but himself to blame for the millions of dollars he could potentially cost himself.

His situation is not unlike that of Warren Sapp. If you recall back in 1995 draft, Sapp, much like Raji, was the clear top defensive tackle in the class, with a severe drop off after him. Sapp also had some marijuana issues leading up to the draft.

Sapp was forecast as a top five pick. Where did he wind up coming off the board? Number 12 to Tampa.

I’d expect Raji to fall into a similar scenario. The DT class this year is a little better than it was in ’95, but I don’t see Raji taking a giant drop. How far do you think he falls?

Boldin still angling to be traded to Dolphins

His agent Drew Rosenhaus has said it, Dolphins reporters have supported it and now Anquan Boldin has said it himself.

Appearing on ESPN Radio 760 in Palm Beach, the disgruntled Arizona wide receiver said he “would love to play” for the Miami Dolphins.

It’s no secret that Boldin is a south Florida native and would love to play for the team that’s right in his hometown’s backyard.

Reports have indicated that Rosenhaus is going to turn up the heat on the Cardinals to make a trade happen before or during the draft.

The Dolphins have nine picks, but only three in the top 60, so sacrificing picks early might be tough for them to pull off and they’d need to in order to land Boldin.

One thing is for sure, the Dolphins and Jets are trailing the Pats and Bills when it comes to receiving weapons.

Travis Henry reached plea agreement

Facing federal drug charges former RB Travis Henry took a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

It’s unclear what Henry pled guilty to with respect to charges, but his plea will be entered April 16th. No word on what sentencing could be either.

As expected a 1-yr deal for Crowell

Knowing the serious nature of Angelo Crowell’s knee injury, his surgery and lengthy rehabilitation process, we speculated that he’d have to sign a one-year ‘prove it’ type contract no matter what NFL team he signed with. Looks like that’s just what happened.

Crowell, who signed with Tampa late last month, signed a one-year deal with the Bucs worth $2M in base salary. Now that’s still more than he made in his final year in Buffalo last season so kudos to his agent, especially in light of the circumstances.

But with none of that base salary guaranteed Crowell is going to have to prove every day in the offseason practices and minicamps as well as training camp that he can get the job done.

The nature of that contract presents no risk to the Bucs until they decide he’s healthy and he’ll be part of their 53-man roster.

It’s just unfortunate that a guy with his resume has to go down that path. But this is a cut throat league as any player will tell you.

Maualuga improves 40 time

After running a 4.83, USC LB Rey Maualuga was eager to improve upon it at his pro day in which a host of other top USC talent performed including Mark Sanchez, Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews.

Maualuga ran a 4.7, according to NFL.com which was a noticeable improvement from his combine time. Truthfully though, his 40 time isn’t going to carry as much weight as his game tape.

Cushing ran a 4.68 after running a 4.64 at the combine, which is negligible. Matthews ran a 4.57 after a 4.62 at the combine.

Kevin Ellison, Keith Ellison’s younger brother improved his 40 time posting a 4.7. He had run a 4.8 at the combine. The USC safety however, is being viewed by some teams now as an outside linebacker similar to his older brother with the Bills. Ironically some draft experts have Ellison pegged as a sixth round pick, which is exactly where Keith was chosen by the Bills in the 2006 draft.

11th overall pick the last 10 years

We put this in our pre-draft issue of Bills Digest and I thought you online folks might like to see it too. It’s the last 10 picks that went 11th overall in the NFL draft over the past decade. The list includes a handful of Pro Bowl players, and one that hopefully becomes one in the not too distant future.

2008 — CB Leodis McKelvin — Bills
2007 — LB Patrick Willis — 49ers
2006 — QB Jay Cutler — Broncos
2005 — OLB DeMarcus Ware — Cowboys
2004 — QB Ben Roethlisberger — Steelers
2003 — CB Marcus Trufant — Seahawks
2002 — DE Dwight Freeney — Colts
2001 — ILB Dan Morgan — Panthers
2000 — RB Ron Dayne — Giants
1999 — QB Daunte Culpepper — Vikings

Preston sets record straight

Earlier on Wednesday a Pro Football Talk post was brought to my attention by a few Bills fans via email in which Duke Preston was portrayed as a player that had some critical comments for his former team. I’ve since heard from Duke himself and he’d like to set the record straight on just what he said in the radio interview referenced in the PFT post.

In regards to the mis-quotation concerning the amount of times we beat New England during my four years in Buffalo; I’m fully aware that we never beat them during my tenure in Buffalo.  In the interview, the context of the aforementioned quote, they asked whether or not having a better chance to win in a conference like the NFC North played a part in my decision. 

My answer alluded to the fact that the AFC East is unquestionably one of the toughest, if not the toughest, division in football.  To emphasize my point, I said that “in my 4 years in Buffalo, I don’t think we beat New England once.” Whoever quoted me must’ve missed the fact that I said “DONT”.  That’s a fact. 

I’m not back tracking from my comment because it’s not a shot or in insult that I said that, we just never beat them.  I also said, Buffalo is trying to “claw” their way to the top of the division. 

In fact, in my years there, that’s what we talked about.  We talked about changing the tide and becoming the team to beat in our division like the Patriots have established themselves over the last several years.  I did say “claw” because that’s the mindset of those tough *ss dudes that I fought, bled and cried with for four years… They’re going to fight, scratch and claw and bite and do anything they can to win football games. 

I’m well aware that my current team had a worse record than we did in Buffalo last year and in potentially a weaker division.  I’m also aware that this team was only one play away from the Super Bowl two years ago too.  I was talking about going to a team that had recently had the type of season to garner the respect of being the team to beat within their division;  something that we never did in Buffalo. 

Nonetheless, my intent was not to put down or bash the Bills but rather state the assessment that I’ve made regarding the state of where both teams are in relation to the rest of their division. 

I never said anything about the potential in Buffalo or the opportunity to advance and become that top dog within the AFC East, I was more so talking about the difficulty in reaching that goal with the teams in that division, like New England who has been the most dominant team in all of football the last few years.

Lastly, my “grasping at straws’ comment was accurate with the exception of the fact that I don’t believe I said “this off season”.  I meant that in regards to the course of my career there.  As a player, I felt that at times, there was so much change and so many moving parts, that a defined direction was hard to see. 

I’m not saying that the players should be given an explanation for every personnel or coaching move, but I just felt that some actions taken provided a lack of consistency. 

I was very vocal at the end of the season in regards to keeping the coaching staff in tact for that very reason.  I felt it then and I believe in it now, you have to give the players a chance to maximize what that can do when they’re comfortable in the system, with the coaches, with the offense / defense that they’ve had for multiple years. 

So to be clear, I felt like in my tenure in Buffalo, it seemed as if the organization was grasping at straws at times searching for an answer to end the playoff drought and get Buffalo back to where they should be at the top of the division. 

Is that a parting shot? I don’t believe so.  It’s just a players opinion that honestly doesn’t mean much aside from a sentiment I felt in my time there.

So obviously Duke felt the report from PFT on his radio appearance was well off the mark, and reading Preston’s explanation it clearly was.

I’m not going to pretend I know Duke as a person, but in my dealings with him he’s always been a professional. I should’ve taken the PFT post for what is was and left it alone instead of giving it some legs here in this forum.

Duke still has a strong respect for the Bills organization and his now former teammates, and he communicated what a difficult decision it was to ultimately sign with Green Bay.

Hopefully this rectifies the misreprensentation of his comments on Pro Football Talk, which were linked here and in hindsight should not have been.

Lynch at offseason workouts

Marshawn Lynch was taking part in offseason conditioning workouts this week. The program is voluntary, but it was good to see Buffalo’s feature back in town getting some work done in the weight room earlier this week.

Spencer Johnson was another veteran player that was spotted taking part at One Bills Drive as well.

The voluntary program usually runs four days a week for the players with weekends off.

Preston dishing it to former team

Appearing on Sporting News radio Tuesday former Bills center Duke Preston didn’t pull any punches with respect to his former team.

According to Pro Football Talk, Preston said the Bills were “grasping at straws” this offseason with respect to their acquisitions.

Preston also said he’s happy to be on a team in the Packers that’s more competitive in its own division.

“If you look at my four years in Buffalo, we only beat New England one time,” Preston said.  “Green Bay has kind of historically been at the top of its division, almost the New England Patriots so to speak.  So to go another team and another division that kind of is on the upper tier of it instead of trying to claw their way into the upper tier is a cool opportunity.”

No news on June’s visit with Texans

On the heels of Cato June’s visit with the Houston Texans Monday, there’s been no news of a contract offer or hard core negotiations.

I think a lot of teams, including the Bills are doing their homework on June, so in the event they don’t land the linebacker talent they might be targeting in the draft they can present June with a contract offer as a fall back option.

The Bills could potentially take a linebacker in the first two rounds and the Texans are a virtual lock to take a linebacker at pick 15, especially if Cushing and Matthews are sitting there.

So I think both teams are considering June their plan ‘B’ for addressing the position.