Inside The Bills

Marrone: No timetable on naming starting QB

It’s very early in the process and the quarterbacks are still going through the installation process of the offense in the OTAs, but already head coach Doug Marrone is being asked when he’ll decide on a starting quarterback.

“That’s up to the players at that position and at other positions too,” said Marrone. ”It’s out there and once we see one person pull away from the other then you make that decision. To put a timeline or anything on it is very difficult and it’s up to the players to do that.”

In most cases a starting quarterback isn’t named until the end of June minicamp at the earliest, but Marrone made it clear that if one signal caller definitively separates himself from the rest of the pack a starter could be named sooner. For more on the quarterback competition check out today’s practice notes from OTAs.

Graham: I feel faster this year

While the Bills certainly added speed to their receiving corps in the form of Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin, a receiver they drafted last year is pretty fast in his own right. T.J. Graham ran a 4.41 40-time at the NFL Combine in 2012. After a lot of hard work this offseason Graham is confident he’s faster.

“I was hanging around the guys at the pro day and really wish I could’ve run a 40 there to show how much faster I’ve gotten in the offseason,” Graham told Bills play-by-play man John Murphy. ”I feel like I’m a lot faster and I’m swifter. Hopefully I can show that on the field. That’s all that matters. Running 40 yards in a straight line on the field rarely happens. So the 40 really doesn’t matter.”

Graham was again a frequent target of Bills quarterbacks in practice Tuesday making a handful of receptions.

Rookies missing for school

At OTA practices this week there are a handful of rookies missing. In most cases it’s because of school semesters still going at their respective colleges.

Among the rookies missing are WR Robert Woods, WR Marquise Goodwin, WR Brandon Kaufman, DT Aaron Tipoti, CB Nickell Robey, DB Jordan Dangerfield and WR Kevin Norrell.

By league rule rookies cannot practice with their respective clubs until their college class graduates.

Stevie a spectator

A stained back kept Stevie Johnson from participating in the veteran voluntary minicamp. Johnson unfortunately is sidelined for OTAs this week as well.

Head coach Doug Marrone is expected to provide an update on Johnson after practice.

Gilmore ranked among best of youngest

Stephon Gilmore is already considered one of the better young cornerbacks in the NFL, but CBSSports.com took a look at players under the age of 23 that are among the best in the league. Gilmore made that list and ranked high.

CBSSports.com’s Pete Prisco ranked the top sub-23-year olds in the NFL and Stephon Gilmore ranked seventh overall. Here’s what was written about the Bills top cornerback.

7. Stephon Gilmore, CB, Buffalo Bills – He started 16 games as a rookie and showed some nice coverage skills, even if he had some moments where he struggled. Gilmore is a big corner who has good speed. He lined up on the other team’s top receivers a lot, and did a nice job.

Not exactly glowing, but a very good ranking for Gilmore, who should be noticeably improved this season with a year of NFL experience under his belt.

Only one cornerback under the age of 23 was ranked higher than Gilmore. It was Arizona’s Patrick Peterson, who ranked number one overall.

Manuel pick impacted Nix’s decision

Buddy Nix’s decision to step down as GM of the Bills Monday had a lot of contributing factors, and Nix didn’t deny that selecting QB EJ Manuel in round one a few weeks ago played a role.

In a one-on-one interview with Buffalobills.com, Nix said drafting Manuel made it easier to settle on the decision to step aside.

“I feel a lot better about it because of that,” said Nix in reference to the Manuel pick. ”We’ve got two good veterans here and another rookie that will make him have to earn it. When (he’ll start) I don’t know that’s up to the coaches. That’s up to coach Marrone. He’ll decide when the guy is ready to play, but I don’t have any doubts that he’ll be successful here and in this league.”

Bills on the radio

The Bills are just firing up OTAs and players will be on the local airwaves to talk about it this morning.

Eric Wood will be on WGR 550 at 7:30 am this morning on the Howard Simon show.

Arthur Moats will be on WCMF 96.5 FM at 7:45.

Nix believes he saw things through

Outgoing Bills GM Buddy Nix has said more than once that he wanted to see things through with the organization and get it back to being a winning team. Though the won-loss record has yet to show that, Nix believes he has done so as he now steps aside.

In a one-on-one interview with Buffalobills.com, Nix explained why he felt he positioned the team for success.

“Yeah, obviously you’d like to see the win-loss results, but somebody asked about what I think is going to be remembered about my legacy,” said Nix. ”It’s according to who is looking at it I guess, but I think it’s going to be determined in the next two or three years. I think the good times are coming and that’s not to put any pressure on the head coach now, he knows there’s pressure anyway in this
business. But I think our roster is good, I like the draft class and I like our rookies, so I think we’re fixing to have some exciting times.”

Buddy on what changed

Outgoing Bills GM Buddy Nix said right after the draft that nothing had changed concerning his status as the team’s top personnel man. Now three weeks later he’s stepping aside. In a one-on-one interview with Buffalobills.com, Nix explained what changed.

“Russ (Brandon) and I talk a lot,” said Nix. ”Our offices are right here together and Doug Marrone too, we talk about everything. We started after the draft. At the time we were so consumed with the draft going into it and even right after talking about the guys we got. Then after things kind of settled down and we tried to figure out the right timing and to me that’s the big issue here. This is the best time.”

Scouting calendar told Nix it was time

As outgoing GM Buddy Nix said at his press conference announcing his transition from GM to a Special Assistant for the Bills, there is never a good time personally to retire, but for the Bills in his mind it was the best time. Here’s why.

As Nix explained it the scouting season for the 2014 class begins next week, so to step aside now would make for the cleanest break for a transition to a new GM.

“Starting next week, I already had a flight and was scheduled to go to St. Pete to start on the 2014 Draft. You sit there for 10 hours a day and listen to reports one right after the other on the 2014 draft prospects,” said Nix. ”To be honest with you, my energy level is as good as it has ever been, but I was not all excited about that trip.

“We have got some young scouts that are fired up about it and that is the way it should be. That is the way I was. The best time, and again for us, is before we start the process for next year.”

What Buddy said about Whaley

With the decision by Buddy Nix to step down as GM of the club Monday, it creates the natural assumption that Assistant GM Doug Whaley will be promoted to the now vacant role. What Nix said about Whaley just a couple of months ago supported that assumption.

While at the NFL Combine Nix was asked about his own future with the Bills and while he said he still had the zest to do the job he also mentioned Whaley specifically.

“I think you’re maybe less than confident in what you do if you can’t put your replacement in place, and we did ours,” said Nix this past February. ”I was on the job three months when I hired Doug and nothing’s changed with him. My energy level or anything hasn’t changed. Look, I’m not going to do this until I’m 100, I promise you. I’d like to know I’ll be around until then, but I’ll decide that. I’ll sit-down with Russ and we’ll do what needs to be done, but to put a timetable on it, I started something and I’d like to see it through.”

Robey, Woods all too familiar

It was a scene that had played out a countless number of times in the practice setting at USC. Cornerback Nickell Robey lined up opposite wide receiver Robert Woods. The only difference was they were doing it as NFL players more than 2,000 miles away from the USC practice field Saturday.

Woods, a second-round pick of the Bills and Robey an undrafted rookie corner, were lined up opposite one another on a handful of snaps Saturday at practice. Robey has lined up almost exclusively in the slot in rookie minicamp, and Woods saw some time inside as well.

Woods, who made six receptions in practice Saturday, got lucky on one play when Robey, attempting to make an INT, only got a fingertip on the ball, and Woods pulled in the pass for a reception and a run after catch.

The two former Trojans have talked a lot about repeating their college practice battles now at One Bills Drive.

“That’s exactly how it feels and we talk about it all the time,” Robey told Buffalobills.com. ”We’ve been in different meetings, but we talk about the same thing that we did as USC. It’s good to see things come together and see him out here healthy running around and seeing me out here healthy running around. So all in all it’s great.”

Robey, who has some of the quickest feet among the rookie DBs, did have an interception return for a touchdown on the very next play after his battle with Woods.

Script of plays not lengthy right away

With Bills rookies having limited exposure to their playbooks entering the first practice of rookie minicamp there was not a ton of material installed. While that will change rather quickly when OTAs begin on Monday, for now the players are working hard to learn the schemes of the three phases.

“I think we had 15 plays or so. It wasn’t just for me,” said EJ Manuel. ”It was for everybody. Everybody is trying to learn and get accustomed to get back playing football.”

Manuel, who has had his playbook since he was drafted said he’s been working on it, but has been pulled back by offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett for proper teaching.

“I can get used to what he wants us to do,” said Manuel of Hackett. ”Get used to the footwork, get used to playing and throwing routes against the defense and things like that.”

Footwork an early focus for EJ

Bills offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett undoubtedly has a to-do list for top pick EJ Manuel to get him as ready as possible as soon as possible for the NFL game. At the top of the list on day one of Bills Rookie Minicamp was footwork in the pocket.

Several times Hackett would counsel Manuel on his footwork on his most recent play after the fact. There was one specific instance during 7-on-7 where Hackett saw Manuel hold the ball a second too long before delivering an underneath ball and said, ‘You’re probably sacked on that play.”

But head coach Doug Marrone in general got what he was looking for from Manuel on day one.

“It’s what I expected,” he said. “Again, to work on the footwork and he made some nice throws. What I expected, I didn’t think he’d come in here and be the polished guy that you have. You’re learning a new system. You’re learning new coaches. You’re getting a feel for yourself. I try to look at the players and just say okay, here’s where they are. Here’s how they are on the field. Because I think as a coach, I know I’ve had this problem, if I create expectations in my mind of players that I’ve never coached before, I can find myself getting in trouble. So, I try to go in there open-minded until I get around them and get to know them. But I was very happy.”

“It’s all predicated upon the pass concepts,” said Manuel with respect to the footwork he’s trying to master. ”Just pairing the footwork with the passing play. There’s a lot you have to remember, it’s the first day, but I thought overall the whole team did a great job.”

EJ gets heavy share of reps

It should probably come as no surprise, but EJ Manuel and undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel are the only two quarterbacks in the three-day practice setting of Bills rookie minicamp. And although head coach Doug Marrone has said that Manuel and Tuel will be part of a quarterback competition and that rotational reps is probably how it will start, that wasn’t the case with just the two rookies.

Buffalo’s offensive staff unofficially gave EJ Manuel 25 of the 34 team snaps during 7-on-7 team work Friday. Tuel got nine reps during that period. Obviously getting their top draft choice as immersed as possible in the offense is critical and it’s not secret he’s the priority. It was just interesting to see the level of commitment to Manuel and the desire to have him ready sooner rather than later.

The coaching staff probably is getting Manuel his reps now knowing come OTAs, Manuel won’t be getting nearly as many snaps as he is now.

Fan Friday 5-10

Here’s the latest edition of your questions from AskChris@bills.nfl.net and on Twitter @ChrisBrownBills.

1 - Hi Chris,

I enjoy your column and follow it virtually every week. Thank you for the good work. The Bills tend to steal defeat from the opponents during the last minute of the game. What is the strategy to address this issue from the new coaching staff?

Regards,
C.J. Wong

CB: Well the first step has been an ultra-competitive and demanding offseason conditioning program. To a man, every player has said the program has been extremely challenging. It’s designed to have the players properly conditioned for fast-paced play and to have some gas left in the tank come the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

I think the personnel department made a point of adding players that not only had talent, but a track record of toughness in an effort to add some grit to the roster. These are initial steps, but they will help the team’s fortunes late in games.

2 – Chris:
Thanks for all the great insight you provide.  I have a few questions for you:

1)  I know the Bills released John Potter last year. Can you tell me if he signed with anyone, and why didn’t the Bills entertain bringing him back for kicking competition at camp?
2)  I feel Robert Woods is a great addition to this team and he reminds me of former # 1 draft pick in 1979,  Jerry Butler.   In your opinion, are there similarities between them?

3)  In a recent radio interview Bills (DE) Mark Anderson sounded as if he is still having knee issues, and he didn’t sound too comfortable moving to the linebacker spot.  I know the Bills are building this roster with the idea of players contributing in multiple position on defense.  Will the Bills keep him around just to be a specialty rusher, or could he be released before or during training camp?
Thanks
Joe

Blasdell

CB: Potter to my knowledge is not in the league right now. The main reason he wasn’t brought back was because he was a kickoff specialist only. He wasn’t an especially accurate field goal kicker. Then add in the fact that Buffalo drafted Dustin Hopkins in round six, who is an accomplished field goal kicker and a solid kickoff man and Potter would not be a realistic part of a competition with Hopkins and Lindell. He’d just be taking reps away from the other two. Not practical.

The Bills, much like you, are excited about Woods too because he’s a polished, NFL ready wideout. He should be able to contribute right away in this offense. I don’t know if he’s quite as explosive as Jerry Butler when he came out, but he’s a talent in his own right and has above average speed.

Mark Anderson’s troublesome knee is going to become a concern if it does not allow him to do what makes him an effective player on the field. He had two surgeries through the course of last season, which ultimately landed him on injured reserve. We’ll try to get an accurate update on his situation when OTAs start up here next week. If he’s healthy and available I would expect Mike Pettine will find a role for him.

3 – Chris,

Love the work that you do on buffalobills.com. I got a question for you, as I’m sure most people do when they email you. Now that Chris Kelsay has retired, is Mario Williams going to be taking up jersey number 90? I remember Kelsey wouldn’t give it up last year, but obviously that problem is no longer there.

Thanks for the hard work,

John W

CB: Thanks for the kind words. As it has been explained to me Mario has chosen to keep jersey number 94, which I’m sure has every Bills fan with a Mario jersey breathing a sigh of relief.

4 – Hey Chris ,

I was just wondering if Kyle Williams has decided to or has gotten surgery on his other foot . Toward the end of last season i remembering that there where reports of his foot giving him some trouble & that he was going to wait until after the pro bowl so he could get the surgery done . To this point I haven’t read anywhere if he has had that done. If after the surgery he had last year he felt a 100 times better & if he had both feet done he may be even more of a force than he has been.
Well thanks again for all you do for the fans !!

Mr. T from Fort Myers via Nashville

CB: Yes, Kyle Williams did have surgery on his other Achilles in mid-February. He’s still not cleared to participate in any way at this time just three months removed from surgery. So it’s clear, much like his surgery last year it was not a ruptured Achilles that can take up to a year to heal. Instead it was a frayed Achilles. In such an instance doctors detach the Achilles, repair and strengthen, then lay it back down and re-attach it. Rehab last year was about five months.

When Kyle is ready to discuss it we’ll have the details on his outlook for you.

5 – Chris,

Thanks for the excellent coverage on the 2013 NFL draft.  Now that it’s over, could you explain exactly how the Bills work their “Board” with photos or diagrams.  You can use fictitious names but I’d like to follow how the have the players ranked and then how they work the board as the draft is proceeding.  Is it set up in columns by position and in rows by ranking?  I have a hard time visualizing how it’s set up.  I would appreciate a detailed explanation or if you could create an article for it that would be even better.

Thanks,
Ed White

CB: Actually you’ve got a good handle on it. Positions run across the top of the board from left to right with players grouped by position vertically in columns underneath those position headings. Then the draft grades run down the left side of the board in order 1-7. So a player at the top of the board will have a first-round grade all the way across no matter the position. And so on down the board.

The Bills also have a priority free agent board by position so they can effectively target the best of the undrafted prospects too.

Free agent Dansby signs with Cards

Free agent LB Karlos Dansby has decided to sign with the team where his NFL career began.

The Arizona Cardinals team site has officially announced the signing. Dansby was a former 2004 draft choice of the Cardinals. The team confirmed it’s a one-year deal.

Dansby played for Miami the past three seasons. He made a free agent visit to One Bills Drive a few days prior to the NFL draft.

Mario ranked #72 in NFL Top 100

We told you right here on Thursday that a Bills player would be featured in the NFL Top 100 Countdown segment from 80-71. That player was Mario Williams.

Here was his video segment from NFL.com.

Marrone on the 2 sides to tempo

It’s been pretty evident that the Bills offense will be operating at a very high tempo through most of their games come this fall. Head coach Doug Marrone and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett believe that a fast pace is an advantage for an offense. But Marrone has pointed out that there are two sides to a team’s tempo.

Participating in an hour long Fan Forum with Bills season ticketholders this week, Marrone explained that an offense can’t blindly go 100 miles per hour all the time, without recognition of time and score.

“I think with tempo what you’re trying to get done is statistically the amount of possessions you have per game equal the amount of points you score, so the tempo you run is not a gadget,” Marrone said. ”The aim is to get more possessions, knowing more possessions will get you more scores. We will use that as much as possible.

“The thing I want to make sure everyone understands is we do have the ability to huddle and the ability to slow the game down if we wanted to. If we’re ahead on the scoreboard and we’re in a four-minute situation and you want to slow the game down, we have the ability to do that. We practice both right now and that will continue in terms of tempo. I like playing fast. I think you have a great advantage with that.”

Marrone: We’re playing for a higher calling

During his hour long Fan Forum with Bills season ticketholders this week, Bills head coach Doug Marrone was asked how he intends to motivate a group of players that he has inherited and are new to his ways of coaching. Marrone indicated that he and the players have worked on building a relationship here in the offseason and that he has been clear about their purpose here both coaches and players for the Bills organization.

“We’re working together. I meet with players daily, talk to them daily. We’re here and they’re here for a reason,” Marrone said. ”What’s going to be our tradition? What are we going to leave behind? I’ve talked about the higher calling. If you’re playing for yourself and you’re playing for the money, then you’re playing for the wrong reasons. When we were all kids and we played this game we didn’t have coaches. But we went out there and played as hard as we could. We did it all on our own. Why does it change? Why does it change? It shouldn’t.

“We’re fortunate. Less than one percent of the people get to do this in the world. We should go out there and play. We’re playing for a championship. We’re playing for a trophy. We’re playing for a higher calling. We’re playing for an organization that shouldn’t be going through this. Shouldn’t be going through this! People in this area should not be going through this. We have to change that.

“We have the ability to affect a region, by putting a productive, winning football team out there. That’s our higher calling. If you’re not buying into that then you don’t need to be here. You can go play for some other team. We don’t want those kinds of players on our football team.”