Inside The Bills

4 Bills on All-AFC East team

Four Bills made the All-AFC East team in 2009 for ProFootballFocus.

ProFootballFocus is a statistic intense site that plows through every snap of every game in the NFL season, which may explain why it’s taken until mid-March for them to release their All-AFC East team.

In any event their comprehensive study of every player on every snap of every game in 2009 gave four Bills players All-AFC East honors.

They were Fred Jackson, Paul Posluszny, George Wilson and Brian Moorman.

Jackson got it mainly for his 4.5 ypc avg. despite what they termed poor blocking while also making 38 would be tacklers miss on the season.

Poz was credited for blitzing and covering well and his solid tackling skills as they had him down for just six missed tackles (a miniscule number for a MLB).

Wilson was given kudos for his consistent play and producing big plays (4 INTs, 2 sacks).

Moorman’s impressive 40-yard net average was the main factor in earning him an All-Division nod.

Moorman credits good coaching

Bills punter Brian Moorman, who was named to the league’s All-Decade Team made sure to credit his coaches for his success.

“That’s part of the reason why I was chosen,” said Moorman. “I had good coaching the last nine seasons in Danny (Smith) and Bobby (April).”

Now Moorman will make another transition to new special teams coach Bruce DeHaven.

“I’m looking forward to working with him,” Moorman said. “I’ve heard nothing but good things about him from Steve Christie, Chris Mohr and Steve Tasker.”

Every time a player has a new position coach there is a feeling out process, but having been through it before and being an established player Moorman is confident they’ll be able to get on the same page quickly.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had to,” said Moorman of getting used to a new position coach after having Bobby April the past six seasons. ”Normally whenever a coach inherits a veteran, they’re normally hands off when what you’ve been doing has been working. We’ll pick each other’s brain and find out what works for him and what works for me.”

DeHaven is in a good position to succeed quickly under Chan Gailey with a veteran kicker and punter as well as proven return talent and an up and coming long snapper.

Unique asset for DeHaven

Bills punter Brian Moorman has been through coaching changes before as the most tenured player on the roster. He’s also had two different special teams coaches in Danny Smith and Bobby April. With a new position coach coming in there’s usually a bit of uncertainty with what kind of approach they’ll have, but Moorman does feel good about one particular area of expertise with new special teams coach Bruce DeHaven.

“I know a lot about him just from talking to guys like Steve Tasker, Steve Christie and Chris Mohr and those guys, and they all speak highly of him so I look forward to working with him,” Moorman told Buffalobills.com. ”But most important is since he coached here for 13 years he knows the weather here and the stadium and he know what to expect and the adjustments we have to make to remain effective in it.”

Moorman in his time as a punter has run across special teams coaches that take the blind approach of telling their punter to “just kick it.” He knows with a veteran special teams coach like DeHaven, who also has knowledge of the wind patterns in the stadium as well as how the weather in Buffalo can impact a game, that they’ll be that much further ahead heading into offseason workouts. 

Even coach Gailey mentioned DeHaven’s knowledge of conditions in Ralph Wilson Stadium, which are unique, as an asset.

Moorman makes All-Decade Team

Congrats to Bills punter Brian Moorman who was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team Sunday night.

Moorman was one of two punters selected along with Oakland’s Shane Lechler, as the NFL unveiled the All-Decade Team roster at halftime of the Pro Bowl, Sunday evening.

Moorman was the Bills lone representative. The All-Decade Teams are chosen by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

The roster was made up of a total of 53 players along with two head coaches, which were Bill Belichick and Tony Dungy.

Schobel still not going to Pro Bowl

Even though a total of 14 more players, including seven for the AFC are being added to the Pro Bowl rosters, to replace the Colts and Saints players that are exempt because they’ll be playing in the Super Bowl, Aaron Schobel is still not going as a defensive end.

Both of Indianapolis’ defensive ends, Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney made the Pro Bowl, but cannot participate since they’ll be playing in the Super Bowl the following week. Aaron Schobel, however, was apparently not voted as an alternate as going in place of the two Colts’ pass rushers are the Jets Shaun Ellis and Tennessee’s Kyle Vanden Bosch.

What hurt Schobel’s chances was the fact that he had his three sack game against the Falcons in Week 16 that got him to 10 for the season, happened after the voting by coaches and players had already been completed. Kyle Williams was a third alternate for the AFC, but there were no defensive tackles that had to be replaced. The situation was the same for Brian Moorman a first alternate as there was no need to replace Oakland punter Shane Lechler.

Here’s the list of alternate Pro Bowl players filling in for Super Bowl participants. Congratulations to former Bills LB London Fletcher, who will be appearing in his first Pro Bowl.

Added to the AFC Pro Bowl roster are:

QB David Garrard, Jacksonville (replacing Peyton Manning)
WR Vincent Jackson, San Diego (replacing Reggie Wayne)
TE Heath Miller, Pittsburgh (replacing Dallas Clark)
C Kevin Mawae, Tennessee (replaces Jeff Saturday)
DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, Tennessee (replacing Dwight Freeney)
DE Shaun Ellis, N.Y. Jets (replacing Robert Mathis)
S Yeremiah Bell, Miami (replacing Antoine Bethea)

Added to the NFC Pro Bowl roster are:

QB Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia (replacing Drew Brees)
OT David Diehl, N.Y. Giants (replacing Jon Stinchcomb)
OG Chris Snee, N.Y. Giants (replacing Jahri Evans)
C Ryan Kalil, Carolina (replacing Jonathan Goodwin)
LB London Fletcher, Washington (replacing Jonathan Vilma)
FS Antrel Rolle, Arizona (replacing Darren Sharper)
SS Quintin Mikell, Philadelphia (replacing Roman Harper)

Other Pro Bowl candidates besides Byrd

While Jairus Byrd is absolutely a prime candidate for AFC Pro Bowl honors, there are a few other Bills players with some statistics that put them in the Pro Bowl conversation as well.

Here’s a rundown of players that will be in the hunt when player and coach voting end on Wednesday.

P Brian Moorman – 2nd in AFC in net punting avg. (41), 2nd in gross avg. (46.6) and 6th in punts inside the 20 (23). He also has the longest punt of the season in the AFC (73 yards).

DE Aaron Schobel – Tied for 5th in AFC in sacks with 7, 5th in tackles and has an interception return for a TD.

DT Marcus Stroud – Leads all AFC DTs in pass breakups (8), third among DTs with 52 tackles,

DT Kyle Williams – Leads all AFC DTs with 58 tackles, tied for 4th in sacks (3).

Pro Bowl voting ends Monday

Fan voting ends Monday for the Pro Bowl. So make sure you cast your votes for Jairus Byrd, Brian Moorman, Rian Lindell and any other Bills you feel are worthy by going to NFL.com now!

Bills won’t be thinking about streak

The Bills losing streak to the Patriots is well documented. It’s at 12 games and counting and is the longest in Patriots franchise history over another opponent. But the players won’t be thinking about the streak at all when they take the field Sunday.

“I don’t think you can go out there and think about the streak,” said Donte Whitner. ”We have to focus on that one football game. If you’re thinking about the streak it can discourage you if you think about that. I think we have an opportunity to go out and do something special especially in light of the things that have happened this season. If we can go out and win this football game it will say a lot about our coaching staff and our players and where we want to go.”

“Every game is a new game and I think they’re a different team than we played at the beginning of the season,” said Brian Moorman. ”It’s just a matter of going out and playing our game and stick to our game plan that coach Fewell and the other coaches have put together and hopefully come out victorious.”

“You take the field Sunday with one purpose and one purpose only and that’s to win that game,” said Chris Kelsay. ”We know what (the streak) is, there’s no doubt about it, but Sunday is all business. We’ll go out there try to play our best football and get a win doing it.”

The only people that will be thinking about it at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday will be the Bills fans, who will no doubt be hoping against hope that this awful streak can come to an end.

Moorman has shot at elusive number

Brian Moorman won’t be the first punt to eclipse the 40-yard net punting average if he’s above that figure at season’s end, but it would be the first time in his career that he’s pulled it off.

After Sunday’s masterful performance in which he finished with a net average of 53, Moorman’s net average for the season is now 41.4, good for third in the league behind San Fran’s Andy Lee (41.8) and Oakland’s Shane Lechler (44.3) — (what’s up with kicking in the Bay area?).

It’s difficult to punt for distance in the cold when the ball turns into a rock, but with one game left in a dome when the Bills play Atlanta on Dec. 27, Moorman should have a shot at being a member of the over 40 club provided he doesn’t have any shanks or mis-hits against New England or Indy in Week 15 and 17.

Be sure to vote for Moorman for the Pro Bowl as he’s on pace to have his best season in terms of net punting average, the benchmark stat for punters.

Moorman gets national recognition

Brian Moorman’s big time punting day Sunday did not go unnoticed. SI.com’s Peter King made him his Special Teams Player of the Week.

Here’s what King wrote.

Moorman punted four times for a 53-yard average — with not a single return yard — at Kansas City, with these exact results: a 46-yard punt to the Kansas City 10, a 52-yard punt to the Kansas City 9, a 73-yard punt to the Kansas City 7, and a 41-yard punt to the Kansas City 27 (the slacker!). The Bills-Chiefs game was totally invisible to the masses Sunday (rightfully so), and I don’t want to let a superior performance get lost because of the meaninglessness of the game.

Moorman also alertly called timeout when the play clock was winding down before Rian Lindell’s 41-yard attempt to prevent a delay of game penalty. He also deftly handled a low snap on a FG. His 53-yard net average was ridiculous.

Bills kick game specialists roughing it

Anyone that holds to the old football adage that kickers and punters aren’t real football players need only see what Brian Moorman and Rian Lindell did for practice Thursday.

With high wind advisories and blowing and drifting snow whipping through Western New York last night and today, the Bills practiced inside as there was little they would accomplish in 30-40 mph winds and a foot of snow on the ground. But while the offense and defense practiced inside, Moorman and Lindell went with long snapper Garrison Sanborn out to the grass field, which was adrift with snow and driving winds.

Lindell peeked out the door of the Bills fieldhouse and said, “Oh it’s not that bad.”

To which Moorman replied, “Yeah but you don’t have to sit in it.”

Moorman was referring to his duties as Lindell’s holder. Moorman sits down on one leg for field goal holds, which he was going to be doing in the snow.

Special teams coordinator Bobby April accompanied his specialists out in the elements.

The forecast for Kansas City this weekend is cold, but snow is not expected.

Moorman wins award

Bills punter Brian Moorman has received an award from USA Football.

Moorman was named to the USA Football/NFLPA All-Fundamentals Team as the punter.

One of 25 NFL players named to the team, Moorman, like his peers, was selected for playing with solid fundamentals and displaying positive character both on and off the field.

Players were also recognized for their community work and Moorman’s PUNT Foundation has long been recognized for its work to assist children and their families battling pediatric cancer.

“I’d like thank USA Football and the committee for considering me for such an honor. When it comes down to fundamentals it’s a testament to our coaches and especially coach April being so patient with me all the time, and helping me do the things I need to do on the field to be successful,” said Moorman. “We’re also very involved in the community and I feel like it’s important to be a role model to the youth of our area. It’s why we started our foundation to hopefully make a difference in the community.”

Moorman also received a $1,500 equipment grant from USA Football, which he can designate to a WNY football program of his choice.

Two point attempt was impromptu

For those that may have been wondering if Buffalo’s two-point conversion attempt was planned after the Owens TD, it wasn’t.

Brian Moorman, to his credit, admitted he bobbled the snap as he was trying to get it down.

“When I put it down it was flat on the ground so I had to improvise,” said Moorman.

The punter almost hit Ryan Denney who released off the line on the broken play, but it was just out of the defensive lineman’s reach.

Moorman now #1 pinner

Bills punter Brian Moorman is now the number one pinner in team history.

No, Moorman is not some wrestling enthusiast. With his one punt downed inside the 20 this past Sunday he broke his tie with former Bills punter Chris Mohr for the most punts inside the 20-yard line in a career with 191.

Moorman is still one of the best in the league at pinnning opponents deep in their own territory with a solid coverage unit providing top notch assistance.

Jacoby Jones has some stones

Texans punt returner Jacoby Jones is doing something I’ve never seen before in pre-game warmups.

Typically before games punters and kickers are out on the field first to get a last gauge on how the weather conditions are affecting their kicks to inform the coaching staff.

They often punt balls to their equipment managers who retrieve the balls and get them back to the long snapper at the other end of the field as quickly as possible.

But their was an interloper today on the field. Texans punt returner Jacoby Jones ventured to the Bills side of the field and began catching Brian Moorman’s punts in pre-game warmups.

I’ve got to give him credit to trying to prepare for what he’ll see in the game. It’s a bit of a bold move, but no one chased him out of there. Jones will be that much more ready for a Moorman punt.

Moorman wine pairing tonight

Tickets  are still available for Brian Moorman charity wine pairing tonight at Asbury Hall in Buffalo.

Moorman’s PUNT Foundation is presenting the event, which will feature wine tasting and gourmet cuisine. Several local celebrities as well as some of Moorman’s teammates will be on hand this evening.

To reserve a table or order tickets by phone, you can call Kathy Gust at 716.713.7546 or visit www.brianmoorman.org.

Wednesday player radio appearances

The rundown for Wednesday on the radio airwaves are as follows.

Chris Kelsay – Norton in the Morning, 97 Rock @ 7:10 AM

Brian Moorman – Shredd and Ragan, Player of the Week – 103.3 The Edge, @ 4:15 pm

Wednesday player radio appearances

Here’s the rundown of player appearances for the Bills on Wednesday.

Brian Moorman  – Norton in the Morning, 97 Rock @ 7:00 AM

Chris Kelsay  – Shredd and Ragan – Player of the Week, 103.3 The Edge @ 4:15 PM

Brown’s Best – Week 3

Not a whole lot to be proud of after Sunday’s game, but the defense certainly turned in some solid plays for three quarters of the game. Here’s the rundown.

BEST STOP: Chris Kelsay, Kawika Mitchell – Their tackle on Reggie Bush on 4th-and-2 forced a rare New Orleans turnover on downs. Buffalo now has a fourth down stop in each of their three games this season.

BEST SACRIFICE: Brian Moorman – The Bills punter took a wicked shot from Jonathan Vilma just as he released his 25-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Denney. Moorman paid a price for those points.

BEST SOLO PLAY: Aaron Schobel – With New Orleans threatening at the Bills’ 32, Schobel backed his offensive tackle up into Drew Brees, reached around him stripped the ball, sacked Brees and then recovered the fumble.

BEST THIRD DOWN PLAY: Chris Kelsay – The Bills defensive end sacked Drew Brees on a 3rd-and-8 forcing the Saints to punt again late in the first half.

BEST SERIES: Spencer Johnson, Kyle Williams, Chris Kelsay – After the Bills went three-and-out on offense early in the fourth quarter down seven, Buffalo’s defense did the same to New Orleans offense. Spencer Johnson stopped Pierre Thomas for no gain on first down, Kyle Williams pressured Drew Brees into an incompletion on second down and Kelsay got pressure on Brees on third down to force another errant throw, and ultimately a punt.

BEST EFFORT: Fred Jackson – Despite being a focus of the Saints defense for a good portion of the game, Jackson still managed to put up 97 yards from scrimmage on the day.

BEST TACKLER: Chris Kelsay – He was one of the leading tacklers with eight in the game, had two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit. Honorable mention to Bryan Scott.

Bills elected captains are dead on

The Bills players appear to have done a solid job of selecting their captains.

Trent Edwards and Paul Posluszny have stepped forward as more demonstrative leaders this offseason and their teammates have come to recognize that.

Lee Evans does his leadership with his play more than anything and when times are tough steps forward and answers the tough questions from the media. George Wilson also serves the team in this capacity and is a selfless team player that is well respected in the locker room.

Kawika Mitchell and Brian Moorman are fiery players that wear their emotions on their sleeve on game day and inspire their teammates.

All six choices were appropriate.