Inside The Bills

Gailey names left tackle

Head coach Chan Gailey has decided on his starting left tackle for the 2012 regular season.

Second-round pick Cordy Glenn will be the starting blind side protector of Ryan Fitzpatrick heading into the 2012 campaign. Glenn has had some ups and downs in the preseason in facing Pro Bowl pass rushers in Brian Orakpo and Jared Allen in his first two preseason games, but Gailey and his offensive staff believe all Glenn needs is time on the job.

“Cordy has got great ability,” said Gailey. “His ability is not the issue. It’s the playing time. He needs as much playing time as he can get. I think if he gets playing time he has a chance to be a really good football player. He’s not done great against the two good pass rushers he’s faced, but he’s done okay. I think we see a great upside.”

More on this developing story on Buffalobills.com later this evening.

Fan Friday 8-10

Well preseason game number one is in the books. Just another four days of camp and the team returns to One Bills Drive. Let’s get to your questions from AskChris@bills.nfl.net and @ChrisBrownBills on twitter.

1 - Chris,
I was wondering what kind if influence an improved defense would have on the offensive play calling?  If (IF) this bill’s defense can live up to its billing, will Fitzpatrick need to throw as much?

CB: I asked both Chan Gailey and Ryan Fitzpatrick this very question a while back. Both indicated that when you’re playing with a lead more often there’s less of a need to take risks. Here’s exactly what they had to say about your question.

“You have a football team,” said Gailey. “You don’t have an offense, a defense and special teams. You have a football team and the objective is to win the game. So you’re always adjusting to what the situation in the game is and if we’re in closer ball games and we have leads you do change your thought process and the way you approach the game. And it allows Fitz to alter the way he approaches the game a little bit. We’ve got to continue to work that because we’ve not been in that situation in the last couple of years.”

“I think it allows you to limit the risks you take,” said Fitzpatrick. “I think if you’re in games all the time and not falling behind whether it’s from a poor performance early from the offense or whatever it is, you certainly have to be a smarter and more reserved quarterback. With our offense there are going to be times where we take chances because that’s what makes us good as well. But there’s a balance we have to find there in terms of when we’re taking those chances and when to take the checkdown.”

2 - Hey Chris,

Thanks for your daily articles and updates.  I had a question about offensive tackle based on your latest article.  A lot of scouts seem to believe that both Glenn and Hairston could be great RT’s.  So why is there only competition at LT?  I think Pears played well last year at RT and I’m glad we have him, but I think he still has plenty to prove.  It’s not like he’s an All-Pro, but it seems like he’s just being handed the RT job without having to compete for it.  Why shouldn’t the loser of the LT competition be considered for the starting spot on the right side?  Isn’t it possible that Glenn and Hairston could be the two best OT’s on the team?

 Thanks,
Ed
Denver, CO

CB: It’s my opinion that Erik Pears had a very good season last year from start to finish. He was a much stronger player after spending an offseason in Buffalo’s conditioning program and put on 20 pounds. His play was rewarded with a three-year contract extension.

Right now he’s working back from a groin strain in camp, so Hairston has been forced to line up on the right side. I think part of the reason RT has been Pears job and his job only (before injury) is because he played very consistently last season and is a veteran presence on what is a pretty young line.

I’m not saying at some point the player that finishes second in the LT competition can’t be the team’s starting right tackle, but I think there’s value in continuity as well and keeping Pears at RT knowing he can do the job is viewed as the best idea by the staff moving forward (provided he’s healthy).

3 - Hey Chris,

My question is who are going to be the backups in the secondary? Where do you see Bryan Scott? Do you see much from Searcy? There was a lot of talk about him when the Bills drafted him but hadn’t heard much.

Respectfully,

bigfoot21 here is sunny South Carolina.

CB: Bryan Scott is a linebacker in the nickel packages and that’s really the extent of his role. Da’Norris Searcy as we’ve mentioned several times in our daily Practice Notes reports has been getting time with the starting unit rotating in for both George Wilson and Jairus Byrd. I think the staff wants to try to find a role for him presumably in a subpackage (nickel, dime).

I think sooner rather than later Searcy will be making an impact on Buffalo’s defense. He’s been impressive in the time he’s been with the ones on the practice field. We’ll see what he can do in the preseason.

4 - Hi Chris, thanks for all the information through the years. Living in San Diego, my son and I only see the Bills in enemy territory. I am trying to take him back to Buffalo to show him how a real football crowd is.

My question is does Shawn Powell or John Potter have any realistic chance making this team? Though I like the veterans, these young players look pretty good and it might be time for a change. Again thanks, Art
CB: I think Potter could make the roster as a kickoff specialist and kicker on long field goal attempts 55-yards plus. Chan Gailey has made no secret of his feelings about what kind of a weapon he believes Potter can be if he can prove that he can deliver touchbacks with regularity. He basically told me that if Potter can guarantee the opponent is starting in their own 20-yard line every time then it’s worth using a roster spot.

As for Powell I think he’s got an uphill battle. He has raw talent, but he’s not as consistent or polished as Moorman. In a year where the Bills are gunning for the playoffs you keep the guy you can count on punt in and punt out.

5 - Hi Chris, thank you for taking my question.

Is Vince Young getting the same attention from Coach Lee on his mechanics and decision making as Fitz is? And if so is he seeing any improvement in his game?

I appreciate your insight. Thanks!

- Chris Kenyon (Albany, NY)

CB: Vince Young is being schooled on the same lower body mechanics as Fitz. The same with Thigpen. A quarterbacks coach works with all of his players and David Lee is no different. Young has performed better over the past week of camp with his accuracy. Young’s arm delivery isn’t prototype, but because he’s so tall it’s a throwing motion that can work in the NFL.

Timetable for LT competition?

While head coach Chan Gailey has made it clear that neither Chris Hairston nor Cordy Glenn has done anything to separate themselves from the other in their much publicized left tackle competition, what is certain is sooner or later Gailey and his offensive staff will have to make a call on who is going to be the starter going into the regular season.

Currently on the team’s depth chart, Hairston is listed as the starting left tackle. Naturally a lot of what happens in the preseason games will either change that or keep it the same. Gailey knows with two young players at that position it’d be great if one of them could really set themselves apart to get the spot settled for the games that count come September. If that doesn’t happen then it appears he has a timetable in mind on making a call for that competition.

“Well you would like for it to be settled, but you can’t force it to be settled,” said Gailey. ”I don’t want to force anything. A lot of times injury forces you to do things and I would rather not force it until we feel like we have to. Maybe with two weeks to go before the first game you make that decision and even though they’re close you make a decision and go with it.”

Two weeks before the opener on Sept. 9th would peg a decision to be made on the starting left tackle spot around Aug. 19th, just a couple of days after the second preseason game.

Depth chart at LT

The team’s first official depth chart is out and the order at the battleground position of left tackle isn’t surprising.

Second-year lineman Chris Hairston is listed as the starter at left tackle with second-round pick Cordy Glenn as the backup. Typically going into the first preseason game the nod is given to the more experienced player. To his credit though Hairston has been a bit more consistent in the practice setting than Glenn.

The coaches started having Hairston work at both left and right tackle in Friday’s practice. Hairston doesn’t seem to care as long as he’s on the field.

“I’ve got to bring something to this team and whatever I can do that’s what I want to do,” Hairston told Buffalobills.com. ”Whatever coach asks of me that’s what I’ve got to get done.”

Hairston made seven starts at left tackle last season and appeared in 13 games.

Glenn, Hairston quiet as kept

Although Bills head coach Chan Gailey doesn’t sound all that satisfied with what has transpired at the left tackle spot in the way of the competition between Cordy Glenn and Chris Hairston, left guard Andy Levitre has found working with both of them to be relatively straightforward.

“I feel like I know the offense pretty well so whoever is over there I can help out with calls and stuff like that,” Levitre told Buffalobills.com. ”Both those guys are pretty smart over there so it makes it a little easier for me. Cordy really hasn’t had, I still help him out, but he hasn’t had many questions. He’s picked up the offense really quick. He’s a smart guy and probably just needs to clean up some technical things and he should be alright.”

Hairston meanwhile started seven games last season at left tackle next to Levitre so there’s a measure of comfort there too.

Mario’s take on LTs

Bills DE Mario Williams hasn’t faced either one of Buffalo’s left tackles competing for the starting job, but he’s seen enough practice tape and watched enough of the one-on-one drills to have an opinion.

“They are doing a great job,” he said. ”I will say Chris Hairston has very good feet for a big guy. They are both outstanding guys. Good pass blockers, good run blockers. As long as they are into the scheme, understand the calls and know what to do amongst the system everything will be alright. I think they are looking pretty good.”

Glenn and Hairston continue to rotate in and out with the first team every other practice.

RDE-LT observation

With the starting left tackle role changing daily between Chris Hairston and Cordy Glenn there’s one thing that needs to be considered… who each of them is facing.

What’s interesting is the starting RDE position is also rotating daily between Chris Kelsay and Mark Anderson.

Through the first four days of practice when Hairston has started at left tackle, Anderson has started at right defensive end.

When Glenn is the starting LT he’s gone against Kelsay.

Knowing Anderson is the more accomplished pass rusher and Kelsay more of an all-around player, one could argue that Hairston has had a bit more of a challenge in the passing game work. However, Glenn has had his hands full with Kelsay.

One would think who candidates for a starting job go against in practice would be taken into account in deciding which player is the man for the job.

What to expect at practice

With respect to some of the position battles going on at Bills training camp, here’s what you can expect to see with at least two of the positions.

As anticipated, rookie Cordy Glenn will get reps with the starting unit at left tackle. Chris Hairston got those reps on day one of camp practices.

A similar situation is taking place at the starting right defensive end position. On day one Mark Anderson took the reps there. This afternoon it’s expected that veteran Chris Kelsay will see the snaps with the first unit. Shawne Merriman is also believed to be part of that rotation.

Where Hairston might have an edge

It’s clear that the Bills brass want to get Cordy Glenn as ready as possible as soon as possible for the starting left tackle role. But there’s one thing that his chief competitor for the starting job has on the rookie, NFL regular season playing experience.

Hairston appeared in 13 NFL games as a rookie including seven starts at left tackle and he did it without the benefit of any OTAs or minicamp practices. He just jumped right in at training camp. The second-year Clemson product intends to channel that experience to the practice field at training camp.

“Just being able to play out there against the likes of Osi (Umenyiora), (Jason) Babin, I mean you name it we come against one every week,” Hairston said. ”It was pretty special and I took that experience and tried to really soak it in. This year I want to use it to my best advantage.”

Facing those pass rushing talents along with Mario Williams every day in practice this spring certainly didn’t hurt Hairston’s progress. I’m not saying the Hairston will beat out Glenn or that Glenn will beat out Hairston. What I will say is this could prove to be a competition that’s a lot closer than most believe. The proof will be in the pads.

Hairston primed for opportunity

Bills OT Chris Hairston knows second-round pick Cordy Glenn will be garnering all the attention at training camp with respect to the left tackle competition that will ensue when they report to St. John Fisher in a couple of weeks. Hairston doesn’t care about the hype. He’s focused on producing results knowing roles on an NFL club don’t get much bigger than starting left tackle.

“It’s definitely the biggest opportunity to date that I’ve had here with this organization,” Hairston told Buffalobills.com. ”I just want to take advantage of it fully and do everything I can to just be the right guy for that position. But all I can do is be the best player I can be and put it all out on the field and let those guys decide. I just work here you know?”

Hairston sounds as if he has the right mindset going into his competition with Glenn. Be focused and determined, but don’t get caught up in who is getting first and second team reps, and save your best for the preseason games.

“It’s a part of the business. It happens every year at every position,” said Hairston of seeing Cordy Glenn and Zebrie Sanders drafted. ”I came in and there was a tackle here before me. Years and years have gone by with tackles being drafted. You just have to come in a work and do what I can do. I can only control what I can and that has nothing to do with upper management. I just play here. I’m ready to do what I can to make myself a player.”

Left tackle update

Even though Cordy Glenn took all the first team reps at left tackle in the OTAs and minicamp it doesn’t mean he’s got the inside track on landing the starting job.

That according to head coach Chan Gailey, who confirmed that come training camp it’ll be a two-man competition between Glenn and Chris Hairston. Gailey was asked about Glenn’s spring and whether he’s got an upper hand on the blind side position.

“He has the ability,” said Gailey of Glenn. ”Now there are a lot of guys with a bunch of ability that are home today. But he has the ability, it’s can he transition that into pads and the speed of the game? Minicamp is just one speed. There’s another speed when you go to at training camp. There’s another speed when you hit preseason games. There’s another speed when you hit the regular season and still another speed when you reach the playoffs. So can you transition with all those speed changes, that’s a different deal. But he and Chris (Hairston) will be working at left tackle. I don’t know who will win that job.”

Hairston worked exclusively at right tackle with incumbent right tackle Erik Pears unable to participate in any of the spring practices due to hernia surgery. He’s expected to be full go come training camp allowing Hairston to compete with Glenn on the left side in late July and August.

Gilmore, Glenn meeting expectations

When you’re drafted high you’re expected to produce early and be on the field a lot. Through the first two weeks plus of OTAs, Buffalo’s top two draft choices have not disappointed.

“So far they’ve done a good job,” said head coach Chan Gailey of Stephon Gilmore and Cordy Glenn. ”I don’t see any reason that they would not be playing quite a bit this coming season if things continue to progress. All of a sudden they hit a wall you never know, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen with either one of those two.”

Gilmore is competing for a starting outside cornerback job, while Glenn will be in direct competition with Chris Hairston for the starting left tackle position.

Glenn’s development steady

It’s still not real football for offensive and defensive linemen so truly gauging the progress of second-round pick Cordy Glenn at the left tackle position is not easy to determine. Midway through three weeks of OTA practices however, head coach Chan Gailey sees the big lineman improving his game.

“He’s done a good job. He’s got some things to learn,” said Gailey. ”The speed of this game is so different. So he’s got a lot of learning to do. He’s got physical talent and he’s got ability. He’s got a work ethic that will allow him to get there. He just needs as many reps as he can possibly get between now and the first game of the year.”

Gailey realizes playing offensive tackle against the best pass rushers in football is a challenging transition from college, but sees Glenn as a player capable of successfully traveling that learning curve.

“It takes a lot of hard work,” said Gailey. ”You’ve got to stay healthy. You’ve got to get a bunch of reps. We think Cordy can make that transition, but he’s got to get a lot of reps.”

To this point in OTAs Glenn has taken every rep with the first team offense at left tackle as they try to get him as much exposure to the position, the offense and Buffalo’s top pass rushers.

Rooks: key is following vet’s lead

Players often talk about mental reps when they’re the ones not getting the physical reps in the practice setting. Most of Buffalo’s rookies are going to need to learn to acquire that skill knowing the veterans are in most cases going to be getting the lion’s share of the time on the field.

As OTAs begin today, the rookies are going to need to make the most of the individual position drill segments. That’s when everyone gets reps. More importantly it’s time for the young players to watch the vets and learn how to most effectively execute drills and techniques to improve their own game.

Finally for the rookies it’s all about being able to adjust and adapt.

“I just going to continue working on listening to what the coach is telling me,” said OT Cordy Glenn. ”Just trying to pick up the new things. It’s different from college, a little of that. Just trying to be coachable.”

Exclusive Glenn 1-on-1

Our exclusive one-on-one interview with second-round pick Cordy Glenn just moments after he signed his rookie contract is ready for viewing.

Glenn heaved a sigh after he finished signing all his paperwork and talked about the relief of putting the business side of football behind him.

Parameters for Glenn

As draft choices across the league continue to sign, the contract parameters, if they needed to be narrowed down anymore have been for second-round pick Cordy Glenn.

That’s because Chiefs second-round pick Jeff Allen has signed his four-year deal with Kansas City according to reports. Allen, an offensive tackle from Illinois went 44th overall, just three picks after Glenn. Add in the fact that Allen plays the same position (though he might play guard for KC) and his contract numbers can often aid other negotiations in the vicinity of Allen, like Glenn in round two.

Buffalo has just their top three draft choices left unsigned, as six were signed last week.

Nix on how Glenn pick came to be

As part of our Inside the draft room special on Buffalobills.com, GM Buddy Nix and head coach Chan Gailey walk us through what happened in the draft room through the course of the team’s first three choices, and what teams were interested in making possible moves with Buffalo.

After taking Stephon Gilmore in round one, the Bills zeroed in on Cordy Glenn with their second-round pick. But with only two offensive tackles coming off the board in round one there was concern that the run on tackles could start before Buffalo’s ninth pick in round 2.

“We were concerned,” said Nix. ”The thing we felt good about was we had four guys at that pick (that we liked) and we thought one of the four would be there. We didn’t know if it would be a tackle or not. As it turned out it was, but one of the four would’ve been there.”

Knowing there were eight picks before Buffalo’s and they had four players they liked at 41, I followed up by asking Buddy if they were sweating just a bit.

“Obviously you sweat it. You can’t help but have your favorites,” he said. ”We kind of knew what five of the picks were going to be and we knew our guys were going to be there.”

Be sure to watch our exclusive Inside the Draft Room piece in its entirety. It’s stuff you won’t find anywhere else.

Mayock on Bills draft

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock is still wrapping up his reviews of each NFL club’s draft haul last week. He just gave the following synopsis on Buffalo’s draft class.

Appearing on the Rich Eisen podcast, Mayock was encouraged by the talent the Bills collected with their nine picks, and is apparently a big fan of Tank Carder.

“Buffalo takes [Stephon] Gilmore and I thought they might go [Luke] Kuechly or Mark Barron, but they were both gone at that point,” he said. ”They take the longest corner in the draft who might end up having to cover tight ends going forward in New England. I really like the two offensive linemen, a position of need. Cordy Glenn can play right tackle or inside, Zebrie Sanders is a left tackle that slid a little bit just because of a lack of consistency, not because of a lack talent. Tank Carder, he is one of the more instinctive inside linebackers in the draft; Dave Wannstedt will love him. Even though he is only a fifth-round pick, he’ll get everybody lined up, he’ll be the first guy in the building, he’ll play all four special teams. He’s just a good guy to have around.”

A lot of the so called draft experts don’t believe Glenn can be a left tackle, but after starting 18 games at left tackle in the SEC Buffalo’s personnel department is convinced.

“Hell no he’s not a guard,” said Bills GM Buddy Nix of Glenn. ”He started 50 games and the last 16 were at left tackle. We put it out there and tried to spread the rumor that he was a guard to hope somebody wouldn’t take him.”

Nix on why OT Sanders slid

By many accounts Florida State OT Zebrie Sanders was a third-round prospect, but the Bills landed him in the middle of round five. What happened? Bills GM Buddy Nix had a theory.

“I’ll tell you why he was there I think, he had a bad Senior Bowl,” said Nix. ”He goes to the Senior Bowl. He had tried to lose some weight. They worked him in there at guard and that kind of threw him off. But he didn’t have a good week. I think he scared everybody. He scared us some.

“You couldn’t get it out of your mind. We say all-star games never move a guy up or down, but once you see it it’s hard not to remember that. You go back to his body of work and he played good and he’s got some of that strength back.”

Buffalo sees Sanders as a swing tackle that can play on the left or right side. The Bills really fortified their offensive tackle depth as they now have five true offensive tackles on the roster in Chris Hairston, Erik Pears, Sam Young, Cordy Glenn and Sanders.

Pre-draft visits weighing heavy

Buffalo has made seven of their nine picks so far in the 2012 draft and almost half of them came to Orchard Park on pre-draft visits.

CB Stephon Gilmore, OT Cordy Glenn and LB Tank Carder all visited One Bills Drive making it three of their first seven picks that came to town prior to the draft.