Inside The Bills

Kick return candidates

Here during OTAs there are a few kick return candidates on the roster and special teams coordinator Danny Crossman is not short on talent.

Taking reps on kick return in OTAs this week were Marquise Goodwin, T.J. Graham, Brad Smith and Tashard Choice. Leodis McKelvin has been mentioned as an option as well, but he’s been limited to just individual position drill work in practices coming off his groin surgery earlier this offseason.

Nevertheless the speed quota is more than filled in the return game for Buffalo.

Special Teams Coach ready for OP weather

He’s just wrapped up his second day on the job. And the new Special Teams Coordinator for the Buffalo Bills says he knows what he’s getting into, when it comes to coaching kickers and punters at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Danny Crossman was a guest Tuesday night on The John Murphy Show. He was just named as the team’s new Special Teams Coordinator Monday, after spending the last three seasons with the Detroit Lions in the same role.

Crossman says he knows the wind and weather can be a challenge during the football season in Orchard Park. And he vows that his unit will be ready.

“It’s part of it,” he told host John Murphy. “But that’s something that we’ll take into account and we’ll be prepared and we’ll practice. We’ll have ideas and schemes and packages for whatever comes up. And that’s wind, that’s sun, that’s rain, that’s snow. It shouldn’t surprise you, that’s for sure.”

Crossman is reunited with Bills Head Coach Doug Marrone, whom he’s known since the two played college football almost thirty years ago. Marrone played at Syracuse while Crossman was a defensive back and fullback at Pitt. Then they played together in the old World League of American Football with the London Monarchs, and coached together in 1993 at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Crossman says he knows Marrone professionally as well as anyone, and he knows what he’ll bring to the Bills.

“He is, first and foremost, a great evaluator,” according to Crossman. “He’s an outstanding teacher. And he’s very organized. He will have a plan for everything, which is important. When those situations come up, it’s better to have anticipated and have an idea of them, instead of just reaction. Because that’s when bad things happen.”

The Bills new Special Teams coach is looking forward to working with Marrone again, and he thinks the new head man will pay adequate attention to the Bills special teams.

“As a Head Coach, he understands how all three phases have to tie together to be successful,” Crossman said on the radio show. “The bottom line is all that any of us want to do, is win games for the Buffalo Bills.
I think he’ll be very supportive and have great ideas for everything we’re looking to do.”

The John Murphy Show airs weeknights from 7-9pm on the flagship station of the Bills, WGR Sports Radio 550

Crossman a guest tonight on JMS

He’s just wrapping up his second day on the job, and Bills new Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman has hit the ground running. But he’ll take time out of his busy schedule tonight to appear as a guest on The John Murphy Show.

Crossman was named to the post Monday, after spending the last three years as the Special Teams Coordinator for the Detroit Lions. He’s going into his 11th year in the NFL, after a previous stint in Carolina. And he and new Bills Head Coach Doug Marrone go way back, to their days playing for the London Monarchs of the World League of American Football. We’ll talk to Crossman about his relationship with Marrone and his philosophy of special teams play in the NFL tonight at 720pm

Also tonight, we’ll talk with the Voice of Syracuse Football, Matt Park. He’s had a chance to watch Doug Marrone up close and personal for the last four years in Central New York. And we’ll talk with Matt about the five newly named Bills assistants who come to the team from Marrone’s staff at Syracuse. Matt Park joins us at 8pm tonight.

At 820pm, we’ll be live on the line with the man behind the popular website FootballZebras.com. Ben Austro has some thoughts on the playoff officiating assignments and the Super Bowl.

As always, we’ll make time for phone calls from Bills fans.

The John Murphy Show airs weeknights from 7pm-9pm on the flagship station of the Bills, WGR Sports Radio 550.

Crossman on McKelvin

It’s hard for a special teams coordinator to not like a dynamic return talent like Leodis McKelvin, especially when he leads the league in punt return average (18.7). Of course Bills new special teams coordinator Danny Crossman also realizes that with McKelvin an unrestricted free agent, he’s not guaranteed the opportunity to work with him.

“When you mention a player like Leodis McKelvin who is naturally gifted and has had a very good career, there are those in both the NFL and college who just have the innate ability to make big plays,” said Crossman in a team statement. ”Some guys are blessed with it and some are not. It is exciting to look at a guy with that caliber and possibly have the opportunity to work with as well as the other positions of the unit here.”

McKelvin made it clear that his first choice would be to re-sign with the Bills.

“I would love to stay here,” said McKelvin. “This team gave me my chance to live my dream as an NFL player.”

Crossman has respect for Bills and fan base

Bills new special teams coordinator Danny Crossman was happy to land the job with Buffalo. In a team statement he indicated how much respect he has for the Bills as an organization as well as its fan base.

“Most important is the opportunity to work with an outstanding NFL franchise that has a passionate fan base,” said Crossman. ”I know how much this team means to the community having grown up in a hardworking, blue-collar city. I’m excited to help this organization on the field with the support of our fans.”

Crossman is an El Paso, Texas native, who played his college football at Pitt as a defensive back.

Marrone: Experience coveted on spec. teams

The Bills hired their special teams coordinator Monday as they announced the addition of Danny Crossman, who was most recently the special teams coordinator of the Detroit Lions (2010-2012). Head coach Doug Marrone made it clear that he coveted experience in the man who would fill the role for the Bills.

“Many games are won and lost with special teams,” said Marrone in a team statement. ”It was important to our players and the organization to hire someone with experience. You want to make sure that you have someone that has experience and that can evaluate the full roster so that we know that we are getting the most out of our special teams units. It is obviously one third of the game and it is a very important part of it. That person has to deal with everyone on the team. It is different than your unit groups as far as offensive line, defensive backs or any other position—he is truly dealing with everyone.”

Crossman was a former defensive back himself and went to the Super Bowl as a special teams assistant with the Carolina Panthers in 2003.

Report: Bills to add Crossman for spec. teams

The Detroit News is reporting that the Bills have their special teams coach.

According to the report Detroit Lions special teams coach Danny Crossman has asked out of the final year of his contract with Detroit to serve as special teams coordinator for the Bills.

He also has 10 years of college coaching experience following a brief pro career as a defensive back. He played defensive back at Pitt in college.

The El Paso native turns 46 on Thursday.