Inside The Bills

Natl. media coming around to Manuel

When the Bills made the selection of EJ Manuel with the 16th overall pick, it was roundly panned by the national media and the so called draft experts. Now that some of those experts have spoken to NFL scouts for other NFL clubs they have come around to believing that the Bills got it right on Day 1 of the NFL draft.

NFL.com’s Albert Breer, who spoke to reps from two NFL teams that had Manuel graded higher on their draft boards than Geno Smith wrote the following about their professional assessments of the quarterbacks.

I spoke with two clubs that had EJ Manuel ranked ahead of Geno Smith — one had Smith graded as a low third-round pick — and another two  that had them virtually even, with one feeling that Manuel had a higher ceiling and the other giving low second-round grades to both — and slotting Matt Barkley ahead of them.

Breer also mentioned that Smith’s slip in play late in the year soured some teams on his lofty draft status following his fast start. But the one constant that has remained throughout all the reviews of how the quarterbacks came off the board in the draft is that Manuel has the highest ceiling of all the rookie signal callers.

Mayock: Bills in tough spot at 8

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock was asked specifically about the direction the Bills could or should take with the eighth overall pick. He’s not a fan of the value on the board and Buffalo’s positional needs, feeling they don’t match up. So here is his best solution for them.

“I think they’re in a little bit of a tough spot,” Mayock said. ”There is obviously a whole quarterback conversation that has to be held. And I’m not a big believer that there is a quarterback worthy at that spot. Now Buddy Nix might disagree with me. It could be Geno Smith, who I don’t think is a fit. It could be Matt Barkley. It could be Ryan Nassib. But to me, they’re not fits.

“So if you’re not going to take a quarterback at eight and you don’t have a chance to trade down, to me they have an offensive line need. I’d love to see them get a tackle and move Cordy Glenn to the right side or inside. I think it would help two spots if you could get a left tackle.

“But at eight, I don’t think you’ll get a left tackle unless you’re willing to trade up. So sitting there, I mentioned (guards Chance) Warmack and (Jonathan) Cooper. Either one of which I’m good with at 8.

“I don’t think there is a wide receiver at eight. Initially I thought about Tavon Austin there. He’s the most explosive offensive player in this draft. The more I thought about t I thought you’ve already got Leodis McKelvin to return punts. You have C.J. Spiller at tailback who can split out and do some of those things. So as much as I like Austin, I’m not sure he’s a great fit there. So I think you’re kind of stuck.

“If it’s not the quarterback, you’re looking at the best offensive lineman on your board or an edge rusher. With Mario Williams on one side, Mark Anderson coming back from injury, and Chris Kelsay retired, you’ve got room for an edge rusher. So a Barkevious Mingo or somebody like that, that wouldn’t surprise me either.”

Fan Friday 4-12

The 2013 NFL draft is closing in. Pre-draft visits have wrapped up today. Let’s get to this week’s edition of questions from you the fan from AskChris@bills.nfl.net and on Twitter @ChrisBrownBills.

1 - CB,

Buddy had mentioned following the way the Bengals drafted AJ Green and Andy Dalton. Do you seen a scenario where the Bills go QB in round 1 and WR in round two? What do you think of the possibility of Geno Smith and Justin Hunter? I think these two are the might be the best players available when the Bills will pick in rounds 1 and 2. What are the scouts saying about Hunter, can he separate from DB’s at his size/speed?

CB: I’m at a point now where I getting the sense they don’t like any of the quarterbacks enough to take one at 8. I think that Buffalo doesn’t take a quarterback for sure at 8 if Geno Smith is off the board. So your scenario I believe is unlikely to transpire even though Buddy Nix did mention the desire to make those kinds of additions. I think a receiver is certainly a possibility in round two.

The value at the receiver position is very good between rounds two and four, so there’s also a window of opportunity there for Buffalo to wait on a receiver and address quarterback in round two and receiver in round 3. So what you’re proposing may happen, just in rounds 2 and 3 as opposed to 1 and 2.

As for Hunter specifically there’s no denying his deep speed, but he’s a straight-line speed guy. Having the combination of speed and quickness makes you a killer at wideout. He doesn’t possess both of those qualities, which is why he’s a second round prospect. He is a good route runner, which is what gets him separation. My only concern with him is his slight build. It makes me wonder if he’ll struggle early in his career with press coverage and the physical corners in the NFL. That also concerns me in terms of battling for the ball with DBs in the air.

2 – Chris,

Since Chris Kelsay has retired do you think Mario Williams will want his old number back? If so does the new Nike contracts require Mario to pay for all his unsold number 94 jerseys?  Or how does the process work for changing numbers?  Thanks for everything you do Chris!

-Fred M, Scotia NY

CB: It is my understanding that Mario is keeping number 94, but yes if Mario had changed to 90 he would’ve had to cover Nike for the outstanding inventory in terms of money.

3 – Chris,
Chris,
With Levitre will the Bills get draft picks this year or next year, from Tennessee, for guard Andy Levitre?
If so, what round picks?

Thanks,
Lee D

CB: The Bills will qualify for compensatory picks if they first and foremost have a net loss of free agents (sign fewer than they lose). That equation can prove difficult because some free agent signings and losses qualify, while others do not. I can say the size of Levitre’s contract would play in Buffalo’s favor, but again only if the Bills have a net loss of free agents or are even.

Determining the rounds is almost impossible at this point because the situations of the other 31 NFL clubs would have to be factored in.

4 – Chris,
Do you see the Bills taking Geno Smith or an OG over one of the very talented OLBs (Jarvis Jones or Dion Jordan) or one of the top tackles (Lane Johnson) with the 8th pick?  Just don’t see the value of taking a QB at 8 with the inconsistencies shown by the current candidates.  Also, what do you think of Nigel Bradham possibly moving inside?  Adding his athleticism and speed inside might add significant flexibility as the team moves to a Hybrid structure.

Thanks
Jim from Allentown Pa.

CB: I’m not convinced they like Geno Smith enough to take him at 8. I obviously do not have an expert opinion like the members of the Bills scouting department, but I do like Geno Smith a lot and would not have a problem with them taking him at 8 at all. I’m just doubting he’ll be there.

With that in mind I think the best defensive player on the board is the most likely outcome at 8.

Your assessment of Nigel Bradham is very astute. He has experience playing inside from his days at Florida State. So I would almost anticipate him moving there and being the three down linebacker.

5 – Chris,

With the new defensive coaching change, do you feel this will benefit A. Moats who lost his LB spot and then late season played some DE? What position do you see him competing for? Also, with Wilson and Levitre gone, any ideas for who’s going to be the next Show host? Do the fans have a say? Thanks again for all you do Chris!!

Dan in LA

CB: I anticipate Moats lining up in a couple of places, both OLB and ILB. Inside might be the best fit for him, but there is competition there. It’s a wait and see quite frankly.

As for our programming on Buffalobills.com concerning player involvement we’ve reached out to a couple of players, but feel free to provide suggestions. Obviously, participation in such a program is a commitment that a player has to make. We leave it up to them to decide if they want to do it, so please understand if your suggestion is not honored there’s usually a good reason why. Thanks for your viewership of our player programming on Buffalobills.com.

Report: Bills to work out Tyler Bray

Bills GM Buddy Nix has said they intended to see all of the top quarterbacks in the 2013 NFL draft pool. Tennessee junior eligible Tyler Bray is apparently in that pool.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bills will hold a private workout with Bray late next week.

A Bills contingent including their HC, GM, asst GM, Pres are scheduled to work out Tennessee QB Tyler Bray in Knoxville, next Sat.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 28, 2013

Buffalo has already had private workouts with three other quarterback prospects in Geno Smith, E.J. Manuel and Landry Jones.

Geno used to the read option questions

West Virginia QB Geno Smith is scheduled to work out with the Bills today. Already having performed in front of a lot of scouts and NFL GMs he’s faced a ton of questions about his game. Primarily a pocket quarterback in college, though he operated out of the shotgun, his athleticism has prompted a lot of questions as to whether he feels he can run the read option that became so popular with Russell Wilson, RG III and Colin Kaepernick last season.

“They ask me how willing I am to run the ball,” said Smith. “Have I run the read option? Am I willing to do so? Those questions have to go unanswered. With the past system I was in I wasn’t asked to run so they didn’t see much of that. Obviously they want to, but that’s something that comes along with what offense you’re in.

“I feel as though I can fit into any system. I’m not any particular type of quarterback. I don’t have one strength, I have many strengths. I do things that I feel can fit into pretty much any system.”

QB again Bills pick in newest mock

Jags high on Geno

They attended the West Virginia pro day to watch Geno Smith last week, but the Jacksonville Jaguars, holders of the second overall pick are certainly sounding very interested in the Mountaineers signal caller.

Jaguars new head coach Gus Bradley, much like Bills GM Buddy Nix and Assistant GM Doug Whaley took in Smith’s pro day last week in Morgantown.

Mayock: Manuel could find way into round 1

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock took in Florida State QB E.J. Manuel’s pro day in Tallahassee Tuesday and believes he’s the type of athletic quarterback that NFL teams are more willing to take a chance on because of their high ceiling. As a result he believes Manuel comes off the board in late April before round one is in the books.

“If I was going to make a mistake I was going to do it with a big, athletic kid with arm talent. The more I talk to coaches and general managers I get more support in that thinking. There are so many question marks about this quarterback class because if you want to like Matt Barkley or Landry Jones or the Wilson kid from Arkansas to like them. Then the question becomes can they just be game managers or game winners? I think when you’re talking about Geno Smith at West Virginia and E.J. Manuel you’re talking about two potential kids that can win football games.”

Mayock moved Manuel up to his number two quarterback prospect behind Smith and said at this point he’s a better prospect than his predecessor at Florida State Christian Ponder was coming out because his ceiling is higher. Mayock said he had a second-round grade on Ponder coming out, but he went 12th overall to Minnesota. At this point he’s not sure Manuel gets out of the first orund.

“At this point the way kids are getting pushed up in this draft, and I’m anxious to see Barkley next week, because again bad senior year, good junior year, but the way kids are getting pushed up at quarterback it wouldn’t surprise me at all,” Mayock said.

Nix: Bills will workout Barkley, 5 other QBs

With the Bills in an obvious search for a quarterback in the 2013 NFL draft, Bills GM Buddy Nix wasn’t shy in revealing that when it comes to the top prospects at the position they intend to work all of them out in private sessions.

In an interview with the Toronto Sun, Nix at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix revealed that they’ll be holding a private workout with USC QB Matt Barkley.

“We’re going to have a private workout for Matt, and for about five or six of them,” Nix told the Sun. “We’ll have a private workout with all those guys. The more you see them, the more you learn.”

Nix said that they’ll go to work some of them out wherever the prospects are training and bring some in to work out at One Bills Drive on official pre-draft visits.

West Virginia QB Geno Smith confirmed just minutes after his pro day workout on campus that he had “a thing” set up with the Bills for this Friday.

Despite the fact that the workout chiefly involves the physical abilities Nix told the Sun he’s looking for something else.

“I think the physical part is over-rated. What makes it so hard to evaluate that position are the intangibles,” he said. ”That’s what you try to learn. This guy could very well be the face of your franchise — good chance of that. So you want to be as sure as you can be about that.”

Report: Geno Smith to workout for Browns

It shouldn’t be all that surprising, but West Virginia QB prospect Geno Smith, who has had a workout with the Philadelphia Eagles already, has another NFL club now on his schedule.

According to ESPNCleveland the Browns are going to hold a private workout with the Mountaineers QB.

#browns will have private workout w/ Geno smith.

— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) March 18, 2013

No date is listed so it’s not known when the workout will take place. As Buffalobills.com reported last week the Bills will meet with Smith this coming Friday for a pre-draft visit.

Fan Friday 3-15

College pro days are in full swing. Pre-draft visits will soon follow, and free agent visits as well. Let’s get to your questions for this week’s edition from AskChris@bills.nfl.net and on Twitter @ChrisBrownBills.

1 - @ChrisBrownBills would Bills take a flyer on Kolb?

Cparkin2009 12:33pm via Twitter for Android

CB: I’d be surprised if Kolb is on Buffalo’s radar. The Bills have been hard at work this week with a full court press on the quarterback prospects in this year’s draft. Landry Jones, Geno Smith and Tyler Wilson all had pro days this week. Though I wouldn’t rule out the Bills kicking the tires on a veteran free agent, it seems to me that the draft is where their focus lies with respect to quarterback right now.

 2 – Hi Chris,

Thanks for keeping us updated all off-season. If the scenario of Geno Smith falling to the Browns at #6 happens, do you think this would finally be the year the Bills trade up to land the best QB prospect? Andy Reid can probably work with Alex Smith and with the Eagles re-signing Vick it looks like they may not draft a QB but the Cardinals will most likely be looking to draft a QB right before us.    

Thanks,
John

CB: I agree that the Cardinals could still draft a QB despite signing veteran free agent Drew Stanton and jettisoning Kevin Kolb. But Arizona needs help in a lot of places after cutting some high-priced vets. Cleveland has addressed some of their most pressing defensive needs early in free agency, so I don’t think ruling them out for adding a quarterback can be assumed. I realize they drafted Brandon Weeden last year, but they have a new coaching staff and new ownership.

Reporters I’ve talked to in Philadelphia also won’t rule out Chip Kelly drafting a QB, though I don’t believe it’ll happen in round one with the fourth overall pick.

As for trading up, Buddy Nix traditionally does not like to move up and down the board. Now he moved up two places last year to grab T.J. Graham in round three, but it’s a whole different ball game in the top 10 and knowing the Bills only have six picks this year, it’s hard for me to see Nix giving up picks to make a move up higher in the top 10.

3 – Chris,
With Mike Pettine being the defensive coordinator now I assume the Bills are going back to a 3-4.  I was wondering what that means for the defensive line?  Will we see Dareus or Williams move to the end again?

CB: Personally I think Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams are both versatile enough to play end or DT in Pettine’s system. But I’ll let coach Pettine handle this one since he was recently asked about his defense in an appearance on Bills flagship station WGR Sportsradio 550 this week.

“We’re not going to be true 3-4 or 4-3 as far as how we’re doing it,” said Pettine. “We’re going to be multiple in our fronts that we run. It’s a work in progress. We’re going to highlight in our playbook what we do well. So again it’s going to be more roster based.

“We have our base concepts that we’re going to run and those have been put in from a playbook standpoint, but we’re still trying to rebuild it. As a new staff we took what we built over four years in New York and then add the experience of the other coaches on the staff. We’ve basically hit the reset button on everything. I didn’t want to come in and say, ‘This is what we’re running.’ Over time you accumulate a lot of tweaks and adjustments. We wanted to go back to the baseline and say, ‘Here is the way we’re going to teach it and then understand that these are all the variations of it.’”

4 – Chris,

What are the odds that the Bills pass on a quarterback in the early rounds this year? And pick one next year in the early rounds? Are there any prospects in next year’s draft that are better than this year? It seems to me that at least this way we can get the defense squared away and add a receiver or tight end and have everything in place for a QB next year. Thanks . I enjoy your column.

Sam from Tupper Lake , NY
Sent from my iPhone

CB: I think with Ryan Fitzpatrick no longer on the roster it’s pretty much a must that the Bills draft a quarterback somewhere in the first two rounds of the draft. Obviously what falls to them will say a lot in what is ultimately done, but with a thin free agent class at QB and the draft class at QB not tremendously deep the Bills have to land a QB early as I see it.

5 – Chris,

I’m wondering what type of offense the Bills will run given coach Marrone and Hackett’s system at Syracuse. During the season last year Nassib was quoted as saying that their success with the no huddle spread offense was due to the fact that they run to set up the pass. This is an unusual description and quite the opposite of a west coast system. Yet, newly resigned QB Jackson was quoted as saying he’s looking forward to playing in a west coast system. What type of system do you think the Bills will run?  Thanks for your insight. Go Bills!

Joe
Sent from my iPad

CB: I think it’s safe to say the offense will be heavily rooted in West Coast principles, but it will have its fair share of power running. That’s coach Marrone’s influence being a former offensive lineman. He and coach Hackett wanted to take the best elements of a number of different offenses and incorporate them into one system. Essentially their offense is a multiple system with West Coast roots.

Geno: Pro day easier than Combine

There are pluses and minuses to working out at the NFL Combine. West Virginia QB prospect Geno Smith experienced those last month, and then the benefits of working out at a pro day. Now with both experiences behind him it’s not contest as to which of them was easier.

“(Pro day) is a lot easier than the Combine,” Smith said after going 62-65 passing in Morgantown Thursday. ”For one I wasn’t up for three days straight before doing this. I was able to get some rest and being in Morgantown in a comfortable environment and feeling good. Being with Chris Weinke we’ve been working and I was able to get into a better rhythm. At the Combine you only get 10 or 15 throws. To be able to get about 60 to 70 throws out here was a lot different and I think it really helped me out a lot.”

Weinke, a former NFL quarterback, has been working with Smith as his quarterback coach since the college season ended.

Report: Geno Smith to visit Bills March 22nd

There were 29 NFL clubs at Geno Smith’s pro day at West Virginia today. The Bills were one of them and he’ll be meeting with Buffalo next week.

That according to a report by West Virginia Illustrated.

Geno Smith says he’ll be meeting with the Buffalo Bills on March 22. #WVU

— Geoff Coyle (@GFCoyle) March 14, 2013

Smith has already had a private workout with the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this week prior to his pro day this morning.

Latest Kiper mock goes OLB for Bills

It’s been stated more than once that if Buffalo can’t land a quarterback they like that’s fitting of the value of eighth overall and they can’t find a willing trade partner to move down that they’ll take the best defensive player on the board. ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper has just that scenario playing out for Buffalo in his latest mock draft.

Kiper has Georgia OLB Jarvis Jones going to the Bills at eighth overall in round one. Here was his analysis on the picks, which also indicated the Bills anticipated measure of activity in the free agent market.

Polian’s assessment of Geno & Barkley

Appearing on a national conference call this week, ESPN NFL analyst and former Bills GM Bill Polian gave his assessment on the collective skill sets of West Virginia QB Geno Smith and USC QB Matt Barkley.

“I can tell you Geno Smith’s strength is the ability to throw the ball down the field,” said Polian. “He’s got good arm strength, he has good athleticism, and can pretty much function in any system.  He’ll have a little learning curve coming in from the spread offense simply because it’s different than the classic and standard NFL offense, particularly in taking the ball into center and handling the ball.

He does some of that at West Virginia but not a lot. The numbers indicate that, but he’s a guy that can pretty much fit into every system. He has a quick release, gets the ball out quickly, so that’s a real plus.

“In Barkley’s case most people seem to feel he’s best suited for a west coast offense where he can deliver the ball quickly and get it out of there and not have to drive it down the field in big chunks on a steady diet and use his mobility to find throwing lanes.

He’s not a guy who is going to be a running quarterback. He does have some mobility in the pocket and his foot work is pretty good, and he gets it out fast. So, generally speaking, probably more well suited to west coast offense.”

Buffalo’s offense is going to contain a good amount of west coast principles, so it’s not unreasonable to say that both signal callers could be seen as fits for the Bills.

Raiders considering Geno Smith at 3?

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen mentioned on NFL32 that he’s hearing that the Oakland Raiders might be considering West Virginia QB Geno Smith with the third overall pick. Here’s what he said.

“Word around the NFL is the Raiders have interest in Geno Smith with that third overall pick in the draft,” said Mortensen. “Now I can’t get this confirmed by the team, but Geno Smith is a guy that everybody sees as a top-10 pick right now — not everybody — but he’s got a chance to go in the top ten. And if the Raiders do like him, you better take him at No. 3.”

Mortensen also said that Oakland would likely release Carson Palmer if Smith were drafted.

Personally I don’t see this happening. With the Raiders in desperate need of defensive help and some top flight talent sitting at the top of the draft board on that side of the ball I can’t see them bypassing their defensive needs for Smith when they have a 33-year old Carson Palmer that should be able to give them a couple of more good years.

They also spent a third-round pick on QB Terrelle Pryor in 2011, so one would assume the Raiders would try to continue to develop him.

In the season of smoke and mirrors I don’t know that a lot of stock should be put into this rumor.

Mayock liked Geno, but…

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock was asked for his thoughts on QB Geno Smith’s performance at the NFL Combine. Mayock liked the fact that he participated in all the throwing drills and felt he put his physical skills on display, but in the end it comes down to game tape and Mayock, like he does with all the QBs in this draft class, has questions.

“I saw everything that I saw on tape about Geno, and that is he flashed everything you want to see in a franchise quarterback on tape during the season,” said Mayock. ”He has a big arm, good arm, he moves well, he can be accurate. Everything I saw on tape I saw here. He’s a natural thrower; he doesn’t force the ball. What I go back to is I don’t care as much about this – I’m happy he did this because it just shows me he’s not afraid; Cam Newton did it and he didn’t throw the ball well and he still was the first pick in the draft. To me, it’s more important what you see on tape.

“I want to bang the table because I want to like Geno Smith. We interviewed him, I love what he had to say, but there are just too many inconsistencies on tape for me to say that Kansas City or anybody that high should take him. He’s more of a 20-32 [overall pick player]; I’ve said that based on watching six of his games. I’m going to watch the rest of them, but there are just so many inconsistencies with both Geno Smith and the entire quarterback class that I trouble banging the table for any of them.”

Smith did have one of the better throwing performances at the Combine Sunday. He clearly had the liveliest arm of the group and threw a good deep ball. He also showed his athleticism with the fastest 40 time (4.59) and highest vertical leap among the QBs.

Geno says he met with Bills

Bills GM Buddy Nix said at the Senior Bowl that they were going to meet with all the top quarterback prospects between now and the NFL draft. Back in late January however, the Bills could not meet with West Virginia QB Geno Smith because he declined to play in the Senior Bowl. Buffalo has since remedied that problem.

Appearing on the NFL Network Sunday, Smith said he had met with Buffalo here at the NFL Combine along with nine other teams. Knowing how muddled the quarterback field is this year it’s not surprising that the Bills are efforting to meet with each and every one of the top prospects at the position.

QB observations from Sunday’s combine

It’s pretty clear that West Virgnia’s Geno Smith was the top arm on the field Sunday at the quarterback workouts in Indianapolis. But what about the rest of the QB prospects at the NFL combine?

Here are some observations based on watching from the stands at Lucas Oil Stadium:

-Ryan Nassib of Syracuse looked okay during the session, nothing spectacular. His smooth footwork was on display during some five-step drop passing routes. He did have back to back overthrows on a couple of deep balls. And Nasib had the sleeves of his UnderArmour workout shirt cut off at the shoulder, perhaps an attempt to impress observers with his upper body.

-Tyler Wilson of Arkansas looked better on deep passes than on the short ones, which is strange. His footwork is always solid. He came up way short on an out pattern pass, which is noteworthy. Wilson was not overly impressive.

-North Carolina State’s Mike Glennon was tough to watch. Not only is he tall and somewhat ungainly, he’s got a long windup in his throwing motion that is tough to ignore. One former NFL GM mentioned this week that Glennon needs a lot of work, and does not belong in the top tier of QBs in this year’s mix.

-E.J. Manuel looked much the same as he did during Senior Bowl practices last month–inaccurate and inconsistent. The FSU QB played well in the Senior Bowl game, and his athleticism and stature are tough to ignore, but he does not appear to be an elite QB prospect.

-The best of the rest was probably Arizona’s Matt Scott. He’s an imposing athletic specimen and he came up with some impressive throws during the Sunday workout. As a one-year starter, he’s got to be regarded as a project at the position.

Top QB 40 times

Geno Smith’s athleticism was well documented, but in addition to the top 40 time among quarterbacks, he also had the best vertical leap (33.5″) and best broad jump (10′ 4″). Here’s a look at the top 40 times among the quarterbacks at the Combine.

Geno Smith – West Virginia – 4.59
E.J. Manuel – Florida State – 4.65
Matt Scott – Arizona – 4.69
Marquies Gray – Minnesota – 4.72
Collin Klein – Kansas St. – 4.78
Colby Cameron – Louisiana Tech – 4.78
James Vandenburg – Iowa – 4.92
Mike Glennon – N.C. State – 4.94
Tyler Wilson – Arkansas - 4.95
Brad Sorenson – So. Utah – 4.97

Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib ran a 5.06. Duke QB Sean Renfree did not work out due to a pectoral injury.