Inside The Bills

Clausen talks with Bills

Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen has just confirmed that he spoke with the Bills. And it’s not the first time Clausen has met Chan Gailey.

Clausen said he also interviewed with the Washington Redskins Friday night. We’ll have much more on this on the home page soon on Buffalobills.com.

Clausen won’t be 100% before draft

NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly is reporting that Notre Dame QB prospect Jimmy Clausen will not be 100 percent healthy to perform a full workout prior to the draft.

It was already a foregone conclusion that Clausen would not work out here at the combine coming off of toe surgery, but he will apparently not be able to run, cut or drop back to pass prior to April 22nd in a pro day workout.

In what many consider a thin QB class it’s unlikely to affect his draft stock much, but it will make talent evaluators in the top 10 a bit more anxious knowing the kind of money involved.

Fan Friday 2-18

Our combine coverage is less than a week away. Draft process heating up. Your questions at AskChris@bills.nfl.net. Here is this week’s edition.

1 - Chris,

Reports are the Bills are in the market for a new franchise quarterback.  I was curious if the management would look into a QB like Tony Pike out of Cincinnati.  I seen a majority of the games he played in this year. Under Brian Kelly and New UB Coach Jeff Quinn, Pike managed many types of offense.  Not just the spread offense.  I am just curious where he would rank in a draft board.

Jon
CB: You’re right he has played in more than the spread, though it has mostly been spread for him. The concerns with Pike are durability and his competitive nature. He’s rail thin at 6’6” and 210 pounds so he’ll have to add some bulk, but I think he throws a nice ball.

There are some that think Pike is too laid back, but others maintain that he’s just a cool-headed signal caller. I suppose everyone has their own interpretation.

He has had some injury issues, but returned pretty quickly from a broken non-throwing arm in his final collegiate season. The so called experts have him no higher than the 3rd round.

2 - When it comes to the QB position I think Clausen is the only QB in the draft who might make it in the NFL, seriously. Bradford looks way too vulnerable to injury, Tebow has bad mechanics, no pro offense experience, and questionable vision, Pike – no body, mediocre arm, Hiller? Lefevour? McCoy – no arm strength, very spread offense oriented, or Snead coming off a pretty mediocre year, lots of interceptions, etc.?. A trade? For whom: Vick? Chris Redman? Russell? Thigpen? Rosenfels? Who’s out there who’d be worth a trade? It looks pretty bleak from here, thoughts?

CB: I do agree that filling the quarterback position won’t be easy, especially with what I believe is a far more restrictive free agent process. That’s why I think there’s a halfway decent chance Gailey has Trent Edwards as part of the competition at quarterback for 2010. I do believe in some way, shape or form they will add another QB to the mix on this roster to also compete for the starting job.

3 - Hello Chris,
 
Several draft sites have this pick as conditional.
The rumor when the trade was made was that it was a 6th rnd choice.
 
However, can you determine in view of Peters making the pro Bowl whether that pick could,  as conditional, be higher than the 6th rnd?
 
Regards,
Mike

CB: From what I have been told it’s a straight 6th, no conditions. So all together the Bills have nine picks this year, with that extra 6th and an extra 7th from the Ko Simpson trade.

4 - With the defensive scheme still up in the air, can you imagine a draft scenario in which the Bills take Rolando McClain with their pick?
 
Pete Howell
Fairport

CB: I don’t see them taking McClain unless there’s a run on OTs and one of their considerations is not there at 9 and both of the top QBs are also off the board. I like McClain, but you can argue that the Bills already have 2 starting ILBs in Mitchell and Poz.

5 – Hi Chris, Now that Brad Butler is retiring, do you see the Bills having a heavy draft emphasis on the offensive line? Also, with Julius Peppers probably leaving the Panthers, do you see the Bills making an effort to sign him? With the switch to the 3-4, having a marquee player of Peppers level would have a major impact. Your thoughts.
 
Tony, Daytona Beach

CB: I don’t think they have any choice. The only tackles on the roster under contract with playing experience are Demetrius Bell, Jamon Meredith and Kirk Chambers. They absolutely need to re-fortify the position with top flight talent. If they can’t find any in free agency, you can make the argument that they need to draft two offensive tackles, with one ready to start right away and that likely means with your first pick.

As for Peppers I think he’s a pipe dream. Yes, he wants to play in a 3-4, but he’s also going to be looking for upwards of $12-15M per season on a long term deal after playing last season at $16M and change.

Kiper on QB vs. OT

The Washington Redskins pick fourth overall in the draft this April and has similar positional needs to that of the Bills who pick ninth. Mel Kiper shared the approach he would take faced with QB and OT as his top two positional needs.

On a national conference call, Kiper was asked specifically about Washington’s situation and whether he would take the QB or the OT with the Redskins pick at 4 and take an OT later. Here was his responsed.

“Would you rather have Anthony Davis (Rutgers) or Russell Okung (Oklahoma State) at four,” Kiper said referring to the highly regarded OTs, “and then Colt McCoy (Texas) or Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan) in the second round? Or would you rather have Jimmy Clausen or Sam Bradford at four, and then maybe a Bruce Campbell, the offensive tackle out of Maryland, or even a Bryan Bulaga (Iowa) if he fell down there? We’ve seen it happen before where tackles have dropped at times into the second round.

“In the case of a player like Clausen or Bradford, I would take the quarterback first. I have Clausen and Bradford rated higher than Davis and Okung. So I would go the quarterback first, then try to get the offensive tackle in the second round and hope that a Bruce Campbell or a Bulaga or somebody like that fell down to me.”

It’s an interesting approach Kiper chooses, but it’s not surprising since he’s one of the few draft prognosticators that has Clausen coming off the board at 4 to the Redskins. Some “experts” don’t even have Clausen rated as a first-round pick. So his rationale is a direct reflection of where he has Clausen ranked.

Clausen’s toe not ready

Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen had toe surgery at the close of his junior season shortly after declaring himself eligible for the 2010 NFL Draft. But that toe won’t allow him to work out at the Combine next week.

Clausen told Sirius NFL Radio the following.

“I’m planning on doing all the interviews and, obviously, being seen by the doctors so they can see my toe, but my toe isn’t ready to go right now.“

That means the two quarterbacks widely considered the best in the 2010 class will not participate in workouts in Indianapolis. Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford is not recovered from shoulder surgery to work out, though he is hoping to work out for scouts in April prior to the draft.

It’s presumed that Clausen will do the same.

Report: Shanahan leaning toward QB

According to the Washington Post, Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan is “eager to draft and develop a young quarterback.”

The Post cites a league source familiar with Shanahan’s line of thinking, which in my mind doesn’t hold a ton of water since it’s second hand. Obviously with Shanahan’s history, which includes drafting Jay Cutler, and his propensity for offense it’s not surprising that this speculative report exists.

What I find interesting is ESPN’s Todd McShay isn’t convinced that QB will be the pick at 4 for the Redskins, which obviously could have a big impact on how the top 10 picks play out, and affect the Bills who sit at ninth overall.

“Bradford is fighting to get in the top 10 and Washington seems like the best fit, but something tells me they’re going to wind up going with a different position,”  said McShay on a national conference call. ”They can’t afford with the first pick of the new regime to make a mistake and Bradford has just enough red flags that they may pass.” 

McShay goes on to point out that he could see Shanahan taking an offensive tackle at four knowing veteran LT Chris Samuels is expected to retire after a neck injury.

“Shanahan might like (OT) Anthony Davis,” McShay said. “Each one of the elite first rounders has something you point to that you’re not wild about. I don’t think (Okla. OT) Trent Williams played real well this year. He was dinged up and moved from right to left tackle.  (Okla. St. OT) Okung is physical at times, but not always. Then with Davis there are some questions about his maturity and injuries. But I do think that Davis would fit what they would be looking to do in terms of athleticism and getting out and moving. I think we’re going to see Anthony Davis move up the board. There’s a really good chance he’s a top 10 pick.”

Number four overall however, seems high for Davis, as there isn’t a consensus among talent evaluators as to whether he’ll be NFL ready on day one. Perhaps Washington trades down to grab their tackle for better value. Either way just hearing the divergence of speculative reporting on the direction Washington will take confirms that probably no one knows what they’re going to do.

If Washington does pass on a QB, the only other teams that are likely to take one before the Bills pick at 9 would be Seattle (#6) and Cleveland (#7).

Rams sound interested in Vick

Though the Rams can’t come out and say they’d like to trade for Vick or acquire him because he’s still under contract to the Eagles, it’s clear that Vick is in their thinking after head coach Steve Spagnuolo and GM Billy Devaney spoke to select St. Louis media this weekend.

With the Rams’ QB situation about as undetermined as that of the Bills, and with Spagnuolo’s prior coaching ties to Philadelphia, it’s been widely speculated that St. Louis would be prime players for Vick’s services via trade. Spagnuolo however, would only address Vick in generalities, but did make it clear he thinks a lot of him as a player.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Michael as a player,” Spagnuolo told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Everything I’ve heard out of Philadelphia is kind of good. We haven’t gone down that road in our process yet. I think he’s a terrific player.”

Spagnuolo told the Post-Dispatch that he really didn’t have a timetable for addressing the quarterback situation, but added, “That may direct itself depending on things that happen. And we know what we’re all talking about.”

He’s talking about trades or the draft, which apparently the Rams haven’t ruled out either when it comes to addressing their QB position even though they have the first pick in the draft. But GM Billy Devaney told the Post-Dispatch he believes there are a pair of first-round worthy QBs.

“Oh yeah, absolutely there are first-round guys,” Devaney said. “I think there’s a couple of them.”

Presumably those are Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen, but most would be shocked if one of them were taken first overall.

Another mock gives Bills QB

The mock drafts are in full swing now with the NFL Combine less than a month away, and not surprisingly another is handing the Bills a QB at ninth overall.

At least SI.com’s Don Banks chose Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen for the Bills with a disclaimer. Here’s what he wrote about the pick.

There’s plenty of divided opinion on Clausen and some teams would never consider him for a top 10 draft slot. In reality, given that the tandem of new coach Chan Gailey and new GM Buddy Nix aren’t building with a five-year plan in mind, the Bills will probably seek a veteran quarterback like Michael Vick or Donovan McNabb in the pre-draft months and eschew selecting a first-round QB. Buffalo is desperate for help at offensive tackle, but until it signals its intentions at quarterback, we’ll give them Clausen without much enthusiasm.

I’d still like to see a left tackle taken by the Bills at nine overall. Banks has Okung and Davis off the board in his mock before Buffalo’s pick at 9, and does not have Iowa’s Bryan Bulaga going until 18 to Pittsburgh. I think Bulaga would be a good pick for Buffalo because he’s ready to play now according to most experts as opposed to some of the upside players like Davis and Campbell.

Kiper has Clausen to Bills

In Mel Kiper’s first mock draft he has the Bills landing one of the top ranked signal callers in the class with the ninth overall pick.

Kiper has Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen falling to the Bills at nine. Some other draft “experts” don’t see him lasting that long with teams like the Rams (#2), Redskins (#4) and Browns (#7) possibly in the market for a QB.

Clausen does have the best arm among the top ranked QBs, which is important playing in the weather that Buffalo dishes out in November and December. Here’s Kiper’s take on his mock pick for Buffalo.

QB Jimmy Clausen – Notre Dame
People will debate Clausen’s merits long after he shakes the commissioner’s hand, but he has continued to improve, has displayed toughness, has an NFL arm and, perhaps most importantly, has experience under center in a pro-style offense. That was a key for Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez, and is a huge consideration for scouts.

QB Clausen to have toe surgery

Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen, who declared himself eligible for the NFL draft this spring won’t be doing much at the NFL Combine in late February.

At that point he’ll be too busy rehabbing his toe as he’s scheduled to have surgery Tuesday morning to repair two torn ligaments according to ESPN. The injury happened all the way back on Sept. 19 in a game against Michigan State. He played the rest of the season with the injury.

His prognosis is three months with Clausen not expected to throw for scouts until early April.

QB to Bills in CBS mock draft

CBSSports.com has Buffalo taking a quarterback with the eighth overall pick.

I’ll have to check to see if their draft order is up to date after Sunday’s games, but Draft analyst Rob Rang has the Bills taking Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen with the eighth pick.

The only quarterback he has going before Clausen is at pick number six where he has the Washington Redskins taking Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford.

Defensive tackles are the first three picks off the board in his mock in Ndamakong Suh, Gerald McCoy and Derrick Morgan.

QB Clausen in 2010 draft pool

Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen has made it official. The junior is entering the 2010 draft pool.

Clausen made the announcement at a 2:30pm press conference at the school. ESPN is reporting that Notre Dame WR Golden Tate is also declaring himself eligible for the draft.

Clausen is considered one of the top 3 QB prospects in this year’s draft class joining Washington’s Jake Locker and Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford. Bradford however, is more of a question mark as he will be rehabbing from shoulder surgery.