Inside The Bills

Pro Football Focus picks 4 Bills for Pro Bowl

The film reviewers and football metric evaluators at Pro Football Focus have chosen their NFL Pro Bowl roster and four Bills appear on their roster.

PFF chose FS Jairus Byrd, DT Kyle Williams, RB C.J Spiller and KR Leodis McKelvin.

Here’s what they wrote about the Bills defensive players and Spiller, who not surprisingly also leads their category for elusive rating with a grade of 99.9.

Players and coaches cast their Pro Bowl ballots later this week.

McKelvin still dealing with groin injury

Bills CB and primary return man Leodis McKelvin was inactive for last week’s game against Seattle due to a lingering groin injury. He also won’t practice here on Wednesday.

“No, I don’t think he’s going to make it today,” said head coach Chan Gailey.

When asked if he’d make it back to practice this week, Gailey did not sound optimistic.

“Maybe,” said Gailey. ”Outside chance.”

If McKelvin is unable to play again this Sunday at Miami, expect Justin Rogers to return punts. Rogers and Brad Smith would presumably be back to return kickoffs, much like they did last week. Marcus Easley also helped return kicks last Sunday, but injured a hamstring and was declared out for Sunday’s game by Gailey on Monday.

Bunch of defenders back

Four of Buffalo’s defenders were back on the practice field Thursday.

Leodis McKelvin, Marcell Dareus, Jairus Byrd, Spencer Johnson and Kyle Williams were all back in action.

We’ll have an update on their level of participation post-practice.

Pro Bowl voting update

A handful of Bills are still among the top five at their respective positions in fan Pro Bowl voting. Here’s where they rank.

Jairus Byrd is 2nd among AFC Free Safeties

Kyle Williams is 3rd among AFC Defensive Tackles

C.J. Spiller is 4th among AFC Running Backs and newewst to crack the top five at his position.

Leodis McKelvin is 4th among AFC Kick Returners     

Voting for the Pro Bowl only goes until Dec. 17th, so cast your ballots now.

McKelvin to start on D

Leodis McKelvin’s back spasms last week made him a late scratch for the starting lineup against Jacksonville. This week he’s back in the starting lineup.

McKelvin will start at LCB. When the Bills defend four wide McKelvin will move inside to cover the second slot receiver with Justin Rogers covering the other.

Ron Brooks will take McKelvin’s spot at LCB in those four wide situations.

Stevie heads list of questionables for Sunday

Stevie Johnson tops the list of players that are questionable for Sunday’s game against the Rams.

After practicing on just a limited basis Thursday and Friday, Johnson was listed as questionable, but head coach Chan Gailey did not sound concerned about his top receiver’s availability on Sunday against the Rams, though he did indicate that they’ll see how he is for Saturday’s walk through practice before making a final call.

“He did better,” said Gailey. ”He did better today than he was yesterday. We’re going to see how he is tomorrow morning before we make the full decision.”

Johnson has assured all week that he will play Sunday.

Head coach Chan Gailey also said that Leodis McKelvin “is fine.” He’s expected to play Sunday despite being listed as questionable. Justin Rogers is considered to be in the same boat.

Here are the rest of Buffalo’s questionable players for Sunday’s game.

QUESTIONABLE
WR Stevie Johnson – hamstring
CB Justin Rogers – foot
CB Leodis McKelvin – back
CB Aaron Williams – knee
DT Spencer Johnson – ankle
LB Chris White – back

Health of CB position improving

After adding another cornerback to the active roster from their practice squad Wednesday for insurance, the collective health of Buffalo’s cover men is improving.

Though both were limited in practice Thursday, head coach Chan Gailey saw progress made by Aaron Williams and was very optimistic about Leodis McKelvin returning to the lineup on Sunday against the Rams.

“Leodis was really a non-issue,” said Gailey. ”I think he is getting really close to being full speed. Aaron did better. I don’t think he’s 100 percent, but he’s getting a lot better.”

Williams has been out since suffering a knee injury in Week 9 at Houston. McKelvin exited last week’s game early due to back spasms.

If McKelvin is good to go, it would give Buffalo six healthy cornerbacks (Gilmore, McKelvin, Rogers, Brooks, Butler, Heath) for the Rams game.

NFL.com Pro Bowl ballots

Here’s a rundown of the Pro Bowl ballots of some of NFL.com’s journalists, with a few Bills getting respectable support.

At running back C.J. Spiller appeared on five of the six ballots.

Andy Levitre appeared on two of the six ballots for guard.

Mario Williams was on three of the six ballots for defensive end.

Kyle Williams was on two of the six ballots for defensive tackle.

Jairus Byrd appeared on two of the six ballots for free safety.

Leodis McKelvin got one of the six votes for kick returner.

Remember you can vote for what Bills you believe are deserving of Pro Bowl recognition by casting your own ballot.

Barnett, Graham, McKelvin limited

Several Bills players were limited in practice Wednesday, including a couple of new additions to the injury report.

Nick Barnett (knee), T.J. Graham (ankle) and Leodis McKelvin (back) were among the limited participants. Here’s the full injury report from Wednesday. Also Chris Hairston’s injury was listed as an ankle. Head coach Chan Gailey described it as a deep bone bruise.

Did not practice
DE Mark Anderson – knee
WR Stevie Johnson – hamstring
DT Kyle Williams – ankle
C Eric Wood – knee
OT Chris Hairston – ankle

Limited in practice
WR Brad Smith – hamstring
CB Justin Rogers – foot
CB Leodis McKelvin – back
WR T.J. Graham – ankle
LB Nick Barnett – knee
G Kraig Urbik – knee
CB Aaron Williams – knee
DT Spencer Johnson – ankle

Full practice
S Da’Norris Searcy – hand
RB C.J. Spiller – shoulder
DE Mario Williams – wrist
TE Scott Chandler – groin
FS Jairus Byrd – back
G Andy Levitre – knee
DT Marcell Dareus – shoulder
WR Donald Jones – calf

Leodis feeling better

Leodis McKelvin is not fully participating in practice here on Wednesday after exiting last Sunday’s game with a tight back. But three days removed from that game he’s feeling a lot better.

“I feel a whole lot better than I did on Sunday when I woke up,” said McKelvin prior to Wednesday’s practice. ”I feel a whole lot better, a whole lot looser and I can move around a whole lot better.”

“We’re not going to try to overextend him,” said Chan Gailey. ”So he’s not going to take all his reps. He’ll try to get out and stretch it out and do some things, but he’s not going to have a full practice.”

McKelvin would not confirm whether he had back spasms on Sunday. He pulled up on his first punt return and did not re-enter the game against Jacksonville.

To guard against getting shorthanded at cornerback this Sunday, with McKelvin a question mark right now and Aaron Williams still trying to work his way back from a knee injury the Bills promoted T.J. Heath from the practice squad.

Bills Pro Bowl fan voting update

There are a few Bills players that are in the top 5 at their respective position in fan voting for the Pro Bowl. Shockingly, C.J. Spiller is not among them. Here’s the latest update.

At kick returner Leodis McKelvin sits third in the voting behind Cleveland’s Josh Cribbs and Baltimore’s Jacoby Jones for the AFC spot.

Jairus Byrd stands second at free safety behind Baltimore veteran Ed Reed.

Kyle Williams is still third in the DT voting behind Baltimore’s Haloti Ngata and Cincinnati’s Geno Atkins.

2013 Pro Bowl voting will continue online and on web-enabled mobile phones through Dec. 17 by going to Buffalobills.com to fill out a ballot.

The teams will be announced at 7:00 pm (ET) Wednesday, December 26 on NFL Network’s “Total Access”.

The AFC and NFC All-Star squads are based on the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 43-man rosters that represent the American Football Conference and National Football Conference in the Pro Bowl. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on December 20-21.

Leodis back in mix at nickel?

Bills head coach Chan Gailey gave an honest assessment of the play they’ve been getting at nickel corner of late and didn’t rule out making a change there this week.

Second-year CB Justin Rogers has been manning the nickel spot for most of the season after taking the job from Leodis McKelvin early in the year.

“You know, he’s been up and down,” said Gailey. ”He played with a lot of confidence early in the season and then as of late he hasn’t played with as much confidence. You can see it in his play. He’s still got, I think, the ability to do some things. I feel like sometimes his confidence wavers and that gets him in trouble. He needs to play with a great deal of confidence. I think that he can be a decent player, but he’s got to go out and do it every down.”

Rogers had a tough time with Reggie Wayne, who the Colts not use primarily as a slot receiver.

When asked if a change at that spot would be considered, Gailey brought up McKelvin’s name first.

“I think our first choice would be to move Leodis in there,” said Gailey. ”Leodis played it in the spring and played it in preseason and showed some good things in there.”

Gailey cautioned that such a move for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars is a maybe at best. Buffalo is facing a Jacksonville team whose best receiving threats are outside in Cecil Shorts and Justin Blackmon, but do not offer a whole lot out of the slot. So for another week McKelvin could very well remain outside with Aaron Williams unlikely to return to the lineup.

Leodis honored in Monday morning QB

SI.com NFL writer Peter King listed Leodis McKelvin among his weekly award winners for his Week 11 performance against Miami.

King had McKelvin as one of his three Special Teams Players of the Week. Here’s what he wrote.

McKelvin to hold onto LCB job?

Aaron Williams is 50-50 to return to the lineup this week, but when he does return he may not take back the starting LCB job.

Leodis McKelvin has filled in for Williams and according to Chan Gailey has done quite well.

“He has done a really good job. He has had a couple issues with penalties here or there, but for the most part he has really been on top of his game out there at corner,” said Gailey. “It has been fun to watch to be honest with you. He has done a good job. He is athletic as we all know. We all have seen. He is such a big part of our return game and we will see where this thing goes. When Aaron gets back, I do not know exactly what is going to happen.”

McKelvin hitting all-time marks

Leodis McKelvin’s 79-yard punt return for a touchdown Thursday night was the third of his career tying a Bills record (Roscoe Parrish, Keith Moody). His big play Thursday night also led to some other franchise marks.

McKelvin is now the first Bills player to have two punt return TDs in one season. He’s also the sixth player in Bills history to have five or more return TDs (by any method). McKelvin has also scored on an interception return
(11/23/08 at K.C.) and on a kickoff return (11/17/08 vs. Cle.)

He also is now qualified as the club’s all-time leader in single-season punt return average (min. 15 ret.) with 21.94,
taking top spot from Roscoe Parrish in 2007 (16.30, 27-440).

He’s still the club’s all-time leader in punt return average (min. 20 ret.) with a mark of 17.41.

“If you were late to the game then you missed it,” said McKelvin of his return TD Thursday night. ”That is all I have to say. That is what we have to do as a return group. They do their job, I do my job. I read off them. I have got to get to the end zone whenever I get past the first wave. They did a great job. I told the guys to just keep on working and they punted to me. We did what we had to do. We had a return for a touchdown.”

Byrd, Kyle, Leodis in AFC Pro Bowl hunt

Three Bills players are in the hunt for an AFC Pro Bowl nod as they’re all among the top three vote getters at their respective positions.

Jairus Byrd is second among free safeties, just 8,000 votes behind Baltimore’s Ed Reed.

Kyle Williams is third among defensive tackles behind Cincinnati’s Geno Atkins and Baltimore’s Haloti Ngata.

Leodis McKelvin is third among kick returners behind Cleveland’s Josh Cribbs and Baltimore’s Jacoby Jones.

Vote for your Bills as much as possible right here to move them into the top two vote getters at their position to help land them in Hawaii this winter.

2 Bills make NFL.com Midseason All-Pro team

A pair of Bills players were named to the NFL.com All-Midseason team with NFL executives doing the voting.

Jairus Byrd earned defensive honors at safety while Leodis McKelvin landed return man accolades. Here were the brief NFL executive comments on Byrd and the stats on McKelvin.

Safety
Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills
NFC executive: “He has phenomenal ball skills and he’s a very good tackler.”

Kick Returner
Leodis McKelvin, Buffalo Bills
He’s averaging 29.8 yards per kickoff return and 19.5 yards per punt return.

PFW names McKelvin midseason All-Pro

Pro Football Weekly has released its Midseason All-Pro team and Leodis McKelvin is on it.

McKelvin as named Pro Football Weekly’s Midseason All-Pro punt returner. The players chosen were selected by the PFW editors. McKelvin has led the league in punt return average for almost the entire season. He’s also third in kick return average. Here’s what PFW wrote about McKelvin.

PR Leodis McKelvin / Bills — Like Harvin, he has one return TD and had another nullified by penalty, the latter of which still went for 28 yards after the holding call was enforced. He rarely plays defense anymore, but has no fumbles on the season and six of his 13 returns have gone for 20 yards or longer.

Here’s the entire Pro Football Weekly Midseason All-Pro team. McKelvin is the only Bills representative.

OFFENSE
QB Aaron Rodgers/Packers
RB Adrian Peterson/Vikings*
RB Marshawn Lynch/Seahawks
WR A.J. Green/Bengals*
WR Reggie Wayne/Colts
WR Percy Harvin/Vikings
TE Rob Gronkowski/Patriots
C Mike Pouncey/Dolphins
OG Mike Iupati/49ers*
OG Marshal Yanda/Ravens
OT Duane Brown/Texans
OT Anthony Davis/49ers

DEFENSE
DE J.J. Watt/Texans*
DE Julius Peppers/Bears
DT Geno Atkins/Bengals*
DT Vince Wilfork/Patriots
OLB Lance Briggs/Bears
OLB Clay Matthews/Packers
ILB Daryl Washington/Cardinals*
ILB Sean Lee/Cowboys
CB Richard Sherman/Seahawks
CB Charles Tillman/Bears
S Earl Thomas/Seahawks
S Mark Barron/Buccaneers

SPECIALISTS
PK Blair Walsh/Vikings
P Andy Lee/49ers
PR Leodis McKelvin/Bills
KR Percy Harvin/Vikings

HEAD COACH
Mike Smith/Falcons

EXECUTIVE/GM
John Elway/Broncos

McKelvin set to perform at LCB

Bills CB Aaron Williams is going to be sidelined for a few weeks with a knee injury and that has created a vacancy that veteran Leodis McKelvin will fill at left cornerback.

“Right now Leodis would play that spot,” said head coach Chan Gailey. ”We’ve got Ron Brooks that we just got back and played there in the preseason, but I’m sure he’s rusty and you’ve got Justin Rogers. All three might end up playing there.”

McKelvin, who was unseated as a starting cornerback in training camp from last season, is anxious to go against New England this Sunday.

“I’ve just been waiting on my moment,” he said. ”It’s a time I’ve been waiting on since the beginning of the season. I’ve just stayed focused and done what they tell me to do. No matter what it is I’ve been waiting for my time to come. That’s not to say I’m happy it came this way with the injury and things like that, but it’s time for me to step up.”

Texans to give kick return opportunities?

The Bills lead the league in kick return average (30.8) and face a Texans team that is in the bottom third of the league in kick coverage in Houston (23rd). Part of the problem has been their kicker Shayne Graham, who is struggling to get his kickoffs deep.

Through the Texans’ first seven games, Graham and the Texans are last in the league in touchback percentage (25.6%) which is almost half the league average (50%). Part of the reason the percentage is so low is because they have the second fewest touchbacks in the league (11) and the fourth-most kickoffs (45).

“I don’t think you can all of a sudden say if he’s kicking it two yards deep say it’s got to be out of the end zone,” said Houston head coach Gary Kubiak. ”You can do what you can do. He does directional kick pretty good. The thing we’ve noticed he kicks off pretty well early in games and as the game goes on, they’re not as good. So we tried to focus on that trying to keep him focused on some things we think can help him.

“We’re going to have to be smart some of the things we do kicking the ball, too. If you know you can’t kick it out of the endzone then you better know where you’re kicking it and how you’re going to cover, so we’ve got our hands full there. Hopefully we can start to improve that this week.”

Bills head coach Chan Gailey is hopeful Houston’s struggles lead to opportunities for Leodis McKelvin and Brad Smith.

“I am seeing opportunities,” said Gailey. ”I don’t want too many kickoff returns. You don’t want to go out there and have a chance for five or six, but the two or three they may kick you hope we get good returns on them to get good field position or points on them which happened in our last game.”

Brad Smith returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown in Buffalo’s last game in Week 7 against the Titans. Houston is last in the league in average drive start allowed giving opponents an average start of their own 26-yard line. Conversely, they’re last in their own average drive start, with a mark of their own 18.5-yard line.