Inside The Bills

Nix wants ILBs

Linebacker was a position for the Bills that had little depth and was part of the team’s struggles against the run. That’s why Bills GM Buddy Nix believes there needs to be some additions there.

He’s already added veteran Shawne Merriman on the outside. Now he’s looking to further bolster the inside.

“It has to be addressed,” Nix told Buffalobills.com. “We do have a good bunch of young guys. We feel good about outside linebacker and we need some good inside backers. Some bigger, stronger guys to help stop the run.”

Paul Posluszny is a free agent, who is expected to be re-signed, and vet Andra Davis will be back from shoulder surgery, but beyond that its pretty thin.

Boise St. showing well

Boise St. wide receivers Austin Pettis and Titus Young are proving to have the best polish of the receiving contingent here at the Senior Bowl.

Both turned in another quality practice with the North team this morning. Young and Pettis are very disciplined in their routes and it caters to consistent separation.

Another polished route runner is San Diego State’s Vincent Brown, who has also made some good plays and does well reading coverage and adjusting his routes accordingly.

At tight end Wisconsin’s Lance Kendricks is showing fluid movment in his routes. He too has become a quality target for the quarterbacks here in Mobile this week.

What helps his stock is the fact that he’s at least shown he’s a capable blocker after all his exposure to blocking in the run game at Wisconsin. He may not be an ultimate double threat, but he’s put together well enough to at least help in the blocking game.

His strength however, is his pass catching ability. He’s shown well in terms of finding the open spaces.

RB vs. LB 1-on-1′s

Both the linebackers and running backs had their advantages when it came to 1-on-1 pass coverage and 1-on-1 pass protection in the North team practice.

The backs generally had their way with the LBs in coverage. Only Ohio State’s Ross Homan fared well on the LB side.

The situation was reversed however when it came to 1-on-1 pass protection. Most of the LBs got to the dummy QB. The RBs that did the best in pass pro were Nebraska’s Roy Helu and Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray.

Gailey on his 3 QBs

Bills head coach Chan Gailey was asked about the three quarterbacks on his South team roster. Here was his assessment of TCU’s Andy Dalton, Alabama’s Greg McElroy and Florida State’s Christian Ponder.

“I think that it’s an interesting group,” said Gailey. ”Christian (Ponder) is probably the more prototypical quarterback size-wise. He’s the taller, bigger of the three. He has a good arm. I’m glad to see that his arm problems look to be behind him. He’s thrown the ball well and probably thrown the deep ball better than any of them to this point.

“I think all three are very intelligent football players. I think Andy (Dalton) will be the better scrambler of the three. I don’t know that, but that’s just what I feel.

“Greg (McElroy) will be more of the pocket guy, cerebral guy. He’s got a better arm than I probably gave him credit for walking in here. I think he’s done a good job there.

“We’ll see who starts, and we’ll try to play every one of them equally in the ball game. Who starts and what rotation we use will be interesting to see.”

2 additions at Sr. Bowl

Senior Bowl officials are bringing in two new players to fill roster holes created by injury.

With Oregon St. DT Stephen Paea and WR Edmond Gates both lost to injuries for the rest of the week and the game, officials have successfully added University of South Florida DT Terrell McClain (6’2″ 305) and West Virginia WR Jock Sanders.

McClain is a 1st Team All-Big East performer while Sanders is a speed receiver. Both are forecast to come off the board in the late rounds.

South team sleeper

He’s a small school prospect, but he looks to have legit NFL ability.

DT Cedric Thornton (6’3 1/2″ 299) of Southern Arkansas is an athletic interior lineman with really good lower body strength. He does well to hold his ground and then uses his athleticism to get off blocks and penetrate. He had a would-be sack on Greg McElroy during the session and more than held his own in 1-on-1 pass rush drills.

Standouts at South practice

Here are some of the players that did well at Tuesday’s practice for the South Team this afternoon.

WR Greg Salas from Hawaii is coming off of back to back 100 catch seasons and it showed on Tuesday. Salas (6’1″ 206) is a smooth route runner and gained consistent separation throughout the session including a 42-yard hookup with Greg McElroy for a touchdown during 11-on-11. Salas had about 8 receptions in the practice and had the South Team QBs looking for him series to series.

TE Luke Stocker from Tennessee made some plays in the passing game as well. He does a nice job on the seam routes and shields defenders from the ball effectively. He also took a monster shot from Clemson safety Marcus Gilchrist, who knocked him flat on his back. But Stocker held onto the ball and popped up to his feet to show he made the catch.

Defensively, DT Phil Taylor from Baylor was dominant again as he was moving centers off the line with ease. He is an explosive player for 337 pounds. Clemson DT Jarvis Jenkins (6’4″ 309) was also very active and sudden on the interior and got consistent penetration.

TE Stocker making plays

Tennessee TE Luke Stocker has turned in some plays today.

After making a catch over the middle and down the seam Stocker made another catch on the far side hash and got labeled by Clemson S Marcus Gilchrist. Stocker landed flat on his back, but calmly got to his feet and showed everyone he still had the ball.

WR not practicing

A recently added wide receiver to the South Team is not practicing here at the Senior Bowl on Tuesday.

Edmund Gates from Abilene Christian won’t be participating. He was an injury replacement addition late last week.

North practice performers

The North team’s practice came to a close before noon here in Mobile Tuesday and here’s who looked good in the morning session.

Cal DL Cameron Jordan had an impressive showing during 1-on-1 pass rush drills against offensive lineman. He consistently beat pass protectors with an array of inside and outside moves. He’s not lightning quick out of his stance, but he’s very strong and has long arms and did a good job of keeping offensive linemen from locking onto him.

He also had a would-be sack and QB pressure during 11-on-11 team work. He’s widely considered a first-round prospect. We’ll have more on Jordan in a feature story later today on Buffalobills.com.

Also faring well was Nebraska TE Mike McNeill, who made some plays in the passing game. McNeill made a couple of good receptions down the seam in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11.

Boise St. WR Titus Young also made some plays in the pass game and showed some good separation skills on his routes.

The South Team, which is being coached by Chan Gailey and the Bills staff, will be on the practice field at 3:45 pm ET.

2 added to North roster

A pair of players have been added to the North roster.

Ohio State WR Dane Sanzenbacher has been added to the North team and will wear jersey number 8. And Stanford DB Richard Sherman has also been added and will wear jersey number 7.

Sr. Bowl schedule

Here’s the rundown of events for day 2 of practice here at the Senior Bowl in Mobile.

10:30 AM (ET) – North Team practice
2:45 PM (ET) – South Team practice (Bills coaching staff)
6:30 PM (ET) – News conference (head coaches/players)

This is day one of Buffalobills.com coverage from the Senior Bowl. We’ll be covering both practices today and be blogging live from the practice field. We will also have one-on-one interviews and a Roundup of the day’s action in the Media Center.

Bills scouts working hard

Bills VP of College Scouting Tom Modrak and a pair of his scouts were getting an early start Tuesday.

They were interviewing a college prospect in the hotel hours before practice.

This is the first opportunity for NFL scouting departments to interview players in the pre-draft process. Getting player background is just as important as what happens on the practice field this week.

Mayock releases Top 5 by pos

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock released his top 5 prospects by position. Here’s the list. Underclassmen are designated with an asterisk.

Quarterback:
*1. Blaine Gabbert, Missouri
2. Jake Locker, Washington
*3. Cam Newton, Auburn
*4. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
T-5. Andy Dalton, TCU
T-5. Ricky Stanzi, Iowa
T-5. Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
T-5. Pat Devlin, Delaware

Running Back:
*1. Mark Ingram, Alabama
2. Daniel Thomas, Kansas State
*3. Mikel LeShoure, Illinois
*4. Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech
*T-5. Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State
T-5. Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State

Wide Receiver:
*1. A.J. Green, Georgia
*2. Julio Jones, Alabama
*3. Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh
4. Titus Young, Boise State
T-5. Jerrel Jernigan, Troy
T-5. Greg Little, North Carolina
*T-5. Randall Cobb, Kentucky

Tight End:
*1. Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame
2. Lance Kendricks, Wisconsin
3. Luke Stocker, Tennessee
4. D.J. Williams, Arkansas
5. Charles Clay, Tulsa

Guard/Center:
1. Mike Pouncey, Florida
2. Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State
3. Danny Watkins, Baylor
4. John Moffitt, Wisconsin
T-5. Rodney Hudson, Florida State
T-5. William Rackley, Lehigh
 
Tackle:
1. Nate Solder, Colorado
2. Anthony Castonzo, Boston College
3. Tyron Smith, Southern California
4. Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
T-5. Ben Ijalana, Villanova
T-5. Derek Sherrod, Mississippi State
 
Defensive End:
*1. Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson
2. Adrian Clayborn, Iowa
3. Aldon Smith, Missouri
4. Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
*T-5. J.J. Watt, Wisconsin
*T-5. Robert Quinn, North Carolina

Defensive Tackle:
*1. Nick Fairley, Auburn
*2. Marcell Dareus, Alabama
*3. Corey Liuget, Illinois
*4. Jurrell Casey, Southern California
5. Stephen Paea, Oregon State
 
Linebacker:
1. Von Miller, Texas A&M
*2. Akeem Ayers, UCLA
*3. Justin Houston, Georgia
4. Bruce Carter, North Carolina
*5. Martez Wilson, Illinois

Cornerback:
*1. Patrick Peterson, LSU
2. Prince Amukamara, Nebraska
*3. Brandon Harris, Miami (Fla.)
*4. Aaron Williams, Texas
5. Jimmy Smith, Colorado

Safety:
*1. Rahim Moore, UCLA
2. Ahmad Black, Florida
3. Deunta Williams, North Carolina
*4. Robert Sands, West Virginia
*5. Will Hill, Florida

Sr. Bowl rosters set

The North and South team rosters are set at the Senior Bowl in Mobile as the practice week is underway.

The South team is being coached by Bills head coach Chan Gailey and his staff. The North team by Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis and his staff. Here is the South team roster and North team roster.

Buffalobills.com’s coverage of the Senior Bowl begins Tuesday from Mobile.

Sr. Bowl staff draft history

Over the past five years 10 NFL coaching staffs have helped prepare the prospects that play for the North and South teams in the Senior Bowl. And over that period of time 23 players were drafted by the team of the coaching staff that worked with them in Mobile.

Here’s the breakdown of what Senior Bowl participants wound up drafted by the NFL coaching staff that coached them Senior Bowl week.

2006
North Team – coaching staff – Tennessee Titans —- Players drafted (1) – DL Jesse Mahelona (5th)
South Team – coaching staff – San Francisco 49ers —- Players drafted (4) – DE Manny Lawson (1st), RB Michael Robinson (4th), DE Parys Haralson (5th), DB Marcus Hudson (6th)

2007
North Team – coaching staff – Tampa Bay Buccaneers —- Players drafted (3) – G Aaron Sears (2nd), S Tanard Jackson (4th), RB Ken Darby (7th)
South Team – coaching staff – San Francisco 49ers —- Players drafted (6) – LB Patrick Willis (1st), OL Joe Staley (1st), WR Jason Hill (3rd), DE Ray McDonald (3rd), DE Jay Moore (4th), RB Thomas Clayton (6th)

2008
North Team – coaching staff – Oakland Raiders —- Players drafted (none)
South Team – coaching staff – San Francisco 49ers —- Players drafted (1) – C Cody Wallace (4th)

2009
North Team – coaching staff – Cincinnati Bengals —- Players drafted (2) – P Kevin Huber (5th), DB Morgan Trent (6th)
South Team – coaching staff – Jacksonville Jaguars —- Players drafted (2) – WR Mike Thomas (4th), RB Rashad Jennings (7th)

2010
North Team – coaching staff – Detroit Lions —- Players drafted (none)
South Team – coaching staff – Miami Dolphins —- Players drafted (4) – DL Jared Odrick (1st), LB Koa Misi (2nd), OT John Jerry (3rd), LB A.J. Edds (4th)

While the different variables at work in the draft are plentiful, it’s clear to see which teams felt more comfortable drafting players they got to know in the week they spent with them at the Senior Bowl, even if they didn’t coach them the whole week, with some prospects playing on the team they did not coach at the Senior Bowl.

But San Francisco, which drafted 11 players from the Senior Bowl in three coaching stints and Miami, which drafted four players last year clearly put a value on what they were able to gain in the daily interaction with players they coached or were around in the practice setting in Mobile.

It’ll be interesting to see if Chan Gailey and his staff take a similar approach come draft weekend.

Bills in Senior Bowl

While the Bills coaching staff gets to work today coaching up the South team for the Senor Bowl on Saturday, here’s a look at the current Bills players that have played in the Senior Bowl.

There are 20 in all.

2001 – Marcus Stroud
2002 – Akin Ayodele, Andra Davis
2003 – Drayton Florence
2004 – Dwan Edwards
2006 – Kyle Williams
2007 – Scott Chandler, Paul Posluszny, Garrison Sanborn, Mansfield Wrotto
2008 – Leodis McKelvin, Chad Rinehart
2009 – Andy Levitre, Eric Wood, Kraig Urbik, Shawn Nelson
2010 – Alex Carrington, Antonio Coleman, Donald Jones, Ed Wang

Our coverage of the Senior Bowl from Mobile begins on Tuesday here on Buffalobills.com.

Sr. Bowl small schoolers

The Senior Bowl has invited three college seniors from small schools to play in next week’s game.

C Brandon Fusco from Slippery Rock, WR Edmund Gates from Abilene Christian and DT Cedric Thornton from Southern Arkansas. Fusco was named the Division II Offensive Lineman of the Year. Gates had over 1,100 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns in his senior season, and Thornton made the Little All-American team as a junior in 2009.

All three are considered legitimate NFL prospects with all three forecast to come off the board in the fifth to sixth round area. Fusco will play for the North Team, with Gates and Thornton to play for the South Team which will be coached by Chan Gailey and his Bills staff.

Another top DT to Sr. Bowl

The Senior Bowl has added another top defensive tackle to their lineup of players for next weekend’s game (Jan. 29th).

Senior Bowl officials announced the addition of Oregon State DT Stephen Paea (pronounced PIE-UH). Considered a late first round pick, Paea (6’1″ 312) was the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year. He’s expected to be a part of the North team. Buffalo’s coaching staff will be handling the South team.

He was also named a first team All-American this season after totaling 45 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and six sacks.  He also finished his career with a school-record nine forced fumbles. 

Paea leaves Oregon State tied for 8th in school history in career sacks (14) and tackles for loss (29.5). 

Be sure to watch our coverage of the Senior Bowl next week from Mobile on Buffalobills.com.

Troy St. WR out of Sr. Bowl

Troy St. do-everything receiver Jerell Jernigan has reportedly been forced to pull out of the Senior Bowl.

According to the TFY Draft Insider, Jernigan sustained an injury during training in preparation for next week’s set of practices and will not be able to participate. He’s been replaced by LSU WR Terence Toliver, who was the Tigers go-to receiver and posted three touchdowns in LSU’s Cotton Bowl victory over Texas A&M.

It’s presumed that Toliver will be on the South Team roster for the Senior Bowl, which will be coached by Chan Gailey and the Bills coaching staff. North and South team rosters have not yet been finalized.