Inside The Bills

Troup’s college coach at minicamp

University of Central Florida head coach George O’Leary was a spectator at Bills minicamp practice Wednesday. Bills head coach Doug Marrone coached as an assistant under O’Leary when he was the head coach at Georgia Tech. But O’Leary was keeping a watchful eye on a certain defensive lineman that he coached at Central Florida during practice.

“He’s got some ties to some of the guys that work here and they told me yesterday he was going to be up here,” said Troup. “He was talking to me about the same stuff. Run to the ball, keep working, stuff like that. You’ve got to take him with a grain of salt. He’s always got something for you to improve on no matter how good you think you are. It’s coaching all the time.”

O’Leary also asked about when Troup was finishing up his degree. The Bills defensive lineman will finish up his degree later this summer with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies and a minor in Communication.

“He had a good relationship with my mother and they still talk all the time,” said Troup. “He’s really a part of my family and known my family situation. He’s always checking in on us.”

Troup putting up major weight

For those Bills fans that have been asking DT Torell Troup is as healthy as he’s been in two years and has the video to prove it.

Here’s his tweet of his workout where’s he putting up better than 700 pounds on the leg press going 30 reps at a time.

DT Troup says good to go for OTAs

It’s been a long and difficult road for DT Torell Troup to get his back right, but after fielding several dozen inquiries from Bills fans, Troup confirmed he’ll be ready for OTAs come May.

Buffalobills.com provided an update on Troup in early February, but Troup confirmed his availability for spring workouts Tuesday morning. Troup hasn’t appeared in an NFL game for the Bills since Nov. 20, 2011.

Everybody keep asking me about the back. Its good. Had enough time to heal. Ill be at all team workouts and OTA’s. Thanx for asking.

— torell troup (@TorellTroup) March 12, 2013

It’s a big year for Troup as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.

Troup compares his back injury to Johnny Knox

Bills DT Torell Troup is working his way back from a lengthy back rehab that’s lasted about a year. We brought you up to speed on his progress recently. But Troup shed some light on the severity of his back injury in the wake of former Bears WR Johnny Knox’s decision to retire after his back injury.

In an exclusive with the Chicago Sun-Times, Knox confirmed that he’s going to retire from football as he still has trouble walking without a limp. Running like an NFL wide receiver is just unrealistic after Knox suffered a spinal injury after a hit in the back from Anthony Hargrove at the end of the 2011 season.

Knox’s retirement announcement came as a surprise to Troup because as far as he knows he and Knox had the same back injury.

Wow johnny knox and I both had the same injury. Cant believe he is hanging up the cleats but i cant understand… its no joke.

— torell troup (@TorellTroup) February 14, 2013

Knox had spinal fusion surgery after a disc was removed, but also suffered nerve damage and doctors are just hoping that the nerves will regenerate and Knox’s chronic pain with subside. Troup also had a herniated disc removed and suffered a fracture in his spine. The Bills defensive tackle is determined to continue his career, but he wants to speak to Knox and compare notes on their respective ordeals.

I need 2 get in touch with Johnny knox. I really would like to talk to him about his injury compared to mine. Anyone help me reach out 2 him

— torell troup (@TorellTroup) February 14, 2013

It should be noted that Troup is up and around and doing football related movements and he’s lifting in the weight room regularly, doing squat work along with a host of other activities. So while Troup might have had the same procedure as Knox he’s doing a lot better than the former Bears receiver right now.

Fan Friday 2-8

Here’s the latest edition of Fan Friday with your questions from AskChris@bills.nfl.net and on Twitter at ChrisBrownBills as we touch on free agency, the draft and some Bills players rehabbing from surgeries and their progress.

1 – Hi Chris,

My question is about the Bills pick in the first round. Do you see the Bills taking T’eo, I think that T’eo would fit in with the Bills defense next season? Because we got a healthy Mark Anderson coming back, plus, Mario Williams if not do you think that the bills might go after Ryan Nassib from Syracuse? If not one of them then who do you think the bills might take in the first round?

Thanks for all the work you guys do
Chris
CB: I think a lot of the direction the Bills choose to take in the first round of the draft will hinge on what acquisitions are made in free agency. Te’o is an interesting case. He was a playmaker in college, but so was Paul Posluszny. That production and playmaking ability did not carry over to the NFL game. I’m no scout, but I wonder if Te’o is not the same kind of linebacker. Obviously how he times at the Combine will say a lot about whether he’d be a true sideline to sideline player at the NFL level. His lack of playmaking against Alabama was eye opening against top college talent. Knowing that he’ll be facing comparable and better talent in the league makes me wonder about his long range potential. And if there’s that kind of doubt among scouts I think he goes late first round, not top 10.

2 – Chris,

As free agency approaches it’s clear the Bills will want to retain Byrd and Levitre.  However, isn’t Spiller going to demand more if he stays the course, and wouldn’t it be in the Bills best interest to extend him now rather than later?  In addition, has Marrone made any indication on the status of Ryan Fitzpatrick, as I’m one of the few that would rather have him while prepping another quarterback.

Thanks,
Dave Faber

CB: Spiller still has two years left on his contract. I think in due time the Bills will make sure he’s extended to ensure his future with the club, but players like Byrd and Levitre are far more pressing in nature with them set to hit the market in just over a month if they’re not re-signed. So at the earliest I would expect Spiller to possibly be addressed next offseason.

3 – Good Day Chris,

I have not heard much from the Bills this season about the Tarvaris Jackson trade / signing.  Has anyone at One Bills Drive talked about his addition to the team in 2012 and what progress he might have made during the season?  If I understand correctly, he is a free agent soon and I wonder if the Bills have any plans to extend his contract?  Especially given the draft pick they needed to give up getting him.  It would be a shame to let him walk now with 1 less pick come the draft this year.  

Best Regards,
Brad
Fonthill, ON

CB: It’s hard to ascertain at this point whether there are plans to retain Jackson for 2013. You’re right he will be an unrestricted free agent. What is working in Jackson’s favor concerning the new coaching staff is prior to coming to the Bills this past season the only offensive system he knew was the West Coast offense, or some variation thereof.

Knowing Nathaniel Hackett’s offense is rooted with West Coast principles he is at least well versed in a lot of the concepts that Buffalo’s offense would presumably run.

Is that enough to interest Buffalo’s offensive staff in re-signing him to their roster? That remains to be seen.

4 - Chris,
Any news on how Torell Troup’s recovery is progressing?  I want to see him in our rotation next year.

John MacGaffick

CB: Hopefully you saw our write up on Troup’s Battle Back this week on Buffalobills.com. Troup is finally back to normal and two arduous years of back problems. He’s still rehabbing now, but expected to be ready to roll for OTAs in the spring.

5 – Hi Chris,

Thank you for answering our questions. It’s very helpful. Can you please explain players who are signed as reserve/future players?

Bob Hammond

CB: Typically they’re players that served the previous season on the team’s practice squad. In order to retain those players NFL clubs have a week to sign them to a future free agent contract. Teams can also sign players from other practice squad units if they’re not re-signed by their former club, or a player that joined the team as a signee in the second half of the season (after 10^th regular season game) with one accrued NFL season of credit or less can be signed as a future free agents.

It’s essentially a category for rookie or first-year players that clubs want to retain and see how they develop from their practice squads.

Troup would be eligible to come off I-R

One Bills fans sent me a question asking if Torell Troup would be eligible to come off of injured reserve with the new I-R rule that was passed in an agreement between the league and the NFLPA today. Here’s the answer.

Troup would be eligible. Here’s what the directive stated for players that were put on I-R prior to this rule change coming down today.

Since this rule is being adopted after the cutdown to 75 players, for 2012 only, the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to a transition procedure that permits clubs to return to their 53-player active list one player placed on Reserve/Injured since the start of preseason training camp.  This selection of that player must be made no later than 9:00 p.m. ET tomorrow, Friday, August 31.

The problem is if the Bills do that then they’ve used their one I-R exception up already for the entire season. Knowing there could very well be other players in the near future that sustain injuries that may be lengthy but not season ending,  I would not expect Troup to be given this designation. In addition Troup still has a good bit of rehab ahead of him and the Bills are not hurting for depth at defensive tackle right now.

Gailey on Troup

Bills head coach Chan Gailey met one-on-one with Torell Troup and made the defensive tackle understand that his head coach respected the effort he put forth to get back healthy in time for the regular season before he went on I-R today.

“I told him today when we visited I was proud of him for the way he fought to get back, but he just couldn’t make it,” said Gailey. ”We saw he wasn’t going to make it this year so we wanted to not let him worry about it anymore and go get well and we’ll give him a run next year.”

Gailey had a similar heart-to-heart with Troup last season in Week 13. That week with the Bills at the Jets, Troup was a game time decision as he tried to get game ready one last time that season. But his back wouldn’t cooperate. He left the field and returned to the locker room crestfallen that he couldn’t be out there with his teammates.

“The Jets game on the road was the point where I couldn’t take it anymore,” Troup told Buffalobills.com this past spring. ”I fought through it the best I could all the way through the season up until that Jets game. Coach Gailey came up to me in the locker room and said, ‘Don’t worry about it. We know you’ve been fighting all year and we know you are resilient so if you can’t go we know there’s something wrong. You should stay back here and lay down and relax.’ It was definitely heartbreaking not being able to finish the season with my teammates was horrible.”

Troup was placed on injured reserve Thursday as he was unable to recover quickly enough from offseason back surgery.

How I-R for Troup helps

Torell Troup legitimately had to go the route of injured reserve. He just wasn’t going to be able to help this defense in time coming off of back surgery. Troup’s removal from the roster equation also helps in another way.

It stashes a young, capable defensive tackle on their roster. Granted he has to prove he can make it all the way back, but knowing that Spencer Johnson is in the final year of his contract and Dwan Edwards is only signed through the 2013 season, there will be a need to get younger depth behind starters Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams. That figures to be Troup and Alex Carrington, who could be the fifth defensive tackle kept on the 53-man roster if the numbers fall right.

I-R for Troup not a surprise

As valiant an effort as Torell Troup made to be ready for the 2012 regular season, there was no way he was going to be ready in time to make a contribution on defense in the 2012 season.

Though he was practicing on a daily basis, he could not go much faster than half speed on the practice field. He underwent back surgery last December in which he had a broken vertebrae in his lower spine repaired and a bulging disc removed. Rehab was long and painful in the early months, but he fought through it and dragged himself out onto the practice field almost every day in camp.

Luck has not been on Troup’s side. Since he appeared in 15 games as a rookie, Troup will now have played in only six in 2011-2012.

Troup gets team reps

Bills DT Torell Troup didn’t play in the preseason opener. His body isn’t fit to play at game speed yet coming off back surgery. However, he is making progress.

Troup took a couple of team reps in practice Saturday. He’s had a couple of reps here and there in team in a couple of other practices, but isn’t going full speed yet. Head coach Chan Gailey and his staff appear to understand it’s going to be a lengthy process.

“Slowly, not as fast as any of us would like including him,” said Gailey in reference to Troup’s progress. “It’s real slow. It’s two steps forward and one step back on him. That’s frustrating on everybody.”

Defense healing up

Bills head coach Chan Gailey said over the weekend that he expected to get some injured players back on the practice field. Buffalo’s defense got three back Monday.

Chris Kelsay, Torell Troup and Josh Nesbitt all returned to the fold Monday off injuries. We’ll keep you posted on their participation in practice.

Defense healing up

Bills head coach Chan Gailey said over the weekend that he expected to get some injured players back on the practice field. Buffalo’s defense got three back Monday.

Chris Kelsay, Torell Troup and Josh Nesbitt all returned to the fold Monday off injuries. We’ll keep you posted on their participation in practice.

Troup improving?

Torell Troup missed Saturday’s practice altogether as he was not even out on the field as a spectator after working in individual position drills almost every practice prior to that. Head coach Chan Gailey said a bad day at practice last Friday prompted his absence Saturday as he battles his way back from back surgery. But Troup had an interesting tweet this morning.

Troup tweeted the following Monday morning.

TorellTroup Goin to be a good day

While that message isn’t specific by any means, one would think it improves his likelihood of being on the practice field in some capacity Monday afternoon. We’ll keep you posted.

Minor setback for Troup?

Torell Troup has been fighting his way back from offseason back surgery and the progress for the defensive tackle has been incremental. On Friday he apparently had a small setback and wasn’t even out on the field Saturday.

“He was just… they kept him in,” said Chan Gailey after Saturday’s practice. “He had a bad day (Friday) and they kept him inside today.”

Gailey did not provide any other details. Troup had two vertebrae in his lower back fused as part of his surgery this offseason. He’s valiantly tried to power through the individual position drills in practice every day, but it doesn’t appear like his body is cooperating very much as he often was moving at half speed. Now it’s hard to know what lies ahead for the defensive tackle.

Fan Friday 8-3

One week in the books for training camp. Two weeks to go, but first preseason game is six days away! We’re almost there Bills fans! Keep sending your questions in to AskChris@bills.nfl.net or on twitter @ChrisBrownBills. Today we’ve got an update on Jim Leonhard in here along with how things might shake out at receiver in terms of alignment and formation assignments.

1 - Chris,
I was wondering if you could help me with a question I’ve had regarding the 3 or 4 WR sets that Bills have run a lot in the past.  Previously, we’ve had a lot of guys that worked primarily out of the slot, with Stevie and Donald Jones as the outside receivers.  However, this year it appears that Donald Jones has started to win the 2nd receiver spot, but also works out of the slot a lot.  I’ve assumed that David Nelson would be the 3rd receiver.  However, if Donald Jones moves into the slot, the 3rd receiver would then be an outside WR, instead of the primary slot receiver you normally see on other teams.  David Nelson has done a great job out of the slot, but he and Donald can’t both work out of the slot.  Do one of those two get pushed to the outside spot?  Do you see someone else winning that outside spot and relegating David to the 4th WR or lower, and only comes on for 4 and 5 WR formations?
-Chris, Penn State

CB: This is what I envision happening. I believe if Donald Jones wins the #2 WR job he will line up outside and David Nelson will fill the primary slot role in 3-wide sets. When the team goes 4-wide however, I believe Nelson and Jones will both line up inside with a fourth receiver coming on in the form of Derek Hagan, Marcus Easley, T.J. Graham or someone else to line up outside opposite Stevie.

If Donald Jones doesn’t win the #2 WR job then he’ll in essence be the team’s 4th wideout. So when the team again goes to 4-wide, he’ll come on the field and work out of the slot as well.

2 - If Stephon Gilmore locks in a one the two spots at corner is it safe to believe that either McGee or McKelvin are going to be released. I would say with the drafting of Brooks and the improvement of 2nd year player Rogers that it is kind of pointless wasting another year on either one. This could be a roster spot used on another MLB or one of the developmental TE’s we have. Thanks for all your great reporting on BuffaloBills.com!

PS. Have Buddy thought of adding another Pass rushing DT if Troup can’t get healthy?
CB: With respect to the secondary I think with the proliferation of spread formations across the league you need at least five corners on your active roster and one or two on your practice squad or six on the roster and one on the practice squad.

You may as well mark Gilmore down in pen at the right cornerback spot unless he struggles in the preseason games, but I don’t see it happening. Terrence McGee is a player that is not 100 percent back yet. It’s going to take some time, but barring a major setback I think he’ll remain on the roster. McKelvin has been worked as the primary slot corner so he’ll be on board.

The truth is you only have Gilmore, A. Williams, McGee, McKelvin, Rogers and Brooks and that’s six right there. Prince Miller, who was on the practice squad last year and still has eligibility, has had a nice camp too.

I don’t see McGee or McKelvin getting clipped unless McGee can’t recover from patellar tendon surgery.

Concerning the DT position, the Bills have plenty of depth there with the depth chart shaking out like this right now – Dareus, Williams – Sp. Johnson, Edwards – Carrington, Heard (recovering from injuries) – Gilbert, Ross. There already is respectable depth there so even if Troup can’t recover they have enough capable players.

3 - SutterDrew Aug 2,  via Twitter

@ChrisBrownBills hey Chris how long before Leonhard can go full out if he was to sign.

CB: The feedback I was able to get concerning his workout with the Bills Friday morning is that he’s not all the way back yet from his surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon. The situation is much the same with Terrence McGee, who if you’ve been out to practice have seen him laboring through drills at times.

Leonhard is about three to four weeks behind McGee in recovery. So signing him really isn’t an option right now.

I myself was wondering if the Bills doctors felt his knee would be ready in a month, could the Bills sign him now and place him on Active/PUP. That unfortunately is not allowed under league rules. Only a player that was already on the roster, but did not report to camp on time could be placed on Active/PUP once training camp has already begun.

4 – DennisBoyev Aug 2, via Twitter

@ChrisBrownBills – How is Kevin Brock doing so far?

CB: Unfortunately the young tight end is not getting many reps in the team portions of the practice setting. There’s no debating he’s athletic, but there’s another prospect that the coaching staff might be more interested in. Fendi Onobun, who much like Brock came in late last season, is every bit as athletic. He has seen more reps than Brock thus far and has made some plays.

It’s early and they haven’t played a preseason game, so I believe there are still many turns in the road at that position behind the top two TEs on the roster in Scott Chandler and Lee Smith.

5 - Chris,

We don’t hear much about him in the cornerback role? Has he slipped that far down the depth chart?

CB: Leodis has been the primary slot cornerback in camp. They’ve put him there in part because it reduces the risk of him getting beat deep, which was a problem in his game last season. He had a decent day Thursday registering a couple of pass breakups. He’s a fantastic athlete, but there are more things one has to be ready for covering the slot where receivers have two-ways gos, so it’ll bear watching in the preseason to see how he fares.

Troup taking day-by-day approach

Torell Troup still isn’t his normal self as an NFL defensive tackle. Coming off of back surgery not many NFL players would. But Troup, though limited, was generally pleased with what he was able to do in practice Thursday despite doing only individual position drills.

“It is going to be a day by day thing,” Troup told Buffalobills.com Contributing Correspondent Jared Kracker. ”Today I just did individual to see how I feel and tomorrow I am going to come out here and do the same thing. If I feel any better I will do more and if not I will just stay away from it. The main goal when I talk to Chan (Gailey) and I talk to Buddy (Nix) is to be ready for the season opener.”

Troup isn’t happy about his situation, but is trying to focus on his progress with the finish line to his rehab in sight.

“It is very frustrating, but compared to where I was before, I really can’t say anything negative,” he said. ”I’ve come from not being able to walk and being in pain everyday to getting back on to the field and close to full health.”

Good sign for rehabbing vets

The target date to be back in the fold for the likes of rehabbing veterans Terrence McGee, Torell Troup and Eric Wood was the start of training camp. After Wednesday’s conditioning workout for the balance of the roster, head coach Chan Gailey is encouraged that all three will be in the fold for practice Thursday afternooon.

“Troup, Wood and Terrence McGee all went through conditioning and made it through and did pretty good,” said Gailey. ”I think we’ll be smart with all three of them. I think Troup is the furthest along of the three, but I thought all three of those guys looked good out here to start with.”

In all likelihood McGee, Troup and Wood will all be given time off whether it’s in reps, segments of practice or a whole practice day depending on each case. We’ll monitor the level of participation for all three on Thursday.

Troup expected to be full go

Torell Troup is yet another Bills played coming off a lengthy rehab following offseason back surgery. Bills GM Buddy Nix is expecting Troup to a full scale participant come Thursday.

“When he left here (in the spring) we watched him hitting the sled and doing all those things and it looked like he was ready to go,” said Nix.

Nix also acknowledged for third-year players like Troup and some others the time to step up their play is now.

“For (Torell) Troup and (Alex) Carrington it is time for both of those guys to do it,” said Nix. “It is their third year. Injuries have been a big factor with Troup. If he can stay healthy I think he’ll be a factor.”

McGee, Wood update

Terrence McGee and Eric Wood did not participate at all in the spring practices, but both are on track to be ready for training camp.

Head coach Chan Gailey however, indicated that while both should be cleared they may not have a full workload right from the start.

“Yes they’ll be ready,” Gailey said. ”Now whether they can practice every day, it might be every other day to start with and then work them slowly in, but I expect them to be ready to go at camp.”

Other players expected to return to the practice setting in training camp that are coming off offseason surgeries include RT Erik Pears and DT Torell Troup.

The 4-3 appealing to Troup

Torell Troup didn’t have a problem with Buffalo’s old 3-4 defense, but Dave Wannstedt’s new 4-3 scheme is particularly appealing to the defensive tackle.

Troup, who plans to be back on the field full go come training camp, played in a 4-3 system under George O’Leary at Central Florida and likes the playmaking opportunities for defensive linemen in Wannstedt’s scheme.

“The 4-3 is just more of a defensive line scheme,” Troup told Buffalobills.com. ”In a 3-4 you’re holding up guys and letting the linebackers shoot gaps. This 4-3 is going to be us getting off the ball and making plays. Whoever has the one-on-one has to win and to me that’s more suited for me and a lot of the guys we have on our defense. This is going to be a better suited defense for the scheme that we’re running.

“The biggest thing is that first step. If you beat that guy when he hikes that ball and get a step on that guy… and I have a great first step and I feel like I’d be able to use that to my advantage this year.”