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| Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports |
Showing posts with label draft class 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label draft class 2013. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Tarvaris Jackson Press Conference / buffalobills.com
Kevin Kolb Press Conference / BuffaloBills.com
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| AP |
Click Here: Kevin Kolb Press Conference
EJ Manuel Press Conference / Buffalobills.com
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| Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports |
Monday, May 13, 2013
Bills Roundup: Nix Steps Down, OTA Highlights / buffalobills.com
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| Associated Press |
Click Here: Nix Steps Down, OTA Highlights
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Bills should make it Manuel's job to lose / wgr550.com
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| Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports |
Howard Simon
howard@wgr550.com
Doug Marrone wants to have a competition for the job of starting quarterback. I completely understand that but I totally disagree with it. It should be EJ Manuel's job to lose.
Marrone's main mission through the off season OTA's and at training camp as well, should be giving Manuel a steady diet of reps to see if he can handle the number one spot. Manuel was drafted to be the franchise quarterback the Bills have been searching for since Jim Kelly retired following the 1996 season. Therefore, Marrone and his Offensive Coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, should devote most of their energy and effort to developing the Florida State product.
I'm excited at the prospect of watching Manuel this summer, both at practice and in pre-season games. I've looked on with envy as numerous teams have entrusted rookies to their starting quarterback job in recent years and have watched them flourish while we sit and wonder when the Bills turn will come. I have absolutely no desire to watch Kevin Kolb or Tarvaris Jackson run this offense as a stop gap QB.
Marrone's main mission should be to accurately judge Manuel's talents and decide whether or not he can be ready by opening day. Splitting reps with Kolb and jackson won't help that process. Manuel needs as much time on the field and as many snaps as he can possibly get, with the starters and not the second or third string.
One of Manuel's strengths is said to be his football smarts. Manuel reportedly wowed teams during interviews at the combine with his knowledge of the game. During the Senior Bowl, Manuel earned rave reviews for how quickly he picked up the offense being taught to the South squad by the Detroit Lions coaching staff.
The Bills certainly have a strong running game to help out a rookie quarterback and my guess is this coaching staff will put the ball in the hands of CJ Spiller more often than the previous staff did. As far as the passing game, Manuel has Stevie Johnson who has proven he can get open against the top corners in the NFL. After Johnson however, the receiving corps is loaded with questions. Can TJ Graham take a big step up in year two? Can Robert Woods make an impact as a rookie? Can Marquise Goodwin's lightning fast speed create problems for opposing defenses? Will Scott Chandler be back healthy and ready to go?
Manuel's chances to start from day one might also improve based on the work of the defense this summer. If new coordinator Mike Pettine can transform what was an historically bad group the last two years into at least an average unit, that could help cover up for some rookie mistakes.
As I said, I would give the majority of the reps to Manuel which Marrone doesn't appear to be ready to do. At the very least, I would cut the competition down to two by training camp. Marrone can use all of the workouts prior to St. John Fisher to basically choose between Kolb and Jackson and the winner can go head to head with Manuel at camp. Its kind of like the primary before a general election.
Perhaps the Bills QB competition will play out as Seattle’s did last summer. Following the Seahawks three day rookie minicamp last spring, Pete Carroll announced there would be a three way competition at training camp among incumbent Tarvaris Jackson, free agent pickup Matt Flynn and third round draft choice Russell Wilson.
When camp opened, the three QB’s took turns handling the number one job with Jackson getting it on day one, Flynn and day two and Wilson on day three. The reps at practice were split almost in thirds.
The turning point came in the third pre-season game when it was Flynn’s turn to start. But an elbow injury prevented him from playing so Wilson stepped in and led six consecutive scoring drives. The competition had ended. The rookie was named the starter that weekend.
According to Clare Farnsworth of Seahawks.com, the team kept “training wheels” on the offense early in the regular season but the more they let Wilson do, the more he did, and did well. You know where the story went from there.
It used to be when you drafted a quarterback, you’d wait several years before he was ready to take over the starting job. That is no longer the case in the NFL.
If you look at the projected starting QB’s for the other 31 teams in the league, you will find 13 of those 31 started from day one of their rookie season. In no particular order they are: Mark Sanchez, Ryan Tannehill, Andy Dalton, Joe Flacco, Brandon Weedon, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Mathew Stafford, Sam Bradford and Russell Wilson.
Seven led their team into the playoffs as a rookie starter while six did not. None of those 13 teams made the playoffs the season prior to drafting their quarterback of the future. The 1998 Indianapolis Colts with Peyton Manning, are the only team that did not improve its win total from the previous season.
Sanchez, Dalton, Flacco, Luck, Griffin, Ryan and Wilson are the seven who made the playoffs in their first season and they combined for a 35 win improvement from their teams previous season. Tannehill, Weedon, Newton, Stafford and Bradford all led their teams to at least a one game improvement from the year before while not qualifying for the post season. If you combine the records of the 13 quarterbacks, it comes to 101-98.
If you look at all of their statistics from their rookie seasons, you will find six of the quarterbacks completing 60% or more of their passes while the other seven had a completion rate between 50 and 59%. The group averaged more than 33 hundred yards passing with 17 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
There are seven other quarterbacks who took over the starting job for their club at some point during their rookie year. That group wasn’t nearly as successful as the rookies who started from day one. Only one of the seven signal callers led their team to the playoffs(Ben Roethlisberger) while the other six missed out(Alex Smith, Blaine Gabbert, Eli Manning, Josh Freeman, Jay Cutler and Christian Ponder). Roethlisberger went 13-0 as a starter in his rookie year while the rest of that group combined to go just 14-37.
20 of the 31 projected starting quarterbacks for the 2013 season, started at some point as a rookie. Of the remaining 11, six took over in year two,(Brady, Locker, Vick, Palmer, Kapernick and Brees) one in year three(Rivers) and the remaining three didn’t start until their fourth season(Romo, Rodgers and Schaub). If Matt Flynn wins the job in Oakland, he would finally be the number one guy in his 6th season in the NFL.
I'll admit that some of my feelings about making the job Manuel's to lose are based on impatience.
Its been 25 years since Jim Kelly and company kicked off the greatest stretch of football (in terms of winning percentage) in the history of the Buffalo Bills. In a six year period from 1988 through 1993, the Bills won 72% of their games (70-26). To put that in perspective, in their current 13 year playoff drought, the Bills have a total of 82 wins. The Bills made the playoffs in all six seasons, winning the AFC East division each year. The Bills have had just 13 double digit victory seasons in their 53 year franchise history and five of those 13 came in that stretch from 1988-1993.
Its time to begin the process of determining whether or not EJ Manuel can put an end to the "great quarterback drought" and that process should start with the job being Manuel's to lose this summer.
Bills Roundup: Sunday Minicamp Highlights / buffalobills.com
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| Buffalo Bills' Brandon Kaufman (14) participates in rookie minicamp at the team's NFL football training facility in Orchard Park, N.Y., Friday, May 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert) |
Alonzo looking ahead after troubled past / Buffalonews.com
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| May 9, 2013 - Source: Rick Stewart/Getty Images North America |
By Bucky Gleason | News Sports Columnist | @TBNbucky
on May 12, 2013 - 12:10 AM, updated May 12, 2013 at 12:11 AM
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Kiko Alonso wasn’t sure what to expect while walking off the field after his first practice with the Bills, so he did what came natural. The rookie linebacker stood his ground and tackled the issue before moving on to the next question, the next play of his career, the next step of his life.
Yes, he made mistakes at the University of Oregon, also known as the location where Animal House was filmed in the 1970s. In fact, he screwed up big time. He was arrested for driving under the influence in 2010. Fifteen months later, he passed out in a stranger’s house, bringing new meaning to the term “all-out blitz.”
The incidents could be viewed in numerous ways. One is that he may very well have a drinking problem. Another is that his behavior should be filed under Young & Dumb. A third possibility is that it’s a combination of both. Alonso immediately pleaded guilty to the middle option.
“Definitely college-kid stuff,” he said. “I was a young kid, immature, and I made mistakes. I’ve put it in my past. I’m just trying to focus on football.”
Alonso’s answers sounded rehearsed, but what else can he say? The last thing he needed after his first NFL workout was a discussion about his heavy boozing in college. He’s a polite kid. He didn’t shy away from the subject, but he sounded shy. Ask him for his two cents, and he gives you a penny and makes you scrounge for the other.
Fortunately, his actions didn’t end in tragedy. Rather than pass judgment and jump to conclusions, consider the facts and be realistic. Take a look in the mirror, too. Raise your hand if you have a few regrettable moments from your college days. I’ll raise two hands, only because I don’t have more.
For most kids, the stunts they pulled never reach their parents let alone the newspapers. Amen. That said, nobody is condoning his actions, either, or giving him a free pass after two alcohol-related arrests. He was sentenced to two years probation, 200 hours of community service and ordered to counseling. He said he hasn’t had a drink in years.
“I just put it in my past,” he said. “I’m moving forward and focusing on football.”
Fair enough, it’s time Alonso learns from his mistakes and becomes a functional adult. He’s being held to a higher standard. If he’s going to be a professional athlete, he needs to carry himself like one. The same goes for free agent receiver Da’Rick Rogers, who was signed after failing multiple drug tests. Doug Marrone made his message clear Friday when answering a question about Rogers. This is your second chance, fellas, and there might not be another. Straighten out whatever problems you had before arriving in Buffalo. You’re playing with men now, and it’s time to start acting like one.
“I’ve talked to them just like I have spoken to other players,” Marrone said. “You have an outstanding opportunity. People are going to be watching. It is probably going to be your last shot. As long as you understand that, that is what you get yourself into. It’s all on you.”
Evidently, the Bills saw minimal risk when selecting Alonso with the 46th pick. They’re not looking for angels on defense. They’re desperate for a middle linebacker who has a nose for the ball and can attack the line of scrimmage. If he can stay out of trouble and perform on the field, his troubles in college will be forgotten.
The early returns were promising. He’s 6-foot-3 and 238 pounds but doesn’t have a hulking frame. He’s long and athletic and has good speed after coming back from a torn ACL. In fact, he was rehabbing when he was busted for DUI. He was suspended for the 2010 season, but likely would have missed the entire year, anyway.
Alonso was an energetic and exciting player at Oregon, which was in stark contrast to his quiet demeanor in rookie camp. Marrone planned to talk to him about containing himself from hitting teammates without pads during seven-on-seven drills. Moments later, Alonso barely made a peep.
“I’m much different on the field than I am off the field,” he said. “Football is a lot different from regular life. Football is intense. I save that for the football field.”
Alonso was a standout baseball player as a kid but gave up the sport because he was hooked on the speed and contact that comes with football. He’s been a tackling machine since he played at Los Gatos High, the same school in Northern California that produced Trent Edwards.
Alonso was born in Boston, lived in Texas for 10 years and landed in California before high school. His father is a computer engineer who grew up in Puerto Rico. His mother is a Spanish teacher. Alonso and his two brothers are fluent in English and Spanish, and all three are good athletes.
His older brother, Carlos, is a middle infielder in the Phillies organization and currently playing in Class A Clearwater. His younger brother, Lucas, has aspirations to become a mixed martial arts fighter. Kiko is the biggest, so the other two ganged up on him when they were growing up. He can expect more double-teams next season.
He sounds like he’s ready.
Alonso might have been a first-round pick last month if not for his problems off the field. Scouts liked his instincts for the game, his ability to take on blockers and his ability in pass coverage. He had four interceptions last season and was defensive MVP in the 2011 Rose Bowl, when Oregon beat Wisconsin and quarterback Russell Wilson in a shootout.
It’s funny how things work out. Tom Brady grew up about 30 miles from Los Gatos in San Mateo, Calif. Brady is a legend in Boston but arrived after Alonso moved to Texas. He was a star in Northern California but was gone before Alonso showed up in Los Gatos. Alonso will be chasing him twice this season.
He’s taking the next step.
“I’m ready to come in here and compete,” Alonso said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity. It’s surreal. I’m still in shock. It’s just awesome, and I’m excited.”
email: bgleason@buffnews.com
Saturday, May 11, 2013
WR Woods settling in with Bills / wgr550.com
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| The AP |
With one already off the board by the time it was the Bills' selection, the decision was easy for the team. Seeing all the potential that he had leading up to this past college football season, Buffalo made USC's Robert Woods their second pick in the draft at 41st overall.
There are rather lofty expectations for Woods, who at one time in the pre-draft process was thought to be a first-round pick. The Bills have said publicly how NFL ready Woods is, which leads some to believe he factors firmly in to the conversation to be the starter opposite Stevie Johnson.
That decision is still way down the line, but Woods is getting his feet wet with professional football for the first time this weekend at Bills rookie mini-camp.
"Right now it's just trying to catch the pace and the rhythm and keep it going," Woods said with his workman-like approach to the initial sessions. "Right now we're just setting the fundamentals of the game. It's going to get different when the whole team comes back."
The team's draft, especially at wide receiver, has been noted for it's added speed to attempt to push the tempo. Having 4.4 speed himself, Woods knows that's the name of the game in Buffalo.
"That's what we're trying to do in this offense is play fast," he remarked. "That forces the defense to play fast. Trying to have a fast-paced offense, just keep things moving, staying low. The defense haste react to that, respond to that so we set the tone."
The speed is evident anywhere you look on the field at the rookie mini-camp. Whether it be at wide receiver, safety, linebacker, cornerback and even quarterback, the Bills seem to have an agenda they're attempting to push on their opponents in 2013 and beyond.
Woods benefits a tad by getting a three-day jump on working with first-round pick and quarterback EJ Manuel, and the wideout says the two have been working quite well together.
"Chemistry, I think we started off pretty good," he said. "He's already a good friend, but out here we're just working now, getting it done on the field. I think we had a good start."
Woods had a pretty impressive quarterback to work with throughout his time at USC. Matt Barkley was one of the most high-profile passers in all of college football and became a fourth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles.
With Manuel, though, the ball jumps off his hand just a bit quicker than it did with Barkley. Woods has taken notice of Manuel's overall abilities.
"EJ is a great quarterback. Strong arm, great posture in the huddle and on the field," he said. "He's definitely leading this offense so far. It's only the rookies out here, but it's a great start by so far what he's doing."
Woods stood out in his first day of work with his overall polish and route-running. He and the Bills' rookies have one more day of mini-camp on Sunday before being joined by the rest of the team. Monday marks the start of the team's first organized team activity session, which is voluntary for all players. The only player that did not attend the pre-draft voluntary veteran mini-camp was franchised safety Jairus Byrd.
Twitter: @JoeBuscaglia
All photos courtesy of AP
Marquise Goodwin on Speed in Practice / Buffalobills.com
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| The AP |
Bills Roundup: Saturday Minicamp Highlights / Buffalobills.com
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| Rick Stewart/Getty Images North America |
Click Here: Saturday Minicamp Highlights
AP: WR Rogers eager to put troubled past behind / BuffaloBills.com
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| Buffalobills.com |
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - Eager to put behind his troubled past, receiver
And this, the undrafted rookie openly acknowledges, just might be the only chance he'll get.
``I cherish it like gold. This is it. This is my last opportunity,'' Rogers said shortly after joining his new teammates in opening the Bills three-day rookie minicamp this weekend. ``I've got to make the best of it.''
Tapping the podium for emphasis, Rogers expressed confidence that he's ``growing as a person,'' and capable overcoming a tarnished reputation. Suspended indefinitely by Tennessee last summer for failing numerous drug tests as a sophomore, Rogers transferred to Tennessee Tech shortly before the season began.
``Everything in the past, I'm not here to defend those things at all,'' said Rogers said. ``Those are things that are real. They happened. And I'm maturing.''
Aside from the attention focused on first-round pick, quarterback
At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he showed potential as a first-time starter during his sophomore season at Tennessee. He led the Volunteers with 67 catches for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns.
Last year, he had 893 yards receiving and tied a single-season Tennessee Tech record with 10 touchdown catches.
None of that production helped Rogers in overcoming concerns NFL teams had in the months leading up to the draft. Despite being regarded among the top 10 draft-eligible receiver prospects, all 32 teams passed on making Rogers one of the draft's 254 selections.
It was a wakeup call and another reminder for Rogers of how far his stock had fallen.
``Oh, man, it was devastating,'' he said. ``I feel like I was one of the top receivers in the draft, but with the off-the-field issues that I had, the things that I was doing, it hit me and it hurt me.''
It's also an experience that has motivated him to do better.
``It just makes the chip on my shoulder that much bigger,'' Rogers said. ``There's a lot of doubters and a lot of haters out there. I'm here not to prove them wrong, but to show who I am and what I'm really about.''
The Bills showed interest in Rogers. Team officials, including coach Doug Marrone, met with the receiver at the NFL combine in February. And the Bills included Rogers as one of the 30 prospects teams are allowed to bring in to their facility for a pre-draft visit.
That wasn't enough to convince Buffalo to draft Rogers. The team instead addressed its needs at receiver by selecting Southern California's
All three will be given chances to earn regular roles on an offense that lacks an established receiver opposite
Marrone is both intrigued by Rogers, and concerned by the player's past.
``It's a one-shot deal,'' Marrone said during a conference call with Bills season-ticket holders last week. ``Either you've learned your lesson and you've grown up and you're going to go forward and mature, or you haven't learned your lesson and you're going to be out on the street. It's that simple.''
It's a message the coach has shared with Rogers.
``It's all on you, and you have to make the right decisions,'' Marrone said following practice Friday.
Rogers had an inconsistent debut at practice. Though he made a few sharp catches particularly in traffic, there were numerous times when he bobbled the ball in the open field.
Marrone chalked up Rogers' performance to someone trying to catch up to the speed of practice after a long layoff.
Rogers assessed his outing as ``pretty good,'' and noted he was getting accustomed to being back in a practice setting.
``You've got to come in here and grab it by the horns,'' Rogers said, recalling words of advice he received from Marrone. ``Come in here and be a professional, be accountable and everything will work out the way it's supposed to. So that's the way I'm going to handle things up here, do everything I can the best way.''
E.J. Manuel studying Bills’ playbook “like crazy” / profootballtalk.nbcsports.com
Posted by Michael David Smith on May 11, 2013, 1:27 PM EDT
Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel made a good first impression on coach Doug Marrone at the opening of rookie minicamp on Friday, which may be attributable to the work Manuel put in during the two weeks between the draft and the first day of practice.
Manuel said after Friday’s on-field work that he thinks he has a good handle on the offense, or at least as good a handle as it’s possible to have with two weeks to study.
“I got the playbook after I got drafted,” Manuel said. “I’ve been drilling it like crazy.”
Manuel added, however, that offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is making a point of bringing the rookies along slowly, and that he scripted 15 plays that Manuel would run in practice. That’s a long way from knowing the whole offense.
So the Bills will need Manuel to keep studying the playbook like crazy, if he’s going to be their starter when the season starts in four months.
Joe Buscaglia: Thoughts from Bills rookie mini-camp / WGR550.com
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| Rick Stewart/Getty Images North America |
Orchard Park, NY (WGR 550) -- Let the overanalyzing begin!
One day in to the Buffalo Bills' three-day rookie mini-camp, the starvation for how the newest members of the team looked is at its peak. The one very important thing to remember is that this was only one day of work -- and the first day at that. *Continue Reading*
EJ Manuel Press Conference / Buffalobills.com
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| JamesPMcCoy/BuffaloNews |
Click Here: EJ Manuel Press Conference
Doug Marrone Friday Press Conference / BuffaloBills.com
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| AP Photo/David Duprey |
Bills Roundup: Rookie Minicamp Day 1 Highlights / BuffaloBills.com
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| Buffalo Bills EJ Manuel prepares to make a pass during drills at Rookie Mini-Camp today at the Ralph Wilson Field House in Orchard Park on Friday, May 10, 2013. {James P. McCoy/ Buffalo News} |
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Experts give Bills’ draft class so-so reviews / Buffalonews.com
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| Al Bello/Getty Images |
| @JaySkurski | Buffalo News
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