Mike Viti
by kaisertown on Apr 28, 2008 9:52 PM EDT
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PrintThe Bills may not have added a fullback during the draft, but they did add an interesting one on sunday evening.
I will give some of the highlights:
5'9 242 pounds with a 470 pound bench press.
He was one of 4 team captains. Considering the fact he went to West Point, that is VERY impressive.
He tore ligaments in his knee during his senior year of high school, but finished the season anyways. His injuries scared off recruiters. He went on to suffer several injuries at Army as well, but never missed a game.
"Plays with fiery emotion and is the team's hardest worker in the training room."
"Compares To: MIKE KARNEY-New Orleans...While West Virginia's Owen Schmitt is regarded as the draft's top fullback, Viti can rival the Mountaineer as the best blocker in this draft. Viti has brute strength that made one scout describe his physique as "having muscles coming out of his muscles."
I am definately excited the Bills signed Viti and I cannot wait until training camp to see how he looks. Considering his only competition at FB is Darian Barnes and Jonathon Evans, Viti has an outside shot to make the team. He has a good chance to wind up on the practice squad.
Do we know much else about any of the other players the Bills have signed so far?
Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.
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Hmmmm, Vini Vidi Viti
I like this kid more and more I hear about him.
I like anyone whose main attribute is their toughness followed up by their savagery when blocking.
All I want from my FB is a can-do attitude and a willingness to punish anyone who tries to stop him from getting Marshawn into the endzone.
Fear the mighty helmet wearing gopher, he is coming for your soul....
Pass catching
All he needs to do for Buffalo is block and catch maybe a swing pass out of the backfield about once per game. I’m glad the Bills got him and will be curious to see if he can beat out Barnes and Evans. If the Bills keep Omon there will be 4 RBs on the roster, leaving room for just 1 FB. I’m pulling for Viti, largely for sentimental military reasons.
If Omon makes the team...
It’s a sure bet Wright gets cut. They can only afford to keep 3 RBs this year.
FB/TE
Actually when putting together the roster-all NFL teams (those that have them anyway) consider blocking only FBs and TEs interchangably. If this guy, or Barnes make the team it will come at the expense of a TE-not a RB. In all cases when putting together the 53 man roster-all teams ask themselves, “Can he make the gameday 45 and how will he contribute?” For the last 10-12 guys-this obviously means special teams.
This guy, however, sounds really special—on and off the field. Can’t wait to get to Camp and see him.
Geronimo
Do you agree they'll only keep 3 RBs?
I think it’d be too much of a luxury to keep four. If Wright makes the team, I can see Omon all over the practice squad. If Omon makes the team, again, I’d say Wright’s a goner.
Don't know and agree
Well-I agree that if Omon makes the team, Wright’s chances just got a lot slimmer. However—if Wright plays well in camp, whether Omon makes the team or not is too early to tell. Depends on how he shows in Camp and the preseason games. Solely up to him.
Geronimo
... 470 pound bench press in a 5’9” dude? That’s ludicrous. I’m guessing he can lay the lumber, and he should be pretty excellent on special teams as well. I think this dude’s got a chance to make the final roster. (And yeah… I won’t ever be able to call him anything other than “dude”. Only dudes bench press 470. That’s like 3 of me.)
by Brian Galliford on Apr 29, 2008 7:37 AM EDT reply actions
Yikes.
Here’s the Army profile of him:
That 470-lb bench press is an Army record. At the bottom of the page, it mentions that he bench-pressed 400 lbs at age 16.
Also, not only is he one of the four team captains, but he’s also the Third Regimental Commander of the cadets, which puts him in charge of 1,000 cadets at West Point (a quarter of the student body).
Hope he makes the team
So I can lay the lumber to people using him in Madden ‘09.
Fear the mighty helmet wearing gopher, he is coming for your soul....
What a perfect way to introduce Mayo to the NFL
Comparisons to Mike Karney and best blocking FB in the draft get me excited. It may be a coup signing. 2 year contract too.
GO BLUE!!!
Further information on Viti
Ran a quick google look up on this kid, and the more I read about him, the more I’m impressed by him. He seems like a 100% stand up guy who doesn’t make excuses and won’t except failure, perfect for our team of young guys to lean on.
Here is his Army Bio- http://www.goarmysports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11100&ATCLID=537432
Here is the write up on him being promoted to Third Regimental Commander within the US Corps of Cadets- http://www.goarmysports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11100&ATCLID=1149852
Nice article about him from the NY Post as well about his duties as captain and commander at West Point and running an 18 credit course load this year!- http://www.nypost.com/seven/09192007/sports/field_general.htm
I couldn’t find any real scouting profile on him, he was so under the radar for most scouts. All I got out of espn’s Scouts Inc. was a grade of 20, and most other places just list him. He did run a 4.86 40 time, and at 242 pounds at that. Kid will be a good one I think, and I hope he makes the team. I would buy this kids jersey.
Fear the mighty helmet wearing gopher, he is coming for your soul....
If Geronimo is Right
that keeping a FB will be at the expense of a TE, and I have no reason to doubt him, I have no problem with keeping Viti and showing Schouman the door. Viti just seems to bring a lot more to the table than Derek S. in terms of leadership, drive, and accountability. I see him as much more of a force on ST than DS could hope to be, and a better lead blocker for Lynch.
The recent additions of Johnson, Anderson, and Fine seems to make Schouman even more expendable.
Slow down a little here..
Let’s not forget, Schoumann was/is pretty well thought of by OBD. And, he has the added benefit of being around the organization for a whole off season, a time where it’s typical that a player sees his most improvement between year one and two…
But it’s also true, kry, that Schouman didn’t make the opening day roster last year – he was a practice squad guy brought up after the glut of injuries at tight end. That doesn’t bode well for him this year with Teyo Johnson, Courtney Anderson, and Derek Fine all on board…
by Brian Galliford on Apr 29, 2008 7:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Very true..
I’m not really “sticking up” for DS here, and I’m definitely not “rooting against” Viti (that would be un-American to say the least). I just think Schoumann might have a better chance than we think, just being in this system a year more than Teyo, Anderson and the rest.
On a side note – with Teyo Johnson never really having done anything, how is he so special that we all call him “Teyo.” Isn’t referring to guys by their first name only reserved for special talents? I’ll admit – I’m just as guilty as the rest!
“Johnson” is so general. And Teyo might not make it through the end of the pre-season. Type “Teyo” while you can!
by Brian Galliford on Apr 29, 2008 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree with Brian yet again
Schouman is a very expendable 7th round pick. At 6’2 and 233 pounds, he isn’t a TE and he isn’t a FB (at least not a good enough FB to make the team). The Bills drafted him to be an H-Back, which is no longer a part of their offense.
I would have given Schouman a 1 – 2 % chance to make this team BEFORE the Bills drafted Fine and signed Viti. Now I would give him somewhere closer to a ZERO percent chance to make the 53 man roster out of camp. A team that uses the H-Back (most do now) will probably scoop him up for thier practice squad. If Schouman spent the offseason bulking up and learning how to be a lead blocker he could potentially outperform Jonathan Evans and wind up back on the practice squad as an emergency TE and FB.
Time will tell...
Of course we have yet to see him play. The thought of somebody with his physique and strength as a wedge blocker on kick returns is somewhat entertaining however.
Geronimo
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