Five bubble Bills making strong pre-season impressions
by Brian Galliford on Aug 13, 2009 11:15 AM EDT
in Buffalo Bills News
70 comments
It happens every year - NFL head coaches must cut roughly 25 players in a matter of a few weeks, paring their rosters down to 53 guys that they'll go to war with. Invariably, every year, there are a handful of players that coaches love to death - and who have performed when called upon - that might not fit onto the roster.
Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron will make precisely those types of decisions over the next few weeks. Here are five players that are going to be tough to cut. Jauron (as well as every other NFL coach) still has over three full weeks to make this decision, as rosters don't have to be pared down to 53 until September 5.
WR Justin Jenkins. This is Jenkins' third season in Buffalo. He began the 2007 season on the practice squad, but was signed to the 53-man roster that October after injuries riddled the Bills' receiving corps. Since that point, he has stuck with the Bills (for the better part of two seasons) as a key cog in Bobby April's special teams coverage units. Now, however, Terrell Owens is here. Jenkins is decidedly seventh in the pecking order at his position. Still, he turns in plays at practice and performs on special teams. He helps the team on Sundays. He stands a strong chance of being the victim of the numbers game, but if he goes, it certainly won't be an easy goodbye from Buffalo's coaching staff.
TE Jonathan Stupar. Tight end is traditionally a weak position in Buffalo. Stupar, a second-year player out of Virginia, spent part of the 2008 season on the practice squad and finished the year on the active roster. This year, he's fourth in the pecking order behind two players he resembles greatly - Derek Schouman and Derek Fine - and rookie Shawn Nelson, who is clearly the most talented player of the group. Yet Stupar has had a surprisingly productive training camp; he also led the team in receiving yardage (4 receptions, 36 yards) in the Hall of Fame Game. Oh, yeah - he, too, can play special teams. Fourth tight ends are tough to keep around, but Stupar might be an exception.
DE Chris Ellis. If I'm speaking frankly, I, myself, have been underwhelmed by the admittedly little I have seen of Ellis this pre-season. There's got to be a good reason, however, that Ellis has been sneaking in first-team reps at right end (other than the possibility that guys like Aaron Schobel and Ryan Denney are getting fewer reps thanks to their status as grizzled veterans). A third-round pick in 2008, Ellis is far better suited physically for the rigors of the game than he was in his rookie season. But when Aaron Maybin signs his deal and reports to camp - and if you believe John Clayton, that could happen within the next 24-48 hours - Ellis might have a hard time cracking the top 53 as a fifth defensive end.
DT Derrick Jones. This is, without a doubt, the most surprising name on the list - but Jones certainly deserves mention. The 6'4", 315-pound defensive tackle spent part of 2008 training camp with Buffalo, but was released prior to the season. Jones has essentially bounced from practice squad to practice squad in his very short career. He did not start camp with the Bills this season; instead, the team signed him on August 6 as an extra body while several of their tackles recovered from injuries. Jones has seized the opportunity; he registered two tackles and a sack in the Hall of Fame Game, and has been a standout in the practice setting. He's done the best that any camp body can hope to do - raised eyebrows. Is there a chance he could make the team? We'll see, but he's certainly not cracking the top four in the tackle rotation any time soon.
LB Jon Corto. There's little question that Corto played out of position last year in Buffalo; as feisty as Corto is, you're going to be overwhelmed playing linebacker at 205 pounds. Corto has made some waves this pre-season, however; he showed up to camp with 15 extra pounds of muscle while preserving all of the speed and quickness that made him a borderline NFL safety prospect. He stuck on the Bills' roster when he probably shouldn't have in 2008 as a core member of April's special teams units. At linebacker, of the nine 'backers on the roster, Corto has easily taken the most third-team reps as he continues to learn the nuances of his position. But while there hasn't been a discernible difference between many of Buffalo's other young backup linebackers, Corto stands alone as the best special teams player of the group. That could provide him with an opportunity to slide up the depth chart when cut-down dates draw nearer.
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Depth and Practice Competition
Jones and Ellis. They do provide depth and practice competition. Playing time won’t come unless we see injury, but these two positions need competition on a daily basis. If these guys play seriously, fighting for PT than this is all good. We need a healthy rotation at DT and we need a flippin pass rush. Until something better comes along we need these two guys to push the others every day. Corto and Jenkins the same can be said, but wouldn’t that be additional depth. How can we keep them all?
Too bad for Jenkins, but oh well. It’s not like he is some irreplaceable part on ST’s or a young WR on offense. Getting caught up in the numbers game is right, but he is afterall, still just the 7th best WR on the team….
Do Stupar and Jones have PS eligibility? I’m guessing Stupar definitely does since it’s just his second year in the league and he didn’t play last year. Dumb question there. Jones has spent parts of two years on a PS, so it’s a bigger question for him. It’d be nice to keep a DT with good size, and maybe ability, on the PS. Someone who isn’t Corey Mace.
Back to Stupar. Since he is so similar to Fine and Schouman, is he really necessary to keep outright? Would he even be active for games? If he has no shot at playing as the 4th TE, wouldn’t it be wiser to keep him on the PS, and keep someone else….like Youboty or Ellis, someone who might contribute?
As for Ellis, why wouldn’t we keep 5 DE’s? We kept 5 last year and the situation isn’t a whole lot different now. Kelsay, Denney and Schobel are all on the downside of their career, Maybin is an unproven rookie who may not even contribute, and Schobel’s foot will remain a question mark all season. If Ellis plays well enough to be deserving of a spot, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be kept especially if it’s a question or whether to keep a 5th DE or not. If we had better players ahead of him, then it would make more sense, but we don’t.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
I think the situation at DE is very different.
They kept 5 DEs last year, yes. Two of them were Copeland Bryan and Chris Ellis. Neither was going to play very much, and the only reason Bryan was kept – besides the fact that he had a strong pre-season and the coaches liked him – was because Ellis was so ridiculously green and nowhere near ready to play. The Bills essentially had 5 DEs on the roster because they didn’t want to cut Ellis – who cuts a third-round rookie besides Oakland? – but knew he wouldn’t play. They knew they’d be starting out with essentially a three-man rotation and Bryan moonlighting when players were particularly gassed. Ellis was close to an afterthought.
This year, they’ve got four players they know are going to play, and play a lot. If that fifth DE doesn’t help them on game days, they won’t keep him.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"Our style is simple but not that easy. Roll up your sleeves and play good, solid football." -- Marv Levy
by Brian Galliford on Aug 13, 2009 11:37 AM EDT up reply actions
But since Maybin is so late to the party
and only going to be used in limited pass rush situations, isn’t it a similar situation?
I would love the Bills to win games, but I will be happy if they are competitive without snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
No. Because he won’t be used “in limited pass rush situations.” Right now, it’s looking like he’ll get three pre-season games (I hope I didn’t just jinx that). He’ll be fine, and he’ll definitely see the field.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"Our style is simple but not that easy. Roll up your sleeves and play good, solid football." -- Marv Levy
by Brian Galliford on Aug 13, 2009 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Maybin is going to be in on run downs? When did that plan change?
It seems like you are counting a lot of chickens before they hatch.
I would love the Bills to win games, but I will be happy if they are competitive without snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Well they’re not going to wait around for obvious passing situations to get him onto the field. It’s not like he’ll be playing solely when it’s 3rd & 9 or longer.
Right now, I’d guess that Maybin will see between 15-25 snaps per game. That’s a pretty significant chunk for a rookie in a four-end rotation.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"Our style is simple but not that easy. Roll up your sleeves and play good, solid football." -- Marv Levy
by Brian Galliford on Aug 13, 2009 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I think people discount how often passing downs occur. It doesn’t have to be 3rd and long for the defense to play the pass. 2nd and long, 3rd and 5 or 6, 1st and 15, anytime Buffalo has a lead late in the game and it isn’t an obvious run down, etc … Even if Buffalo is only going to use Maybin on passing downs, they shouldn’t have any problem giving him a significant role in the rotation.
And it’s not like Maybin can’t be out there for some run downs as long as Buffalo keeps his job simple. If they line him up way outside of the tackle like people were saying that Tennessee does with their DEs, then Maybin could have a pretty simple role of just forcing things back inside, or using his athleticism to string a run way out to the sideline. Buffalo just has to scheme around Maybin some and they can get a lot of plays out of him.
Your’re right on, kaiser. You can bet that Belicheat would find a way to get this kid on the field if it was his #1 draft pick.
Get the Bills back to the big game!
great point on the hoodie. As long as we’re not overestimating Jauron, then we should see plenty of Maybin this year.
I would be more worried about overestimating Maybin
I would love the Bills to win games, but I will be happy if they are competitive without snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Maybin do very little while on the field. But I would be surprised to see Maybin not given the opportunity to make things happen. He’s a unique player on the Bills roster and Buffalo is desperate for somebody to make plays.
Maybe Maybin plays his way out of PT, but I think Buffalo tried to force Hardy into playing time last year and he was completely lost. Buffalo knew they needed a Hardy-type on offense and went for it. I think they’ll do the same with Maybin.
I am not saying I don't want to see Maybin on the field, but
if you recall when we drafted this kids EVERYONE was saying he would come in on obvious passing downs and contribute to the pass rush. His run defense was considered a serious weakness in his game. Now, after a lengthy holdout and absolutely zero practice/game snaps taken, it seem like the expectation has changed. Why?
I would love the Bills to win games, but I will be happy if they are competitive without snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
I think a lot of it is just the perception of what an obvious pass down is. I always considered Maybin to be a guy who could come in on 3rd and 5 or 2nd and 9. Those are pass downs in my eyes and if the defense sees Maybin out there and runs, then fine, I’ll take my chances that those teams can’t run at Maybin and pick up the yardage they need in those situations anyways.
I shouldn’t have said that Maybin can play run downs, because I didn’t mean they can scheme around him on 2nd or 3rd and short. I meant that if Buffalo has a lead in the 2nd half, Maybin can take a snap or two on first down or give a guy a breather on 2nd and 6 or 7. I wouldn’t expect Maybin to see more than 30% of the snaps unless Buffalo is blowing somebody out, but that’s a pretty substantial role.
That seems like a more reasonable expectation, IMO.
Now, we are down to 3 DE’s that can play(I use that term loosely) the other 70% of the snaps in Kelsay, Denney, and Schobel. If one of them goes down with an injury, then we do not have someone to rotate in for those snaps. I am not that high on Ellis, but I am not comfortable cutting him until I see Maybin play.
I would love the Bills to win games, but I will be happy if they are competitive without snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
anytime Buffalo has a lead late in the game
I’m sorry, I’m unfirmiliar with that language. Please tell me, what exactly would that situation look like again?
Captain of the "Promote Bob Sanders to Deffensive Coordinator" band wagon.
by CanadianBillsFan on Aug 14, 2009 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Just think really hard about the KC game or the Seattle game last year and maybe it can block out the lack of 4th quarter leads in the other 14 games.
If those were our only 4th quarter leads last year then I’m surprised that we actually finished at 7-9 as opposed t 4-12.
You should expect 1 or 2 fourth quarter comebacks from your QB each season, but 5 is ridiculous!
Captain of the "Promote Bob Sanders to Deffensive Coordinator" band wagon.
by CanadianBillsFan on Aug 14, 2009 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions
I was just working off the top of my head. Buffalo trailed by 3 points when the 4th quarter started against Jacksonville, 9 against Oakland, one point against St. Louis and 4 against Denver. They were ahead in the San Diego game by 6 points. They weren’t ahead going into the 4th quarter of any games that they lost even though some of them were really close. So they really were ahead when the 4th quarter started on only a few occasions. Pretty sad, but that’s what happens when your offense stinks most weeks.
Ouch. That’s a pretty sad indictment on the offense last year.
"I know I'm a true receiver..." Roscoe Parrish, Buffalo Bills - May 2009
"In my heart, I know I'm funny." Lt Steven Hauk, Good Morning Vietnam - 1987
by thefourwinds on Aug 14, 2009 11:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Who’s to say Maybin will be contributing anytime soon? And how is that situation really all that different than last year? Isn’t Maybin basically moonlighting as the 4th DE anyhow, with probably a few more snaps than what Bryan was getting?
And the injury potential of Schobel and Denney, age and lack of production should all play into the decision, not just who might play on game days to start the year. How would a 4th TE or 6th CB or 7th LB or 9th OL or Omon help this team on game days any more than Ellis would?
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
Who’s to say Maybin will be contributing anytime soon? And how is that situation really all that different than last year? Isn’t Maybin basically moonlighting as the 4th DE anyhow, with probably a few more snaps than what Bryan was getting?
Uh, no. The idea that a No. 11 overall pick will see as many snaps as Copeland Bryan is absurd. You play your first-round picks. Maybin will be a MAJOR part of a four-man rotation (unless, of course, it’s a five-man rotation).
How would a 4th TE or 6th CB or 7th LB or 9th OL or Omon help this team on game days any more than Ellis would?
Well, first of all, Ellis – nor any other fifth DE, for that matter – has not helped us on game days to begin with. Secondly – I’ll have to check back over my notes on special teams from the HoF game, but I’m pretty sure that the only D-Lineman I saw out on the field with early special teams units was Spencer Johnson. New special teams rules. April’s coverage and blocking units are littered with linebackers, safeties, tight ends and even corners. Where does Ellis fit in there?
I’ll tell you this – the coaching staff won’t keep a player just because of his draft status and potential. They’re trying to win this year. They’re going to keep the players that they think they can win with in 2009. If Ellis – as the unquestioned fifth DE – fits that criteria to the staff, he’ll stay. That’s nowhere near a guarantee. And that’s all I’m saying. I put him on this “strong impression” list for a reason – he’s been getting a lot of reps. Strong impression only gets you so far.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"Our style is simple but not that easy. Roll up your sleeves and play good, solid football." -- Marv Levy
by Brian Galliford on Aug 13, 2009 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree with you completely. When I went through my projection I left Ellis until the last spot and I had to choose between Derrick Jones and Ellis. I ended up with Ellis for a couple reasons and the main one is the fact that Schobel though the injury doesn’t appear to be effecting him is not the Schobel from 2006.
Then again I am really big on our DT this year, for an all around rotation I think they are most complete on our defense – even more so then our CB (I am sure I am going to get heat about that) but until McKelvin proves a little more consistency…
Our DE until I see Maybin is the biggest question mark on the defense.
So if Maybin isn’t ready, they’re still going to be throwing him on the field no matter what? I thought they were in win now mode? If Maybin isn’t ready, why would they play him? (This comment has nothing to do with Ellis, by the way)
How many LB’s and DB’s and TE’s are they going to make active each week? How often has an 11th DB or 4th TE helped us on game days? There are only so many active roster spots.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
If Maybin isn’t ready, why would they play him?
Maybin’s role is already well-defined: get after the damn quarterback. They’ll limit his snaps until he picks up the defense completely, but he’s not dealing with coverage responsibilities or anything like that. It’s rush the passer and, on the off chance they run, contain and fill your gap. That’s it.
As far as being ready from a physical standpoint, for what he’s being asked to do, he’s been ready for months.
How many LB’s and DB’s and TE’s are they going to make active each week? How often has an 11th DB or 4th TE helped us on game days? There are only so many active roster spots.
Agreed. But you can ask the same question for a fifth DE. And that’s the only point I’m trying to make.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"Our style is simple but not that easy. Roll up your sleeves and play good, solid football." -- Marv Levy
by Brian Galliford on Aug 13, 2009 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed. But you can ask the same question for a fifth DE. And that’s the only point I’m trying to make.
I know….which is why I think other factors should come into play here, like how bad our top 3 DE’s are, how old they are, the injury potential, etc….Ellis might not be needed to play, just like that 11th DB or 4th TE or Omon, but there’s a pretty good chance he’ll be needed sooner rather than later.
I hope Maybin is ready physically. I’d like to see him, ya know, signed first and what he has before I’m ready to concede that he’s guaranteed 20 or so plays. Obviously, the team wants him out there and needs him out there, but there is still a chance that he won’t be ready to contribute immediately.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
I know….which is why I think other factors should come into play here, like how bad our top 3 DE’s are, how old they are, the injury potential, etc…
Agreed. That probably will factor in. But special teams does, too – in a huge way – and Ellis doesn’t help there. They’ve got some big decisions to make.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"Our style is simple but not that easy. Roll up your sleeves and play good, solid football." -- Marv Levy
by Brian Galliford on Aug 13, 2009 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions
i still think Ellis sticks
i dont see any reason to cut him, our DEs are aging and its simply prudent to begin giving him more reps over guys who are on the downside of their careers and who arent exactly elite pass rushers
Guards Brad Butler and Brandon Rodd are decent. - Pete Prisco
Brandon Rodd!! Our best player.
Clearly, I disagree. That’s not how the coaching staff operates. :)
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"Our style is simple but not that easy. Roll up your sleeves and play good, solid football." -- Marv Levy
by Brian Galliford on Aug 13, 2009 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions
If we do keep 5 DE’s then I think that Copeland Bryan has a much better shot at making the team then Ellis does. Bryan (outside of his injury) has been a step above Ellis in practise so far, and now that he’s comming back from injury he’ll also have a shot at showing what he can do in a game.
I think that Brian is right to call Ellis a cut. It effectively makes last year’s 3rd round pick a wasted pick, but Ellis just doesn’t seem to have the talent/desire to stick around on this team, and I for one wont be disapointed to see him gone.
Captain of the "Promote Bob Sanders to Deffensive Coordinator" band wagon.
by CanadianBillsFan on Aug 14, 2009 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Surprise
Wow. Ellis’ name is a surprise and it is also not. Who was that 3rd round DE/LB years ago from VT that was basically the collegiate defensive player of the year that we cut after one or two years?
It seems that there is always one shocker cut — it could be Ellis, but I think it could also be a veteran like Florence, Denney, Youboty, Schouman, Wilson. Sometimes those guys practice in the 1st or 2nd group to get a good look, and then get cut because of dollars and performance of the younger guys.
I believe it was Cory Moore
he was undersized though.
Ellis apparently has made strides in the strength department. I think we fail to remember that DE is a position that takes time for the player to develop in many cases. I wouldn’t rush to cut him this year.
by gatornation on Aug 13, 2009 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Florence is not getting cut. He’s our top nickel player right now.
Denney and Schouman aren’t getting cut either.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
To further the point on Florence – the coaches love that guy. They think he’s the bees’ knees. He’s definitely not going anywhere.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"Our style is simple but not that easy. Roll up your sleeves and play good, solid football." -- Marv Levy
by Brian Galliford on Aug 13, 2009 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Is Jones really any worse than our current backups at DT? I’d hate to lose an actual player on the Dline.
"I know I'm a true receiver..." Roscoe Parrish, Buffalo Bills - May 2009
"In my heart, I know I'm funny." Lt Steven Hauk, Good Morning Vietnam - 1987
When I did my roster projection I have Ellis and Stupar making the team. They wouldn’t be active on game days though unless someone got injured. Stupar would be active at any point a RB/WR/TE got injured just because he can help all of them. Ellis would be a very similair thing – but him being active would have more to do with Maybin’s progress.
I have Corto not only making the team but being active on game days.
Jenkins doesn’t make it – he’s played well, but the numbers kill him.
Derrick Jones I was/am really impressed with but I couldn’t find a spot for him and he makes the PS as a result. With the ‘rebirth’ of McCargo I really like our DT rotation – Stroud, Williams, McCargo, Jones.
Oh and just so everyone knows, I really wanted to get rid of Ellis, but let’s face it, Maybin is way to green to only have 4 DE. And though I havn’t been impressed with Ellis I think the coaching staff really thinks that as time goes on he will really start to improve (and let’s face it our core group of DE aren’t getting any younger).
I think you must keep 10 defensive linemen
5 DEs and 5 DTs. If you only keep 4 at either position, all it takes is one injury to reduce your rotation to one man. At DE last year that killed us because Kelsay and Schobel were on the field far too often. Do we really want to replicate that experience? Let’s not take chances. Besides, Ellis and Derrick Jones can play, they’re not Ryan Neill. So keep them and cut Jenkins and Stupar. 7th WR and 4th TE are not ever going to see the field even with injury.
This would be my guess as well. Given all the injuries we have had in the past few years on the d-line I think this is the place where you need some extra insurance. And I would be very surprised if the Bills give up on Chris Ellis this soon. Next year for sure if he doesn’t do anything this year. As for Jones, his fate will probably depend on how he does in the next few preseason games. One really good showing is fine, but the team will likely want to see consistency before they decide to keep him. Given Ashton Youboty’s serious injury he may be the one on the bubble now. Also, would you keep Ko Simpson (a third FS) over having a fifth DE or DT?
Yes – I have right now the Bills keeping 5 DE and 4 DT. And they keep Simpson only because Byrd is still injured right now, and even after he comes back there’s a good chance he has a relapse similar to Stevie had with his ribs.
Are Sports hernia's prone to relapse?
I would love the Bills to win games, but I will be happy if they are competitive without snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
I don’t know the stats but I know a lot of people that have hernia surgery can have problems later on – remember this was a non sports related injury (unless I did not hear correctly). I think the Bills are going to be a little more cautous about injuries this year. Because you can’t win now if you don’t have guys to replace the injured. Which is why I think Youboty gets traded.
18 day rehab
http://www.sportshernia.com/sports-hernia-approach/rehab-eighteen-days.php
I would love the Bills to win games, but I will be happy if they are competitive without snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Whoops, just went to training camp tonight and came back highly impressed with Youboty, who had several nice pass break-ups. I don’t see how you can cut him despite his injury history. He is our 2nd best CB in terms of talent (after McGee) and could even be the best. He’s a real dilemma, but if I were making the decision based on what I saw through my binocs I would keep him this year and give him one more chance to see if he can stay on the field. I was also taken aback by how strong and quick Jones is. If he keeps this up he needs to be on the regular roster. Simpson by comparison is expendable.
That’s a fair point to make, and right now, that’s the biggest selling point for a guy like Ellis. He’s hoping you’re right.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"Our style is simple but not that easy. Roll up your sleeves and play good, solid football." -- Marv Levy
by Brian Galliford on Aug 13, 2009 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s the point I’m trying to make, but have been dancing around it. Our top DE’s aren’t reliable enough and that’s the biggest problem!
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
First of all, the coaches will disagree with you up and down about the reliability of the top three ends. They realize they need a boost for the pass rush – Maybin was drafted for a reason, after all – but they love Schobel, Kelsay and Denney.
K, you seem to think I have an idea in my head that Ellis is a lock to be cut. That’s not true. I’m just saying he’s not a lock either way, and these mitigating circumstances we keep discussing are keys. Finally, I’m saying don’t be shocked if another position trumps a fifth end.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"Our style is simple but not that easy. Roll up your sleeves and play good, solid football." -- Marv Levy
by Brian Galliford on Aug 13, 2009 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Again, if we keep 5 DE’s then doesn’t Bryan have a better shot at sticking around then Ellis does?
Captain of the "Promote Bob Sanders to Deffensive Coordinator" band wagon.
by CanadianBillsFan on Aug 14, 2009 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t think, as I mentioned in another post, that I Chris Ellis gets cut, as he plays a position, where we need as much depth and talent as possible (just ask the Giants), and both of those categories are filled, if we keep Ellis on the roster, as he’s still a very physically talented young guy. He’s probably never going to be a 10-sack-per-season kind of guy, but he’ll at the very least be a respectable backup DE, who’s very good at stopping the run and who’s in addition athletic enough to get 5-6 sacks in this league per season imo.
By no means am I trying to neglect the incontrovertible fact that he has had remote success for us to this point, but personally I still believe he’ll turn out to be a good DE for many years, which is why I would be sad to see him get sacked (so that we can hypothecially speaking keep a fourth TE or a seventh WR that add nothing more than what he offers on Sunday).
by BillsfanfromDenmark on Aug 13, 2009 12:15 PM EDT reply actions
I think the fact that you can only keep 45 guys active on Sundays helps Ellis’ chances. You don’t need the back end of your roster to be good special teamers on the DL and OL because those guys aren’t going to be active for games without injury.
Jenkins is also in trouble due to the 45 man limit. Even in the hypothetical scenario where Hardy starts the year on the PUP and Buffalo could keep Jenkins as a 6th WR, how are you fitting 6 WRs onto the active roster? You’re not sitting an offesive player like Reed a punt returner as good as Roscoe or a player who can help on offense and special teams like Johnson. I think Jenkins needs an injury to someone other than Hardy to have any value. If Hardy is the 5th and Jenkins is the 6th then Buffalo can leave Hardy inactive and get Jenkins on the field where his special teams ability actually matters.
Wait, defensive tackles are allowed to sack the QB? When did that rule change? Or does it just seem like a rule since it never happens in Buffalo?
Of course we could make things more challenging, Lisa, but then the stupider students would be in here complaining, furrowing their brows in a vain attempt to understand the situation--Seymour Skinner
Stroud had a sack and a half opening weekend last year
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.
by MattRichWarren on Aug 14, 2009 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions
and then what, one more the rest of the season? What’s your point?
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
Ron has seen DTs sack the QB. Maybe not regularly but he has seen it.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.
by MattRichWarren on Aug 15, 2009 8:59 AM EDT up reply actions
There are some things that you want to get at least once a week ;-)
A DT getting a sack on the QB is one of them.
I would love the Bills to win games, but I will be happy if they are competitive without snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
side note
Peter’s just gave up a sack to Banta Cain in the Eagles-Pats preseason game.
He’s getting toasted.
another side note
another sack allowed by peters
One Glaring Truth!
Kelsey, Denney and Schobel are getting up there in carrer years. That leaves Maybin and Ellis four the future. We let one go and we have nobody else. The glaring truth is our pass rush is well below average. Maybin has got to be a monster. The way things look we will be hurting in the very near future if he is not.
The pass rush has been “hurting” for years. If Maybin and Ellis don’t produce, it will be hemorrhaging.
"I know I'm a true receiver..." Roscoe Parrish, Buffalo Bills - May 2009
"In my heart, I know I'm funny." Lt Steven Hauk, Good Morning Vietnam - 1987
by thefourwinds on Aug 14, 2009 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
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