Bills vs. Bears Positional Battles: Receiving Tight End

by Brian Galliford on Aug 12, 2011 12:02 PM EDT in Buffalo Bills Training Camp

Every Buffalo Bills fan, it seems, will be paying attention to some specific player or positional group when the Bills open their pre-season schedule against the Chicago Bears on Saturday. I, myself, have seven different players or groups that I'll be paying attention to during (and after) the game, and I'll take you through those one by one leading up to the return of Bills football.

One interesting angle of the Lee Evans trade rumors is that it could open up a roster spot for another receiving tight end on the team, particularly since the team's receiving talent behind Stevie Johnson is largely unproven. It's unclear how many tight ends the Bills will be keeping on the team, but there is a clear delineation between the blockers and receivers at the position. We're focusing on the receivers - namely Shawn Nelson, Mike Caussin and Zach Pianalto.

Now, clearly, if the Bills are going to prioritize a secondary receiving threat in their offense, the depth receivers - and even C.J. Spiller - will rank higher on the list than these guys. The odds are still good that three tight ends will be retained, and at least one of those three players will be on the team come September 11.

Chan Gailey appeared to have significant plans for Nelson in his offense a year ago, but another bout of migraines kept Nelson out of action for much of his second season. The fact that Nelson has struggled to mightily to stay on the field, at least in our eyes, puts him on a level playing field with both Caussin and Pianalto - two very underrated athletes with some receiving upside, much like Nelson himself.

We still believe that the team's two blocking tight ends, Scott Chandler and David Martin, are strong bets for the final roster simply because of the way Gailey uses tight ends in his offense. It's imperative that the team keep two players at the position that are capable of helping the team's overwhelmed tackles seal the edge in pass protection and pick up blitzers. Should we be right about that, it'll leave one spot for an athletic tight end - and as these three youngsters are on an even playing field, the race is wide open for that possible final spot.

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Pianato is one of the UDFAs who could make an impact this year. I don’t see a lot of other ones getting a big opportunity.

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by MattRichWarren on Aug 12, 2011 12:05 PM EDT reply actions

I agree w/ Matt. I watched a lot of UNC games last year and he can play.

I believe the two TE’s they keep will be Pianato & Chandler. Wouldn’t surprise me if Nelson was released.. but who knows.

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by Michael_Necci on Aug 12, 2011 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions

All this receiving talk has me thinking.

What if Fitz poops the bed hard?

We have been talking like the WR are going to play huge role ont his team this year and thats all well and fine, but what if Fitz goes back to his old ways? like when he was in Cinci and his first year in Buffalo.

We will need a good receving TE to help our WR core this year, (I am a firm believer in this) I think Pinalto is a good fit here, I think he will uproot Shawen Nelson and take his roster spot.

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by PaullyPforPrez on Aug 12, 2011 12:08 PM EDT reply actions

What if Fitz poops the bed hard?

Then we see a lot of Thigpen & Smith. Wow, 2 capable back up QB’s, nice for a change.

by Sluss88 on Aug 12, 2011 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions

and the story goes on and on

by statcruncher on Aug 12, 2011 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Yay!

Something to think about besides Evans! :D

"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.

by stetzwebs on Aug 12, 2011 12:09 PM EDT reply actions

NO S@#T !

by Dareurush! on Aug 12, 2011 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions

As a UNC fan, I was really hoping the Bills would draft Pianalto this year, and was happy to see that they had signed him as a free agent. He’s a good athlete with great hands who played more H-back than true tight end most of his career. He was a big-time high school player, who UNC stole from Texas. After Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate graduated, he was by far UNC’s most reliable receiver for two years, and was having a great year before his injury last year. Every time the Heels needed a big reception, they went to ZP, and more often than not he came through. He was money against LSU last year, and would have made the game-winning TD at the end of the game with a little better throw. I felt terrible for him when he broke his leg on a somewhat dirty tackle (combined horse collar and hit to the helmet) at UVa last year. If he gets a chance, I think his potential is equal to Nelson’s.

by uncbill on Aug 12, 2011 12:18 PM EDT reply actions

Ditto.

To everything you just said. I really hope he can stick on the roster.

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by Schwing9 on Aug 12, 2011 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed, I watched him a lot as I bet on UNC quite frequently and the dude made plays whenever UNC needed a play to be made. I was hoping us drafting the UNC players, we would use that to recruit Pianalto, Burney, and Deunta Williams so I wasn’t upset getting 1 of the 3. I think he can make the team and honestly make the impact we hoped Nelson would have.

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by CLoSkills on Aug 12, 2011 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Honestly, I feel Nelson is done.

He will not be the first highly athletic player to not be able to fulfill this type of commitment. It has nothing to do with him as a person, but by this stage in his career, he should have been fully developed and in postion to make an impact, not a roster. I do wish him well, but the team needs to move on. Toward the end of last year, the team did just that, they brough in Chandler and Causins. Adding those two players with David Martin give Chan all he desires in the offense that he will incorporate this season. When he is ready to take the offense to the next level he may consider drafting a TE but I don’t for see that anytime soon. I do feel that Chandler will closely resemble everything we all want out of that postion where as Causin will take possibly another year to compare to Chandler. Both are good TE’s to have on your roster. Pinalto, will need the normal year of strenth and conditioning and education into a pro offense. He too is a good one to string along, it just might be on the Practice squad. Rookie TE’s especially UDFA’s are usually safe on the PS for a year.

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by VanScottM on Aug 12, 2011 12:20 PM EDT reply actions

This the position OBD should pay attention to!

I have been fed up w/ the lack of a quality TE for years, especially a pass catching one. Look at the top teams in the league: Pats, Atl, Indy…All have that great pass catching TE who is not just a safety valve dump off but a vital part of the offense. Give some of these new guys a chance like Caussin and Pianolto. This position has been so hard to fill and I don’t know why.

by Dareurush! on Aug 12, 2011 12:23 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

This position has been so hard to fill and I don’t know why.

Well, the main reason is the offensive philosophy, as has been well documented by Brian and others. I just don’t think they’re disposed to having a bonafide play maker there. Given the fact Miller was a FA and not so much as a look by OBD, tells me they aren’t going to change.

With the potential exit of Evans, there may be a spot for another, but, there are so many offensive holes to fill, I can’t see them doing it, again, when considering philosophy.

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by fansince60 on Aug 12, 2011 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Also, Nelson isn’t playing this game….

by J2 on Aug 12, 2011 12:34 PM EDT reply actions

Nelson could end up being cut, while Pinalto and maybe Caussin will likely end up on the PS. That would give the Bills two TE’s on the actual roster (leaving room for another WR) and two TE’s in development, one of whom could be brought up to the roster later to fill in for the inevitable WR on IR.

by Macktruck on Aug 12, 2011 12:45 PM EDT reply actions

And you could always use a backup OL to serve as a TE on game day. It wouldn’t shock me to see 2 TEs and 9 OL on the final roster.

by Pistol on Aug 12, 2011 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Just go with 11 OL

Why do the Bills even bother with the TE position? Only the Bills would have an offensive philosphy that completely ignores the offensive capabilities of the TE position.