Buffalo Rumblings: All Posts by Brian Galliford

Buffalo Bills schedule 2013: opponents have bye week advantage

2013-06-19T11:55:24Z

When the NFL releases its regular season schedule each spring, a favorite pastime for Buffalo Bills fans is to comb through the slate of games and figure out how many times the Bills get screwed playing against the New England Patriots a week after the Pats' bye.

Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com took that exercise a step further in a post published this morning, revealing that the Bills play more games than any other NFL team against teams coming off of extra rest in 2013. (Note that "extra rest" includes not just bye weeks, but teams coming off of Thursday night games, as well.)

Five of the Bills' 16 games will be played against teams that will have extra time to prepare. That's one more than the next-highest team, the Atlanta Falcons, who play four such games, while the league's other 30 teams have three or fewer such contests. Brown also points out that after Buffalo's Week 12 bye, they'll be playing a Falcons team coming off of - you guessed it - a Thursday night contest.

Buffalo's schedule for next season certainly has its advantages - a front-loaded slate of home games could lead to fewer blackouts than in recent years, for example - but clearly, the NFL's schedule makers have given the Bills some obstacles to overcome, as well.

Jairus Byrd contract update: no movement yet, per report

2013-06-18T22:34:05Z

We are now less than four weeks (27 days) away from a July 15 deadline for NFL teams to sign their franchise tagged players to long-term deals. According to a report from Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the Buffalo Bills and free safety Jairus Byrd have yet to make much progress on that front.

"There hasn't been any real movement in these talks, according to sources, so based on that alone one might not be optimistic," La Canfora wrote earlier this afternoon.

La Canfora did, however, rate Byrd as the second-most likely franchised player to strike a long-term deal - trailing only Anthony Spencer of Dallas - citing the Bills' $18.7 million in cap space and urgent need for a new front office and coaching staff to get off to a strong start by keeping their top talent as rationale for a deal getting done.

As ESPN business analyst Andrew Brandt is wont to say, deadlines spur action - and as that July 15 deadline approaches, we're certain to see movement on the negotiations between the Bills and Byrd's agent, Eugene Parker. Whether or not the two sides get started soon enough to strike a long-term deal remains to be seen.

Doug Marrone: no timetable on Buffalo Bills quarterback competition

2013-06-18T17:11:45Z

Buffalo Bills training camp begins in 40 days, and when it does, a pending starting quarterback competition between Kevin Kolb and rookie EJ Manuel will take center stage. In a taped appearance on The John Murphy Show Monday evening, Murphy asked Bills head coach Doug Marrone if the race for that job was a "dead heat" - and Marrone agreed.

"Yeah, I look at it that way," Marrone told Murphy. "Kevin is a little bit more experienced going into this situation. In this minicamp, obviously we were able to even out the reps. Earlier on, EJ wasn't getting as much, but had gotten probably more than most people. I think that we had to make some decisions to go in, with going to camp with three quarterbacks now and giving them the majority of the reps. It'll be interesting for all of us to see.

"When you give players all those reps, it's a position that everyone's watching - not just the media, not just the coaches, but the also whole football team," Marrone continued. "I think at the end of the day, when it separates itself and the decision's made, everyone's on board with that - meaning that everyone has seen the separation... It's more important for me that the team knows, and they agree with, this is the best player not just at the quarterback position, but every position."

Murphy then asked the head coach if he had a timetable in mind for making a decision on the starting quarterback job.

"I really don't," Marrone said. "Obviously for me as a coach, the earlier it can get done, the better... but again, if you make decisions early and no one can see those decisions with the team, you wind up hurting your football team. I'm hoping the decision and the timeline really relies on the players that are in competition. They have to separate themselves - and when you give people enough reps, they will separate. At what point? I don't know."

During the team's mandatory minicamp last week, Kolb was pulling roughly 50 percent of the reps in team work, while Manuel was down at around 40 percent. Those percentages will likely even out more when the Bills take the field at St. John Fisher College on July 28 and through August. Which player do you believe has the best chance of separating from the other during camp and pre-season action?

Debate: who is the Buffalo Bills' best player?

2013-06-18T12:30:06Z

The Buffalo Bills haven't made the playoffs for 13 consecutive seasons, so finding ways to be optimistic about this team isn't always the easiest thing to do. Even with a new-look front office and a brand new coaching staff, any optimism built this off-season is largely contained to a hopefully bright future, and not necessarily the 2013 season.

Still, the Bills managed to field three players in the Pro Bowl a year ago (albeit as replacements), so we know the roster isn't completely devoid of talent.

As a way of having a more upbeat conversation, our question for you this morning is a simple one: who is the Bills' best player? Last year's three Pro Bowlers - C.J. Spiller, Kyle Williams and Jairus Byrd - would be a good place to start the conversation, but other names will undoubtedly enter the fray (like, say, Mario Williams). Who do you believe is the best player on the Bills?

Video: EJ Manuel interview from NFLPA Rookie Premiere

2013-06-17T15:51:19Z

The Buffalo Bills drafted EJ Manuel at No. 16 overall in April's NFL Draft, making him the first quarterback off the board. At the 2013 NFLPA Rookie Premiere, Manuel spoke with SB Nation's Dan Rubenstein about transitioning to life in the NFL, making sure his big uglies up front are well-fed, and more.

In case you missed it, Rubenstein also sat down with rookie wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, which you can view here.

Doug Whaley: Stephon Gilmore has "made a leap" in 2013

2013-06-17T15:28:09Z

As the Buffalo Bills transition into a new defensive scheme under coordinator Mike Pettine, one of the most important players on the team is now second-year cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Asked to anchor the team's cornerback position from the day he walked into team facilities, Gilmore struggled with penalties as a rookie, but otherwise was a steady performer.

Now, in a defense that will feature more man coverage, Gilmore is the alpha dog at a position that is younger and has more question marks than it did a year ago. The pressure is on Gilmore to become a bona fide No. 1 corner, and GM Doug Whaley believes he's on his way.

"If you look at Gilmore and you've been around the practices this spring, he's made a leap from year one to year two," Whaley told BuffaloBills.com. "And that's very encouraging. Any time you see a rookie going into the second year not stop into that sophomore slump, but make a transition and improve, that's always a positive."

Whaley also indicated in the interview that Leodis McKelvin has a lock on the No. 2 job opposite Gilmore, and that players like Ron Brooks and Justin Rogers will be competing for nickel duties, also mentioning undrafted free agent Nickell Robey by name.

Will Buffalo Bills keep two quarterbacks or three?

2013-06-17T12:00:12Z

One of the trends for the Buffalo Bills in the last two years of the Chan Gailey era was to keep two quarterbacks on the active roster, opening up an extra spot for another player that can contribute. Brad Smith, a college quarterback but largely a wide receiver by trade as a pro, served as the team's third quarterback most weeks.

Gailey is obviously not in Buffalo anymore, and the Bills have completely overhauled the quarterback position this off-season, with two rookies (EJ Manuel and Jeff Tuel) and one veteran free agent acquisition (Kevin Kolb) comprising the team's current depth chart. Smith is still on the team, but unlike under the previous coaching staff - who practiced him as a quarterback quite a bit - he's exclusively been playing wideout this spring.

Our question for you this morning is this: knowing that two-thirds of the depth chart has zilch in the way of NFL experience, should the Bills continue their trend of keeping just two quarterbacks on the active roster, or are they better off with a more traditional set of three?

Poll

Should the Buffalo Bills keep two quarterbacks or three in 2013?

C.J. Spiller a breakout year candidate in 2013

2013-06-16T12:41:46Z

Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone spent three years as the offensive coordinator for Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints from 2006-08. The offense that he and Nathaniel Hackett are installing in Buffalo is not precisely the same attack that Sean Payton has orchestrated for the last seven years, but it's the closest NFL-level approximation that we have for the moment.

Consider, then, the fact that in the past seven years, the Saints have produced a whopping seven running backs that have rushed for at least 500 yards in a single season. Deuce McAllister, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, Chris Ivory, Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram have all produced to varying levels of success, and while the Saints have not consistently had one of the league's better running attacks in that stretch, they clearly run an offense that allows for production from the position. Now in Buffalo, Marrone - the Payton disciple - has a better running back than Payton has ever had in New Orleans.

C.J. Spiller

Age: 25 (26 in August)
Contract: Signed through the 2014 season. Scheduled to make $1.3 million in base salary in 2013.

We know what Spiller can be at this point: an elite, matchup-proof tailback capable of taking over games by himself. He just needs more touches and the full confidence of a coaching staff. If 2012 was his breakout year, then 2013 could be the year that Spiller cements himself as one of the game's best at his position. Those are the expectations.

Fred Jackson

Age: 32
Contract: Signed through the 2014 season. Scheduled to make $2.15 million in base salary in 2013.

Jackson was not the same player in 2012 as he was in 2011, when he was the NFL's leading rusher prior to a season-ending leg injury while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He was injured twice in 2012 - ultimately landing on IR - and averaged just 3.8 yards per carry as Spiller leapfrogged him on the depth chart. Now 32 years old, Jackson will need to re-define himself as a No. 2 back and a complement to Spiller within the new offense. That role may keep him healthy enough to be an effective player for another year or two as his career draws to a close, and his leadership qualities will be welcome on an incredibly young offense at several positions.

Tashard Choice

Age: 28 (29 in November)
Contract: Signed through the 2013 season. Scheduled to make $715,000 in base salary in 2013.

Acquired in a pinch during the 2011 season when Jackson succumbed to injury, Choice is now entering his third season with the Bills. He was re-signed to a one-year deal for the second straight off-season after producing well in spot appearances last season, and it's well-known at this point that he's a positive locker room presence, as well. He's got a strong chance of holding down the third running back spot again, but the fact that he doesn't play special teams (or at least didn't for Bruce DeHaven) is something to keep an eye on.

Zach Brown

Age: 24
Contract: Signed through the 2014 season. Scheduled to make $405,000 in base salary in 2013.

Brown stuck with the team via the practice squad after originally signing as an undrafted free agent out of Pittsburgh last spring. He's in the same position now as he was then: unless the team keeps more than three backs (which isn't out of the question), he'll need to beat out an established veteran in Choice for a roster spot.

Kendall Gaskins

Age: 22 (23 in November)
Contract: Signed through the 2015 season. Scheduled to make $405,000 in base salary in 2013.

Drew Smith

Age: 23
Contract: Signed through the 2015 season. Scheduled to make $405,000 in base salary in 2013.

It's interesting that the two running backs the Bills acquired this off-season, Gaskins and Smith, are both big, between-the-tackles backs (Gaskins checks in at 238 pounds, Smith at 225) with some experience at fullback. The Bills have struggled to grind out short yardage over the past few seasons, and that fact alone opens the door for one of these rookie backs to make the roster. Their bids will strengthen if they can play special teams, as well. Keep an eye on this duo.

Outlook

Spiller will receive more work than he did in 2012, restoring sanity to a Bills fan base still recovering from the insanity of watching their favorite team's best offensive player go unnoticed far too often a year ago. Jackson is still a valuable player that will undoubtedly carve out a role for himself offensively, provided that he can stay off the injury report for the first time since 2010. It's murky beyond those top two; can Choice hold off some interesting young competition for the third spot in the pecking order, and will the Bills keep more than just three backs in a back-heavy offense? It's going to be an interesting summer at this position, but when the regular season begins, Spiller deserves to be the man.