Can Aaron Schobel re-gain his 2006 form? (Photo Source)

He was, perhaps, the least deserving Pro Bowl alternate-elect of the 2007 season.  Sure, he'd been there before; he'd even deserved his previous trip, in which a 14-sack season elevated him to a lofty status league-wide (and also led to a big pay day).  But 2007's 6.5-sack performance was a let-down for Buffalo Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel.

Known around the league as an effort end more so than for his talents, Schobel's play wasn't all bad in 2007.  He was one of Buffalo's better run defenders - though, clearly, that didn't make much of a difference as the Bills were league bottom-dwellers in rush defense.  Many of Schobel's teammates dropped like flies, as well - especially on the defensive side of the ball, where by season's end, the team had placed four heavily-involved players (Ryan Denney, Paul Posluszny, Jason Webster, Ko Simpson) on Injured Reserve.  Schobel was asked to carry the defense at that point; unlike his Pro Bowl 2006 season, Schobel was not up to the task.  It also didn't help that Buffalo's anemic offense, in most cases, did very little to give their defensive counterparts a significant breather.

Those issues, at least on paper, have been eradicated.  The team imported Marcus Stroud and Spencer Johnson from Jacksonville and Minnesota, respectively, to give the Bills a deep and versatile corps of defensive tackles.  They drafted Chris Ellis from Virginia Tech to be a situational pass rusher, taking some heat off of the team's starters.  Kawika Mitchell solidifies the starting linebacking unit, and the team has two experienced reserves there in John DiGiorgio and Keith Ellison.  The team stockpiled on cornerbacks during the draft, and their safeties are healthy once again.  Unlike 2007, Schobel appears to have plenty of help as he makes his bid to return to 2006 form.  He no longer will be asked to carry this defense - but especially on passing downs, he'll be asked to be the unit's catalyst.

Should there be a question, then, whether or not Schobel can return to form?  Even during his excellent 14-sack '06 season, Schobel still had stretches in which his presence was not felt.  Defenses generally have an easier go of containing Schobel than they do with the league's truly elite pass rushers.  Schobel can be a problem for opposing offenses, but he's not a constant force to be reckoned with.  The Bills are betting a lot on their shiny new defensive toys to change that; you can make the argument that Stroud is now the team's most important defender, but I'd still give the slight edge to Schobel.  This team needs a consistent pass rush more than anything.

Schobel himself, however, doesn't care what his stats look like, so long as they're not giving up points and the team is winning.  His head, at least, is in the right place.

"It's all about points. That's what matters. As long as we're not giving up a lot of points and we're creating turnovers, I don't care about the rankings. As long as we're playing and not giving up points, that's what's important. It's points, period."

The excuses have been made, and far more importantly, they've been made non-excuses.  Not only does Schobel have help defensively now, he has a lot of it.  The front office, through several calculating moves, has put together a deep, versatile, athletic and very fast defense.  There are no more excuses for Buffalo's highest-paid player.  Time well tell whether or not we'll see 2006 Aaron Schobel or 2007 Aaron Schobel in 2008.

QB Trent Edwards, DE Chris Kelsay at Bills camp (Courtesy twoeightnine)

The Buffalo Bills held their first night practice of 2008 training camp last night at St. John Fisher College, and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend the festivities.  With pen and pad in hand, I spent the majority of my night frantically taking as many notes as possible.  It was a beautiful night, but unfortunately, I was not overly impressed by what I saw from our team.  Here are some observations, from units to players to coaches, that I hope you'll find useful (this could get long):

Edwards Struggles
For all the good that we've heard from Trent Edwards this early in camp, I saw a guy who struggled a lot last night.  He did mention post-practice that what the team was running last night was a whole bunch of new plays, which may have been the reason he looked so poor.  But he was missing receivers high, he was bouncing throws off the turf, and he was very obviously distraught at last night's misgivings.  He didn't show emotion like J.P. Losman used to, but you could definitely tell he was frustrated.  He did, however, make some very nice throws, including a couple nice deep balls.

Losman did not practice; his right thumb was taped up heavily.  He's also grown a very lovely beard this off-season.  Maybe he thinks Edwards' rookie beard is what caused him to lose his job?

Lynch (and Jackson) Looking Impressive
I absolutely loved what I saw out of Marshawn Lynch last night.  He looks more powerful and more agile than he was as a rookie.  Put aside anything you hear about Lynch's breakaway speed - I'm going to chalk that up to Lynch being beaten down by the rigors of his first NFL season.  The guy looked like a superstar in the making.  He also dove into the end zone for a touchdown (probably unnecessarily), drawing a big cheer from the gigantic crowd.

Interestingly, Turk Schonert had Lynch split out wide in a couple of formations.  He looked good catching the ball, but his understudy, Fred Jackson, looked better.

Jackson won't ever be a guy who can carry a full rushing load, but he's got that Kenneth Davis feel about him - he's above average at everything he does, especially catching the football.  He looked smooth and confident last night, and his style is different from that of Lynch.  They're going to complement each other very well.

Receiver/Tight End Notes
I came away with the impression on James Hardy that I thought I was going to come away with: this kid is going to struggle in a big way between the twenties this year.  He's still not a great route-runner, and looks positively sloth-like getting out of some of his breaks, especially on out routes.  But the dude is just straight up huge.  He'll make plays simply because he's big.  But from the looks of things right now, Josh Reed (who looked good as usual) seems like he's got a lock on the starting spot.  My guess is that Reed will play between the twenties, with Hardy being a mainstay on the field in the red zone.

Out of all of Buffalo's receivers, I came away most impressed by undrafted rookie free agent Jason Jones.  He comes from a very small school (Arkansas Pine-Bluff), but he was making some of Buffalo's corners look silly in one-on-one drills.  He's a smooth route-runner and shows great hands; he even blew past Will James on a beautifully executed deep route at one point.  I'm very interested to see how he performs in pre-season games.

At tight end, Derek Schouman and Robert Royal are light-years ahead of the competition.  They're easily the two most fluid athletes at the position.  Yes, Robert Royal makes Derek Fine and Courtney Anderson look unathletic.  I liked the way that Schouman and Royal played when they were together on the field.  Together, they might be productive enough to make us not hate the fact that they didn't draft a more athletic tight end this past April.

O-Line... well, they just need Jason Peters
Kirk Chambers better not be Buffalo's starting left tackle come opening day; I don't think I saw him successfully block Aaron Schobel in one-on-one drills once.  He's a tough blocker in the running game, but his pass protection is, well, poor.  Here's hoping that Jason Peters is back in camp before long...

The line struggled a bit in pass protection.  In 7-on-7 and 11-on-11, Edwards had the pocket collapse on him a couple times; he was forced to throw the ball away once or twice, and made some bad throws while pressured as well.  There were some holes for the team's running backs, though.

Offensive line coach Sean Kugler was working hard with rookie Demetrius Bell on his stance and pass pro technique.  Langston Walker was chipping in with some advice as well.  Bell looks ultra-athletic, but he was the greenest guy on the field by a long shot.  He's certainly a practice squad player at this point, but he's got big upside if the coaches can harness some of that athleticism.

D-Line Looks Fantastic
Buffalo's revamped defensive line looked outstanding, including the much-maligned (here, at least) starting defensive ends.  The unit was fast, powerful and disruptive - and that included the second unit line as well.

Marcus Stroud can't be blocked by one guy.  He just can't.  He's not a big guy, but his center of gravity is low, and he got a significant push every single play.  He pancaked Brad Butler in a one-on-one drill, and in some double team drills, he was able to slip blocks and get a push in most instances.

I loved the fact that John McCargo was following Stroud around like some sort of gigantic puppy.  Stroud was working with McCargo for a few minutes on block-shedding moves; it's good to see a vet helping out a talented youngster.  Those two looked great working together inside when they got to play together.  (For the record, Edwards and Evans were seen throwing off to the side as well.  They looked rather chummy.)

Copeland Bryan ran with the twos, pushing Chris Ellis to third team end, but I don't expect that to last long.  Ellis is green - he lacks lower body strength, so he certainly won't be playing on early downs - but Bryan was pedestrian.  Ellis should pass him on the depth chart by the end of camp.

Crowell Sits; Young LBs Looking Good
Angelo Crowell missed the practice; he had a wrap on his left knee and came out in shorts.  He watched the entire practice from the sidelines.  Keith Ellison replaced him on the strong side; Marcus Buggs took Ellison's spot with the second unit.

Speaking of Buggs, he has a very realistic shot at making this team.  He made one or two very nice hits in punt coverage drills, and while he's small, he looks like a very good athlete.  He's another young guy to keep your eyes on during pre-season action.

Paul Posluszny looked good.  He looks like he's in the best shape of his life, and, to be frank, like he could snap most of the Bills' receivers in half with a good lick.  He and Lynch are easily the team's most popular players.

Defensive Back Notes: Simpson Dinged
Ko Simpson left practice early with an apparent injury to his surgically repaired ankle.  He was walking on it fine on the sidelines, but he clearly was uncomfortable.  We'll see if he practices today.  To no one's surprise, George Wilson took his place with the top unit; he looks far more comfortable back there than he did last season.  He was making a few hits as well.

It was only his second practice, but Leodis McKelvin continued to struggle.  He looked better than what we heard in one-on-one coverage drills, but you can tell his ball skills are lacking.  He'll blanket a receiver, but he's not instinctual in knowing when to turn his head.  He's very good at making plays coming forward, however.  He also looked great returning punts (even earning the very loud praise of Bobby April on one return), and in positional drills, you can tell just how good an athlete the kid is.  He's very technical in his agility (read: amazing footwork), and when that can translate better to covering receivers, he should be outstanding.

Will James struggled.  A lot.  He repeatedly got burned deep covering receivers in single coverage.  He's still probably a lock to be the team's nickel corner on opening weekend.  Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer seem entrenched as the starters, and that shouldn't change any time soon.  Reggie Corner was actually playing ahead of McKelvin in dime packages; McKelvin played outside with the second unit.  I expect McKelvin to take James' nickel spot early in the season, and Corner is a bigger factor in this equation than many people tend to believe.

Ashton Youboty is very clearly the team's sixth corner - and I thought he looked very good.  He blatantly held Jason Jones in single coverage during one drill, but also made a nice break to intercept a pass in front of Felton Huggins.  He's much more physical than some of Buffalo's young guys, as well.  I hope he stays on the team - he's still got a world of talent.

General Observations
I love watching Perry Fewell and Bobby April coach.  They're loud, funny, and they get their guys moving hard.  Their units were easily the two strongest on the field last night.

The offense struggled mightily last night, but you can tell that Turk Schonert's offensive system will be better than Steve Fairchild's.  The tempo is faster, Edwards looks much more comfortable, and more guys are getting involved in the passing game (most notably Roscoe Parrish).

Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of the night practice experience.  Perhaps it was the idea that I had to go to work the next morning.  But it was good seeing the guys in Bills colors, and it was even better to hear the crowd chanting and reacting to what was going on on the field.  It was a good time.

The Bills practice from 1:00 to 3:05 today.  Buffalo Rumblings will recap the day's action later this afternoon.

With Peters holding out, pressure squarely on Bills (Photo Source)

It's Friday morning.  The Buffalo Bills are set to hold their first training camp practice of the 2008 season in about a half hour.  They'll be hitting the practice field without their best offensive player, as offensive tackle Jason Peters has continued his holdout and has not reported to camp at St. John Fisher College.  NFL Network's Adam Schefter is reporting that Peters is contemplating a season-long holdout should he not get a new deal - and, unlike Chicago's Devin Hester, he can probably afford it.

We're all well aware of the situation.  What becomes important to discuss at this point is the two sides to the story from Buffalo's perspective (because, let's face it, the ball is now in their court - Peters has made his move).  The Bills, at this point, can either continue to play hardball, or they can just pay the man.  Let's dive in:

Reasons to Play Hardball with Peters
Below are the reasons why the Bills should maintain their hardened stance on the Peters situation.  It's important to note that no matter what we say here, this is the path that the club is most likely to follow.

#1 - His Current Contract: The Bills have shown a willingness to pay guys early in their careers that show promise.  They've handed out contracts to guys like DT Kyle Williams, OG Brad Butler, CB Terrence McGee, WR Roscoe Parrish and P Brian Moorman well before they became some of the better players on the team.  They did the same thing with Peters.  He's scheduled to make $3.25 million this season; that's not exactly chump change.  They made a commitment to Peters well before he exploded onto the scene as one of the NFL's best tackles.  His actions aren't exactly showing an appreciation for that move, if he has any at all.

#2 - Maintaining Precedent: A lot of folks are likening this situation to Aaron Schobel's last season, but that's now irrelevant - because Schobel actually showed up to training camp last season.  I've maintained all along that Peters would be smart enough to follow Schobel's blueprint; had he done so, the Bills might have begun talking to Eugene Parker, Peters' agent, this morning about a new deal.  Now that doesn't appear to be likely.  Peters' situation is unique from Schobel's, so the Bills need to maintain their stance that if you aren't here, we aren't paying you.

#3 - Commitment to Team: This ties in nicely with #2 - the Bills aren't going to pay Peters until he shows up for camp.  You work, we pay - that's not an unreasonable stance to take at this time, given the commitment the team has already made to him.  If I'm the Bills, I want some indication that Peters isn't thinking solely about himself here.  I want him in camp to prove that he gives a damn about what the team is building here.  I want to see that he's still a willing part of that.  If he shows that, then let's talk about more money.

#4 - Peters' Methods: There's a better way for Peters to go about this angling for a new contract deal - like showing up for work, for instance.  The organization has shown nothing but respect for Peters throughout his career here - it's been Buffalo's coaches and his opportunity here that made Peters into the player he is today.  They showed loyalty to his potential with the new deal in 2006.  Peters isn't returning the favor here, and the Bills have every reason to be ticked off about it.

Reasons to Pony Up the Dough
Below are the reasons why the Bills should break their stance and give Peters his new deal.  It's important to note that no matter what we say here, the Bills aren't likely to take this route, at least not in the immediate future.

#1 - Team Chemistry: Buffalo is attempting to put together an offense that is capable of being slightly better than mediocre in the NFL, and the chances of that happening without Peters are remote.  There are too many question marks offensively - Trent Edwards, James Hardy and an underwhelming tight end corps chief among them - to play too long without Peters.  If this unit is going to gel quickly enough to turn the Bills into a playoff contender in 2008, they need to play together, and they need to play together a lot.  That doesn't happen while this situation drags out.

#2 - Player Value: Only RB Marshawn Lynch compares favorably with Peters in terms of value to the offense, and Lynch's rookie deal is actually more valuable over the length of the contract than Peters' current deal.  Buffalo's best offensive player should be Buffalo's highest-paid offensive player.  When push comes to shove, Peters does still have a point - he deserves more money.

#3 - Establishing Precedent: This might be a good time for the Bills to establish a precedent within the organization - signing Peters would say "we recognize when a player deserves to be paid, and we're willing to do said paying".  Making sure Peters gets to camp before he gets paid is an important stance to take as part of this precedent, but it's also important to pay the man.  You work with me, I'll work with you.  That's the right precedent to establish here - and if, miraculously, they somehow secure Peters' help with this in the near future, they might just take this step.

#4 - Developing Trent Edwards: Need I mention that Priority Number One for this team since Jim Kelly's retirement has been finding a long-term answer at quarterback?  Well, the Bills think they may have found the answer in Edwards, but his potential development takes a hit with Peters sitting at home.  Developing Edwards is the most important objective for the Bills to hit to ensure the long-term on-field viability of this franchise.  Paying Peters may help them achieve that, but letting him sit out definitely hurts them.

My take?  I'm with the Bills... for now.  As I said above, they have every reason to be completely disappointed with Peters and how he's handled this situation.  But there will come a point, most certainly before the end of training camp (I'd probably position this crucial point somewhere around the third pre-season game) where they'll have to get Peters onto the field one way or another.  Yes, that drags the situation out, but it might have the effect of proving to Peters that he's being an idiot about this.

This is a mess.  Definitely not the way we wanted to see the 2008 season start off, folks.

It's Sunday, folks - and since Buffalo Bills fans watch football on Sundays, we're back with our second edition of the Sunday Football Vid.  Grab a quick snack and, if possible, drag your computer to your favorite football viewing location; we want your surroundings to mimic your regular football viewing habits as closely as possible to the real thing.

This Sunday, we've got an excellent ten-minute video - created by our friends over at Bills Zone - of Buffalo's biggest beat-down last season, a 38-17 drubbing of the Miami Dolphins at Ralph Wilson Stadium.  You'll see great plays as well as some Miami comedy.  Video courtesy of rob4989 at YouTube:

But wait!  This week's version of Sunday Football Vid is going into overtime!  Our very own sireric asked for a visual of Patriots QB Tom Brady taking a nice lick; a very quick video from Buffalo's 31-0 video over the Pats in 2003 fulfills his wishes.  The hit came courtesy Aaron Schobel; the video comes courtesy of Tolan04 at YouTube:

Man, I love football.  26 days until the start of training camp!

Schobel looking to rebound from subpar '07 season (Photo Source)

Prior to the 2008 NFL Draft - in fact, prior to the free agent signing period of this past March - we took a look at the Buffalo Bills' roster position by position, breaking down then-current personnel, finding holes, and building our community needs list.

Now that free agency and the Draft have been completed, and the Bills have infused their roster with new talent, it's time to repeat our process.  Where has Buffalo gotten better?  Where have they gotten worse?  How will additions impact which Bills veterans remain on the roster?  These are questions that we'll attempt to answer over the next week or so.

We continue those discussions today with an examination of Buffalo's defensive ends.  To view our previous discussions on Buffalo's DE situation (pre-off-season), bang it here.

Aaron Schobel: A 2007 Pro Bowl alternate, Schobel is coming off of his most puzzling season to date - Schobel has retained the respect of his peers for becoming far more consistent and a better all-around player, but it's not often that a player earns a trip to Honolulu after notching only 6.5 sacks.  Schobel is an excellent defensive end, but he can't do the job by himself.  In 2006, the left end platoon (see next two names) combined for 11.5 sacks; in '07, that number dropped to 3.5.  No wonder Schobel had trouble replicating his 14-sack '06 output.

Schobel is the Bills' best run end and their best pass rusher.  He'll need to become a much more explosive threat in 2008 if this defense is going to work, however.  He'll be able to do that if some of his running mates step up their play.

Chris Kelsay: A defensive team captain, Kelsay is statistically one of Buffalo's biggest underachievers.  Sure, he's a good player to have on a team - hard worker, tough guy, solid person, good leader.  But Kelsay's 2.5 sacks are a pitiful amount for a starting end, and his inability to rush the passer hurt Schobel's production severely last season.

Kelsay does make the occasional big play - see his tipped pass/interception for TD against the Cowboys last season as an example - but the team would be better served if Kelsay played a situational role.  He's not a starting-caliber end, especially in a Cover 2 defense, and his presence does more harm for Schobel than it helps the defense.

Ryan Denney: See Kelsay, Chris, but add two years and a serious foot injury.  Seriously, these guys could be carbon copies of each other - Denney is a smart, tough football player, and his height makes him an asset on passing downs as an inside rusher and on special teams, but he's only notched 7 sacks in the past two seasons (Kelsay, for the record, has 8 in that time span).  Denney is 30.  This may be his last season as a Bill.

Copeland Bryan: Talk about a waste of a roster spot - Bryan, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears, was acquired by the Bills prior to Week 2 last season after the team decided to release Eric Powell.  Keep in mind that this occurred while the Bills were desperately thin at end - Denney was injured, Anthony Hargrove was suspended, and reserve DT Jason Jefferson was playing end on run downs.

Bryan did not play in that Week 2 loss to Pittsburgh.  He wouldn't play a down for Buffalo until October 28, and ended up playing in a whopping two games for the Bills.  He recorded one special teams tackle in his first season in Buffalo.  Hello, Chris Ellis.

Shaun Nua: Nua is a product of the Steelers' system that spent the last month of the '07 season on the practice squad.  He's not an ideal fit for this defense at end or tackle, and he'll likely be a training camp roster casualty.

Ryan Neill: In the mold of Kelsay and Denney, Neill offers very little at the NFL level in terms of defensive end play.  He is, however, an excellent special teams player - and not just because he's the team's long snapper.  Neill struggled in the elements in his first year as the full-time long snapper, but in general, he performed pretty well in that capacity and should continue to get better.  At this point, he's a virtual lock for the roster.

The Additions: Chris Ellis
There's an unusual amount of pressure on Ellis to perform this coming season as a rookie third-round pick.  It may not be fair, but it's necessary - Ellis is by leaps and bounds the best natural athlete at defensive end on Buffalo's roster and will be counted on to be a situational pass rusher in his rookie season.  Blessed with excellent quickness and a good first step, he should make an impact early - and he's got the potential to be a top-flight starter given time to develop.  I'm really excited about this kid.

The Subtractions: Anthony Hargrove, Al Wallace
These guys won't be missed.  Hargrove is currently out of the league - he is without team and will likely be suspended for the entire '08 season after yet another substance abuse issue.  Wallace looked like he was going to be a nice veteran addition during last pre-season, but a knee injury landed him on IR and he wasn't re-signed.  The Bills will be fine without these guys on the roster.

Pre-Season Outlook: One thing is certain - even with very minor changes within this positional group, there's more healthy talent here than there was last season.  Denney has been participating in OTAs, signifying his return to full health from his foot injury, and Ellis should provide a nice energy boost - especially on pass downs, when Schobel needs the most help.  I actually like the mix of talent here - Schobel and Ellis are the pass rush guys, Kelsay and Denney are the hustle guys with grit.

If the talent here is utilized correctly, this group could be serviceable.  Not elite, but serviceable - and far better than they performed as a unit last season.  And, of course, the help brought in at other positions - specifically the two defensive tackles we acquired - should help as well.

Change: Energy internally; external help.

As always, your thoughts and opinions on this analysis are welcome and encouraged in the comments section.