The Buffalo Bills have announced the first five cuts of the season, as the team waived five players to get down to the NFL-mandated 75-man roster maximum.  The cuts needed to be made by this afternoon.  The following players were released:

P D.J. Fitzpatrick, WR C.J. Hawthorne, DE Shaun Nua, CB Kennard Cox.  Additionally, QB Matt Baker was waived/injured.

Buffalo's roster now stands at 75; the Bills host the Detroit Lions in their pre-season finale on Thursday, and the team must cut 22 more players by Saturday's cut-down date of August 30 to reach the NFL roster maximum of 53 players.

Can't say that any of these cuts are surprising.  Nua was on his way out ever since the team signed street free agent Derrick Jones, who stole his reps right out of the gate.  Cox - a seventh round draft choice in April - was likely released early in an attempt to lower interest, as he is a prime candidate for the team's practice squad.  Baker has a shot at that role as well.

Thoughts on these releases?

Tuesday marks the first day of cuts in the NFL, and as a result, the Buffalo Bills will be releasing five players by the end of the day today.  The team must trim five off of its current roster of 80 to reach the NFL maximum of 75; the team will then play its final pre-season game Thursday at home against Detroit, and cut its roster down to 53 by the end of the business day August 30.

Anyone care to take any guesses as to who the five Bills cut today will be?  I'd love to hear some predictions in the comments section; here's my prediction: RB Dwayne Wright, WR C.J. Hawthorne, DE Derrick Jones, DT Teraz McCray and CB Kennard Cox will be ex-Bills by day's end.

Fantasy Football!
Just a quick reminder that two Buffalo Rumblings fantasy leagues hold their drafts today.  The Rumblings Premiere League will hold its draft tonight at 9:30; RL2 will beat us to the punch and draft first at 8:00; and RL3 has foregone the sanctity of pre-season football to draft during the Bills/Lions game Thursday night at 7:15 (all times eastern).

Speaking of fantasy, SB Nation's fantasy sports blog, Fake Teams, is running a series in which each SB Nation NFL writer (including yours truly) submits one stud and one sleeper from each team; this will hopefully give FT readers an edge when it comes to fantasy drafts.  The Bills' stud and sleeper has been posted; be sure to check that out, as well as the rest of the series.

Some reading material
Few articles kicking around the Interwebs this morning that I'd like you to focus your attention on this morning (other than what we've already mentioned, of course):

Roster spot could be around the corner for Youboty (Mark Gaughan, Buffalo News)
- It's nice to see some local media taking notice of Ashton Youboty's play finally.  It's about time the kid got some more recognition than what he already gets here.  (At least we saw it first.)

Bills sharp, announcers not so much (Chuck Pollock, Olean Times Herald)
- Nothing like a little more ribbing of the NFL Network's trio of Sterling Sharpe, Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders - the folks who called the Bills/Colts game Sunday night.  They were awesome awful.

Losman leads a sharp Bills offense (Mark Gaughan, Buffalo News)
- From Sunday night's win.  Nice read.

Reed's role a vital one in offense (Bob DiCesare, Buffalo News)
- Just for SuperFan82.

Evans extension could be completed soon (Photo Source)

After over three weeks of training camp practices, the Buffalo Bills are just two sessions shy of wrapping up 2008 Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher College.  Unbelievable, right?  With camp closing after Wednesday's practice concludes, several story lines are becoming prevalent again; and, of course, the Bills continue to make stories on the practice field as well.  Here's what we should be talking about as training camp comes to a close...

Peters Watch: Decision Time?
In case you took a holiday to Mars in March and are only just now returning to this glorious planet, Bills LT Jason Peters hasn't reported to Buffalo since taking a physical in early January.  Holding out for more money, the break of training camp seems a logical place to get a further reading on Peters' intentions for the 2008 season.  Will he report with camp over, or will he continue his holdout?  If he continues to stay away, it's likely that he'll be sitting out at least a portion of the regular season.

WGR 550 mentioned on this morning's "Howard Simon Show" that Bills LG Derrick Dockery - the only Bills player to have communicated with Peters (via text message) that we know of - mentioned that he believes Peters will be reporting for team duties "soon".  Whether this manifests into truth remains to be seen, but that - coupled with the fact that the Bills made no attempt to sign a replacement tackle after the injury to Matt Murphy - are encouraging signs for fans who'd like to see Peters report ASAP.  Stay tuned - we should be hearing much more on this throughout the rest of the week.

New Deal for Evans Imminent?
Rumors have been circulating ever since this past Thursday's pre-season win over Pittsburgh that WR Lee Evans and the Bills are coming closer to agreeing on a long-term contract extension.  COO Russ Brandon, who mentioned that he'd like to see Evans in a Bills uniform for the rest of his career, and Evans both confirmed that talks were moving in the right direction late last week.

Evans' deal is expected to be huge, and should it happen quickly, it will really solidify Buffalo's receiving corps for the foreseeable future.  This one seems to be much closer than any return by Peters, and it's expected that the ink will be dry on a new contract for Evans by the start of the regular season.

On/Off the Field
The Bills held a night practice Sunday evening and followed it up with an afternoon practice yesterday.  The Bills are steadily getting healthier, highlighted by the return of WR Josh Reed to the practice field.  Reed's lower back had kept him out of several practices and both pre-season games, but his back is now fine - though he's not completely out of the woods yet.  Reed has re-assumed his role of "Trent Edwards' favorite underneath target" immediately since his return; Edwards has spoken glowingly of Reed all week.

“I’m very, very happy with the progress that Josh has made this offseason,” said Edwards. “I was happy with the way he practiced during OTAs and minicamps and he’s progressed a ton since last year, so I’m excited for him this year.”

OT Patrick Estes, injured last week, also returned to the practice field.  Missing practice time over the past two days were TE Derek Schouman (who could miss several weeks), WR Scott Mayle, WR Roscoe Parrish (minor knee), WR James Hardy (resting hamstring), CB Kennard Cox and SS Donte Whitner (excused - family).

Position Battles Still Heated
Several position battles are still making headlines over the last few practices of training camp.  Let's review:

- RB Xavier Omon took second-team reps yesterday ahead of second-year pro Dwayne Wright, indicating that the rookie has snuck ahead of Wright in the battle for the team's #3 RB role.  Wright's fumbles appear to be the culprit.

- Receivers James Hardy and Josh Reed appear to be neck-and-neck for the starting role opposite Lee Evans.  Both are expected to be heavily involved in Buffalo's offense.

- With Derek Schouman ailing, rookie TE Derek Fine's solid performances could lead to him staying on the field ahead of Schouman when the latter returns from his knee injury.  Courtney Anderson's chances at making the final roster have improved as well.

- Both Kyle Williams and Spencer Johnson - as well as John McCargo to an extent - are vying for the starting DT role next to Marcus Stroud.  All three are expected to factor in heavily, but it appears that Williams and Johnson in particular are making strong cases to see the bulk of playing time between the three bigs.

- Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer are entrenched as the starting corners, but the battle for the nickel job is heating up.  Will James is the likely starter at this point, but rookie Leodis McKelvin - as well as fellow rookie Reggie Corner - are making a late push for the role.  It's expected that James will man the nickel spot to start the season (with McKelvin taking dime work), but the first-round pick should take over the third slot well before the end of the season.

The Bills have their final night practice tonight, and follow it up with an afternoon practice Wednesday to close out their three-week stay at St. John Fisher.  We'll discuss the events of those two practices - as well as events tied in with the end of camp - as it happens.

Evans (83), wideouts impressive in victory (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills are back on the practice field and in the film room, and just like the Bills, we'll be breaking down a little film today.  I found some time this weekend to re-watch the first half of Buffalo's pre-season win over Pittsburgh, and trust me - it was as enjoyable to watch them "on film" as it was to watch the game live Thursday night.

Here are some general observations that I made - and hope you find useful - from Thursday's win:

Quarterbacks: What else can you say about Trent Edwards' performance (9/11, 104 yards, 2 TD)?  Unlike in Washington, where I saw Edwards make a few bad reads, I didn't see a single poor decision from Edwards Thursday night.  What made him click was the rhythm to the offense - Trent is at his absolute best when he's in sync with his receivers (which goes for any NFL quarterback), and his rhythm was perfect Thursday night.  Edwards may not have the strongest arm in the world, but he's clearly got enough zip on his throws to squeeze a pass between three defenders in the end zone.  That's strong enough for me.  If Edwards can play consistently near the level he displayed Thursday night (asking him to play at that level might be pushing it), this is a playoff team.

Running Backs: Marshawn Lynch looked quick, explosive and powerful.  He also had a superb blitz pickup on Edwards' first score of the evening, and did a nice impression of run blocking for Edwards on his 22-yard scramble.  Fred Jackson was Fred Jackson - more powerful than he looks (with great balance - see his screen reception) and one heck of a receiver.  I think it's pretty clear that rookie sixth-round pick Xavier Omon has leapfrogged Dwayne Wright on the depth chart - Omon is still better in pass protection and doesn't seem to have quite the fumbling issue that Wright does.  It's a pity, too - Wright ran the ball really well on Thursday night (not that Omon didn't), and his fumble really negated all of the excellent things he put together.

Wide Receivers: I thought Buffalo's wideouts were superb.  Few NFL receivers can run a route like Lee Evans when he's on his game.  He's so dangerous as a deep threat that he can get 18-20 yards downfield, stop on a dime, and be wide open.  If Edwards has the time to throw that he did on Thursday throughout this season, Evans is going to have a big year.  He might have a big year otherwise.  Roscoe Parrish looked good in my estimation, too - he needs to learn to run after the catch more like Evans in certain situations (like getting out of bounds in the two-minute drill), but it's clear that Turk Schonert is concentrating hard on getting him the ball this season.  I also like what I've seen out of Felton Huggins - he's a bit more well-rounded at this point than Steve Johnson, and I actually feel that if the Bills were to keep six receivers, Huggins might edge the rookie out.

Tight Ends/Fullbacks: Well, Robert Royal was the star (and by the way - this guy blocks like an offensive tackle when he wants to), but I still think I'm most impressed by Derek Fine.  Royal looked better than I've ever seen him catching the ball; maybe this is the season in which he's not a total liability as a pass-catcher for the offense.  Fine is a smooth athlete - he's not the fastest guy in the world (not even close), but he looks good running routes and especially in motion and working out of the slot.  He looks far more natural than any of his tight end peers; if things go well, I'm going to say he's the team's starter at tight end in 2009.

Offensive Line: I don't have much to add to Ron from NM, our resident O-Line guru; I will say that I was impressed once again by Demetrius Bell.  I wasn't sure how he'd hold up against a 3-4 defense (the toughest to pass protect against by far), but he showed that he's athletic enough to handle the speed rush at the NFL level.  He had a lot of help from tight end Courtney Anderson at times, but in all, it was an impressive performance for a guy who's only been playing football since 2005.  He's got a future.

Defensive Line: I dedicated most of my work on the defensive line to watching Marcus Stroud, and more specifically, how the Steelers dealt with him.  Stroud was on the field for 12 defensive plays - 8 passes and 4 runs.  On the eight passes (one a screen pass), Stroud was double-teamed twice.  Of the six pass plays he was single-teamed, he was able to create significant pressure on Ben Roethlisberger twice.  He was also tripped/blatantly held once as well.  Of the four run plays, he was double-teamed three times; the one time he wasn't, he crashed the line and made the tackle.  He is, quite simply, a force to be reckoned with - and while he can be handled by one blocker on occasion, that's usually not the case.  It's quite fun to watch that man play football.

Linebackers: Overall, this unit performed better than they did in Washington, but I still wasn't all that impressed.  Granted, the unit has been without Angelo Crowell for two games, so they're bound to improve when he returns to the lineup.  Kawika Mitchell was impressive against the run, and Paul Posluszny was solid as usual.  My problem is with Keith Ellison.  He just isn't physical enough to be good against the run; he can mop up when a running back is channeled to him, but what linebacker can't?  He's also consistently out of position dropping back into coverage, though that isn't specific just to Ellison.  Buffalo's defense struggles mightily with slant routes and the skinny post, and it's because the linebackers struggle moving backwards and the corners don't jam often.  I'm starting to think that the Bills concentrate on linebacker early in next year's draft, but the unit is scrappy and talented enough to be getting on with for now.

Defensive Backs: They weren't great.  Ko Simpson made an excellent play on a Roethlisberger pass that was eventually picked off by Donte Whitner; Whitner and the rest of his safety-mates looked good in run support as well.  Whitner in particular made a nice play at the line of scrimmage, an encouraging sign to be certain.  The pass coverage, in general, was weak; when there was no pass rush to be had, the Bills got gouged pretty badly (again, not a huge surprise).  I was particularly disappointed by Will James' performance - he tackled very poorly, took poor angles, and allowed a tight reception to Hines Ward on an excellent sideline throw under duress by Roethlisberger.  He'll need to pick his play up to hang on to the nickel job.

Leodis McKelvin and Ashton Youboty were the second-team corners (behind starters Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer), and the duo took their lumps, Youboty in particular.  Obviously, Youboty and free safety George Wilson gave up a long touchdown throw to Santonio Holmes; it was called a blown coverage on the broadcast, but it looked more like a disguised Cover 3 to me.  The Bills lined up in a Cover 2 look, but prior to the snap, SS Bryan Scott crept up to the line of scrimmage.  Buffalo's two corners and Wilson were to man the deep portion of the field in a three-man zone shell, but it didn't look like Youboty got as deep as he should have - he may have been peeking into the offensive backfield.  The result was that Holmes burned Youboty, and Wilson just missed making up for the gaffe.  (This was different than my viewpoint in the Open Game Thread, so I wanted to rectify my error here.)

Special Teams: Obviously, McKelvin's 95-yard touchdown kickoff return was the highlight and was an excellent individual play.  Outside of that return, however, the Bills' return game was rather pedestrian - Pittsburgh's punters did a nice job stalemating the punt return game, and the kickoffs never really got going outside of the touchdown play.  There's work to be done in that department.  McKelvin needs to learn to trust his wedge more often, and the wedge blockers themselves need to be more... well... wedge-y.

There was one change in terms of the starting kick coverage unit - Youboty replaced Will James, who was among that unit in Washington, and Youboty made a nice tackle on the second kickoff of the game.  Clearly, the Bills are sliding him up the depth chart in an attempt to find a way to keep him on the roster; he performed poorly defensively, but outside of McGee, he's the best tackler in Buffalo's secondary.  When Derek Schouman went down with his knee injury, fullback Darian Barnes took his spot on the kick coverage units.

Rookies Steve Johnson and Kennard Cox were the second-team punt gunners, and Johnson looked pretty good in this role.  If he's going to make the team, however, he'll need to show more than Huggins has in this role - and comparing notes from last pre-season, Huggins is still better in this role.

We'll discuss the second half of this game in our Second Half Film Session tomorrow afternoon.

WR Hardy catches first NFL TD pass (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills opened up their 2008 pre-season schedule Saturday night in Washington, where the team dropped a 17-14 decision in an up-and-down performance.

Buffalo's offense struggled for consistency and the defense had some issues preventing Washington from picking up chunks of yardage, but as it was the first pre-season game of the season, the Bills looked like most fans expected them to: promising, but maddeningly inconsistent.

Many thanks to the eight Rumblers who joined me this evening in the open game thread; it was a bit livelier than I expected for such a bleak affair.  Kudos to Ron from NM, whose 79 comments led the way this evening (closely followed by Kurupt's 75); many thanks to Cinga, SuperFan82, Bluebill, Thronsen, Krenn and billsstein for stopping by as well.

Back to the important stuff: what happened on the field.  The DVR was set and we'll be breaking down the nitty gritty elements of the game over the next two days for a far more detailed recap, but there are some first impressions I'd like to share as well.

O-Line Surprises (Good and Bad)
Playing sans Jason Peters, Buffalo's re-tooled offensive line didn't perform as poorly as I expected them to this evening.  Their effort in the run game was poor, as Bills runners had issues finding holes, and they made some mistakes with a few false starts.  The pass protection, on the whole, was very good, however; J.P. Losman took one sack on a safety blitz and there were a few hits, but otherwise, Bills quarterbacks had plenty of time to throw.  Langston Walker looked pretty good working against Jason Taylor as well.

Clearly, Turk Schonert noticed that his running game wasn't working, as he dialed up 30 passing attempts as compared to just 21 rushes.  There are some kinks to be worked out in the aerial attack, but it's plain to see that there is promise.  Schonert displayed a knack for mixing up tempo (which we've discussed before), and it kept Washington's defense a bit off balance throughout the evening.  It's not close to being season ready, however, so expect to see a lot more passing throughout the pre-season.  The Bills dialed up a lot of short throws - they're either now a permanent staple to the offense, or they were just making the job easier on their offensive line.

Crunching some Numbers
Trent Edwards struggled.  He completed just 1 of 5 passes for 18 yards; he had one pass dropped (Derek Schouman), one that he forced and was nearly intercepted (Schouman), and had a miscommunication with James Hardy that led to an ugly incompletion.  There was no rhythm to the passing offense with him under center; that should change as he's allowed to play a bit longer into these games.

Collectively, Bills quarterbacks completed 17 of 30 passes for 181 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.  They were sacked once.

Buffalo's rushing attack was terrible: the Bills collectively rushed 21 times for 67 yards and lost two fumbles on the night (one Dwayne Wright, one Xavier Omon - consider their position battle a push).  I'm going to attribute their poor performance to the offensive line for now.

Quick Offensive Observations
James Hardy proved tonight that he doesn't need to be completely comfortable with the offense or the speed of the NFL to make a difference; his size makes him an impact player.  His touchdown reception was a thing of beauty; Losman threw it up to the big guy, and Hardy brought it in one-handed.  Very good stuff; if he keeps making plays like that, we'll forget about his missed assignments and drops (which he made tonight as well).

Good for J.P. Losman.  Sure, he was playing second-stringers, but he looked good (7/9, 73 yards, touchdown).  He also looked more confident out there than Edwards did.  Everyone knows he's had a raw deal, and the fact that he's still performing and still keeping quiet speaks volumes about his character.  He's a good team guy.

Other offensive players I was impressed with: Fred Jackson, Justin Jenkins, Derek Fine, Xavier Omon (from a blitz pickup perspective).  Will have more to say about this in the Film Session.

Defense Shows Fundamental Error
Buffalo's top defensive unit held Clinton Portis to just 7 carries for 18 yards (and a TD), but all of Buffalo's defensive units showed a weakness: this team struggled mightily to stop Washington's draw plays.  Playing on a defensive line hell-bent at getting penetration play in and play out, the 'Skins ran draw after draw, eating up large chunks of yardage on the ground.  Washington ran for 155 yards on the night.

Tackling was part of the problem, but the bigger issue was fundamentals.  Outside of Paul Posluszny (who was hitting like a mack truck tonight), Buffalo's linebackers and blitzing safeties have a tendency to duck, rather than take on, blocks.  So when Washington ran the draw, Buffalo's front four would over-run the play, and then the second layer of defenders would literally run themselves out of the play as well.  Ko Simpson was especially brutal in this aspect; he also got lit up on a safety blitz by Portis.

CB Battle Royale
I'm going to have to pay closer attention to the cornerback position in the Film Session, because I saw some good and some bad things from nearly every player involved there.  Ashton Youboty had the best game of any cornerback at first glance, proving he's a tough tackler and recording an interception on Todd Collins.  Reggie Corner also made a few plays (and was burned a few times as well).  I'll leave it at that for now; again, I'll come back with more detail in the Film Session.

Kennard Cox may not be a part of this battle for much longer (not that he was heavily involved to begin with).  The rookie seventh-round pick played the majority of his reps at free safety, where his play was very sub-par.  Buffalo's top six corners saw most of the playing time (other than Terrence McGee, who sat this one out and was replaced by Youboty in the lineup); I don't recall seeing Dustin Fox on the field at all.

Leodis McKelvin played well.  He, too, ducked a block at the wrong time which allowed Redskins RB Ladell Betts to walk into the endzone for a touchdown, but his coverage was otherwise very good, as was his tackling.  He also had two excellent returns - one kick return (37 yards) and one punt return (45 yards).

Quick Special Teams Observations
I'll be paying close attention to the long-snapping situation in the Film Session, because there was a terrible snap on the field goal attempt that Rian Lindell blew that could have tied the game.

The coverage units were superb.  John DiGiorgio forced a fumble on the game's opening kickoff (recovered by Lindell) and is clearly the unit's leader.  He's a shoo-in for special teams captain.  Washington's return men were bottled up easily all night.  Bobby April is one heck of a coach.

On the game's first punt, Roscoe Parrish and McKelvin were both lined up deep to receive.  McKelvin fair caught the punt, but it's proof that April is going to get the ball in the hands of all three of his elite return threats.

Miscellaneous: Buffalo escaped this game without any major injuries (or minor ones, for all we know at the moment).  Keep knocking on that wood, folks.

Player of the Game: QB J.P. Losman (7 of 9, 73 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT)

How soon will McKelvin become a starter? (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've been attempting to answer for the past week or so, and will continue to do so.

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

Terrence McGee: My opinion of McGee has been, and remains, a high one.  McGee is one of the more underrated corners in the league, in my opinion - he registered 78 tackles and four interceptions last season, and is a threat to score any time he gets his hands on the ball.  No, he's not a "shut down" corner, and he'll always give up some plays due to his lack of size and Perry Fewell's preferred style of defense, but McGee is a very, very solid football player.  It's hard to go wrong when one of your starting corners is a sure tackler, a bit of a playmaker, and a touchdown threat.

Jabari Greer: We're all quite aware that Greer was a pleasant surprise in 2007.  He stepped into the starting lineup after injuries to both Jason Webster and Ashton Youboty, and didn't relinquish his new job from that point forward.  Greer is an aggressive corner with excellent speed and an ability to make a few plays, but he also leaves a lot to be desired - he's quite small, a below-average tackler, and his upside is pretty limited.  Greer is a guy that any team would love to have on their roster - he's a gamer, a solid athlete and a guy you can depend on when he's in the lineup.  But if he's starting at the outset of the '08 season, it will merely be in a seat-warming capacity.  His ideal role is as a nickel/dime back and special teams ace.

Ashton Youboty: Once heralded as the future replacement to the now-departed Nate Clements, Youboty will have trouble earning playing time in 2008 as it appears at the moment.  In the very limited amount of time Youboty has seen playing time, he's showed solid tackling ability, excellent athleticism, and some ball skills.  His big problem right now is that he's so raw - in an effort to mask errors in his game, he's extremely tentative in coverage and in run support.  The kid's definitely got the tools.  Whether or not he gets the playing time to maximize on his potential remains to be seen.

Dustin Fox: With three years under his belt, Fox has failed to live up to his pedigree of being a third-round pick of Minnesota in '05.  He was a solid special teams performer at season's end for the Bills, but with the influx of talent on the roster, he's an ultra-longshot to make the final 53.

The Additions: Will James, Leodis McKelvin, Reggie Corner, Kennard Cox
Dick Jauron mentioned in a post-draft interview that the team's goal throughout the off-season was to add at least one cornerback in free agency and at least two - but ideally three - more corners in the draft.  Mission accomplished.  James provides immediate competition to Greer in any capacity (starting or sub-package) and gives the unit some much-needed size.  Corner is a smart, tough player that will need some coaching but has "future nickel back" written all over him.  Even Cox is an intriguing prospect, as he has the talent to switch between corner and safety at will.

The real wild card of the entire CB group is McKelvin.  Clearly, as the eleventh overall pick, McKelvin is going to be a starter in Buffalo sooner rather than later.  All eyes will be on him during training camp - if he holds his own and makes a play or two, he should be starting, relegating Greer, James and Youboty to sub-package guys.

The Subtractions: Jason Webster, Kiwaukee Thomas, Jerametrius Butler
Let's be honest here - the Bills lost three OK cornerbacks this off-season, but the four guys brought in are far more talented than the three lost.  Thomas is the biggest loss, as he spent two solid seasons as the team's nickel back.  The team was rumored to be interested in re-signing Webster; when he signed with the Pats, the Bills likely turned their attention to James.  This trio was highly injury-prone, so it's not likely the Bills will miss any of them heading into 2008.

Pre-Season Outlook: This position was destroyed by injury in 2007, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing going forward.  Webster and Thomas both landed on IR and Youboty struggled with injury, but with those injuries came the emergence of Greer as a viable option.  Now, after an active off-season, the Bills have excellent depth at the position - there are legitimately five players (McGee, McKelvin, Greer, James, Youboty) who will fight for prominent playing time, and Corner seems like a virtual lock to make the roster as well.  This is another green position for the Bills, but there's excellent depth and tons of talent.  This was a job well done by Buffalo in re-building the corner position this off-season.

Change: Youth and far, far more talent.

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

UDFA Viti a special teams candidate, too (Photo Source)

Feel free to question the strategy. Go ahead, do it. The Buffalo Bills don't care. Why would a team that has not made the NFL's playoffs since 1999 spend half of its most important draft in the Dick Jauron era bolstering special teams, when there are serious questions to be answered offensively and defensively?

Well, special teams are the identity of the Buffalo Bills. They have been since the days when Marv Levy roamed the sidelines as Buffalo's head coach. Those sentiments returned to the team psyche when Levy returned as the Bills' General Manager. The Bills have had one of the most consistent and dominant special teams units this decade, and it's because the team focuses on building the unheralded unit far more closely than most other NFL franchises.

Bills Lose Core of ST Foundation
Imagine Buffalo's defense in the "glory years" without Bruce Smith, Darryl Talley, Cornelius Bennett, Nate Odomes and Henry Jones. Those players were the core of a pretty good unit - a consistent unit. The Bills, in this off-season alone, lost their special teams versions of those five guys when Ryan Neufeld, Sam Aiken, Mario Haggan, Josh Stamer and unit captain Coy Wire were released or allowed to walk. The consistency of the unit was in serious jeopardy when those five guys - central to coordinator Bobby April's plan for the last four years - left the franchise.

Sure, there were still solid players for the unit. The team still has two elite return threats in Terrence McGee and Roscoe Parrish. They have some veteran players, such as Jabari Greer and Bryan Scott, who made their mark early in their careers with stellar special teams play. They have a young quartet of players with promising special teams careers ahead of them in John Wendling, Keith Ellison, George Wilson and Justin Jenkins.

Still, the core was missing. The Bills chose to replace that core through the draft. It may pay big dividends.

What's Been Added
The one player poised to make the biggest difference on special teams as a rookie is, not surprisingly, first-round pick Leodis McKelvin. A star punt returner in college with home run ability on kick returns as well, McKelvin gives the Bills three outstanding return threats - two each at kick and punt returner. Having those options available helps in two ways - it keeps our return men fresher for their regular roles, and it makes it all the more difficult to game plan for Buffalo for opposing special teams coordinators. Buffalo's return game may be scarier than the one that Hester character heads up in Chicago with McKelvin on board.

Additionally, the Bills have drafted three players - CB Reggie Corner, TE Derek Fine and LB Alvin Bowen - who figure to play all four special teams units right out of the gate. These are smart, tough, athletic players with the perfect work ethic and mentality to excel on special teams, and their versatility throughout the kicking game makes them all the more attractive. Add these three rookies to current "ace" specialists Wendling and Jenkins (who will probably make the roster on his special teams abilities alone), and the Bills seem to have replaced their old five-man core with a younger, healthier and more athletic quintet. Even undrafted free agent fullback Mike Viti (pictured above, left), a 5'9", 245-pound bowling ball of a blocker, has a shot at contributing early.

So debate the strategy if you feel you must. Again, the Bills don't care. No NFL team pays closer attention to what has been their most consistent unit of the decade, and after a productive draft that adds explosive talent, the Bills' bread and butter is looking more edible than ever.

Hardy stands alone as impact offensive rookie (Photo Source)

For two years, the Buffalo Bills had made a name for themselves on NFL Draft weekend by trading picks early and often to land players they wanted. In 2006, they traded back into the first round to select DT John McCargo. In 2007, they traded up into the early second round in order to pick LB Paul Posluszny. And entering 2008, the Bills had ten draft picks and a disgruntled quarterback (J.P. Losman) to help them make a move once again.

Over this year's draft weekend, an NFL record 33 trades were made - slowing down an otherwise streamlined draft. Yet despite their history, despite their ammo and despite a growing sense that moving around the board was the best option, in a record-setting draft, the Bills didn't budge an inch.

Bills Still Found Impact
The Bills chose to let the draft come to them, and in the early stages of the draft, it worked beautifully. Adding CB Leodis McKelvin and WR James Hardy gives the Bills two vastly talented players at their two biggest positional needs. McKelvin will likely lock down a starting job at cornerback during the season (if not before) as well as a return role in some capacity, while Hardy should start at wideout immediately next to veteran Lee Evans.

Even the team's third-round pick, Virginia Tech DE Chris Ellis, should make an impact as a rookie situational pass rusher.

When the impact was in the fold, however, the trading game failed Buffalo, and at least from an outsider's eyes, the picks started to frustrate.

Plan B: Build Special Teams, BPA
The Bills have never been a team that uses their late-round picks to fill needs in the vain hope that a sixth-round pick will carry them to the playoffs. Instead, the Bills choose to take the best player available - and, as this is rarely a bad strategy, the Bills have come away with some pretty good players over the years (LB Keith Ellison, S John Wendling).

With an eye on revamping their decimated special teams - which lost five impact coverage guys (WR Sam Aiken, TE Ryan Neufeld, LB Mario Haggan, LB Josh Stamer, LB Coy Wire) this off-season - the Bills added three rookies who should see significant special teams action as rookies. CB Reggie Corner, TE Derek Fine (who may also see a role offensively this season) and LB Alvin Bowen were all standout specialists in college, and they should become immediate special teams contributors for coordinator Bobby April.

The BPA method also landed the Bills three very intriguing prospects in RB Xavier Omon, OT Demetrius Bell and WR Steve Johnson. Omon is a record-setting Division II back with power and soft hands that adds a slightly different dimension to Buffalo's backfield. He may also be looked at as a fullback from time to time. Bell, the estranged son of former NBA star Karl Malone, is an immensely gifted athlete who with a little polish could be a worthwhile project for Buffalo, who needed depth along the offensive line. Johnson had a very productive final year at Kentucky, and although he's extremely raw as a receiver, he's a smooth athlete with plenty of upside at a thin position.

So, was the draft a success?
If you were looking to be wowed by Buffalo's draft class, a la 2007 when Marshawn Lynch and Posluszny sent waves of excitement through the fan base, 2008's class may disappoint you slightly. However, these are ten good football players that the Bills brought in - and half of them could be instant-impact rookies in one way or another. Did the Bills address all of their needs? No - they failed to find an impact tight end. This team's second-day philosophy has remained consistent for all three years they've been there, and tight end remains the team's one glaring weakness.  The team will instead rely on Fine to add to a competition that includes Robert Royal, Courtney Anderson, Teyo Johnson and Derek Schouman.

So for me? I'm satisfied. No draft is perfect.  I get the logic. I'm not wowed, and I'm not going to brag about this draft class to all of my pals. But the Bills lost a lot of role players this off-season and took strides to replace them with young, smart, athletic football players. It's hard for me to argue with that logic.

Whether or not the Bills should have made a few trades to get more impact, however, is a story that only time can tell.

The 2008 NFL Draft is now officially in the books, and the Buffalo Bills were a busy team on draft weekend.  Holding ten selections on the weekend, the Bills chose to stay pat and draft players at each of those ten spots.  Here is a recap of those picks, with links to Buffalo Rumblings' coverage of each player:

Round - Overall: Name, Pos., College

1-11: Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy

2-41: James Hardy, WR, Indiana

3-72: Chris Ellis, DE, Virginia Tech

4-114: Reggie Corner, CB, Akron

4-132: Derek Fine, TE, Kansas

5-147: Alvin Bowen, LB, Iowa State

6-179: Xavier Omon, RB, Northwest Missouri State

7-219: Demetrius Bell, OT, Northwestern State

7-224: Steve Johnson, WR, Kentucky

7-251: Kennard Cox, DB, Pittsburgh

As I mentioned earlier, I will post my initial thoughts on this weekend's Bills proceedings tomorrow morning - I need a night off for a little perspective.  Expect that early tomorrow morning.  For now, enjoy your evening.  We'll see you back here tomorrow.  Go Bills!

The Buffalo Bills will close out their participation in the 2008 NFL Draft with three selections in the seventh round.  Those selections are...

7-219: Demetrius Bell, OT, Northwestern State
- We knew coming into the day that the Bills would try to target an offensive lineman who can play guard and tackle; a "swing" lineman, if you will.  At 6'5" and 303 pounds, Bell is that type of lineman.  He's only got three years of experience in football, but he's a big kid with a load of potential.  In the seventh round, a developmental project with as much upside as Bell has is about all you can hope for.  This is a strong pick for the Bills.

7-224: Steve Johnson, WR, Kentucky
- I really, really like this pick.  Johnson is a productive receiver coming out of the SEC, and at 6'2", 210 pounds and with 4.55 speed, he has the ability to be an underrated slot receiver at the NFL level.  He's not quick or explosive, but he's a smooth player who scored 13 touchdowns in his one productive college season - outproducing his college teammate, Keenan Burton, in 2007.  This is a nice seventh-round flier selection that could pan out and add some solid depth to Buffalo's receiving corps.

7-251: Kennard Cox, CB, Pittsburgh
- A 6'0", 195-pound cornerback that runs a 4.58-second 40 is nearly a perfect fit for a Cover 2.  He is also the cousin of Buccaneers CB Torrie Cox.  This is the third cornerback that the Bills have selected in this year's draft (though he could also be shifted to safety), and if Cox can't prove his mettle on special teams, he likely won't make the roster.

That does it for the 2008 NFL Draft, at least from the Bills' perspective.  I'd like to thank everyone for stopping by Buffalo Rumblings for your Bills draft coverage this weekend.  I'm tabling my thoughts on the draft as a whole until tomorrow morning (going to sleep on it for a little perspective), so I hope to see many of you back here tomorrow morning for that.  In the meantime, feel free to leave your final draft thoughts in the comments section or in a FanPost.  Go Bills!