The Buffalo Bills wrapped up rookie training camp in the past few days. Chan Gailey spoke to the media after the camp, and had some interesting thoughts on the camp. He felt he saw some good things, and something’s that were not so good. The big thing he commented on that I thought was interesting was how to weigh the rookie’s mental capacity. That is the big thing about scouting for the draft. You can see a guy run, catch, jump, move side to side, but can not really gauge their mental capacity.
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills, for the first time in many years, have had an offseason filled with moves worthy of conversation. The new approach for the Bills front office started last season when the Bills brought in veteran linebacker Nick Barnett, re-signed their best defensive lineman, at the time, Kyle Williams, and early this offseason re-signed their number one receiver, Stevie Johnson. The Bills really made a huge and surprising splash when they signed highly sought after, free agent, Mario Williams to the most expensive defensive contract in NFL history.
The Bills have been quiet as of late. Recently, they held a work-out for QB Vince Young for a possible back-up role, which he would need to compete for against Tyler Thigpen. In my opinion, Vince would be the better back up for the Bills. He has that starter experience, and as I have stated before what is better than a player that has something to prove. The Bills have yet to sign any of their draft picks, which I have to believe is the more focus right now than signing Vince. The Bills are quiet right now, but this team is going to make some more noise in the 2012 season.
The Buffalo Bills have yet to make a comment on the Vince Young workout, and how they will proceed with him. From one of the receivers on hand, David Nelson, said he looked in great shape, and was throwing the ball very nicely. The Bills let him leave town with no deal in hand. Not sure what the Bills are looking for in a back-up, but Vince would be a nice viable option.
The Buffalo Bills had needs and holes on their team that needed to be accounted for. Buddy Nix and the Bills front office knew what those needs were, and this offseason I would say they most definitely addressed them.
The Bills started the offseason with a bang, and although nothing done in the Bills draft has topped that excitement, as a organization they did what they needed to do. It was business as usual for Buddy Nix, as he clearly had a certain mindset coming into this years draft and by all means did he stick with his plan. He openly addressed the needs the Bills were looking to fill and round by round ensured fans that he was going to make sure that happened.
ROUND 4:
The Bills had the 10th (105th overall) and the 29th (124th overall) picks of the 4th round. They continued their trend of selecting needs and have used this round to fill holes on their roster just like the previous three selections. With the 105th pick of the draft the Bills selected outside linebacker, Nigel Bradham from Florida State University. At 6’2″ 241 lbs, Bradham is an impressive specimen at the linebacker position. His speed is his best attribute and allows him to be able to jolt an offensive lineman and also get outside to make plays and tackle running backs. He is quick to react to the outside run and will chase it down from inside. With his speed he can become an effective blitzer with training and although he may contribute on the defensive side, I believe his first years as a Bill he will be a big weapon on special teams. His athleticism allowed him to make up for his inability to recognize plays and commit to the run or pass, but that might be his hardest task, as the speed of the NFL is extremely quick compared to that at the collegiate level.
ROUND 1:
Early last week Buddy Nix, Buffalo Bills GM, hinted around the idea that the Bills would select a cornerback with their first pick.
With less than a week away from the 2012 NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills will look to add more excitement to an already surprisingly exciting off-season.
The Bills signed highly sought after free agent, defensive end, Mario Williams and also added a solid veteran at defensive end as well, with the signing of Mark Anderson. The buzz around Buffalo, NY was at a constant high with the signings and until recently the draft was almost a second thought. Now with the draft approaching, the buzz of excitement is back, as fans all begin to ponder what the Bills will do with their picks.
The thought of the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs is hard for some to believe. Well the idea of the Bills trying to improve their team is hard for most to believe. Well if you still think the Bills aren’t trying to win now then you are fooling yourself.
At the end of last season, Buffalo General Manager Bills Buddy Nix said that the Bills were going to be aggressive in free agency. I will admit I got a little nervous when reports came out the Bills were far apart with Steve Johnson. But I’m sure every Bills fan felt that way. Buddy said he wanted to sign Stevie Johnson and guess what he did. Kudos to Stevie taking less money to stay in Buffalo as it shows really wanted to be here.
Yesterday, the Buffalo Bills continued the “offseason of signings” and came to terms with another free agent, Mark Anderson, a defensive end, most recently with the Patriots. This is just another move that is proving that Buddy Nix and the Bills weren’t kidding when they said they desperately wanted and needed to improve their pass rush. The Bills ranked 27th in the league in sacks with only 29, first place was the Vikings with 50. The team needed to improve this stat, because as most experts think, the quarterback is the number one priority and a close second is the ability to get to the quarterback.
