The headline of this article is misleading, perhaps intentionally so. The Buffalo Bills are currently in the nascent months of yet another roster overhaul; GM Buddy Nix and head coach Chan Gailey have put together a roster that’s long on question marks and short on experience. Still, the team has competition across the entire team, and in a throw-away year meant for building a foundation, the team’s plan appears to be to try to develop some of the young talent already on the roster.
Not all of that talent is created equally, nor are any two players in exactly the same situation. As such, “boom or bust” and its typical connotations doesn’t apply to every player that appears on this list (and the list could be much, much longer, as well). Therefore, we urge you not to equate “boom or bust” to “make or break” – for the majority of these players, the 2010 season will not be the sole deciding factor regarding their future inclusion in the team’s re-building plans.
Five Bills entering a boom-or-bust ‘10 season – continue reading…
To the surprise of roughly no one, the first thing the Buffalo Bills did organizationally when free agency started was set out to upgrade their offensive line. The philosophy was astute as the Bills offensive line was anemic in 2009 and did themselves no favors with the rash of injuries the unit suffered.
Wade Smith was brought in on day two and although the team reported positive conversations the former Chief left the team last Saturday without a deal and has since visited Houston. He’s also reported to be headed to Arizona for a visit out west on Tuesday.
The Bills then quickly struck on Monday to land Oakland Raiders tackle Cornell Green. The team met with him in the morning and by the afternoon signed him to a three-year deal worth a reported $9 million.
The 12-year veteran said on a conference call Monday night that he had the chance to visit other teams, but the Bills presented him with the best opportunity.
Green brings experience, baggage to Buffalo – continue reading…
Regime change in the National Football League is many things to many different people. For fans, seeing their favorite team begin anew is both cathartic and challenging to one’s patience. To ownership, it’s pretty similar. With coaches, it’s all about the opportunity to not only build a team from scratch and try to build a consistent winner, but about making a name for yourself as well.
It’s very different for players. Take the current Buffalo Bills, for instance. Buddy Nix is the new GM, while Chan Gailey is the new head coach. The team will be making massive changes on both sides of the ball, particularly defensively, where they’re switching to the 3-4 alignment. With those changes, many players could quickly be out of jobs. Bills players such as Chris Kelsay, Kyle Williams, John McCargo and others may be released or see their roles change drastically under the new regime. Many more players are in the same boat.
Regime change brings opportunity for young Bills – continue reading…
(We’re running a series profiling players that could fit into the Buffalo Bills’ plans leading up to the start of free agency on March 5. Today we look at Green Bay Packers left tackle Chad Clifton)
Like many other positions, the pickings at offensive tackle in free agency appear to be slender. More so than other spots, the lack of a collective bargaining agreement hinders the talent pool, which would’ve included Jammal Brown and Marcus McNeil among others.
One intriguing veteran for the Buffalo Bills when the shopping spree commences could be Green Bay Packers tackle Chad Clifton. Let’s not kid ourselves here; Clifton’s best days are long behind him and he’s no lock to stay healthy for a full season at 34 years old. But when he’s on the field he’s one of the more steadfast tackles in the game and could be a quality short term asset for the club.
Free Agent Files: Chad Clifton – continue reading…
Just a week before the start of the 2009 NFL season, Demetrius Bell was handed the starting left tackle job after then-head coach Dick Jauron cut incumbent tackle Langston Walker. The hope was that Bell would mesh in well with a young but heavily invested offensive line that would form cohesiveness and chemistry.
We’ll have to wait until next year to see what Bell has, because he’s just been placed on the season ending injured reserve list with an ailing knee.
Bell, who also missed a large portion of training camp was only able to play in eight games this season. He was charged with allowing five sacks and committed eight accepted penalties.
Bills place Demetrius Bell on IR – continue reading…
The Buffalo Bills, led by interim head coach Perry Fewell, will be looking for a win in Jacksonville without the services of three key starters.
Marcus Stroud did not practice all week with a knee injury and has been ruled out, potentially leaving the Bills with just two healthy defensive tackles on Sunday. Also ruled out were tackle Demetrius Bell (knee), linebacker Keith Ellison (thigh) and cornerback Ashton Youboty (ankle).
Stroud’s absence is of critical importance. The Bills have the NFL’s worst run defense, and they’re about to take on the NFL’s fifth-leading rusher in Maurice Jones-Drew without their most proven run defender. Exacerbating that issue is the fact that fellow defensive tackle Kyle Williams is on the injury report as well, listed as questionable with a knee injury that has caused him to miss Buffalo’s last two games.
Stroud one of three Bills starters out for Sunday – continue reading…
Dick Jauron met with the media this afternoon, a day after the Buffalo Bills 41-17 fiasco in Tennessee that saw them give up 24 unanswered fourth quarter points.
On the injury front, Demetrius Bell suffered a knee injury yesterday and Ashton Youboty left with a high ankle sprain.
Bell will see a doctor again today after seeing the team’s physician yesterday, but Jauron sounded anything but assured he‘d back soon.
“We’re not optimistic about that at this point.” Jauron said., who also indicated they’ll bring in some free agents to work out this week.
Jauron Hints At Changes In Presser – continue reading…
In a way, it’s fitting that 2009 is the Buffalo Bills’ 50th anniversary of existence. I say that because if you’ve been around for all or even most those years, you’d be hard pressed to find more than a small handful of seasons more exasperating than this one.
Despite having sufficient talent, this is a team and an organization clearly stuck in the mud. With the exception of a certain rookie who has the same amount of interceptions as our two quarterbacks have touchdown passes, combined, nobody has played closed to their expectations.
For that, we’ve compiled our midseason list of the five Least Valuable Players (LVP). It wasn’t as easy as you think, as there were many candidates to choose from.
The Bills’ Midseason Five Least Valuable Players – continue reading…
When the Buffalo Bills embarked on their 2009 campaign some six weeks ago, they did so with Brad Butler starting at right tackle. Butler had previously started 29 games in the NFL, but all came at right guard. Concern lingered about his lack of experience.
About a month later, at least in the eyes of the Bills organization, Butler’s experience would rival Brett Favre.
There will be yet another switcheroo in the Bills offensive line this week when they travel to East Rutherford to take on the New York Jets. It’ll be the fourth different line combination the Bills have started just six games into the season. This time, with Jonathan Scott injured and Kirk Chambers completely ineffective, Jamon Meredith will get his first NFL start at right tackle. Coincidentally, his first snap Sunday will also be the first of his career.
Bills Hope Meredith Can Stop The Bleeding – continue reading…
