The Sports Xchange
NFL Team Report – Buffalo Bills – INSIDE SLANT
Second-year quarterback EJ Manuel failed to produce many awe-inspiring moments during the OTA phase of the offseason, and it wasn’t all that pretty Tuesday, the first mandatory minicamp session for the Buffalo Bills.
But offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett truly believes Manuel is taking steps in the right direction and will grow in his second year in the NFL.
“It’s so much more fun now,” Hackett said. “Not having him as a first-year guy where you sit there and say a word to him and he goes, ‘What is that? OK, that’s what it is, now I go run that.’ Now it comes natural to him, and he can go play football. He can understand what’s happening to him, he can understand where he should go with the ball.”
Hackett had quite a first season as an NFL coordinator.
He mentored a first-round draft pick in Manuel, but the rookie missed more than a third of the regular season (and a portion of training camp and the preseason) due to three separate knee injuries. Hackett had to coach up journeyman Thad Lewis and undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel to start.
Lewis had made only one start in his NFL career before starting five games for the Bills, and Tuel had never stepped foot on an NFL field until he relieved Manuel in a Week 5 game at Cleveland. Tuel then started a game against Kansas City. With all the change, running the up-tempo, no-huddle attack that Hackett had envisioned was virtually impossible.
“We look back at last year, and those first four games when EJ had a lot of run going on, it was awesome,” Hackett said. “We were really rolling. It’s funny. You look back on it and as the season went on, with the changes we had at that position, it slowed down. The better we get, the more we have of the understanding of the offense, the faster we can go.”
A full offseason for Manuel in the system is sparking Hackett’s confidence that the offense will start to click.
Manuel does appear to be in control, more poised, and he’s more vocal with his teammates.
“When you watch EJ last year, when he had a play that he knew, and he could see what was happening to him, and he knew where that ball was going to go, it was beautiful,” Hackett said. “If he had any doubt, it was, argh; who knows what was going to happen?”
Manuel was asked after the first minicamp practice if he liked the fact that Hackett was teaching so much more of the playbook so early.
“We were a little frustrated — I know I was — before OTAs. But I like the fact that he’s putting more on us, especially because we’ve got young guys in skill positions. It’s really put more of the onus on us to get stuff down and that’s made this week easier because we pretty much know all the plays already and we’ve run them all a bunch of times, so there’s not going to be any new stuff to learn.”
Manuel, who fumbled twice and threw an interception in the 11-on-11 portion of the first practice, said, “I wanted to be clean, I wanted to be sharp on my reads.”
He was shaky in 11-on-11 drills, but he indicated that he’s happy with the progress individually, and the entire unit.
“The biggest thing is just knowing who I’m throwing to,” Manuel said. “We have a better rapport this year, we’re a year older, we played together for a year, and the communication level is a lot better. And with the playbook, a lot of the things we did in the offseason, trying to get the nuances, that was huge as well. It’s not like it’s a learning process all over. Some of the things we’re changing and amping up on offense, but for the most part it’s the same stuff and I think we’re a year in it, it’ll help us out a lot.”
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NFL Team Report – Buffalo Bills – NOTES, QUOTES
–Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has had his hands full trying to get quarterback EJ Manuel ready for the season.
One area he won’t have to worry too much about is the running back position. There’s plenty of talent among C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson, Bryce Brown and Anthony Dixon.
Hackett’s greatest difficulty will be playing traffic cop and trying to keep everyone involved.
“You’ve just got to keep on giving those guys the ball,” Hackett said. “That’s a great room; we’ve got a lot of good players on this team. They all want the ball, and that’s what you want as an offensive coordinator.
“You want guys that are hungry for it and want the ball every single second.”
One of the keys to getting more touches for all the backs will be running more plays on offense, which can only happen if the Bills extend drives.
Hackett pointed to third-down conversions and red-zone efficiency as being points of emphasis this year.
“The more plays we run, the more touches we get,” Hackett said. “That’s what we always preach and that’s everybody working together because their time will come as long as we get those plays and keep being able to feed people.
“The big thing for us right now is converting on third down. If you look at us last year, that right there is going to extend so many more drives. We have to continue to be better at that, and it’s something I’ve really challenged the guys with, third-down and red-zone situations.”
Hackett doubled as the offensive coordinator and the quarterbacks coach in his first season in the NFL, but this year the Bills hired Todd Downing to mentor the quarterbacks, and Jim Hostler was brought in to serve as a senior offensive assistant.
Hackett loves the help.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “Both Todd and Hostler, they’ve been great. It’s one of those things as a coach, just like a player, I want to get better every second.
“You bring in guys like that, like Todd that has coached guys like (Matthew) Stafford in the passing game, it’s not only great for EJ, but it’s great for me, just to keep on learning and see different ways to do things.
“For anybody in any career, you always want to push yourself, and with Todd, it’s one of those things where I can then focus on something else and coach another position.”
–The Associated Press reported that the law firm representing the estate of deceased Bills owner Ralph Wilson has completed its data package on the status of the Bills and has begun contacting prospective ownership groups.
Once the groups sign a non-disclosure agreement, they will be free to delve into the Bills’ financials, which in turn will help them formulate their bids to purchase the team.
According to the AP, sources have said the documents have been sent to, among others, Donald Trump, and to Terry Pegula, the owner of the Buffalo Sabres.
–Jim Kelly, the Hall of Fame quarterback who is battling cancer, made a surprise visit to the final minicamp practice, and he addressed the team.
One of the things he said was, “Let’s start playing games in January and it all starts right here in minicamp.”
Kelly completed his radiation and chemotherapy treatments two weeks ago, and he looked frail and bald, but in good spirits. He sat in a chair on the sideline and watched the workout, paying particular attention to quarterback EJ Manuel.
“We always appreciate him,” coach Doug Marrone said. “Personally for myself, I miss having Jim around. He was great for myself and great for coach Hackett and coming around, talking to us, having great insight and being a true Bill in every sense of the word.
“We’re with him. We’re fighting through this. Just like he’s been there with us trying to fight through what we’re going through.”
–With the end of the minicamp, the Bills will take exactly one month off.
They will report to training camp at St. John Fisher College outside Rochester on July 18 because they are playing in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 3 against the New York Giants.
They will have a conditioning day July 19, and then conduct their first training camp practice on July 20.
With ongoing renovations at Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Bills will be at Fisher a full month, with their last scheduled practice coming Aug. 21.
The Bills will conduct two combination practices with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Steelers camp in Latrobe, Pa., on Aug. 13-14, and then will play the Steelers in a preseason game at Heinz Field on Aug. 16.
–Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus was back at the Bills facility after some mandated time away. Dareus has had an adventurous and unfortunate offseason as he was arrested in two separate incidents, one for possessing synthetic marijuana in Alabama, the other for participating in a street race a couple miles from Ralph Wilson Stadium in the Buffalo suburb of Hamburg.
Dareus was told to stay away from the voluntary OTA sessions following the second arrest on May 30 so that he could get his personal life together. He was back for the mandatory minicamp, and participated in drills the first two days, though was not made available to the media. The Bills reasoning for keeping him away from reporters was so that he could “focus on football.”
“Obviously he’s had a string of bad decisions and we as players, teammates and friends, we expect more out of him because we expect him to play football for us,” said fellow defensive tackle Kyle Williams. “I don’t think there’s any disguising the fact that he has to be accountable to his team, his coaches and our organization for the decisions he makes. Hopefully the foresight comes in.”
–Veteran defensive linemen Manny Lawson and Alan Branch made their first appearances of the offseason at the minicamp. Both players skipped all of the OTA workouts and stayed home.
Lawson explained his decision this way: “The season is long. When you have some years under your belt, you don’t want it to be repetitive. You don’t want to seem like you’re going through the motions, the same thing over and over again. It was good to step away, spend time with the family, go visit your family. Relax — still work out in my time off — but step away from the game and come back to it and it’s all new and fun again.”
Coach Doug Marrone had nothing negative to say because, as he has repeatedly indicated, the OTAs are voluntary and the players don’t have to be there.
With the switch in defensive schemes, both Lawson and Branch – who joined the Bills last year and played well in then-coordinator Mike Pettine’s scheme – have some different duties. Branch played well as a 3-4 end, but now he’ll be a 4-3 end, and likely will be a backup behind Jerry Hughes. Lawson was a linebacker last year and was third on the team with 73 tackles, but now he’s being asked to play end, too, and will see his playing time cut.
“Probably the only thing that’s going to change a lot for me now is I’m not going to drop as much,” Lawson said. “I will have my hand in the dirt more, but other than that the Sam linebacker and defensive end are relatively the same position except at Sam linebacker you have to drop more in your man-to-man coverage. So I don’t have to cover anybody man to man now, so it’s see ball, go get ball.”
–The Bills admittedly took a small gamble picking University of Miami offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson, if picking someone in the seventh round can be considered a gamble. Henderson has had a checkered past, suspended a couple of times for his use of marijuana, and the Bills warned him he’ll be on a short leash. He was present for the OTA sessions, but he missed the first day of the mandatory minicamp due to what was called a travel-related issue.
Interestingly, with starting left tackle Cordy Glenn missing the first two days of the minicamp due to illness, Henderson returned Wednesday and he was getting some first-team reps in place of Glenn. Chris Hairston had filled in much of the first day for Glenn, but he shared reps Wednesday with starting right guard Kraig Urbik as the Bills continue to do major experimenting with their line, trying to find the most versatile players.
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NFL Team Report – Buffalo Bills – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
A closer look at the Bills picks:
Round 1/4 — Sammy Watkins, WR, 6-1, 211, Clemson
–The Bills made a bold move to go up and get him at Cleveland’s spot, and it cost them a first-round pick in 2015, but he was clearly their highest-rated player on the board. Just as important, he fills a need as the Bills have lacked a dominant, go-to receiver. Watkins had dazzling freshman and junior seasons, while his sophomore year was interrupted by a two-game suspension due to a marijuana possession charge. Watkins learned from that mistake and returned to first-team, All-America status as a junior, after being just the fourth first-year freshman to earn first-team status. He finished his career with 240 catches for 3,391 yards and 27 touchdowns. He will very likely start on opening day, especially now that Stevie Johnson has been traded.
Round 2/44 — Cyrus Kouandjio, T, 6-7, 322, Alabama
–The native of Cameroon came to America when he was 4, played soccer into middle school, and then switched to football in high school. He and his brother, Arie, both played for Nick Saban at Alabama. He played as a freshman in 2011 but suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee and missed the final third of the season. Came back to start the final 26 games of his career, and the Bills were told he never missed a practice either. Was a consensus first-team All-America in 2013, but his knee issue gave some teams pause. Dr. James Andrews ultimately wrote a letter to explain that the knee was fine and would not hinder Kouandjio. Has very long arms which make pass rushers take a wider arc to get around him. He should compete immediately for the starting right tackle job with Erik Pears.
Round 3/73 — Preston Brown, MLB, 6-1, 251, Louisville
–The Bills took the 6-foot-1, 251-pound Brown in the third round with the 73rd pick overall, and he should be able to come in and become the primary backup at middle linebacker behind Brandon Spikes. The Bills really don’t have a true middle linebacker on the team other than Spikes, so Brown will get plenty of reps in training camp at the position. However, he also played some outside linebacker in college, and he can be a useful member of the special teams, so the Bills will likely get some mileage out of Brown in his rookie season. His production was certainly high at Louisville as he made 301 tackles, all but 10 of those in his final three years. He also made two fumble recoveries, one interception and seven sacks.
Round 4/109 — Ross Cockrell, DB, 6-0, 190, Duke
–He started 49 games at Duke, recording 233 tackles, 12 interceptions and 42 pass breakups. Was a durable player who played 3,536 snaps in his college career. A two-time first team All-ACC, he graduated a year ago with a degree in political science. His father played at Columbia, so he’s probably going to be the smartest guy in the room when he arrives. He figures to contribute to special teams, and perhaps battle for a backup position in the secondary.
Round 5/153 — Cyril Richardson, G, 6-5, 343, Baylor
–He had weight issues his senior year that prevented him from being a much higher pick. Was the leader of a line that blocked for the NCAA’s top offense, which averaged 52 points per game. He was a finalist for the Outland Trophy, but some scouts said he lacked good movement and could be beaten by faster pass rushers up the middle. At left guard he was credited with 83 knockdown blocks. As a child, his family was displaced by Hurricane Katrina and they wound up in Fort Worth, Tex.
Round 7/221 — Randell Johnson, OLB, 6-3, 242, Florida Atlantic
–Johnson recorded 41 tackles and 2.5 sacks as a senior when he played in every game and was named his team’s Iron Man of Year. Part of that came from the fact that he played on almost all of the special teams units, as well as on defense. That’s where he’ll have to make his mark in the NFL. He showed strong footwork at his pro day. One of his greatest gifts is his wingspan as his 34-inch arms are lengthy for a man who stands 6-foot-3, and they enable him to get his hands on some balls in pass coverage.
Round 7/237 — Seantrel Henderson, T, 6-7, 331, Miami
–Was touted as a first-round talent, but his stock fell after three positive marijuana tests at Miami and he openly admitted to his drug use at the Scouting Combine. Bills general manager Doug Whaley made it very clear that he’s got one shot, and if he stays straight, he could be the steal of draft. Henderson is a big man, but he moves like a linebacker, likely due to his basketball background as he had Division I scholarship offers to play basketball. He often dominated games with 58 knockdown blocks and 10 touchdown blocks.
PERSONNEL TRACKER
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (not tendered offers)
–FS Jim Leonhard (not tendered as UFA).
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.
DRAFT CHOICES SIGNED
–WR Sammy Watkins (1/4): 4 yrs, terms unknown.
–T Cyrus Kouandjio (2/44): 4 yrs, terms unknown.
–LB Preston Brown (3/73): 4 yrs, terms unknown.
–CB Ross Cockrell (4/109): 4 yrs, terms unknown.
–G Cyril Richardson (5/153): 4 yrs, terms unknown.
–LB Randell Johnson (7/221): 4 yrs, terms unknown.
–T Seantrel Henderson (7/237): 4 yrs, terms unknown.
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED
–K Dan Carpenter: UFA; 4 yrs, terms unknown.
–TE Mike Caussin: Potential RFA; terms unknown.
–TE Scott Chandler; UFA; terms unknown.
–WR Chris Hogan: ERFA; $495,000/1 yr.
–OL Antoine McClain: ERFA; $495,000/1 yr.
–P Brian Moorman: Potential UFA; $955,000/1 yr.
–FB Frank Summers: ERFA; $570,000/1 yr.
PLAYERS ACQUIRED
–WR Ramses Barden: FA; $1.475M/2 yrs.
–RB Bryce Brown (trade Eagles).
–RB Anthony Dixon: UFA 49ers; $3.5M/3 yrs, $750,000 SB.
–QB Dennis Dixon: FA; $1.475M/2 yrs.
–CB Corey Graham: UFA Ravens; $16M/4 yrs.
–LB Keith Rivers: UFA Giants; $4.05M/2 yrs, $1M SB.
–LB Brandon Spikes: UFA Patriots; $3M/1 yr, $900,000 SB.
–G Chris Williams: UFA Rams; $13.5M/4 yrs, $5.5M guaranteed.
–WR Mike Williams (trade Buccaneers).
–DE Jarius Wynn: UFA Cowboys; 1 yr, terms unknown.
PLAYERS LOST
–S Jairus Byrd: UFA Saints; $54M/6 yrs, $11M SB/$27.9M guaranteed.
–DE Alex Carrington: UFA Rams; 1 yr, terms unknown.
–QB Kevin Kolb (released/failed physical).
–LB Arthur Moats: UFA Steelers; $795,000/1 yr, $65,000 SB.
–T Thomas Welch: Not tendered as RFA/Saints; terms unknown.
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