Ingtar33
02-14-2003, 09:45 PM
<h3>2002 Buffalo Bills Review and off-season Extravaganza! </h3> (http://www.billszone.com/YourSite/global/templates/view.php?action=YourSite_content&month=2&state=news&nid=4091)
<center><img src="http://www.billszone.com/images/gamephotos/billstexans/pricemouldsbledsoetexansAP.JPG" border="2"></center> <BR>
Well the off season is upon us, the scouting combine, free agency, and most certainly that most favorite hobby of NFL fateful, speculation. Well, the off season also give us the chance to look back with dispassionate eyes upon the previous year and give an unbiased observation about our favorite team and its players. So without further ado I give you my 2002 Buffalo Bills review, which will be followed by a look at the needs and a closer look at the potential FA cap cuts who could fill those needs (sorry but this is too long to include any potential draft analysis)
2002 Buffalo Bills: position by position analysis:
Quarterback The Bills went into 2002 for he first time since Jim Kelly retired with a legitimate NFL superstar at the helm. The results were stunning as the Bills offense found itself near the top of most offensive statistics, and found the end zone at a greatly improved rate to their previous years. This unit was one of the Bills strong spots for the ’02 calendar season. Grade: A
Drew Bledsoe, it was hoped, would bring stability, confidence, and a winning attitude back to the Bills huddle (not to mention a golden arm). Drew came to buffalo with a lot of question marks, due to his play over the previous three seasons. People doubted he could stand the beating a shaky Bills line was sure to give him. Even more ominous, they doubted his arm. I doubt anyone was disappointed by what we got in Drew. Drew was cast into a new offensive system in 2002, one which is in some ways harder on the QB than the infamous WCO, as it not just required multiple reads, but asked the QB to be accurate at a much deeper range than is standard for the NFL (not to mention Drew has never truly been asked to run a vertical passing attack like this one). Drew took it all in stride, and displayed a better deep ball arm than I thought he had, as he (in just one season with the Bills) broke most of the Bills single season passing records. Furthermore he established himself as a locker room leader, and made the Bills O confident that they could score from anywhere (as many Bills opponents would learn to their woe). Drew also proved his durability as he was sacked 54 times, and wouldn’t miss a single game to injury. The only sour spot in Drew’s first season is that as the weather got foul, so did the Bills passing game, as drops and bad passes stalled the offense late in the season; it will be interesting to see what adjustments are made to our offense during the off-season to keep opposing Ds on their toes next year.
AVP played sparingly as Drew’s backup this season, throwing only two passes (both completions).
Running Back For the Bills, running back was a position which, going into the season, was viewed as being one which was loaded with talent, just not great talent. Most fans and experts saw the Bills backfield as one which was crowded with adequate to good players, all of whom could provide adequate to good performance, the only question was with whom would the Bills try to lean on? The Bills left the preseason with Travis Henry as the titular starting back and with Bryson just in the wings looking over his shoulder. Many fans felt that the brain trust made the wrong choice, and were eagerly waiting for Henry to lose his starting position to the flashier and faster Bryson. That would not happen, as Henry would seize the reigns with a strong week one performance, followed with consistent and strong efforts week after week. This position, which leading up to last year was viewed by many to be a question mark would finish the year as one of our strongest. Grade: A-
Henry posted rushing numbers not seen in Buffalo since the days of Thurman Thomas as he rushed for 1438 yards and 13 rushing TDs (not to mention his 43 receptions for 308 yards and 2 TDs, including the overtime winning TD reception against Chicago). He provided the Bills with a strong rushing attack to compliment Drew’s aerial circus. The Bills ground game would become so strong behind Henry that the cry amongst Bills fans would become that they weren’t using Henry enough, a cry which reached a fervor during the Bills mid season struggles in the red zone. The only problem with Henry’s performance this last season was his maddening habit to fumble. He would finish the year with an unacceptably high 11 fumbles (8 lost). Without those fumbles the position grade would have been higher.
Bryson on the other hand saw very limited action due to Henry’s success, as he would carry the ball sparingly (13 times) and would catch just one pass. The “other” back during the preseason competition was Sammy Morris, who had his season cut short early in the year due to an injury on special teams, and as a result only saw the ball 5 times (2 rushing, 3 receiving). Joe Burns filled in for Morris and saw even more limited action than Bryson, as he would finish the year with 5 carries.
Fullback: The fullback position has been one of the strengths of this team for the last 6 or so years (dating back to our acquisition of monster blocker Sam Gash). Going into this season we sported a multiple Pro Bowler in Larry Centers, who the previous year (during our dismal 3-13 showing) found his way to Hawaii yet again. Centers would finish this season with a much reduced receptions count (43), and little known backup Philip Crosby would emerge as a devastating lead blocker, aiding Henry to his pro-bowl season. Grade: B+
Centers looked to be a huge multifaceted weapon for Drew and the passing attack coming into this season, as Centers is simply a mismatch against most linebackers. Strangely enough, the Centers-Bledsoe connection was not as potent as many envisioned at season’s start. Additionally, Centers would see his role reduced as the season went on, as Travis Henry would emerge as a competent 3rd down back, and Philip Crosby would emerge as a dominant lead blocker. By the end of the season Centers would see his field time so reduced it brings up questions about his future in Buffalo. Part of the problem facing the Bills is that while he might be the best receiving weapon in our backfield, he is a dead giveaway to the opposing defense as he rarely runs, and is not half the lead blocker Crosby is. The result is he saw spot duty in obvious 2nd and 3rd and long, single back formations.
The emergence of Crosby would be one of the season’s pleasant surprises, as he showed us Bills fans crushing lead blocking not seen since Sam Gash. He is a good young lead blocker, one who seamed to get better with every game, as his blocks became more devastating as his confidence grew. This is a kid I can’t wait to see mature, leading Travis to daylight. The one thing he needs to work on is his pass blocking.
Receiver: This was the known strength of the Bills roster coming into this season, as Eric Moulds was one of the league’s elite receivers and Peerless Price was a young up and coming speed burner. Further enriching the pot, the Bills used their second pick in the draft to choose Josh Reed of LSU (a receiver who was at the top of most experts draft boards for the position, including mine). These men wouldn’t disappoint, as they would help Drew Bledsoe and the Bills offense put up astounding numbers. Both Moulds and Price would break 1,000 yards receiving before the season was done. Grade: A+
Eric Moulds broke the Bills single season receptions record, and became the first Bills receiver with 100 receptions. He regularly torched defending defenses for huge scores, once again becoming the dangerous deep threat we all know he is. His great plays more than made up for his depressingly characteristic drops on over the middle / in traffic passes. However most of those drops were forgivable since they came nowhere near as often as they had in years past. Furthermore he would finish with 10 TD receptions.
Price also had a great season, as he topped out at 94 receptions and 9 TD receptions. He regularly took 20 or 30 yard passes and turned them into 50 or 60 yard gains using his superior speed and athleticism. The only mark against Price is the difficulty he seemed to have on deep passes, as he regularly dropped catchable deep passes of all varieties; the drops seemed at times to be so frequent that it looked to me like he was good for at least one a game. Also troubling is his propensity for being a hothead and costing his team yards with foolish penalties.
Josh Reed had a strong rookie season as 3rd receiver, showing perhaps the surest hands in the Bills talented receiving corps. He posted 37 receptions for 514 yards and 2 TDs, which would translate into the highest yards per catch average of all the Bills receivers. He was money on 3rd down, and showed good awareness in both rout running and run blocking.
Tight End: Tom Donahoe, a man with a proper regard for history, knew that Drew Bledsoe had once had a prolific relationship with a Tight End in the early years of his career. Knowing that Jay Riemersma had a fairly unimpressive year in ’01, he went out into free agency and picked up Dave Moore to provide Drew with not just one big target, but two. It was a good thought, but neither men seemed to bond well with Bledsoe, and a position which looked to be one of the Bills strengths turned out to have only a just above mediocre year. Grade: B-
Jay Riemersma had one of the most disappointing of years. He has never been a great run blocker, but what more than made up for that was his sure hands and good routs. Unfortunately something has happened to those sure hands, as the past two years have been marked with a myriad of drops and bobbles. It probably wasn’t very helpful to JR that his favorite routs (the seam and deep post) were denied to him as he spent much of the season running short outs and safety-valve routs.
Dave Moore on the other hand gave the Bills exactly what they thought they were getting, a reliable run blocker and a good safety-valve receiver. His receiving numbers were a hindered a little bit by a broken hand he suffered, but all in all he was not a disappointment. As a further bonus he provided the Bills special teams with good long snapping.
Offensive Line: Coming into this season, the Bills offensive line had been seriously retooled from the disaster that took the field in ’01. The Bills brought in several free agents, the most notable being Trey Teague, and drafted blue chipper Mike Williams with the 4th pick in the draft. After some preseason shuffling the Bills line would sport 4 new starters (by position). Jonas Jennings was moved from right tackle to left tackle, Rueben Brown was the only player on the line starting in the same position he was last season at left guard, Trey Teague became our new center, Marcus Sullivan was moved to right guard (a position he never played before), and Mike Williams was placed at right tackle. The biggest question facing this unit was how long would it take them to bond and become a cohesive unit? As a unit the line became a very good run blocking unit early in the season, and their pass blocking improved as the season wore on, and the position as a whole would go from a legitimate team weakness to a position of well… lets just say offensive line is not a desperate need this off-season. Grade: B
line breakdown by position
Left Tackle This was Jonas Jennings first year as a left tackle and unfortunately, it showed. His rookie year he started at right tackle, and acquitted himself masterfully allowing nary a sack. Unfortunately for Jonas, left tackle is the best paid line position in the NFL for a reason, as the best pass rushers line up on the quarterback’s backside. As a result he struggled through most of the season. However it was never bad enough that the Bills felt the need to give him any particular help as most of the season he would play against the best pass rushers without any sliding protection. He might be moved back to right tackle next year, as Mike Williams might be moved to the left side (I doubt the Bills know for sure what they’ll do). Grade: B-
Left Guard Reuben Brown has held the starting position at left guard since his rookie season, and as long as he keeps going to the pro bowl I doubt he’ll loose it. Yet another good season for Rueben, he remained as always injury free, and remained a domineering force with his run blocking. I’ve noticed a definite slippage in his pass blocking though as it has become possible for DTs to bull rush Rueben. That said he allowed the fewest sacks of any OL on this team (by my count), was responsible for only two penalties all season long and deserved his trip to Hawaii more this year than last. Grade: A-
Center Trey Teague never played center in the NFL, and was picked up by Tom Donahoe to play left tackle. That said, probably the best thing the Bills did was pick him for the center job, as he did a remarkable job handling the line calls, and was a step up on the position holder we had last year. That said Teague was perhaps the weakest link in the line, as he was not very good at either run or pass blocking. Grade: C
Right Guard Marcus Sullivan’s season was a two part story. The first half found Sullivan as the weakest member of our line, inadequate in every aspect of the game. The second half found him as one of the lines strongest members, dominating in both pass and run blocking. He got so good that by the end of the year I was ready to say that Reuben isn’t even the best guard on the team, let alone lineman. Too bad this is a total season grade, or he’d be getting higher than this. Grade: B-
Right Tackle Mike Williams is a monster of a man. He’s a monster of a football player too. Personally I was astounded with the fact the Bills left him on an island all season (something even the Vikings didn’t do with McKinney), but considering the job he did, I see their point. Williams needed very little help last year, as he displayed great run blocking talent, and very good pass blocking skill. He crushed some players with hits I don’t think were possible, as he displayed the raw talent to become one of the NFL’s most punishing and physical blockers. I used the word raw for a reason. He also is a very raw player, and was schooled by a few speed rushers in pass protection. On the bright side he showed incredible game awareness and recovered numerous fumbles. Grade: B
* The offensive line was supported by some quality depth that filled in quite admirably during the season. Marcus Price was the most notable of these backups, as the veteran stepped in and performed so admirably that you never realized he was in (in place of Mike Williams or Jonas Jennings). That type of quality play from line depth is hard to match. Furthermore, Bill Conaty was last season’s starting center, and provides good solid proven depth for the line. Grade (offensive line depth): B+
Defensive Line Leading into the season, Bill fateful had a lot of reasons to be hopeful for their defensive line. Aaron Schobel had a strong rookie season starting at both left end. Kendrick Office, Eric Flowers, and rookie Ryan Denney all looked to be capable of filling underrated Phil Hanson’s shoes at Right DE. If there was one cause for a little bit of concern it was at defensive tackle, as the Bills didn’t seem to address their DT needs in FA, instead they kept their young talent, like Ron Edwards and Tyrone Robertson and drafted several other players to help fill the role, with Justin Bannan and Grant Irons. This unit was a sour spot for the team throughout the season. Of course there was no worry about DT Pat Williams who many regarded as the best defender on the line. The problem was what looks good in theory or on paper sometimes doesn’t translate into football field success. This past season was a disaster for this Bills unit, a disaster to rival the “train wreck” that was the previous season’s offensive line. The line as a unit was singularly responsible for many poor aspects of the Bills defensive play, and while there were a few bright spots, largely it was hard to watch. Grade: D-
line breakdown by position
Right Defensive End This position was a location of much rotation, and would undergo a late preseason, early season overhaul due to the poor play we got from the heir aperients to Phil Hanson. It was soon apparent than none of these aperients were worthy enough to even hold Hanson’s jock, and heads started to role before the Bills broke camp. Before preseason was over the Bills would cut former first round ‘practice warrior’ Eric Flowers, a first round stretch who wowed the Bills scouting staff with his scouting combine numbers. As a result the Bills grabbed Chidi Ahanotu off of the unsigned FA lists, and in spite of being a mediocre roll player most of his NFL career, the Bills found his talent to be so superior to what was here he became the starting end overnight. Chidi was barely adequate to the task, and while he did provide a modicum of aid to the Bills run defense, his tally of just 5 sacks was woefully inadequate when considered that most of those sacks came in the first 3 games… and the fact he was on the field in nearly all pass rushing situations. Grade: D
Defensive Tackle (Nose Tackle) This was one of the “strong” positions on the line, with Pat Williams. Williams often was the only defensive linemen who you heard from throughout a game. He was a force on middle runs, and seemed to do an adequate job (not great) moving the pocket. He finished the year as the lines leading tackler. What is most impressive about all of this is Williams is not a “natural” nose tackle for this defense, which unfortunately would show on occasion. That being said he was the best player on the line this year, and looks to have a better one next season if the Bills make the right changes in the off-season. Grade: B
Defensive Tackle (Under Tackle) This was perhaps the most obvious question mark on the Bills defense heading into this season and unfortunately is was a well justified concern. To begin with Tyron Robertson would end up in the dog house, then the outhouse as he would test positive for a banned substance. Then Edwards would be thrust into a position I don’t think he is remotely ready for. The truly sad thing about Edwards season was that I never thought he took a play off, yet he clearly doesn’t have the strength or talent to start in the NFL yet. Personally I really like some of what I saw from Edwards this year, and think the potential is there for him to grow into the role of a quality starting DT in the NFL, unfortunately this is a process which could take two or three more years, as he has to break some bad habits such as his propensity to get too high, his slow adjustment to the 2-gap system we run, and his inability to keep body contact to a minimum (with the O-linemen). Grade: D-
Left Defensive End What doubts there might have been about the possibility that Aaron Schobel’s rookie season were a fluke seemed to evaporate rapidly in training camp as he would emerge as starting Left End and kept that position throughout the season. Schobel’s second campaign was not without its shortcomings, and it was apparent to this observer that he is perhaps another defensive lineman who could do with some seasoning. That being said he ended up leading the line (and team) in sacks for the second consecutive season with 8.5, and showed steady progress throughout in all aspects of the game. Furthermore, he was the only defensive lineman who seemed to generate consistent pressure on the opposing QBs, an important indicator of a developing pass rusher. The Bills may have gold in Schobel, as he is further along in his development than Marcellus Wiley was at this point in his career (and about on target with Jason Taylor, however he has had to do it without the supporting cast Taylor had). The future looks bright here and can only get better. It still stands to be shown that Schobel can actually make the jump from pass rusher to all-round DE. Grade: C+
*The problem which would plague the Bills D-Line throughout the season was the inability of the rotating (backup) players to make even a borderline inadequate play. The lone bright spot in the otherwise dismal rotation was Grant Irons who racked up 2.5 sacks in very limited play. He was picked up as a project, and will need some further seasoning before we can properly ascertain his potential. That said, most of the successful rushes or screen plays occurred against our second string “rotating” linemen, as teams would regularly check to draws or screens once players like Ahanotu, Williams, Edwards and Schobel checked out. Grade(D-line depth): F
Strong Side Linebacker The was never a position of concern for most Bills backers heading into the season. Starter Keith Newman was a holdout from the previous Bills regime, and in his 4th season with the team. A pass rush specialist, Newman figured prominently into the defensive plans for Williams aggressive, blitz happy 46 defense. Or so we all thought. The problems for Newman would start in training camp as he would criticize the Bills brain trust for their trade of Jay Foreman (last year’s starting weak side linebacker, and team leading tackler) to the Texans for kick return/specialist Charlie Rogers. Eddie Robinson was brought in to replace Newman’s good friend Foreman, and to add insult to injury, he would see his role in the defense limited by Fletcher’s superior cover skills (he lost his spot as a nickel D linebacker). With the lack of playing time and lack of perceived respect, Newman’s season started a tailspin. To further complicate things, Newman has really not adjusted well to this defense, and has problems with his role in rush containment. As if things couldn’t be worst for Newman, he wasn’t even able to provide a good pass rush even when used in such a capacity. All of this conspired to give him one of his worst seasons as a pro. Unfortunately for both Newman and the Bills it looks like his talents are ill suited to the requirements of the defense, and as a result he was a detriment on the field all season long. Grade: F+
Middle Linebacker Arguably the “biggest” free agent pickup for the Bills last season, was the acquisition of sparkplug London Fletcher. Fletcher was a well respected leader of the Rams defense, and his loss would be felt all season long in St. Louis. Fletcher would provide an immediate impact in the Bills locker room as not just a guy with a ring, but as a natural leader for the defense. Fletcher is a guy whose heart and dedication you just can’t question, and he brought all those intangibles with his short, undersized, frame to the Bills huddle. Fletcher would be a mixed blessing during the season for the Bills as his season would be one of ups and downs. First of all, his pass coverage skills were impressive, as he could lockdown most running backs if asked. He also showed a good nose for the ball, hawking around it constantly, seemingly in on every tackle. The problems for Fletcher were most numerous early in the season as he seemed at times lost in the complex 2-gap 46 defense he was learning… at times looking more like he was thinking than reacting. Additionally he had some problems getting off blocks as the D-line rarely were able to hold their ground in the running game, resulting in many rushes springing past him. However those problems dissolved as the season wore on as Fletcher grew more accustomed to his role. Notably, as the season wore on, his numbers went up and he started to make significant plays in the opposing backfield and made more open field tackles. In essence Fletcher was a drastic upgrade over Brandon Spoon, and will lead the Bills defense for years to come. Grade: B+
Weak Side Linebacker The Bills got good, solid, play from last year’s starting weak side backer in Jay Foreman. However, in spite of his solid performance, the Bills coaching staff and most of the fans never anticipated much of a problem when we traded away our most prolific tackler, and replaced him with a guy (Eddie Robinson) who was 6 years older a bit slower and was a guy who never in his career posted as many tackles in a season as Foreman did here last year. Well the drop-off you’d suspect when examining the above, was in evidence all season long. Not only was Robinson in on fewer tackles, but he provided no pass rush (Foreman last year had some sacks) and nearly 20 less solo tackles. Given, the reason for the move was due to Robinson’s superior understanding of the D, but for my money I’d rather have a player on the field than a coach. Whomever was responsible for this downgrade should receive some blame, as this looked to me like the worst personnel decision the have made since they chose Moulds over Wiley. Robinson was too slow and weak to make a difference out their, and at times it was embarrassing as a fan to see such a class act get his jock handed to him, like it was on Chad Pennington’s TD scramble. That being said, Robinson did make 80 tackles, and did have and INT (something Foreman did not last year), which made him the only Bills LB this year with an INT. Grade: F+
Cornerback Ah, those “lockdown corners”… The battle cry of the fateful leading into the season was that no mater how flawed our front seven may be, those lockdown corners would take up the slack. During the season they did, with Winfield and Clements making tackle after tackle in the running game. The plan seemed to function perfectly for the first 3 to 5 seconds of coverage in the passing game too. Unfortunately, they were regularly asked to provide coverage for longer than 3 to 5 seconds, as most QBs seemed quite comfortable standing in the pocket. As time wore on, the coverage would breakdown, and our fabulous “lockdown” corners would be humbled; play after play, game after game. The lack of a pass rush, and nearly no support from the LBs or safeties conspired to make passing against the Bills nearly risk free, as those lockdown corners never got a whiff of the football, as QBs could take their time and find wide open receivers again and again. Grade: D
Nate Clements would end the season with a respectable 6 INTs, however most of those came against the dolphins. Clements is a true ball hawk who isn’t afraid to gamble to get some INTs. The only problem is that like most like minded CBs, he is liable to get burned going for those INTs, like what happened to him numerous times last year.
The Bills “other” CB was Winfield, a man who never had good hands, finished with no interceptions, which should be an embarrassment for a starting CB. He made up that lack with a multitude of acrobatic pass breakups, and providing genuine lockdown coverage. Furthermore, Winfield is perhaps the hardest hitting CB in the league, and one of the surest tacklers I’ve ever seen play the position.
To make maters worst for those “lockdown” corners, even if they were able to lockdown opposing WRs, there was always Chris Watson to pick on. Pick on him they did. There was a quote by an opposing QB (I think it might have been Joey Harrington) when he was asked if they planned to pick on Watson he laughed and said “No, there was no plan, the only reason why we threw at him (Watson) was because his man was open.”
The play the Bills got from their nickel backs was so poor they might as well had a D lineman covering those guys. At least that was true of Watson and Bostic. Once rookie Kevin Thomas got on the field the pass defense suddenly looked a bit more competent. In fact Thomas showed a good nose for the ball, made many good breakups, and genuinely locked down him men.
Strong Safety This was a problem position in ’01, a problem the Bills seemed to remedy in the off-season with the pickup of Billy Jenkins in FA, and the acquisition of Coy Wire in the draft. The hope was Jenkins would provide competent play and transform this most important of positions (in the 46 defense the SS is the key to its function) for the team. The Bills got competent to good play from the SS position last year, but it wasn’t Billy Jenkins providing it. It was rookie Coy Wire, a converted WSLB and Running Back from Stanford. Wire was chosen to start at the end of the preseason because the coaching staff felt (correctly) that he was better suited for the 46 defense than was Jenkins. The faith the Bills put in Wire was well justified as he would be the 2nd highest tackler on the squad and was tied for 3rd in sacks, totaling 92 tackles and 3 sacks in his first season in he NFL. He displayed quite a nose for the football as he was seemingly in on every tackle. In many ways, the play of Wire made him the steal of the draft as he would have a huge impact in the defensive play of this team. If Wire had a weakness though, it was his pass coverage, which was at times good, at times horrible. However his pass coverage improved throughout the season to the point where he was perhaps the best cover safety in our secondary by the end of the year. Quite an improvement for a guy who started the season as such a poor cover guy that he was pulled several times for Jenkins on passing downs. Grade: C+
Free Safety Yet another position for concern last off-season was that of Free Safety. Yet like DT, Donahoe was unable to address this problem last year. As a result we went into the season with a converted strong safety, Pierson Prioleau. Unfortunately for the Bills, he played like strong safety. Prioleau is a sure tackler and hard hitter; unfortunately he has “stiff” hips and is slow to react in the passing game. He was a liability, plain and simple for he Bills last season, as bit on play fake after play fake, and was always a “step” too slow to the ball. Prioleau was yet another in a long line of defenders who didn’t record an INT, making it a clean sweep for our safeties in this stat (most disturbingly 3 of our starting 4 DBs did not have one pickoff last season). The true shame of last season was the inability of Tony Driver to dislodge Prioleau from the starting lineup. Grade: D
Kicker In 2001, the Bills lost game after game due to some very poor kicking. Tom Donahoe didn’t want that to happen again so he brought in Mike Hollis, a free agent from Jax. While Hollis wasn’t the most accurate kick we’ve seen, he was money in the bank when he was need, as he never seemed to miss a game winning-tying kick. He struggled at the end of the season in the bad weather, and his range isn’t all that long, however he was perhaps (with London Fletcher) the most important off-season FA we brought in, and he paid off quite handsomely. Grade: B+
Punter Brian Moorman returned last year for his second season as the Bills punter, and followed up his up and down rookie season with a much more consistent and impressive sophomore season. His number of shanks was way down, and he seemed much more comfortable kicking in the swirling winds of “the Ralph.” The year highlight had to have been his 84yard punt against the Packers, which was downed inside the Packers 5 yard line, which was the first punt I’ve ever heard bring cheers from an opposing teams crowed (the one Bills game of last season I got to watch live). Moorman would hold a good punt avg, 43yards and one of the league’s highest net yardage per punt 38.6 y/punt. Grade: A-
Kickoff/Punt Return The Bills traded Jay Foreman in the off-season to the Houston Texans to repair their poor kick and punt return numbers with Charlie Rogers. Rogers was a bit of a disappointment as he would average a pedestrian 20y per kick return and one touchdown, and had just a 5.3 yard return average on punts. Even Nate Clements, spelling Rogers on punt returns was unable to get anything going as he averaged even less at just 5 yards per return. Grade: D+
With the season Review section now complete, we will take a look at the upcoming off-season, using the proceeding review as the basis for which to build the off-season plan.
When viewed in total, you see the Bills needs in FA and the NFL draft emerge…
QB: A
RB: A-
FB: B+
WR: A+
TE: B-
OL: B
DL: D-
-RDE: D
-DT: B
-DT: D-
-LDE: C+
SLB: F+
MLB: B+
WLB: F+
CB: D
SS: C+
FS: D
K: B+
P: A-
KR/PR: D+
*The positions highlighted in bold are positions which need to be looked at in free agency… for the most part I highlighted positions which received a grade worse than C-, however TE was highlighted due to the probable release of starter Jay Riemersma due to a cap cut.
Of all of the positions that are deficient on the Bills roster I’ll rank them in order of off-season importance.
1. Weak Side Linebacker
2. Defensive Tackle
3. Strong Side Linebacker
4. Free Safety
5. Right Defensive End
6. Cornerback
7. Tight End
*The reason for DT taking its place as a larger need than SLB is largely due to the fact that Newman is a serviceable NFL SLB (in spite of his poor season) and, if necessary, I feel the defense could be remotely effective with Newman next season. However I feel the position of DT is a must have for us to field an effective defense. This is of course personal opinion, like everything else I am writing today, it is not the end all be all of the discussion. Furthermore, I feel that the only positions which are truly must fix are WLB, DT, SLB, and FS.
With those positions in mind I will now progress to a short discussion about probable FA in these need areas, along with a review of some potential cap cuts. The FA/cap cuts will be ranked in order of importance with salary cap concerns left to other people to decide. These FA will have a grade attached which should allow some cross position comparison… the grade will be a function of fit for our team, character, and overall talent… I started this look by taking the need positions, then cut out any FA or cap cut who wouldn’t represent an upgrade over our current starter (so if you wonder why certain players haven’t been included that is because they were not an upgrade over our current starters, or in a big enough of a need).
Weak Side Linebacker:
1. Takeo Spikes: A FA from the Cincinnati Bengals… fast, quick WLB, a little undersized, very aggressive… He is considered the heart and soul of the Bengals’ defense… has played effective/sometimes dominant MLB in a more complex 2-gap 3-4 defense, which is important because that position bore some similarity to the WLB position in the 46. Is a superior cover LB, with good blitz instincts. A true “ball-hawk,” who is an effective sideline to sideline defender… has performed at a high level without good defensive line talent in front of him. The Bills should do whatever it takes to get him into our uniform. Grade: A
2. Mike Maslowski: A free agent WLB from KC… fast sideline to sideline tackler, who offsets his bad coverage skills with good hands making him an INT threat… burst onto the NFL radar scope with one heck of a breakout year for the anemic Chief defense. Finished with over 120 tackles, 3 INTs, and a sack… Plays the 4-3, 1-gap system, and may have problems converting to the 46. However, last year was in reality his first year as a starter so he may have a tremendous up sideGrade: B+
3. Shawn Barber: free agent from the Philadelphia Eagles… quick, good tackler… a little gangly (tall not to heavy), fairly good cover guy, only of good talent and is at the peak of his career. Only has played in the 1-gap 4-3, could have problems adjusting to the 46. Grade: B+
4. Mike Peterson: FA from the Indianapolis Colts… good cover LB, fast, but not quick, has a good handle on the pass defense side of the game, still needs to work on the run stopping. Finished with nearly 140 tackles and 3 INTs… plays a real basic 4-3, 1-gap system, and may have difficulty with the transition to the 46. Not a pass rush threat, solid tackler, basically he is a better version of Jay Foreman. Grade: B
5. Chris Claiborne: A free agent from the Detroit Lions… he’s a big LB who, while currently is playing in the middle, started his career at WLB. Quick but not fast, he is a great run stopper, and less than adequate pass defender. Big hitter, but not a great tackler… who has been known to take too many mental vacations… If he were more consistent he’d be a pro-bowler… finished with 73 tackles (low for a MLB). Grade: B
6. Jay Foreman: A free agent from the Houston Texans… short heavy LB, who followed up his near 100 tackles season last year with a near 140 tackle season for the Texans… not a big play threat but would come cheap, and is a good consistent tackler. Never seems to be out of position… knows the 46, and would play WLB if brought in. Grade: B-
Defensive Tackle:
1. Ted Washington: probable salary cap cut from the Chicago Bears… would be able to play NT for the Bills, is a huge mountain of a man, and when healthy he is nearly unblockable… would allow Pat Williams to move over to UT, which would strengthen the front four by more than the addition of Washington alone. The problem is he is often injured, and is getting up there in age, has struggled with conditioning in the past. Grade: B+
2. Chester McGlockton: Salary cap cut from the Denver Broncos… is a great run stopper, with good lateral speed. Getting up there in age, and has a tendency to take plays off… was in Shanahan’s dog house for part of the ’02 season. Would play NT if brought in, and if kept motivated can be a tremendous pass rushing threat in addition to being a great run stopper. Grade: B
3. Sam Adams: A near certain salary cap cut from the Oakland Raiders… basically a younger version of Ted Washington, he has also struggled with conditioning, and isn’t nearly as hard to move in the run game… a bit of a locker room cancer, if the coaching staff can keep him in line he would be a fabulous asset, as he would fill the NT position. Grade: B-
4. Brandon Noble: FA from the Dallas Cowboys… struggled last season while playing NT for the Cowboys (had played UT for the Cowboys in the past), more of a motor player than a true talent, isn’t particularly strong or fast. Not much of a pass rusher, has more success in run stopping. Grade: C+
5. Cletidus Hunt: FA from the Green Bay Packers… prototypical UT, who is more of a pass rush specialist than an every down player. Great strength, doesn’t get moved at point of attack. Fairly lazy, not in great shape, could be a much better player than he currently is. Grade: C+
Strong Side Linebacker:
1. Roosevelt Colvin: Free Agent from the Chicago Bears… a pass rush specialist, who has tremendous strength, is a big fast LB, and while he has always played in a 4-3 1-gap system, he is a prototypical SLB for the 46 defense. Very poor cover LB, he makes Newman look like a champ in that department. Grade: A
2. Anthony Simmons: FA from the Seattle Seahawks… one of the fastest linebackers in the league, big and quick, good run stopper… has a little bit of a problem shedding blocks, and only has played in the 4-3 1-gap system. Spent most of last season injured (ankle injury). Grade: A-
3. Shelton Quarles: FA from the super bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, played MLB last year, however most of his career has been spent on the strong side. Had around 100 tackles in a breakout year last year, has always played in a 1-gap 4-3 so will have some difficulty with the 46. Not a great pass rusher or particularly fast, just a solid role player. Grade: B-
<center><img src="http://www.billszone.com/images/gamephotos/billstexans/pricemouldsbledsoetexansAP.JPG" border="2"></center> <BR>
Well the off season is upon us, the scouting combine, free agency, and most certainly that most favorite hobby of NFL fateful, speculation. Well, the off season also give us the chance to look back with dispassionate eyes upon the previous year and give an unbiased observation about our favorite team and its players. So without further ado I give you my 2002 Buffalo Bills review, which will be followed by a look at the needs and a closer look at the potential FA cap cuts who could fill those needs (sorry but this is too long to include any potential draft analysis)
2002 Buffalo Bills: position by position analysis:
Quarterback The Bills went into 2002 for he first time since Jim Kelly retired with a legitimate NFL superstar at the helm. The results were stunning as the Bills offense found itself near the top of most offensive statistics, and found the end zone at a greatly improved rate to their previous years. This unit was one of the Bills strong spots for the ’02 calendar season. Grade: A
Drew Bledsoe, it was hoped, would bring stability, confidence, and a winning attitude back to the Bills huddle (not to mention a golden arm). Drew came to buffalo with a lot of question marks, due to his play over the previous three seasons. People doubted he could stand the beating a shaky Bills line was sure to give him. Even more ominous, they doubted his arm. I doubt anyone was disappointed by what we got in Drew. Drew was cast into a new offensive system in 2002, one which is in some ways harder on the QB than the infamous WCO, as it not just required multiple reads, but asked the QB to be accurate at a much deeper range than is standard for the NFL (not to mention Drew has never truly been asked to run a vertical passing attack like this one). Drew took it all in stride, and displayed a better deep ball arm than I thought he had, as he (in just one season with the Bills) broke most of the Bills single season passing records. Furthermore he established himself as a locker room leader, and made the Bills O confident that they could score from anywhere (as many Bills opponents would learn to their woe). Drew also proved his durability as he was sacked 54 times, and wouldn’t miss a single game to injury. The only sour spot in Drew’s first season is that as the weather got foul, so did the Bills passing game, as drops and bad passes stalled the offense late in the season; it will be interesting to see what adjustments are made to our offense during the off-season to keep opposing Ds on their toes next year.
AVP played sparingly as Drew’s backup this season, throwing only two passes (both completions).
Running Back For the Bills, running back was a position which, going into the season, was viewed as being one which was loaded with talent, just not great talent. Most fans and experts saw the Bills backfield as one which was crowded with adequate to good players, all of whom could provide adequate to good performance, the only question was with whom would the Bills try to lean on? The Bills left the preseason with Travis Henry as the titular starting back and with Bryson just in the wings looking over his shoulder. Many fans felt that the brain trust made the wrong choice, and were eagerly waiting for Henry to lose his starting position to the flashier and faster Bryson. That would not happen, as Henry would seize the reigns with a strong week one performance, followed with consistent and strong efforts week after week. This position, which leading up to last year was viewed by many to be a question mark would finish the year as one of our strongest. Grade: A-
Henry posted rushing numbers not seen in Buffalo since the days of Thurman Thomas as he rushed for 1438 yards and 13 rushing TDs (not to mention his 43 receptions for 308 yards and 2 TDs, including the overtime winning TD reception against Chicago). He provided the Bills with a strong rushing attack to compliment Drew’s aerial circus. The Bills ground game would become so strong behind Henry that the cry amongst Bills fans would become that they weren’t using Henry enough, a cry which reached a fervor during the Bills mid season struggles in the red zone. The only problem with Henry’s performance this last season was his maddening habit to fumble. He would finish the year with an unacceptably high 11 fumbles (8 lost). Without those fumbles the position grade would have been higher.
Bryson on the other hand saw very limited action due to Henry’s success, as he would carry the ball sparingly (13 times) and would catch just one pass. The “other” back during the preseason competition was Sammy Morris, who had his season cut short early in the year due to an injury on special teams, and as a result only saw the ball 5 times (2 rushing, 3 receiving). Joe Burns filled in for Morris and saw even more limited action than Bryson, as he would finish the year with 5 carries.
Fullback: The fullback position has been one of the strengths of this team for the last 6 or so years (dating back to our acquisition of monster blocker Sam Gash). Going into this season we sported a multiple Pro Bowler in Larry Centers, who the previous year (during our dismal 3-13 showing) found his way to Hawaii yet again. Centers would finish this season with a much reduced receptions count (43), and little known backup Philip Crosby would emerge as a devastating lead blocker, aiding Henry to his pro-bowl season. Grade: B+
Centers looked to be a huge multifaceted weapon for Drew and the passing attack coming into this season, as Centers is simply a mismatch against most linebackers. Strangely enough, the Centers-Bledsoe connection was not as potent as many envisioned at season’s start. Additionally, Centers would see his role reduced as the season went on, as Travis Henry would emerge as a competent 3rd down back, and Philip Crosby would emerge as a dominant lead blocker. By the end of the season Centers would see his field time so reduced it brings up questions about his future in Buffalo. Part of the problem facing the Bills is that while he might be the best receiving weapon in our backfield, he is a dead giveaway to the opposing defense as he rarely runs, and is not half the lead blocker Crosby is. The result is he saw spot duty in obvious 2nd and 3rd and long, single back formations.
The emergence of Crosby would be one of the season’s pleasant surprises, as he showed us Bills fans crushing lead blocking not seen since Sam Gash. He is a good young lead blocker, one who seamed to get better with every game, as his blocks became more devastating as his confidence grew. This is a kid I can’t wait to see mature, leading Travis to daylight. The one thing he needs to work on is his pass blocking.
Receiver: This was the known strength of the Bills roster coming into this season, as Eric Moulds was one of the league’s elite receivers and Peerless Price was a young up and coming speed burner. Further enriching the pot, the Bills used their second pick in the draft to choose Josh Reed of LSU (a receiver who was at the top of most experts draft boards for the position, including mine). These men wouldn’t disappoint, as they would help Drew Bledsoe and the Bills offense put up astounding numbers. Both Moulds and Price would break 1,000 yards receiving before the season was done. Grade: A+
Eric Moulds broke the Bills single season receptions record, and became the first Bills receiver with 100 receptions. He regularly torched defending defenses for huge scores, once again becoming the dangerous deep threat we all know he is. His great plays more than made up for his depressingly characteristic drops on over the middle / in traffic passes. However most of those drops were forgivable since they came nowhere near as often as they had in years past. Furthermore he would finish with 10 TD receptions.
Price also had a great season, as he topped out at 94 receptions and 9 TD receptions. He regularly took 20 or 30 yard passes and turned them into 50 or 60 yard gains using his superior speed and athleticism. The only mark against Price is the difficulty he seemed to have on deep passes, as he regularly dropped catchable deep passes of all varieties; the drops seemed at times to be so frequent that it looked to me like he was good for at least one a game. Also troubling is his propensity for being a hothead and costing his team yards with foolish penalties.
Josh Reed had a strong rookie season as 3rd receiver, showing perhaps the surest hands in the Bills talented receiving corps. He posted 37 receptions for 514 yards and 2 TDs, which would translate into the highest yards per catch average of all the Bills receivers. He was money on 3rd down, and showed good awareness in both rout running and run blocking.
Tight End: Tom Donahoe, a man with a proper regard for history, knew that Drew Bledsoe had once had a prolific relationship with a Tight End in the early years of his career. Knowing that Jay Riemersma had a fairly unimpressive year in ’01, he went out into free agency and picked up Dave Moore to provide Drew with not just one big target, but two. It was a good thought, but neither men seemed to bond well with Bledsoe, and a position which looked to be one of the Bills strengths turned out to have only a just above mediocre year. Grade: B-
Jay Riemersma had one of the most disappointing of years. He has never been a great run blocker, but what more than made up for that was his sure hands and good routs. Unfortunately something has happened to those sure hands, as the past two years have been marked with a myriad of drops and bobbles. It probably wasn’t very helpful to JR that his favorite routs (the seam and deep post) were denied to him as he spent much of the season running short outs and safety-valve routs.
Dave Moore on the other hand gave the Bills exactly what they thought they were getting, a reliable run blocker and a good safety-valve receiver. His receiving numbers were a hindered a little bit by a broken hand he suffered, but all in all he was not a disappointment. As a further bonus he provided the Bills special teams with good long snapping.
Offensive Line: Coming into this season, the Bills offensive line had been seriously retooled from the disaster that took the field in ’01. The Bills brought in several free agents, the most notable being Trey Teague, and drafted blue chipper Mike Williams with the 4th pick in the draft. After some preseason shuffling the Bills line would sport 4 new starters (by position). Jonas Jennings was moved from right tackle to left tackle, Rueben Brown was the only player on the line starting in the same position he was last season at left guard, Trey Teague became our new center, Marcus Sullivan was moved to right guard (a position he never played before), and Mike Williams was placed at right tackle. The biggest question facing this unit was how long would it take them to bond and become a cohesive unit? As a unit the line became a very good run blocking unit early in the season, and their pass blocking improved as the season wore on, and the position as a whole would go from a legitimate team weakness to a position of well… lets just say offensive line is not a desperate need this off-season. Grade: B
line breakdown by position
Left Tackle This was Jonas Jennings first year as a left tackle and unfortunately, it showed. His rookie year he started at right tackle, and acquitted himself masterfully allowing nary a sack. Unfortunately for Jonas, left tackle is the best paid line position in the NFL for a reason, as the best pass rushers line up on the quarterback’s backside. As a result he struggled through most of the season. However it was never bad enough that the Bills felt the need to give him any particular help as most of the season he would play against the best pass rushers without any sliding protection. He might be moved back to right tackle next year, as Mike Williams might be moved to the left side (I doubt the Bills know for sure what they’ll do). Grade: B-
Left Guard Reuben Brown has held the starting position at left guard since his rookie season, and as long as he keeps going to the pro bowl I doubt he’ll loose it. Yet another good season for Rueben, he remained as always injury free, and remained a domineering force with his run blocking. I’ve noticed a definite slippage in his pass blocking though as it has become possible for DTs to bull rush Rueben. That said he allowed the fewest sacks of any OL on this team (by my count), was responsible for only two penalties all season long and deserved his trip to Hawaii more this year than last. Grade: A-
Center Trey Teague never played center in the NFL, and was picked up by Tom Donahoe to play left tackle. That said, probably the best thing the Bills did was pick him for the center job, as he did a remarkable job handling the line calls, and was a step up on the position holder we had last year. That said Teague was perhaps the weakest link in the line, as he was not very good at either run or pass blocking. Grade: C
Right Guard Marcus Sullivan’s season was a two part story. The first half found Sullivan as the weakest member of our line, inadequate in every aspect of the game. The second half found him as one of the lines strongest members, dominating in both pass and run blocking. He got so good that by the end of the year I was ready to say that Reuben isn’t even the best guard on the team, let alone lineman. Too bad this is a total season grade, or he’d be getting higher than this. Grade: B-
Right Tackle Mike Williams is a monster of a man. He’s a monster of a football player too. Personally I was astounded with the fact the Bills left him on an island all season (something even the Vikings didn’t do with McKinney), but considering the job he did, I see their point. Williams needed very little help last year, as he displayed great run blocking talent, and very good pass blocking skill. He crushed some players with hits I don’t think were possible, as he displayed the raw talent to become one of the NFL’s most punishing and physical blockers. I used the word raw for a reason. He also is a very raw player, and was schooled by a few speed rushers in pass protection. On the bright side he showed incredible game awareness and recovered numerous fumbles. Grade: B
* The offensive line was supported by some quality depth that filled in quite admirably during the season. Marcus Price was the most notable of these backups, as the veteran stepped in and performed so admirably that you never realized he was in (in place of Mike Williams or Jonas Jennings). That type of quality play from line depth is hard to match. Furthermore, Bill Conaty was last season’s starting center, and provides good solid proven depth for the line. Grade (offensive line depth): B+
Defensive Line Leading into the season, Bill fateful had a lot of reasons to be hopeful for their defensive line. Aaron Schobel had a strong rookie season starting at both left end. Kendrick Office, Eric Flowers, and rookie Ryan Denney all looked to be capable of filling underrated Phil Hanson’s shoes at Right DE. If there was one cause for a little bit of concern it was at defensive tackle, as the Bills didn’t seem to address their DT needs in FA, instead they kept their young talent, like Ron Edwards and Tyrone Robertson and drafted several other players to help fill the role, with Justin Bannan and Grant Irons. This unit was a sour spot for the team throughout the season. Of course there was no worry about DT Pat Williams who many regarded as the best defender on the line. The problem was what looks good in theory or on paper sometimes doesn’t translate into football field success. This past season was a disaster for this Bills unit, a disaster to rival the “train wreck” that was the previous season’s offensive line. The line as a unit was singularly responsible for many poor aspects of the Bills defensive play, and while there were a few bright spots, largely it was hard to watch. Grade: D-
line breakdown by position
Right Defensive End This position was a location of much rotation, and would undergo a late preseason, early season overhaul due to the poor play we got from the heir aperients to Phil Hanson. It was soon apparent than none of these aperients were worthy enough to even hold Hanson’s jock, and heads started to role before the Bills broke camp. Before preseason was over the Bills would cut former first round ‘practice warrior’ Eric Flowers, a first round stretch who wowed the Bills scouting staff with his scouting combine numbers. As a result the Bills grabbed Chidi Ahanotu off of the unsigned FA lists, and in spite of being a mediocre roll player most of his NFL career, the Bills found his talent to be so superior to what was here he became the starting end overnight. Chidi was barely adequate to the task, and while he did provide a modicum of aid to the Bills run defense, his tally of just 5 sacks was woefully inadequate when considered that most of those sacks came in the first 3 games… and the fact he was on the field in nearly all pass rushing situations. Grade: D
Defensive Tackle (Nose Tackle) This was one of the “strong” positions on the line, with Pat Williams. Williams often was the only defensive linemen who you heard from throughout a game. He was a force on middle runs, and seemed to do an adequate job (not great) moving the pocket. He finished the year as the lines leading tackler. What is most impressive about all of this is Williams is not a “natural” nose tackle for this defense, which unfortunately would show on occasion. That being said he was the best player on the line this year, and looks to have a better one next season if the Bills make the right changes in the off-season. Grade: B
Defensive Tackle (Under Tackle) This was perhaps the most obvious question mark on the Bills defense heading into this season and unfortunately is was a well justified concern. To begin with Tyron Robertson would end up in the dog house, then the outhouse as he would test positive for a banned substance. Then Edwards would be thrust into a position I don’t think he is remotely ready for. The truly sad thing about Edwards season was that I never thought he took a play off, yet he clearly doesn’t have the strength or talent to start in the NFL yet. Personally I really like some of what I saw from Edwards this year, and think the potential is there for him to grow into the role of a quality starting DT in the NFL, unfortunately this is a process which could take two or three more years, as he has to break some bad habits such as his propensity to get too high, his slow adjustment to the 2-gap system we run, and his inability to keep body contact to a minimum (with the O-linemen). Grade: D-
Left Defensive End What doubts there might have been about the possibility that Aaron Schobel’s rookie season were a fluke seemed to evaporate rapidly in training camp as he would emerge as starting Left End and kept that position throughout the season. Schobel’s second campaign was not without its shortcomings, and it was apparent to this observer that he is perhaps another defensive lineman who could do with some seasoning. That being said he ended up leading the line (and team) in sacks for the second consecutive season with 8.5, and showed steady progress throughout in all aspects of the game. Furthermore, he was the only defensive lineman who seemed to generate consistent pressure on the opposing QBs, an important indicator of a developing pass rusher. The Bills may have gold in Schobel, as he is further along in his development than Marcellus Wiley was at this point in his career (and about on target with Jason Taylor, however he has had to do it without the supporting cast Taylor had). The future looks bright here and can only get better. It still stands to be shown that Schobel can actually make the jump from pass rusher to all-round DE. Grade: C+
*The problem which would plague the Bills D-Line throughout the season was the inability of the rotating (backup) players to make even a borderline inadequate play. The lone bright spot in the otherwise dismal rotation was Grant Irons who racked up 2.5 sacks in very limited play. He was picked up as a project, and will need some further seasoning before we can properly ascertain his potential. That said, most of the successful rushes or screen plays occurred against our second string “rotating” linemen, as teams would regularly check to draws or screens once players like Ahanotu, Williams, Edwards and Schobel checked out. Grade(D-line depth): F
Strong Side Linebacker The was never a position of concern for most Bills backers heading into the season. Starter Keith Newman was a holdout from the previous Bills regime, and in his 4th season with the team. A pass rush specialist, Newman figured prominently into the defensive plans for Williams aggressive, blitz happy 46 defense. Or so we all thought. The problems for Newman would start in training camp as he would criticize the Bills brain trust for their trade of Jay Foreman (last year’s starting weak side linebacker, and team leading tackler) to the Texans for kick return/specialist Charlie Rogers. Eddie Robinson was brought in to replace Newman’s good friend Foreman, and to add insult to injury, he would see his role in the defense limited by Fletcher’s superior cover skills (he lost his spot as a nickel D linebacker). With the lack of playing time and lack of perceived respect, Newman’s season started a tailspin. To further complicate things, Newman has really not adjusted well to this defense, and has problems with his role in rush containment. As if things couldn’t be worst for Newman, he wasn’t even able to provide a good pass rush even when used in such a capacity. All of this conspired to give him one of his worst seasons as a pro. Unfortunately for both Newman and the Bills it looks like his talents are ill suited to the requirements of the defense, and as a result he was a detriment on the field all season long. Grade: F+
Middle Linebacker Arguably the “biggest” free agent pickup for the Bills last season, was the acquisition of sparkplug London Fletcher. Fletcher was a well respected leader of the Rams defense, and his loss would be felt all season long in St. Louis. Fletcher would provide an immediate impact in the Bills locker room as not just a guy with a ring, but as a natural leader for the defense. Fletcher is a guy whose heart and dedication you just can’t question, and he brought all those intangibles with his short, undersized, frame to the Bills huddle. Fletcher would be a mixed blessing during the season for the Bills as his season would be one of ups and downs. First of all, his pass coverage skills were impressive, as he could lockdown most running backs if asked. He also showed a good nose for the ball, hawking around it constantly, seemingly in on every tackle. The problems for Fletcher were most numerous early in the season as he seemed at times lost in the complex 2-gap 46 defense he was learning… at times looking more like he was thinking than reacting. Additionally he had some problems getting off blocks as the D-line rarely were able to hold their ground in the running game, resulting in many rushes springing past him. However those problems dissolved as the season wore on as Fletcher grew more accustomed to his role. Notably, as the season wore on, his numbers went up and he started to make significant plays in the opposing backfield and made more open field tackles. In essence Fletcher was a drastic upgrade over Brandon Spoon, and will lead the Bills defense for years to come. Grade: B+
Weak Side Linebacker The Bills got good, solid, play from last year’s starting weak side backer in Jay Foreman. However, in spite of his solid performance, the Bills coaching staff and most of the fans never anticipated much of a problem when we traded away our most prolific tackler, and replaced him with a guy (Eddie Robinson) who was 6 years older a bit slower and was a guy who never in his career posted as many tackles in a season as Foreman did here last year. Well the drop-off you’d suspect when examining the above, was in evidence all season long. Not only was Robinson in on fewer tackles, but he provided no pass rush (Foreman last year had some sacks) and nearly 20 less solo tackles. Given, the reason for the move was due to Robinson’s superior understanding of the D, but for my money I’d rather have a player on the field than a coach. Whomever was responsible for this downgrade should receive some blame, as this looked to me like the worst personnel decision the have made since they chose Moulds over Wiley. Robinson was too slow and weak to make a difference out their, and at times it was embarrassing as a fan to see such a class act get his jock handed to him, like it was on Chad Pennington’s TD scramble. That being said, Robinson did make 80 tackles, and did have and INT (something Foreman did not last year), which made him the only Bills LB this year with an INT. Grade: F+
Cornerback Ah, those “lockdown corners”… The battle cry of the fateful leading into the season was that no mater how flawed our front seven may be, those lockdown corners would take up the slack. During the season they did, with Winfield and Clements making tackle after tackle in the running game. The plan seemed to function perfectly for the first 3 to 5 seconds of coverage in the passing game too. Unfortunately, they were regularly asked to provide coverage for longer than 3 to 5 seconds, as most QBs seemed quite comfortable standing in the pocket. As time wore on, the coverage would breakdown, and our fabulous “lockdown” corners would be humbled; play after play, game after game. The lack of a pass rush, and nearly no support from the LBs or safeties conspired to make passing against the Bills nearly risk free, as those lockdown corners never got a whiff of the football, as QBs could take their time and find wide open receivers again and again. Grade: D
Nate Clements would end the season with a respectable 6 INTs, however most of those came against the dolphins. Clements is a true ball hawk who isn’t afraid to gamble to get some INTs. The only problem is that like most like minded CBs, he is liable to get burned going for those INTs, like what happened to him numerous times last year.
The Bills “other” CB was Winfield, a man who never had good hands, finished with no interceptions, which should be an embarrassment for a starting CB. He made up that lack with a multitude of acrobatic pass breakups, and providing genuine lockdown coverage. Furthermore, Winfield is perhaps the hardest hitting CB in the league, and one of the surest tacklers I’ve ever seen play the position.
To make maters worst for those “lockdown” corners, even if they were able to lockdown opposing WRs, there was always Chris Watson to pick on. Pick on him they did. There was a quote by an opposing QB (I think it might have been Joey Harrington) when he was asked if they planned to pick on Watson he laughed and said “No, there was no plan, the only reason why we threw at him (Watson) was because his man was open.”
The play the Bills got from their nickel backs was so poor they might as well had a D lineman covering those guys. At least that was true of Watson and Bostic. Once rookie Kevin Thomas got on the field the pass defense suddenly looked a bit more competent. In fact Thomas showed a good nose for the ball, made many good breakups, and genuinely locked down him men.
Strong Safety This was a problem position in ’01, a problem the Bills seemed to remedy in the off-season with the pickup of Billy Jenkins in FA, and the acquisition of Coy Wire in the draft. The hope was Jenkins would provide competent play and transform this most important of positions (in the 46 defense the SS is the key to its function) for the team. The Bills got competent to good play from the SS position last year, but it wasn’t Billy Jenkins providing it. It was rookie Coy Wire, a converted WSLB and Running Back from Stanford. Wire was chosen to start at the end of the preseason because the coaching staff felt (correctly) that he was better suited for the 46 defense than was Jenkins. The faith the Bills put in Wire was well justified as he would be the 2nd highest tackler on the squad and was tied for 3rd in sacks, totaling 92 tackles and 3 sacks in his first season in he NFL. He displayed quite a nose for the football as he was seemingly in on every tackle. In many ways, the play of Wire made him the steal of the draft as he would have a huge impact in the defensive play of this team. If Wire had a weakness though, it was his pass coverage, which was at times good, at times horrible. However his pass coverage improved throughout the season to the point where he was perhaps the best cover safety in our secondary by the end of the year. Quite an improvement for a guy who started the season as such a poor cover guy that he was pulled several times for Jenkins on passing downs. Grade: C+
Free Safety Yet another position for concern last off-season was that of Free Safety. Yet like DT, Donahoe was unable to address this problem last year. As a result we went into the season with a converted strong safety, Pierson Prioleau. Unfortunately for the Bills, he played like strong safety. Prioleau is a sure tackler and hard hitter; unfortunately he has “stiff” hips and is slow to react in the passing game. He was a liability, plain and simple for he Bills last season, as bit on play fake after play fake, and was always a “step” too slow to the ball. Prioleau was yet another in a long line of defenders who didn’t record an INT, making it a clean sweep for our safeties in this stat (most disturbingly 3 of our starting 4 DBs did not have one pickoff last season). The true shame of last season was the inability of Tony Driver to dislodge Prioleau from the starting lineup. Grade: D
Kicker In 2001, the Bills lost game after game due to some very poor kicking. Tom Donahoe didn’t want that to happen again so he brought in Mike Hollis, a free agent from Jax. While Hollis wasn’t the most accurate kick we’ve seen, he was money in the bank when he was need, as he never seemed to miss a game winning-tying kick. He struggled at the end of the season in the bad weather, and his range isn’t all that long, however he was perhaps (with London Fletcher) the most important off-season FA we brought in, and he paid off quite handsomely. Grade: B+
Punter Brian Moorman returned last year for his second season as the Bills punter, and followed up his up and down rookie season with a much more consistent and impressive sophomore season. His number of shanks was way down, and he seemed much more comfortable kicking in the swirling winds of “the Ralph.” The year highlight had to have been his 84yard punt against the Packers, which was downed inside the Packers 5 yard line, which was the first punt I’ve ever heard bring cheers from an opposing teams crowed (the one Bills game of last season I got to watch live). Moorman would hold a good punt avg, 43yards and one of the league’s highest net yardage per punt 38.6 y/punt. Grade: A-
Kickoff/Punt Return The Bills traded Jay Foreman in the off-season to the Houston Texans to repair their poor kick and punt return numbers with Charlie Rogers. Rogers was a bit of a disappointment as he would average a pedestrian 20y per kick return and one touchdown, and had just a 5.3 yard return average on punts. Even Nate Clements, spelling Rogers on punt returns was unable to get anything going as he averaged even less at just 5 yards per return. Grade: D+
With the season Review section now complete, we will take a look at the upcoming off-season, using the proceeding review as the basis for which to build the off-season plan.
When viewed in total, you see the Bills needs in FA and the NFL draft emerge…
QB: A
RB: A-
FB: B+
WR: A+
TE: B-
OL: B
DL: D-
-RDE: D
-DT: B
-DT: D-
-LDE: C+
SLB: F+
MLB: B+
WLB: F+
CB: D
SS: C+
FS: D
K: B+
P: A-
KR/PR: D+
*The positions highlighted in bold are positions which need to be looked at in free agency… for the most part I highlighted positions which received a grade worse than C-, however TE was highlighted due to the probable release of starter Jay Riemersma due to a cap cut.
Of all of the positions that are deficient on the Bills roster I’ll rank them in order of off-season importance.
1. Weak Side Linebacker
2. Defensive Tackle
3. Strong Side Linebacker
4. Free Safety
5. Right Defensive End
6. Cornerback
7. Tight End
*The reason for DT taking its place as a larger need than SLB is largely due to the fact that Newman is a serviceable NFL SLB (in spite of his poor season) and, if necessary, I feel the defense could be remotely effective with Newman next season. However I feel the position of DT is a must have for us to field an effective defense. This is of course personal opinion, like everything else I am writing today, it is not the end all be all of the discussion. Furthermore, I feel that the only positions which are truly must fix are WLB, DT, SLB, and FS.
With those positions in mind I will now progress to a short discussion about probable FA in these need areas, along with a review of some potential cap cuts. The FA/cap cuts will be ranked in order of importance with salary cap concerns left to other people to decide. These FA will have a grade attached which should allow some cross position comparison… the grade will be a function of fit for our team, character, and overall talent… I started this look by taking the need positions, then cut out any FA or cap cut who wouldn’t represent an upgrade over our current starter (so if you wonder why certain players haven’t been included that is because they were not an upgrade over our current starters, or in a big enough of a need).
Weak Side Linebacker:
1. Takeo Spikes: A FA from the Cincinnati Bengals… fast, quick WLB, a little undersized, very aggressive… He is considered the heart and soul of the Bengals’ defense… has played effective/sometimes dominant MLB in a more complex 2-gap 3-4 defense, which is important because that position bore some similarity to the WLB position in the 46. Is a superior cover LB, with good blitz instincts. A true “ball-hawk,” who is an effective sideline to sideline defender… has performed at a high level without good defensive line talent in front of him. The Bills should do whatever it takes to get him into our uniform. Grade: A
2. Mike Maslowski: A free agent WLB from KC… fast sideline to sideline tackler, who offsets his bad coverage skills with good hands making him an INT threat… burst onto the NFL radar scope with one heck of a breakout year for the anemic Chief defense. Finished with over 120 tackles, 3 INTs, and a sack… Plays the 4-3, 1-gap system, and may have problems converting to the 46. However, last year was in reality his first year as a starter so he may have a tremendous up sideGrade: B+
3. Shawn Barber: free agent from the Philadelphia Eagles… quick, good tackler… a little gangly (tall not to heavy), fairly good cover guy, only of good talent and is at the peak of his career. Only has played in the 1-gap 4-3, could have problems adjusting to the 46. Grade: B+
4. Mike Peterson: FA from the Indianapolis Colts… good cover LB, fast, but not quick, has a good handle on the pass defense side of the game, still needs to work on the run stopping. Finished with nearly 140 tackles and 3 INTs… plays a real basic 4-3, 1-gap system, and may have difficulty with the transition to the 46. Not a pass rush threat, solid tackler, basically he is a better version of Jay Foreman. Grade: B
5. Chris Claiborne: A free agent from the Detroit Lions… he’s a big LB who, while currently is playing in the middle, started his career at WLB. Quick but not fast, he is a great run stopper, and less than adequate pass defender. Big hitter, but not a great tackler… who has been known to take too many mental vacations… If he were more consistent he’d be a pro-bowler… finished with 73 tackles (low for a MLB). Grade: B
6. Jay Foreman: A free agent from the Houston Texans… short heavy LB, who followed up his near 100 tackles season last year with a near 140 tackle season for the Texans… not a big play threat but would come cheap, and is a good consistent tackler. Never seems to be out of position… knows the 46, and would play WLB if brought in. Grade: B-
Defensive Tackle:
1. Ted Washington: probable salary cap cut from the Chicago Bears… would be able to play NT for the Bills, is a huge mountain of a man, and when healthy he is nearly unblockable… would allow Pat Williams to move over to UT, which would strengthen the front four by more than the addition of Washington alone. The problem is he is often injured, and is getting up there in age, has struggled with conditioning in the past. Grade: B+
2. Chester McGlockton: Salary cap cut from the Denver Broncos… is a great run stopper, with good lateral speed. Getting up there in age, and has a tendency to take plays off… was in Shanahan’s dog house for part of the ’02 season. Would play NT if brought in, and if kept motivated can be a tremendous pass rushing threat in addition to being a great run stopper. Grade: B
3. Sam Adams: A near certain salary cap cut from the Oakland Raiders… basically a younger version of Ted Washington, he has also struggled with conditioning, and isn’t nearly as hard to move in the run game… a bit of a locker room cancer, if the coaching staff can keep him in line he would be a fabulous asset, as he would fill the NT position. Grade: B-
4. Brandon Noble: FA from the Dallas Cowboys… struggled last season while playing NT for the Cowboys (had played UT for the Cowboys in the past), more of a motor player than a true talent, isn’t particularly strong or fast. Not much of a pass rusher, has more success in run stopping. Grade: C+
5. Cletidus Hunt: FA from the Green Bay Packers… prototypical UT, who is more of a pass rush specialist than an every down player. Great strength, doesn’t get moved at point of attack. Fairly lazy, not in great shape, could be a much better player than he currently is. Grade: C+
Strong Side Linebacker:
1. Roosevelt Colvin: Free Agent from the Chicago Bears… a pass rush specialist, who has tremendous strength, is a big fast LB, and while he has always played in a 4-3 1-gap system, he is a prototypical SLB for the 46 defense. Very poor cover LB, he makes Newman look like a champ in that department. Grade: A
2. Anthony Simmons: FA from the Seattle Seahawks… one of the fastest linebackers in the league, big and quick, good run stopper… has a little bit of a problem shedding blocks, and only has played in the 4-3 1-gap system. Spent most of last season injured (ankle injury). Grade: A-
3. Shelton Quarles: FA from the super bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, played MLB last year, however most of his career has been spent on the strong side. Had around 100 tackles in a breakout year last year, has always played in a 1-gap 4-3 so will have some difficulty with the 46. Not a great pass rusher or particularly fast, just a solid role player. Grade: B-