Observations From OTAs

[Romes]

....
Trent Edwards declared he was down under 210 pounds at the end of last season, but is now back over 220. He had just a couple botched snaps. One was his fault, the other the center's. Edwards stood in the pocket well, but on one play he tried to dump it off and DT John McCargo swatted it down with authority. Trent stayed after practice upon rookie WR James Hardy's request to try and build up their red-zone chemistry. It was just informal and not at full speed, but encouraging none the less.

One player that really impressed me today was 7th round selection Steve Johnson out of Kentucky. He made several nice catches, and made a diving catch in the corner of the end zone on a throw from Gibran Hamdan. Johnson looked fluent catching the ball, and whenever he was on the field I always watched his progressions. There's some talent and potential there.

WR Scott Mayle on the other-hand is having a rough go. From talking to WGR's Paul Hamilton, he mentioned how drops were his biggest problem, and they definitely continued on today.

QB J.P. Losman followed a terrible play of underthrowing Mayle by about 5 yards which made Turk Schonert exclaim, "C'mon J.P., gotta make those throws with the wind behind you," with probably the best play of the afternoon. TE Courtney Anderson ran a post down the middle with LB John DiGiorgio draped in front of him. J.P. fired a dart right past DiGiorgio's ear and Anderson scooped it in.

Other quick hitter notes:

.....

S John Wendling had a great practice, robbing TE Derek Schouman of a highlight catch with a last minute strip of the ball.

CB Terrence McGee took a tipped pass for an impressive interception.

Iowa State alumni Alvin Bowen and Jon Banks each took turns on the 1st team with the absences of Crowell and Mitchell.

A Derek combo on the 1st offensive unit. Both Derek Fine and Derek Schouman worked with Trent Edwards and the bunch.

And finally, Fred Jackson is looking great out there

http://wgr550.com/Observations-from-OTA-s/2274568

I took out some of the stuff we read already in the bb.com report.

[The Answer]

Fred Jackson is an animal - amazing that he is still flying under the radar and I can definitely see him becoming our version of what Michael Turner was to LT in San Diego. Or some of the old school fans on here might remember a guy by the name of Kenneth Davis who spelled Thurmal during the superbowl days - he might be that type of player as well.

I can't wait to see what Steve Johnson can do, the more you hear about this kid the more you wonder how he lasted until the 7th round.

Also Wendling and Schouman are two other young players I will be watching closely this year. I expect both to be ST studs, and hopefully they can bring quality depth and contribute at their respective positions. I still think Schouman could be our FB or hback type of player. Not quite Chris Cooley caliber, but hopefully a similar dynamic in our offense.

~The Answer

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Not having seen that much of Steve Johnson in college, I reserved my judgement on him when the Bills drafted him. But, after seeing some glimpses of him in the videos of the OTAs and on the video of the rookies' trip around WNY, as well as reading some of the mentions he's gotten in the write-ups that I've read, I think that this kid just might have a chance to make the roster and become more of a contributor on the offense than S.Aiken was during his stay with the Bills.

It's not going to be easy for Steve Johnson to make the active roster this season with J.Jenkins likely to claim a spot based on his ST value as a proven "gunner" and F.Huggins also starting to flash some ability after a year on the PS. But, I have to say that I like what I have seen of Johnson so far and think that he has a very real shot to be in the mix for the last roster spot at WR or at least a spot on the PS.

[jamze132]

Well Johnson had some pretty impressive numbers in college so I hope that the coaching staff takes that into consideration when trying to figure out who the oddman out is going to be. I think he has the potential to be a Colston type sleeper pick.

[TigerJ]

Not having seen that much of Steve Johnson in college, I reserved my judgement on him when the Bills drafted him. But, after seeing some glimpses of him in the videos of the OTAs and on the video of the rookies' trip around WNY, as well as reading some of the mentions he's gotten in the write-ups that I've read, I think that this kid just might have a chance to make the roster and become more of a contributor on the offense than S.Aiken was during his stay with the Bills.

It's not going to be easy for Steve Johnson to make the active roster this season with J.Jenkins likely to claim a spot based on his ST value as a proven "gunner" and F.Huggins also starting to flash some ability after a year on the PS. But, I have to say that I like what I have seen of Johnson so far and think that he has a very real shot to be in the mix for the last roster spot at WR or at least a spot on the PS.Johnson has a little more speed than Aiken and seems to have hands of glue, both of which are advantages over Aiken. If Johnson is good enough, he could probably convince he Bills to carry 6 WRs. Another WR to watch is Felton Huggins. He was raw coming out of college, but has good speed and height, though a little skinny. He has learne a lot over the last couple years.

[acehole]

Johnson has a little more speed than Aiken and seems to have hands of glue, both of which are advantages over Aiken. If Johnson is good enough, he could probably convince he Bills to carry 6 WRs. Another WR to watch is Felton Huggins. He was raw coming out of college, but has good speed and height, though a little skinny. He has learne a lot over the last couple years.

interesting more inconsistancy from jp...is no suprise....trent ball getting batted is interesting. when i saw that video from the answer....i said the balls looked flat and may get batted a result....we will have to monitor if this improves...

good news on the rookie wr.....cant have enough targets

[ddaryl]

IMO Aiken was little more then a special teamer only.

I seriously believe Johnson can be a better #3 then Reed in the not to distant future... and could develope beyond that.

I really don't think Aiken was even worth keeping on our roster as long as we did keep him.

[raphael120]

Been hearing nothing but great things from this Steve Johnson dude. I'm very weary of reports from OTA's though. usually they dont translate. And it seems like people like Steve Johnson won't get a chance to play and flash his skill in real live games unless the guy in front of him goes down to injury. See: Fred Jackson, Greer. I think if we knew what this dude could do from the beginning of the season, he could've been used a lot better in certain games. And I know this has a lot to do with Fairchild but I think the coaches didn't know what they had in Jackson and now they do.

I really really hope we have a wide open offense, one that we can really test our guys, see what they can do. I want to see what Parrish can do, I want to see what Lynch and Jackson can do in the passing game. See what guys like Steve Johnson can do in 5 wide situations. Even change up our 4 WR packages. You can always interchange who our 3rd WR is (Parrish/Reed) based on if it's a possession play or a stretch the field play. If you're trying to go downfield, a pairing of Evans, Hardy, Parrish, and Steve Johnson would be awesome. Or an endzone package with Evans, Hardy, Josh Reed, Steve Johnson, and Courtney Anderson. That's some speed, reliable hands, and tall dudes on the field. Lots of options.

I'm just reserving my enthusiasm til we play real games. I'm very wary to get pumped up about a better offense until I see definitive changes in our gameplay. I was sold a false bill of goods last offseason and the lip service from our ex-OC last year. I still feel we won't take shots downfieild, we'll be a more possession, smashmouth run game. Which I like. If we can play how the Steelers play, with a defense that can be that dominant against the run, and run game that can dictate to the opposing defense, I think we'll be good to go. Meanwhile Edwards can throw when necessary like Big Ben did in his first few years in Pittsburgh. And he'll have the same weapons on offense as he did. Reed is a Hinds Ward type, Hardy a Burress type, and Evans is a better version of Santonio Holmes. Lynch has potential to be just as productive as Parker also, with Jackson backing him up.

[justasportsfan]

Josh Reed seems the consistent wr making plays in OTA's.

[HHURRICANE]

C'mon JP!!! That's hilarious. Maybe that's what this team needs is someone who'll call it the way he see's it.

[yordad]

"A Derek combo on the 1st offensive unit. Both Derek Fine and Derek Schouman worked with Trent Edwards and the bunch."

Was Schouman a FB? Because if he can block like one, he would be a fairly versatile guy.

[Goobylal]

"A Derek combo on the 1st offensive unit. Both Derek Fine and Derek Schouman worked with Trent Edwards and the bunch."

Was Schouman a FB?
H-back.

[Al the Bills Fan]

Josh Reed seems the consistent wr making plays in OTA's.


I know I will probably get lit up for this statement, but Josh Reed has been our most consistent WR for the last couple of seasons.