After a busy news day on Monday regarding the status of several Bills players, coach Doug Marrone certainly was hoping for less tough questions to answer.
“Yesterday we had a lot of stuff to cover,” Marrone told the media before beginning his press conference. “We hope today is a slower day.”
Leinart and Tuel now in QB Spotlight
Marrone said both Matt Leinart and Jeff Tuel would play Thursday’s final preseason game against the Lions, but did not say who would start.
“We’ll be smart about it,” said Marrone.
After yesterday’s news that the Bills are preparing as if Jeff Tuel will start week 1 against the Patriots, the last thing they would want to do is put Tuel in a situation where he could get hurt. At the same time, Tuel said yesterday that the biggest challenge for him was a lack of chemistry with receivers like Stevie Johnson and T.J. Graham due to throwing most of the time to second and third-string receivers.
Leinart, now 30, said he was “humbled” by not being signed this off-season until Buffalo, but he still worked out in the off-season in California to stay in shape, and just remained patient.
“For me, I just really continued to work hard,” said Leinart. “I know I still have a lot of football left in me. This business, as you guys all know, is as crazy as it can be, especially at the quarterback position. You just never know what can happen, so my main focus was just to keep my head down, keep working, keep chipping away and hope for an opportunity.”
Leinart’s career has been similar to a journeyman backup since he lost the Arizone Cardinals starting job in the 2010 preseason to Derek Anderson before getting cut. Leinart was signed as a backup for the Houston Texans right, and had the opportunity to lead Houston after Matt Schaub suffered a season-ending injury in the 2011 season, but he fractured his collarbone in the first half of his first start in Houston.
Leinart has suffered three season-ending injuries in his career (2006, 2007, 2011), and spend last year as a third-string quarterback in Oakland. Despite his past, Marrone is ready to see what Leinart can contribute.
“He (Leinart) will be judged on what he is today, not what perception has been in the past,” said Marrone. “Here’s an opportunity, take advantage”.
How Team Is Handling QB Situation
After three consecutive 1,ooo yard seasons catching passes from Ryan Fitzpatrick, Stevie Johnson sees that Tuel most likely will be given a chance to make his mark, but the team has to help whoever is taking snaps from center.
“Right now it’s Jeff Tuel’s opportunity to control this team,” said Johnson. “Whoever it is, we have to be able to step up and ride with him”.
Johnson said he was a fan of Leinart in college at USC, and that he hopes that Buffalo can be a spot where “he stays”, calling him a “gamer”. Johnson’s expectations of what the Bills can accomplish haven’t changed at all.
“Nothing has changed,” Johnson said. “Our goal is still playoffs and more. This is the calm before the storm.”
If the rest of Johnson’s teammates are this confident, Buffalo could very well come out of the situation well. But with Tuel starting, they are both literally and figuratively entering uncharted territory, as Tuel would be the first undrafted rookie quarterback to start week 1 since the 1970 merger.
Injury Updates on Manuel and Kolb
According to Fox Sports 1 NFL reporter Alex Marvez, the Kevin Kolb injury situation isn’t being solved any time soon:
https://twitter.com/alexmarvez/status/372363897304395776
The multiple concussions Kolb has suffered make it a tough timeline to decide when he will play. He could play in three weeks, or he may not play in an NFL game again.
E.J. Manuel certainly has some uncertainty around him as well, but he is taking mental reps as if he would play Thursday. According to Marvez, Marrone will know if Manuel can play against New England early on.
https://twitter.com/alexmarvez/status/372365229268549634
Marrone did say that Manuel has been rehabbing with team trainers daily since his knee surgery.
“He’s progressing well, he’s going 100 miles an hour,” said Marrone.
This is a ongoing situation that we will monitor constantly.
Cornerbacks Needing To Step Up
BuffaloBills.com Lead Journalist Chris Brown wrote that Stephon Gilmore had successful surgery on his injured wrist this morning, and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with the injury.
Brown also looked at how Crezdon Butler, the fourth-year player out of Clemson who was signed by Buffalo in November, could receive a lot of action in Gilmore’s absence.
Bills CB Crezdon Butler likely would’ve had the primary reserve cornerback spot nailed down by now had he not missed the second preseason game with an injury. After his strong opening preseason performance at Indy, he followed it up with a one tackle and one pass breakup performance against Washington as he received just 26 snaps. Now with Stephon Gilmore out of the lineup for a while, Butler is in direct competition with Justin Rogers to try and fill the void.
Justin Rogers got the longest look last Saturday, and understandably so, having missed the first two preseason games with a hamstring injury. Rogers had a pair of tackles in 49 snaps.
…..
Butler was lined up with the ones in practice Tuesday morning. We’ll see if that continues leading up to Thursday’s preseason finale. Where Butler has the edge over Rogers is chiefly with size as he’s 6’1″ and 191 pounds. He’s just a longer limbed player than Rogers, who despite being just two inches shorter, has a more compact build.
You typically want longer players on the outside to being able to reach around a receiver or over a receiver and knock balls away. Shorter limbed corners on the outside can’t do that and often go through the receiver drawing a penalty flag. That’s partly why coaches utilize shorter more compact cover men on the slot receivers.
So as long as Butler can prove to be every bit as effective a player on the boundary as Rogers, if not more so, he will likely get the nod as Gilmore’s replacement.
Marrone said that both Butler and Rogers have played well the past couple of weeks. With Rogers playing extensively in the slot, it would seem as though Butler would be the better fit on the outside.
That being said, he only appeared in five games for Buffalo last season, recording three tackles and a forced fumble in Week 17 against the Jets. If Butler were to be playing opposite Leodis McKelvin in Week 1, it would be interesting who would cover the Patriots’ replacement for Wes Welker, Danny Amendola, as McKelvin, Rogers, and Ron Brooks all have experience playing in the slot, and playing Butler against Amendola would be a tough assignment.
Jairus Byrd returns
After signing his franchise tender last week, Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd was back on the practice field today.
While his lack of a long-term contractual commitment to the team is something that many will focus on, Marrone has no problems with Byrd.
“He’s been outstanding with me and I have no issues,” said Marrone.
Byrd also stated that he didn’t want his contract situation to have any affect on the on-field performance of the Bills.
“I don’t want to get involved in being a distraction to the team,” said Byrd.
With Aaron Williams playing well so far at his new position, Da’Norris Searcy having started in this preseason, and rookies Johnathon Meeks and Duke Williams rounding out the group, it will be interesting to see if Byrd’s absence has anything to do with how many safeties stick on the roster. At the same time, how Buffalo handles Byrd’s impending free agency with young players and what type of playing time they get will be something to look at as well.
Erik Pears Impressing
With Chris Hairston not playing this year, the Bills certainly needed Erik Pears to step up this year.
Pears only started seven games last season, and signed a four-year, $9.8 million contract extension in 2011, according to Spotrac.com. The 31 year-old former undrafted free agent has been “outstanding”, according to Marrone.
“I’ve seen him make that jump and up his production,” said Marrone. “As a veteran he has gotten better.”
At his best in 2011, the 6’8”, 316 pound Pears was part of an offensive line that at the time of his contract extension had allowed only 17 sacks in 13 games, according to ESPN.com. The Bills would certainly be glad with that type of performance with no Andy Levitre at guard this year.
Other Quick Notes
- Doug Marrone said that he knows “exactly where we want to go with” the 53 man roster, and that the entire roster will be evaluated.
- Marrone also said that C.J. Spiller will return to the Bills, as he has been excused for personal reasons.
