Levi Jones Could Be Available

UPDATED 5/6:  The Bengals have released Levi Jones. 

The drafting of Andre Smith has made Jones expendable.  I say the Bills should go get him.  Jones is 30 years old, an 8 year veteran.  He’s a proven left tackle in the NFL, something the Bills no longer have on their roster.  I’m not on board with the move of Langston Walker from the right to the left.  Yes, he’s big and hard to get around.  But I don’t think he’s quick enough to stop the speed rushers in the NFL.  I would rather see him on the right so the Bills can run behind him.  Plus, that would at least give you one position on the line with no change. (If Walker moves to LT, Brad Butler moves to RT, and rookies Eric Wood & Andy Levitre start at guards along with Geoff Hangartner at C, that means all five positions will have new starters from last year.)

Jones has battled some injures, playing just six games in 2006 and 10 games in 2008.  But if he’s healthy, and the scouts decide he can still play, go get him and plug him in.  He’s a  proven pass protector who helped Carson Palmer to some great seasons.  The Bills created the hole by trading Jason Peters and passing on Michael Oher.  This would be a good move to fill the spot.
Do you agree?

Dean Angle, Michele McClintick, Mark Parrotte, Don Paul, Tricia Cruz, Aaron Mason, Jacquie Walker

Lisa cutting Don's cake

What happens when you work on your birthday?  You hope your co-workers remember so you at least get a little cake during your work day. Our Chief Meteorologist Don Paul is celebrating his birthday today and we’re celebrating with him.  Lisa Flynn was nice enough to pick up a delicious chocolate cake on her dinner break tonight.  We whipped out the well-used newsroom candles, hopped up from our computers, and took five minutes to sing, devour a few bites of cake, and rib Don mercilessly about gaining another year. Every shift at News 4 tries to take care of each other during our hectic days, night, and overnights.  Tonight, the night crew sends its very best wishes to Don for a happy birthday – and many, many more!

The cold front has been doing its thing on Tuesday, with early afternoon temps having dropped to the upper 40s closer to Lk Ontario.  Dry weather will return later this evening into at least midday Thursday, but another low pressure system will send moisture back at us from the Ohio Valley by later Thursday into Friday night and possibly even early Saturday.  There is enough spread between models and ensembles to introduce some uncertainty into the weekend forecast–as to how soon we dry out on Saturday, and as to whether moisture tries to creep back into the s tier on Sunday.  The one high confidence element is that this weekend will be nowhere near as warm as last weekend.

The dust has settled from two days of the NFL draft, and my head is still spinning with what went on.  Needless to say, the Bills surprised me a couple of times Saturday, which is not to say they disappointed me.

My thoughts are that there are two key picks in this draft for the Bills.  One of them, the first round selection of Eric Wood, the center from Louisville.  The Bills are immediately ready to plug him in as a starting guard.  It’s one move in which should be a full-scale shuffle up front for the Bills.

Here’s what they have in mind on the offense line:

  1. Plug the rookies in at guard-Wood on the left side, Andy Levitre on the right side

 2.  Keep free agent Center Geoff Hangartner at center

  3. Move Brad Butler outside to play right tackle, put Langston Walker in at left tackle.

Had Andre Smith or Eugene Monroe somehow slipped to the Bills pick in the first round (11th) I have no doubt they would select one of them.  But that was unlikely.  And now they’ve drafted a couple of interior offensive linemen and are ready to put them to work with the starting unit.

The other key selection, in my view, was TE Shawn Nelson in the fourth.  Only two tight ends were selected on day one of the draft, leaving plenty of talent for the second day. Credit the Bills for not over-valuing Nelson or any of the other tight ends and waiting patiently until the fourth round.  He has the ability to stretch the field and will provide a good assortment of talent for the Bills at the TE position, along with Derek Schouman and Derek Fine.

I hear some grumbling about the Bills picking back to back CBs in the 6th and 7th rounds, now that’s not a need position.  Here’s the thing–when you get to the late rounds, 6th and 7th, it’s foolish to look to fill needs.  The best available player theory becomes more important in the late rounds, because you’re not expecting to get a player who can step in right away and make an impact.  You’re just looking for talented players.  Do valuable NFL players come out of the 6th and 7th rounds?  Absolutely.  But chances are they were drafted not to fill a need, but simply because they had the highest grades on the board at the time they were chosen.

Give us your thoughts on the Bills draft.

There’s still another pick to come, but one trend that’s become clear, concerning the Buffalo Bills 2009 draft, is that they’re not afraid to draft a player at one position and move him to another.

Among those first seven picks, the Bills are looking at position switches for at least three of them.  First rounder Eric Wood played center at Louisville, but the Bills are immediately talking about him as a guard.  The Bills first second round selection, Jairus Byrd, played CB at Oregon, but the Bills right away say they’ll plug him in at FS.  And on day two, Buffalo’s 5th round pick, Nic Harris, played mostly Strong Safety at Oklahoma, but the Bills say he’ll be an outside linebacker with them.

These are interesting choices.  First of all, it shows a clear confidence in the coaching staff to tutor young players through the ups and downs of a positoin switch, as they find their way in the NFL.  It can be rough at time.

Second, you wonder if the Bills have time to wait for players to learn their new positions, since they clearly need to win now.  The switch for Wood, from Center to Guard, should be fairly seamless.  But for Byrd, and for the 5th rounder Harris, it may take a little more time.  Despite the pressure to win now, the Bills will have to have some amount of patience with these rookie draft picks.

Let us know what you think.

I admit, I was a little worried last night when I left the Bills draft room that they ended the day without a tight end from the draft.  Then I went home and looked at the players still available after the first two rounds.  Once you got a look at the tight ends still on the board. it was easy to see that the Bills would be able to get a good one.

They did, with their fourth round pick (121st overall).  The Bills drafted tight end Shawn Nelson from Southern Mississippi, a player they were lined to weeks ago.  Some draft experts figured Nelson to be gone in the second round, so picking him up in the fourth is a good move.

But beyond that, Nelson brings a pass receiving dimension to the Bills tight end group that was lacking.  It’s easy to see him fitting into the mix with Derek Fine and Derek Schouman.  While those two handle the blocking chores, and often act as fullbacks or H-backs, Nelson can be the pass receiving threat the Bills need from their tight end.

He’s described as having spectacular hands and he’s a good route runner.  Once he’s comfortable in the system and utilized in the passing game, he could be a matchup problem for opposting linebackers and safeties.

He is not strong in blocking, so don’t expect to see him much in short yardage type situations.  Bills college scout Shawn Heinlen says Nelson is “a little light in the pants” meaning his lower body strength is lacking.  There’s some concern about scouts that his lean body frame  may not allow him to bulk up much, so he may never be a “complete” tight end.

But think about it–there was only one such all-around tight end in this draft–Brandon Pettigrew, and the Lions spent the 20th overall pick in the draft on him.

For where he was selected, and for what he is, I think Shawn Nelson is an excellent pickup for the Bills.  What do you think>

Just when we’re getting ready to pack it in in Orchard Park, the Buffalo Bills make another move.  They swung a deal with the Cowboys tonight, and moved up into a second pick in the second round. 

The Bills sent a third round pick (75th overall) and one of their fourth rounders( 110th overall) to Dallas, in exchange for the 51st pick overall.

And the Bills used that pick on OL Andy Levitre from Oregon State.  He’s 6-3, 305 lbs, and he can play either guard or tackle.  The Bills have yet to comment on the deal

I give up trying to predict the Buffalo Bills selections in this year’s draft.  A moment ago, I thought they’d jump at the chance to get South Carolina TE Jared Cook, with their second round pick (42nd overall).  Not even close.  They went with CB Jairus Byrd of Oregon instead, and they’re talking about converting him to Free Safety.

So that makes three guesses from me as to the Bills picks, and three misses.  I was surprised early in the first round, when they passed up DE Brian Orakpo (who went two picks later) and chose pass rushing DE Aaron Maybin.  I was surprised later in the first, when I thought they might jump on OT Eben Britton, and instead chose OL Eric Wood.  I didn’t see that one coming at all.

So the first day picks are in.  Needless to say, the Bills scouring staff does an immeasurable amount of research on these prospects, so it’s tough to sit on the sidelines and second-guess.

The best news about day one is that with their first pick, the Bills directly addressed a crying need–pass rush.  The test will be whether Aaron Maybin can become more than a situational, third down specialist and contribute regularly against the run.  It may be a year or two into his NFL career before that happens.

Their second pick is bold–a total projection of basically a lifetime center to the guard position.  But when you listen to Wood on the conference call, you get a sense of his seriousness of purpose and in some ways, his toughness.  He could line up at LG on opening day.

And you have to like Byrd’s NFL bloodlines and his ball skills.  If he can contribute on special teams and stick around and learn the FS position, he has a chance to contribute in the next season or two.

One day down, one more to go.  Still no Tight End.  Surprised?

It’s all about the trenches for the Buffalo Bills so far on this first day of the draft.   Pass rush specialist Aaron Maybin was their first pick, offensive lineman Eric Wood was their second.

The Bills brain trust just came out and talked to us in the media room about Buffalo’s first round picks.  As for Maybin, the Bills seem genuinely excited about the upside for this Penn State product.  They acknowledge that he only has one year of production in college,  but chief College Scout Tom Modrak says Maybin is getting better.

The Bills envision Maybin as a defensive end, an edge rusher.  Dick Jauron says Maybin will probably be a situational pass rusher early on, but he says don’t discount his ability to play the run, also.  According to Modrak and Jauron, Maybin has exceptionally long arms which enable him to shed blocks and make plays.

Late in the first, the Bills went for Center Eric Wood of Louisville.  I admit I was surprised at what looked like a reach.  Many draft experts had had Wood rated a second our third round prospect.  And while he’s made 49-consecutive starts at center for Louisville,  the Bills say he’ll come here as a guard.  They want to keep free agent signee Geoff Hangartner at center, and let Wood compete at guard.  Given his toughness and propensity to stay in the lineup once he’s in, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take over at left guard.

Now, onto the second round pick, moments from now.  I’ve been off target so far on both Bills draft picks, but I am undeterred.  Look for TE Jared Cook of South Carolina to come off the board to Buffalo next.

So there it is, Aaron Maybin of Penn State, the Bills first pick in today’s NFL draft.  The Bills obviously put a premium on speed on the edge, as Maybin possesses one of the quickest first steps on his way to the passer.  Maybin is rated as a solid first rounder, but there are some holes in his resume.

For one, he’s young, just 21-years old, a redshirt sophomore who surprised some observers when he decided to come out Penn State this year.  He had a great year for the Nittany Lions, with 12 sacks in 10 starts.  But that’s all he has, one year’s worth of production.  The Bills obviously love his athleticism and his speed,and are betting that he continues to improve, and maybe gets better.

Maybin played at about 238 pounds last year at Penn State, and was just a shade under 250-pounds at the combine two months ago. Who knows, maybe the Bills envision him as an outside linebacker, rather than a DE. At any rate, they’re likely to turn him loose on opposing quarterbacks right away.

In picking Maybin, the Bills left some interesting prospects on the board, including DE Brian Orakpo of Texas, OT Michael Oher of Mississippi, and DE Robert Ayers of Tennessee.

What do you think of the pick?