AstroNotes4: Bills Camp Friday August 5

[Beerball]

 

~Astro

Thank you 'Stro.

[Rubes]

A thing of beauty, as always. You're the best.

[3rdand12]

Thank you again.

I am quite interested in the depth players this year. Bills seem to have a nice set of skill players and starters. some reasonable depth. But the guys fighting for the final cut down are guys i like to hear about. and you have done a nice job covering that aspect D.

[White Linen]

Great work again, Astro. Many thanks.

 

It almost seemed like you were emphasizing OVER THE MIDDLE, for some reason, haha.

[Deranged Rhino]

[Augie]

Thank you again.

I am quite interested in the depth players this year. Bills seem to have a nice set of skill players and starters. some reasonable depth. But the guys fighting for the final cut down are guys i like to hear about. and you have done a nice job covering that aspect D.

Is this because at this rate they will be starters?

[Mark Vader]

good to hear Richardson is doing well.

Not just good, it's Amazing!

 

I was not a big fan of Richardson when we drafted him. I really wanted Gabe Jackson.

 

But if he has shown progress, then that is great news. I'll be willing to give him a pass if he suffered from one year of Marrone's disease.

 

Oh yes, Excellent job Astro. Love the weather reports this year, and yeah, pics of the blondes or they weren't real.

Edited August 6, 2016 by Mark Vader

[Uffalo Ills]

Not just good, it's Amazing!

 

I was not a big fan of Richardson when we drafted him. I really wanted Gabe Jackson.

 

But if he has shown progress, then that is great news. I'll be willing to give him a pass if he suffered from one year of Marrone's disease.

 

Oh yes, Excellent job Astro. Love the weather reports this year, and yeah, pics of the blondes or they weren't real.

"Marrone's disease"

 

It almost sounds like real illness. Some kind of tropical fungal infection most likely

[Buffalo Barbarian]

pics

 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2016 by Buffalo Barbarian

[Cover 1]

80 degrees with a nice breeze, lots of rain clouds up there. Woods is over on the turf field on the sidelines going under then over some hurdles. Watkins joins him (not doing the hurdles, but watching), followed by Dez Lewis and Hankerson. Marquise Goodwin and Walter Powell are shagging punts from the JUGS machine.

 

Reggie Bush comes down the sidewalk from the indoor facility, and he pauses to sign ten autographs, the most of any player ever that I've seen. Eric Striker follows him, and signs 7. I notice that he's a lefty, hook-handed writer (I used to be a special ed reading-writing teacher, so indulge me). His signature takes longer as a result. Tyrod signs none (Gugny?). He goes out and plays catch with Kain Colter, who positions his hands in different places for TT to target: center, low left, high right, etc.. Felton is doing leg swings off to the side, IK is doing a very formal warmup before the team warmup.

 

There are two distracting blondes down in the private reception area by the field........Okay, I'm back. Look, but don't touch.

 

Corey White's doing a lot of leg stretches, and later on you see him doing more. Same with Corey Graham. Also off to the side are Watkins, Manny, and two others. One of the guys I'm with thinks it's Shaq Lawson. He's tall, maybe 6'4", and looks good on the ladder drills.

 

It begins to rain, but I'm up top at the far end of the bleachers, and I just go under the eaves of the press box. Reggie Bush looks good during calisthenics and especially during punt catching drill. Powell is second-best today. We remark that ever since the early 90's the Bills have had good ST coaching: Bruce DeHaven. Bobby April. Danny Crossman now. Time spent on special teams has pretty much helped the Bills especially when they have a bunch of core players. I wonder if Marcus Easley will be there this year.

 

We see a few offensive drills next. Marquise Goodwin, Walter Powell, and Kain Colter do some end-arounds, although these never work in 11 on 11's. QBs now work on taking snaps and handing off, doing draws, using a 2-back set, and, once the RB's join them, handoffs down close in the red zone.

 

Meanwhile, in their positional drills, the WRs are catching 30-yard passes over their left shoulders, then catching slant patterns and barreling between two coaches carrying big pads.

 

The OL has been, and continues to be, a concern of mine, especially with our blitzing-from-everywhere defenses. I watch their positional work. Jamison Lalk shows some pop when he blocks. Cyril Richardson is wonderful; he's doing blocks where he needs to turn the defender to create gaps and is doing it very well. Robert Kugler needs to get down more; he's too upright and needs to "sit in his chair" like you see with Cordy. Marquis Lucas is a keeper, albeit maybe with Practice Squad. You can tell he's been coached well, and his story is too compelling anyway (google it). Cyrus Kouandjio is taking part in these drills, which is an encouraging sign if he wants to stay here.

 

The OL now brings the TE's into their drills as the WR's combine with the QBs.

 

The sun comes out. If you don't like the weather in Rochester, wait a minute.

 

Tyrod hits 50% of his throws in the first drill, but it wasn't all his fault. He underthrows Dez, connects with Woods on a 25-yarder on an out pattern, then Goodwin drops a similar throw. Walter Powell, this year's Deonte Thompson, makes a smooth-as-silk reception. Cardale is 33% and it is his fault. He overthrows one, underthrows the next, and finally connects with a beautiful ball to Kain Colter.

 

The crowd is so easily entertained, because as this was happening, the coaches and minions have set up two garbage cans with 3 10" foam prisms on top of them, with a mat in the end zone. They're practicing going over the linemen for a rushing TD. Okay, I was easily entertained too. Many of the RBs can do 3; if I had to pick a "winner" it was Wilder. The coaches then add a fourth foam prism onto the top. McCoy can't do it. Bush can't do it. Boom Herron can't do it. Then Wilder does it, and the crowd went wild. Wilder, a crowd favorite, does a chest bump with someone.

 

After Cardale and EJ underwhelm on the next passing drill, Tyrod shows why he's the starter. He throws precise passes to Dez Lewis, then Goodwin, then Salas, Powell, Boykin, and Chambers. Only Chambers failed to reel it in. That's why Chanbers is here on my Depth Chart: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mPhlH_vlqvgrWNkpVH-oxlCsBTEDbDFelpvahy08mb0/edit?usp=sharing TT then works on short throws to RB's coming out of the backfield, with one LB covering, OVER THE MIDDLE. Of all the RBs, Bush makes it looks easiest, Then TT does out-routes to TEs and RBs. Clay does a nice out route to the right, Jonathan Williams does a nice out-route to the left. Boom Herron muffs the ball on an out route . Yep, check that depth chart again.

 

Still in Session 5, O'Leary connects with Tyrod on a deeper slant OVER THE MIDDLE, Clay replicates his out route to the left for a nice chucnk of yardage, Wilder catches a deeper Tyrod throw OVER THE MIDDLE. Blake Annen can't make the catch, then Clay and Tyrod share blame for a missed curl pass. Baby Gronk snares a pass OVER THE MIDDLE vs Preston Brown who's tight in coverage. O'Leary gets another reception on a curl-out from EJ, but Reggie Bush drops a well-thrown EJ ball. They make Tyrod re-throw the curl pass to Clay, and they both make it look routine...Or is it poutine?

 

Lots of red zone work today. Tyrod throws completions on 12 of the next 13 passes, either from the 15 or from the 5. Most of the throws involved a double move on the part of the receivers. This includes catches by Salas, Boykin-2, Powell-2, Little-2, and Lewis. Slants with quick-hitters were caught by Lewis, Goodwin, Little, Powell, Boykin, Colter, and Chambers. The only miss was the slant pass intended for Salas. More end zone work ensued. Here was the order that the players went in, if this might be instructive: Goodwin, Little and Dez, Powell, Hankerson, Chambers, Salas, Boykin, and Colter. All were completions. The play was a catch-and-dive to the pylon. Kudos to Hankerson, who made a sweet catch while turning his body.

 

The new drill was from their own 20 yard line, with 80 to go. "Dance, Dance, Dance" was playing, so Fernando Velasco and Max Valles --I think-- started to dance. Okay, it was a fight lasting about 12 seconds. Check Twitter for the names of the dancers.

 

The defense in 11 on 11's was able to blow up plays. What helped? Having Brown and Ragland getting up to speed with each other. Communication was quick and clear. Increased blitzing from anywhere. Finally, the fact that defenses always look better at the beginning of camp. Mario Butler, Randell Johnson, Eric Striker, and Lorenzo Alexander all had nice blitzes. What did the offense do to retaliate? They ramped up their communication. They brought in 2- and ever 3-back sets with TE going into motion pre-snap. They checked out of plays pre-snap. They used draws, passes to the flat to RB and TE's. The Catch of the Day was Reggie Bush's catch of a pass thrown behind him by Cardale, I think, and he did a Sammy Watkins-type move to catch and secure it, taking off on a nice run. My man Justin Zimmer showed some keen awareness and shut down a run play. Watch for Zimmer in a pre-season game coming soon.

 

The ball's now placed at the 40 with 60 to go. The offense did a slick change-of-formation that drew the D offsides. Both sides argued their point about who should run a lap, but no louder than Tyrod. In the end, nobody had to run. I think the change-of-formation gambit will be used more than once this year. Mike Gillislee had the Run of the Day right up the gut of the defense, and it was a long time coming. Perhaps we can repeat as #1 running team, but it will have to be set up by a 2nd and 3rd receiver stepping forth from this crowd of 12 guys behind Sammy.

 

I am impressed by the orchestration on every offensive play; you see different pre-snap looks already, and today you saw some pin-and-pull schemes by the guards, at least.

 

A couple of clouds on this turns-out-to-be-sunny practice. Baby Gronk had a lot of difficulty making forceful hits, sometimes merely bouncing off his block, and likely needs a year in an NFL weight room. Our 3rd and 1 game still lacks push. Jerel Worthy and Reggie Ragland both took big hits today, but both walked under their own power to the training room--I watched. Dray god dinged at one point, so watch for that.

 

I still don't have a ticket for Saturday night, so if you have connections, hit me up.

~Astro

 

Great write up. Thanks!

[BobbyC81]

Is EJ really the best we can do at backup? He could cost us the playoffs

I was surprised that the Bills had no interest at all in Foles. If Taylor misses time, we know EJ could be a nightmare and Cardale is too green.

[papazoid]

pics

 

 

of the blondes.

these reports are outstanding....keep em coming.

[YoloinOhio]

I was surprised that the Bills had no interest at all in Foles. If Taylor misses time, we know EJ could be a nightmare and Cardale is too green.

it was reported that they did have interest in him - both as a trade option around draft time and then again were mentioned as one of four teams he could land with when he was released. However, it's very possible he didn't have interest in the Bills, his agent communicated that to them, and therefore they didn't pursue him.

[3rdand12]

Is this because at this rate they will be starters?

Not like THAT ever happens !

[stevewin]

 

 

 

Which one is Eric Wood?

[3rdand12]

Which one is Eric Wood?

and who thought his hair would blow out so well?

[Mark Vader]

it was reported that they did have interest in him - both as a trade option around draft time and then again were mentioned as one of four teams he could land with when he was released. However, it's very possible he didn't have interest in the Bills, his agent communicated that to them, and therefore they didn't pursue him.

That's not surprising.

 

Foles wants to go to a team where he knows he has a chance to be the starter. He wouldn't have gotten that from here.

[Mr. WEO]

Ranks, Rastro!

 

Tyrod is a dick.

 

 

I think he has EJ signing his autographs for him..

[Beerball]

"Marrone's disease"

 

It almost sounds like real illness. Some kind of tropical fungal infection most likely

affecting the female private parts

[3rdand12]

affecting the female private parts