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UDFA signings- BILLS ONLY!


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Just to avoid clutter go ahead and PM me with any signing or post it here and I will post it here in the first message so we can have a comprehensive list without getting lost in pages of discussion. :bag:

 

QB Luke Drone - Illinois St.

FB Mike Viti - Army

WR Jason Jones - Arkansas-Pine Bluff

LB Joe Brockington - Notre Dame

DT Teraz McCray - Miami

G Robert Felton - Arkansas

RB Bruce Hall Ole Miss

LB Jon Banks - Iowa State

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Mike Viti, FB Army signed with the Bills

 

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...80343/-1/SPORTS

 

Positives: Has a thick, highly muscular frame (built more like a heavyweight wrestler) with minimal body fat (8.6%), very thick neck and chest, broad shoulders, flat back and large, strong hands...Has a tight waist and thick thighs and calves...Despite several injuries that would sideline others, he has never missed a game due to an injury...Excels in pass protection, keeping his head on a swivel with hands ready to reset and recoil with good force to rock the defender back...Physical lead blocker who can consistently widen rush lanes...Has a low center of gravity and great leg drive to clear space and push back oncoming second-level defenders trying to plug the gaps...Shows good pad level and power as a short-yardage runner...Effective outlet receiver who gets into his short-area patterns nicely, but does not have the speed to be a downfield threat...Consistently breaks tackles and shows good explosion on contact attacking the defender when blocking in-line...Has very good field vision, and is alert to stunts and games...Shows good balance and body lean squeezing through tight areas...Has reliable hands catching out of the backfield and makes good body adjustments to sustain as a blocker...Plays with fiery emotion and is the team's hardest worker in the training room...Stays low to the ground to root out defenders on pulls and traps...Not sudden, but stays within his patterns running short area routes...Has natural hands, doing a good job of catching the ball away from his frame...Generates explosive hip roll to generate pop on contact coming out of his stance and into the rush lanes...Good position blocker who anchors well and is hard to push back into the pocket in pass protection.

 

Negatives: Has not missed a game due to injury, but has a history of knee problems (meniscus tears)...Lacks the second gear to pull away from defenders after the catch and has marginal initial quickness (can lose sight of edge rushers when he is slow to get into position)...Strictly a straight-line runner, with no hip shake or moves to separate...Lacks the speed to stretch the field vertically...Despite punishing blocking skills, he will get a bit impatient and lunge at defenders rather than wait for the action to come to him, and lacks the recovery skills to get back into position when this happens.

 

Compares To: MIKE KARNEY-New Orleans...While West Virginia's Owen Schmitt is regarded as the draft's top fullback, Viti can rival the Mountaineer as the best blocker in this draft. Viti has brute strength that made one scout describe his physique as "having muscles coming out of his muscles." He is a capable short-area route runner, but will never win a foot race, even with a second-level defender. With West Point allowing their cadets to pursue a professional career immediately, Viti could be a steal as a free-agent pickup.

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Mike Viti, FB Army signed with the Bills

 

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...80343/-1/SPORTS

 

Compares To: MIKE KARNEY-New Orleans...While West Virginia's Owen Schmitt is regarded as the draft's top fullback, Viti can rival the Mountaineer as the best blocker in this draft. Viti has brute strength that made one scout describe his physique as "having muscles coming out of his muscles." He is a capable short-area route runner, but will never win a foot race, even with a second-level defender. With West Point allowing their cadets to pursue a professional career immediately, Viti could be a steal as a free-agent pickup.

Well we just got our "Real Fullback"

 

Looks like they expect Fine to be a TE. This analysis makes him sound like a world beater. Gotta love the Army football attitude as well, those guys were always hard workers but not tools, or cocky.

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Well we just got our "Real Fullback"

 

Looks like they expect Fine to be a TE. This analysis makes him sound like a world beater. Gotta love the Army football attitude as well, those guys were always hard workers but not tools, or cocky.

 

 

NO DRAFT SCHMITT, I'VE HEARD OF HIM!!!!

 

always nice to have a half human half bull hybrid mashing guys up late in the game.

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Mike Viti, FB Army signed with the Bills

 

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...80343/-1/SPORTS

 

Positives: Has a thick, highly muscular frame (built more like a heavyweight wrestler) with minimal body fat (8.6%), very thick neck and chest, broad shoulders, flat back and large, strong hands...Has a tight waist and thick thighs and calves...

 

That's the weirdest intro to a scouting report I've ever read.

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Mike Viti, FB Army signed with the Bills

 

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...80343/-1/SPORTS

 

Positives: Has a thick, highly muscular frame (built more like a heavyweight wrestler) with minimal body fat (8.6%), very thick neck and chest, broad shoulders, flat back and large, strong hands...Has a tight waist and thick thighs and calves...Despite several injuries that would sideline others, he has never missed a game due to an injury...Excels in pass protection, keeping his head on a swivel with hands ready to reset and recoil with good force to rock the defender back...Physical lead blocker who can consistently widen rush lanes...Has a low center of gravity and great leg drive to clear space and push back oncoming second-level defenders trying to plug the gaps...Shows good pad level and power as a short-yardage runner...Effective outlet receiver who gets into his short-area patterns nicely, but does not have the speed to be a downfield threat...Consistently breaks tackles and shows good explosion on contact attacking the defender when blocking in-line...Has very good field vision, and is alert to stunts and games...Shows good balance and body lean squeezing through tight areas...Has reliable hands catching out of the backfield and makes good body adjustments to sustain as a blocker...Plays with fiery emotion and is the team's hardest worker in the training room...Stays low to the ground to root out defenders on pulls and traps...Not sudden, but stays within his patterns running short area routes...Has natural hands, doing a good job of catching the ball away from his frame...Generates explosive hip roll to generate pop on contact coming out of his stance and into the rush lanes...Good position blocker who anchors well and is hard to push back into the pocket in pass protection.

BTW: Being the hardest worker at West Point is saying something. We wanted Moose Johnston and that kids is Moose Johnston with an attitude. Let's hope his knees hold together because he sounds like an absolute animal.

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I read the first few lines of this report and had an overwhelmng urge to run out and rent a Harvey Fierstein video. Not that there's anything wrong with that. :beer:

 

Mike Viti, FB Army signed with the Bills

 

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...80343/-1/SPORTS

 

Positives: Has a thick, highly muscular frame (built more like a heavyweight wrestler) with minimal body fat (8.6%), very thick neck and chest, broad shoulders, flat back and large, strong hands...Has a tight waist and thick thighs and calves...Despite several injuries that would sideline others, he has never missed a game due to an injury...Excels in pass protection, keeping his head on a swivel with hands ready to reset and recoil with good force to rock the defender back...Physical lead blocker who can consistently widen rush lanes...Has a low center of gravity and great leg drive to clear space and push back oncoming second-level defenders trying to plug the gaps...Shows good pad level and power as a short-yardage runner...Effective outlet receiver who gets into his short-area patterns nicely, but does not have the speed to be a downfield threat...Consistently breaks tackles and shows good explosion on contact attacking the defender when blocking in-line...Has very good field vision, and is alert to stunts and games...Shows good balance and body lean squeezing through tight areas...Has reliable hands catching out of the backfield and makes good body adjustments to sustain as a blocker...Plays with fiery emotion and is the team's hardest worker in the training room...Stays low to the ground to root out defenders on pulls and traps...Not sudden, but stays within his patterns running short area routes...Has natural hands, doing a good job of catching the ball away from his frame...Generates explosive hip roll to generate pop on contact coming out of his stance and into the rush lanes...Good position blocker who anchors well and is hard to push back into the pocket in pass protection.

 

Negatives: Has not missed a game due to injury, but has a history of knee problems (meniscus tears)...Lacks the second gear to pull away from defenders after the catch and has marginal initial quickness (can lose sight of edge rushers when he is slow to get into position)...Strictly a straight-line runner, with no hip shake or moves to separate...Lacks the speed to stretch the field vertically...Despite punishing blocking skills, he will get a bit impatient and lunge at defenders rather than wait for the action to come to him, and lacks the recovery skills to get back into position when this happens.

 

Compares To: MIKE KARNEY-New Orleans...While West Virginia's Owen Schmitt is regarded as the draft's top fullback, Viti can rival the Mountaineer as the best blocker in this draft. Viti has brute strength that made one scout describe his physique as "having muscles coming out of his muscles." He is a capable short-area route runner, but will never win a foot race, even with a second-level defender. With West Point allowing their cadets to pursue a professional career immediately, Viti could be a steal as a free-agent pickup.

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I'm very happy with the UDFA so far. I'm not sure how J. Jones fell all the way out the of the draft, but it is our benefit.

 

More on Viti, from the Army's team Web site: Serves as "heart and soul" of Army's offensive unit ... one of the strongest players on Army's roster ... capable of bench-pressing an Army-record 470 pounds ... rugged performer who returns to familiar starting fullback position ... "blue-collar" athlete with hard-nosed approach to game ... craves contact ... harbors great will ... possesses tremendous desire to succeed ... powerful inside runner ... features explosive burst through line of scrimmage ... catches ball well out of backfield ... devastating blocker who commonly leaves defenders on their backs ... responsible for opening large holes in opposition's front line ... key component in Army's rushing attack ... expanded production level dramatically last season as role within offense grew ... injects valued toughness into Black Knights' backfield ... battles through pain ... fiery competitor ... plays game with passion and nasty mean streak ... impact player ... one of club's top leaders on and off field ... serves as impeccable role model for younger players in program ... elected one of team's captains for 2007 season ... will share those responsibilities with classmates Caleb Campbell, Tony Fusco and Jeremy Trimble ... three-year letterman.

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He doesn't look that big

 

http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/1162/F236321.JPG

a big dude but not really living up to the hype

 

Serves as "heart and soul" of Army's offensive unit ... one of the strongest players on Army's roster ... capable of bench-pressing an Army-record 470 pounds ...

 

You mean all the hype that surrounds the fullback community in the NFL??? Or maybe all the hype that typically goes with players from the military academies? Seems like the perfect mold of a fullback to me and exactly what we were looking for. Basically just a piece of rock, moving around the football field hitting people since that's all that we want him for.

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Well we just got our "Real Fullback"

Gotta love the Army football attitude as well, those guys were always hard workers but not tools, or cocky.

 

I assume this means he has no further military obligation, and will be able to start his football career immediately? Wonder how that works? I always thought the Army players would have to fulfill a 2-4 year military commitment after graduation from the academy??

 

GO BILLS!

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I assume this means he has no further military obligation, and will be able to start his football career immediately? Wonder how that works? I always thought the Army players would have to fulfill a 2-4 year military commitment after graduation from the academy??

 

GO BILLS!

I think his military job is to serve as a recruiter (according to radio reports)

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I assume this means he has no further military obligation, and will be able to start his football career immediately? Wonder how that works? I always thought the Army players would have to fulfill a 2-4 year military commitment after graduation from the academy??

 

GO BILLS!

 

New rule for pro athletes...The can, if they have a pro contact, a recruiter. I don't remember the specifics but if they stay for more than, I think, three years in a league they can go reserve.

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I assume this means he has no further military obligation, and will be able to start his football career immediately? Wonder how that works? I always thought the Army players would have to fulfill a 2-4 year military commitment after graduation from the academy??

 

GO BILLS!

Good question, so here is a good article:

 

Army Says Players Can Turn Pro Now

 

Cadets accepted into the program "will owe two years of active service in the Army, during which time they will be allowed to play their sport in the player-development systems of their respective organizations and be assigned to recruiting stations. If they remain in professional sports following those two years, they will be provided the option of buying out the remaining three years of their active-duty commitment in exchange for six years of reserve time."

 

The Air Force Academy and Naval Academy do not offer such a program. Both academies require two years of active service upon graduation before presenting the option of swapping the final three years of active time for six years in the reserves.
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I think his military job is to serve as a recruiter (according to radio reports)

 

New rule is that if a cadet has an exceptional talent (see Caleb Campbell and Mike Viti if they make the NFL rosters), they are obligated to spend 2 years doing recruiting on the side of their job.

 

If they are still playing in the NFL after those two years, they have the option to buy-out their remaining 3 years of active duty by committing to 6 years of reserve service. Or they can go into active duty for 3 years if they have washed out.

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I'm very happy with the UDFA so far. I'm not sure how J. Jones fell all the way out the of the draft, but it is our benefit.

 

More on Viti, from the Army's team Web site: Serves as "heart and soul" of Army's offensive unit ... one of the strongest players on Army's roster ... capable of bench-pressing an Army-record 470 pounds ... rugged performer who returns to familiar starting fullback position ... "blue-collar" athlete with hard-nosed approach to game ... craves contact ... harbors great will ... possesses tremendous desire to succeed ... powerful inside runner ... features explosive burst through line of scrimmage ... catches ball well out of backfield ... devastating blocker who commonly leaves defenders on their backs ... responsible for opening large holes in opposition's front line ... key component in Army's rushing attack ... expanded production level dramatically last season as role within offense grew ... injects valued toughness into Black Knights' backfield ... battles through pain ... fiery competitor ... plays game with passion and nasty mean streak ... impact player ... one of club's top leaders on and off field ... serves as impeccable role model for younger players in program ... elected one of team's captains for 2007 season ... will share those responsibilities with classmates Caleb Campbell, Tony Fusco and Jeremy Trimble ... three-year letterman.

 

 

I have seen this kid play a bunch. He is a wrecking ball. Academy football players are tougher and put up with more BS than anyone--to say that he was the hardest working is really saying something. --My new favortie bill, I hope he makes it

 

--P. Fewell was a coach at West Point in the early 90s.

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New rule for pro athletes...The can, if they have a pro contact, a recruiter. I don't remember the specifics but if they stay for more than, I think, three years in a league they can go reserve.

Smart move given the recruiting problems they have now. not necessarily at the Academy, but the Army in general. Who better to recruit than an active NFL player.

 

Plus the Army doesn't need any more bad pub. What happens if Mike Viti or Caleb Campbell go to Iraq and don't come back after being drafted? Reflects well on the character of the kid but it's a big negative story for the Army. They don't want that.

 

FWIW Rod Marinelli seved in Vietnam and Perry Fewell coached twice at Army. If these kids (Campbell and Viti) make their teams they don't go overseas. how'd you like to be the Turk for them? Not only are you cutting a kid, you're sending him to war. Just a hunch, but I think they both find a way onto the roster of their respective teams.

 

Kinda like Forrest Gump playing ping pong in China... <_<

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I'm getting goosebumps thinking about Viti plowing the way for Marshawn to run a TD in...and they salute each other!

I don't think they'd do that. Then again, Mike Anderson (a former Marine) use to do that stupid s**t.

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I don't think they'd do that. Then again, Mike Anderson (a former Marine) use to do that stupid s**t.

Well, as I understand it he'd still technically be active duty, just in a recruiting role. If that's the case he won't salute anything except the flag at the anthem unless Marshawn somehow outranks him...

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Well, as I understand it he'd still technically be active duty, just in a recruiting role. If that's the case he won't salute anything except the flag at the anthem unless Marshawn somehow outranks him...

Good points. Really, he won't salute anything because service members only salute while in their military uniforms.

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