Thurman#1 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 it seems the coaching staff wasn't blowing smoke when they said they had confidence in Walker, Butler, Bell and Chambers. Just my opinion, but I think they wanted an LT, but the ones they wanted were either gone (Andre Smith) or pro RTs, projects or reaches where our picks were. Looks like Ellison will be starting again this year, since we haven't gotten anybody who can definitely step in. Think that indicates that they have confidence in him? Or is it just that the right opportunity to pick his replacement at a good value didn't present itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 What about Alvin Bowen? He got hurt last year, any chance he can have any impact this year? Bowen was released by the Bills last year. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I'm concerned that on a team who lost its best DE for most of the season, that Ellis couldn't even have a couple of shining moments. Instead he didn't even dress for the majority of the games. I expect a little more out of a 3rd round pick who played in major college football conference.Tim Anderson hardly saw the field in his first year here either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Tim Anderson hardly saw the field in his first year here either. ...another wasted 3rd round pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Bowen was released by the Bills last year. PTR IR, not released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LABills08 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Chris Ellis is being moved to LT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 IR, not released. You are correct; Bowen is still on the Bills roster. I was confused by this Wikipedia article that said Bowen was "waived." I assumed that meant released. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I thought that was great insight from Steve Young. Never really thought about the guys who love the game vs. those who just view it as a job. Not surprising, however. Unlike in other sports - baseball, basketball, hockey - I think that a lot of guys don't really like playing in the NFL. It hurts like hell, and it's physically debilitating. I remember an interview with Burt Grossman (good defensive lineman for the Chargers and later the Eagles; 1st round pick) many years ago on the radio. It was later in his career, and he said the last time he truly enjoyed playing football was high school. He was good, so he kept advancing, and of course he liked the paycheck. But he said it was no fun in college, and even less fun in the pros. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Bowen was released by the Bills last year. PTR He's on the official roster now. He got hurt and was out for the year. It's impossible to say right now if he returned 100% from the injury. I would probably be surprised if he made the team, but might be on PS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPicc2114 Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 So, the way I see it.. If you get hurt your rookie year your football career is over. Or the team drafts more people in your position and forget about you completely. haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 This is the thing....I would really like to see all of those guys come in and be much better as competition on a team is a GOOD thing..... I just dont want to bank that they will be. If we really want to see guys like Kelsay fall by the wayside then you need guys like Ellis to step up and take his rotation minutes......Maybin will also be in a rotation which the right thing to do.......since we dont have huge DL (except for Stroud) they need to be played in a rotation. The more talented the rotation guys are the better they will be. Fine still has a role on this team as our new draft pick is not a blocking tight end. I honestly feel much better about the bills going to a 2 TE set at times now.......we have a lot more options Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 So, the way I see it.. If you get hurt your rookie year your football career is over. Or the team drafts more people in your position and forget about you completely. haha When you're a 5th round, short, skinny, unheralded linebacker who relies on his speed who suffered a serious ACL injury on a team that already signed a FA at your position, still looking to (and probably will) sign another FA at it and drafted a player in the 5th round this year at, it may be true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST MODE BABY! Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I'm concerned that on a team who lost its best DE for most of the season, that Ellis couldn't even have a couple of shining moments. Instead he didn't even dress for the majority of the games. I expect a little more out of a 3rd round pick who played in major college football conference. This coaching staff has show its reticence in putting talented players on the field that aren't veterans. They did it with Fred Jackson. They did it with Stevie Johnson. I am sure there are others I am forgetting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Bowen was released by the Bills last year. PTR Uh, Promo buddy...you'd better check that with Commander Tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magox Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I have heard Modrak say that Chris Ellis really needs to step his game up this year. I believe that some questioned his work ethic coming into the draft. Another words, it's time to put up, or his azz is grazz. My guess is that he's a goner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Hardy just needs some quick twitch neurons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Tim Anderson hardly saw the field in his first year here either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webtoe Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 guys who love the game vs. those who just view it as a job. See: Drew Bledsoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadstroke Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I'm concerned that on a team who lost its best DE for most of the season, that Ellis couldn't even have a couple of shining moments. Instead he didn't even dress for the majority of the games. I expect a little more out of a 3rd round pick who played in major college football conference. "They" say his biggest problem was a lack of strength to fight off blocks, etc. The staff has obviously had him working on that as well as the myriad of other things an NFL DE needs to master to be a success. Let's hope for the best, huh? The guy was pretty good in college! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DazedandConfused Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 "They" say his biggest problem was a lack of strength to fight off blocks, etc. The staff has obviously had him working on that as well as the myriad of other things an NFL DE needs to master to be a success. Let's hope for the best, huh? The guy was pretty good in college! Lack of strength to fight off blocks is an interesting problem as the key is to figure out where the lack of strength comes from, the change to make and then implement it. What this diagnosis sounds like is something similar to what cost Ryan Denney his first year as a Bill and which plagued Schobel his first couple of years. The lack of strength was not something which could be fixed by the player being more diligent in the weight room or getting away with taking steroids. In these two cases it was actually poor technique that they had gotten away with in college, but once they got to the pro where opponents and their coaches analyzed tapes to a minute degree, stuff that folks never knew or where not good enough athletes to take advantage of became a real problem. With Denney, he apparently did not ben properly at the point of attack and allow his legs to drive him and help him fend off blockers. He had tons of arm strength and this allowed him to simply toss off blockers at the college level. However, in the pros, even mediocre or weak blockers schooled by their coaches could easily lock Denny up and it essentially made it impossible for him to even be active most of his rookie year. However, by his second year he learned better technique and played much better that by the end of his first contract later in his career the Bills decided to extend his deal. Likewise Schobel. He is a relentless pursuer and actually quite athletic, but he had not developed a good second move. If a blocker locked him up and was willing to hang on as he kept working to get lose Schobel was defeated. He was relentless but there were a couple of plays where the blocker simply pancaked him and Schobel spent his time fighting to get up rather than chase down the QB. Schobel actually pulled off the neat trick of actually dumping weight rather than bulking up to deal with the lack of strength problem. He knocked off 15 lbs or so from his base weight and increased his agility which allowed him to cover passes in both the short and even the middle depth zone in the LeBeau/Gray zone blitz used by the Bills and he developed a second move to increase his sack total to levels where he became a legit Pro Bowl DE. If Eliis gets good guidance and focuses his work on whatever he and the coaches diagnose as his problem even after a non-existent rookie season he might come back to play well next season. No guarantee this will be the case at all (and the Bills fortunately are not betting on it since they remade the DL with a good 1st round pick whom it appears can play the situational pass rush role we need), but we should be able to tell by the pre-season games whether Ellis has remade his game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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