JonCJG
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POSTED 7:40 p.m. EDT, July 1, 2006
PFT PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS: NUMBER 32
Like many football publications, we've compiled a list of preseason power rankings. Unlike most of the others who rank the teams from No. 1 through No. 32, we've decided to milk this thing like a cow with three udders.
We'll identify one team per day for the next 32, and we'll be doing more than just naming names. We're also taking a look at each team's offseason developments and any key personnel issues that they'll face in 2006.
Then, we'll grade each of the skill position players, the defense generally, and the kicker for fantasy purposes, in anticipation of a more comprehensive fantasy preview that will come in August.
Without further adieu, here's number 32.
The Buffalo Bills.
It would have been almost impossible a year ago to envision the Bills as
the bottom of the barrel. They were one of the darlings of the 2005 preseason, with folks like Chris Mortensen, Len Pasquarelli, and Merril Hoge picking the Bills to make it to the postseason. Coming off of a 9-7 season in 2004, which featured an 8-2 finish and a playoff berth that evaporated during a home loss on the final day of the season at home against the Steelers (who already had home-field advantage locked up), Buffalo fit the bill of a hot team that might very well carry its late-season success into the next year.
Didn't happen.
After limping (again) to a slow start, the Bills weren't able to turn it around. A season-ending injury to linebacker Takeo Spikes in late September didn't help.
Though they fought their way to 4-5 with seven to play, losing six of their final games, dropping the team to a disappointing 5-11. Along the way, the team's failure to commit to a starting quarterback didn't help, with then-coach Mike Mularkey benching quarterback J.P. Losman in early October and then later giving up on Kelly Holcomb.
But the real fun began after the season. G.M. Tom Donahoe got his long-deserved pink slip, only to be replaced the next day by Marv Levy, an 80-something ex-coach who'd never run a front office. Then it was buh-bye to Mularkey, who awkwardly left the team after Levy (who last coached the team in 1997) returned.
Next, Levy temporarily mused about serving as the head coach before owner Ralph Wilson advised Levy that it wasn't gonna happen. Before too long, Levy hired Dick Jauron, who (in our view) was the most likely of the candidates to take Levy's suggestions about how to do the job that Levy really wanted.
Enter Dick Jauron, failed former coach of the Bears who didn't merit serious consideration to succeed Steve Mariucci in Detroit, even though Jauron had coached the Lions on an interim basis after Mooch was fired in late November.
Things only got worse for the Bills as the offseason unfolded, with defensive tackle Sam Adams, safety Lawyer Milloy, and tight end Mark Campbell getting the boot in the days before an extension to the CBA would have made it easier to keep them. Next up, receiver Eric Moulds forcing his way out of town via a trade.
The only positive addition by subtraction? The team finally flushed the commode on offensive tackle Mike Williams, a top-five pick by Donahoe who never turned into much of anything for the Bills.
The acquisitions during Levy's first season as G.M. have been generally uneventful, with journeymen like quarterback Craig Nall, safety Matt Bowen, receiver Andre' Davis, center Melvin Fowler, tackle Aaron Gibson, and guard Tutan Reyes joining the squad. One former Bill came back (receiver Peerless Price), and only a few current Bills of note re-upped despite being unrestricted (receiver Josh Reed, defensive end
Ryan Denney, long-snapper Mike Schneck).
The biggest free-agent splashes came (drum roll, please) via the signing of defensive tackle Larry Tripplett and tight end Robert Royal.
Finally, the Bills used their franchise tag on cornerback Nate Clements, ultimately signing him to a one-year deal with a promise that he won't be tagged again in 2007.
Then came the draft, for which the Bills were roundly criticized after taking safety Donte' Whitner with the eighth overall choice and defensive tackle John McCargo at No. 26. Most observers believe that the Bills could have traded down and still gotten Whitner, or that they could have addressed their needs at defensive tackle at No. 8 (by taking Haloti Ngata or Brodrick Bunkley), focusing on the defensive backfield with the second first-rounder.
The biggest question mark on the roster is at quarterback, where Losman and Holcomb supposedly will battle for the starting spot, with Nall trying to secure the No. 2 job. (We don't rule out the possibility of Nall leapfrogging both of them.) The guy who finishes third could be given the shoe, with either Craig Ochs or Kingsbury getting the "If I Ever Have To Play We've Got Serious Problems" spot on the depth chart.
Though the team's web site currently shows Holcomb on top, the team's best long-term play would be to give Losman a chance to develop. Then again, both the coach and G.M. who were with the team when Losman was drafted are long gone, making it a tougher job for the kid with Lord Favre-like upside -- and Lord Favre-like recklessness -- to secure the starting job.
Our guess? Holcomb will be the starter and Losman will get traded or cut, leaving Nall as the backup.
Another area of concern is running back, where Willis McGahee is the clear-cut starter, even though he skipped all of the team's voluntary offseason workouts. Fighting for carries behind him are Shaud Williams, Lionel Gates, Anthony Thomas, and Fred Jackson -- none of whom would be likely to do much if McGahee goes down.
The challenge for the offense? Getting enough out of the passing game in order to keep eight (or more) defenders out of the box.
Now for the fantasy grades.
Quarterback: They all get "Incompletes" for now. If Holcomb wins the job, we'll give him a C+. If it's Nall, a C. If Losman wins it, C-.
Running back: McGahee's yards were up slightly but touchdowns were way down in 2005. Given the unsettled passing game, we'll give him a B for now.
Wide receiver: Lee Evans is the No. 1 guy, and he's shown flashes of ability in the past as the No. 2 to Eric Moulds. But Evans has yet to register a 1,000 yard season or double-digit touchdowns. He gets a B- this year. Price is listed as the other starter, but our guess is that he won't have the job when the season starts. He gets an F. Minus.
The wideout with the most potential is Roscoe Parrish, who missed plenty of his rookie year in 2005 due to injury. We can envision him in the starting lineup on opening day, if he can stay healthy. Even then, the unsettled quarterback position and the general funk hanging over the franchise makes him no better than a C+.
Tight end: Our general approach to fantasy football is to never use a tight end, unless the guy is a stud. Most leagues give owners the options of using three receivers, and we can think of about 300 that we'd select before picking any of guys who play this position for the Bills (but we're sure they're all great blockers).
Defense: Beyond the top five or six units in the league, defensive teams in fantasy football are generally a crapshoot. The Bills' defense fall squarely into this category -- it's "crap" and someone should "shoot" them. C-.
Kicker: Rian Lindell is the guy, with Nicholas Setta filling the "camp leg"
role. Lindell scored 113 points in 2005, making all of his extra points and converting 29 of 35 field goals. Though he's likely to again get more chances at scoring three than one, we've got a feeling that, in the grand scheme of things, he won't get many of either this season. C-.
We're not saying that the Bills will finish as the worst team in the league. There's too much that can happen, and due to free agency the difference between the best and worst team is much narrower than it used to be.
But this organization has more question marks than the Riddler's longjohns, and for now it deserves to be regarded as the worst in the league.
Hey, at least they don't have to worry about failing to fulfill anyone's expectations.
PFT PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS: NUMBER 32
Like many football publications, we've compiled a list of preseason power rankings. Unlike most of the others who rank the teams from No. 1 through No. 32, we've decided to milk this thing like a cow with three udders.
We'll identify one team per day for the next 32, and we'll be doing more than just naming names. We're also taking a look at each team's offseason developments and any key personnel issues that they'll face in 2006.
Then, we'll grade each of the skill position players, the defense generally, and the kicker for fantasy purposes, in anticipation of a more comprehensive fantasy preview that will come in August.
Without further adieu, here's number 32.
The Buffalo Bills.
It would have been almost impossible a year ago to envision the Bills as
the bottom of the barrel. They were one of the darlings of the 2005 preseason, with folks like Chris Mortensen, Len Pasquarelli, and Merril Hoge picking the Bills to make it to the postseason. Coming off of a 9-7 season in 2004, which featured an 8-2 finish and a playoff berth that evaporated during a home loss on the final day of the season at home against the Steelers (who already had home-field advantage locked up), Buffalo fit the bill of a hot team that might very well carry its late-season success into the next year.
Didn't happen.
After limping (again) to a slow start, the Bills weren't able to turn it around. A season-ending injury to linebacker Takeo Spikes in late September didn't help.
Though they fought their way to 4-5 with seven to play, losing six of their final games, dropping the team to a disappointing 5-11. Along the way, the team's failure to commit to a starting quarterback didn't help, with then-coach Mike Mularkey benching quarterback J.P. Losman in early October and then later giving up on Kelly Holcomb.
But the real fun began after the season. G.M. Tom Donahoe got his long-deserved pink slip, only to be replaced the next day by Marv Levy, an 80-something ex-coach who'd never run a front office. Then it was buh-bye to Mularkey, who awkwardly left the team after Levy (who last coached the team in 1997) returned.
Next, Levy temporarily mused about serving as the head coach before owner Ralph Wilson advised Levy that it wasn't gonna happen. Before too long, Levy hired Dick Jauron, who (in our view) was the most likely of the candidates to take Levy's suggestions about how to do the job that Levy really wanted.
Enter Dick Jauron, failed former coach of the Bears who didn't merit serious consideration to succeed Steve Mariucci in Detroit, even though Jauron had coached the Lions on an interim basis after Mooch was fired in late November.
Things only got worse for the Bills as the offseason unfolded, with defensive tackle Sam Adams, safety Lawyer Milloy, and tight end Mark Campbell getting the boot in the days before an extension to the CBA would have made it easier to keep them. Next up, receiver Eric Moulds forcing his way out of town via a trade.
The only positive addition by subtraction? The team finally flushed the commode on offensive tackle Mike Williams, a top-five pick by Donahoe who never turned into much of anything for the Bills.
The acquisitions during Levy's first season as G.M. have been generally uneventful, with journeymen like quarterback Craig Nall, safety Matt Bowen, receiver Andre' Davis, center Melvin Fowler, tackle Aaron Gibson, and guard Tutan Reyes joining the squad. One former Bill came back (receiver Peerless Price), and only a few current Bills of note re-upped despite being unrestricted (receiver Josh Reed, defensive end
Ryan Denney, long-snapper Mike Schneck).
The biggest free-agent splashes came (drum roll, please) via the signing of defensive tackle Larry Tripplett and tight end Robert Royal.
Finally, the Bills used their franchise tag on cornerback Nate Clements, ultimately signing him to a one-year deal with a promise that he won't be tagged again in 2007.
Then came the draft, for which the Bills were roundly criticized after taking safety Donte' Whitner with the eighth overall choice and defensive tackle John McCargo at No. 26. Most observers believe that the Bills could have traded down and still gotten Whitner, or that they could have addressed their needs at defensive tackle at No. 8 (by taking Haloti Ngata or Brodrick Bunkley), focusing on the defensive backfield with the second first-rounder.
The biggest question mark on the roster is at quarterback, where Losman and Holcomb supposedly will battle for the starting spot, with Nall trying to secure the No. 2 job. (We don't rule out the possibility of Nall leapfrogging both of them.) The guy who finishes third could be given the shoe, with either Craig Ochs or Kingsbury getting the "If I Ever Have To Play We've Got Serious Problems" spot on the depth chart.
Though the team's web site currently shows Holcomb on top, the team's best long-term play would be to give Losman a chance to develop. Then again, both the coach and G.M. who were with the team when Losman was drafted are long gone, making it a tougher job for the kid with Lord Favre-like upside -- and Lord Favre-like recklessness -- to secure the starting job.
Our guess? Holcomb will be the starter and Losman will get traded or cut, leaving Nall as the backup.
Another area of concern is running back, where Willis McGahee is the clear-cut starter, even though he skipped all of the team's voluntary offseason workouts. Fighting for carries behind him are Shaud Williams, Lionel Gates, Anthony Thomas, and Fred Jackson -- none of whom would be likely to do much if McGahee goes down.
The challenge for the offense? Getting enough out of the passing game in order to keep eight (or more) defenders out of the box.
Now for the fantasy grades.
Quarterback: They all get "Incompletes" for now. If Holcomb wins the job, we'll give him a C+. If it's Nall, a C. If Losman wins it, C-.
Running back: McGahee's yards were up slightly but touchdowns were way down in 2005. Given the unsettled passing game, we'll give him a B for now.
Wide receiver: Lee Evans is the No. 1 guy, and he's shown flashes of ability in the past as the No. 2 to Eric Moulds. But Evans has yet to register a 1,000 yard season or double-digit touchdowns. He gets a B- this year. Price is listed as the other starter, but our guess is that he won't have the job when the season starts. He gets an F. Minus.
The wideout with the most potential is Roscoe Parrish, who missed plenty of his rookie year in 2005 due to injury. We can envision him in the starting lineup on opening day, if he can stay healthy. Even then, the unsettled quarterback position and the general funk hanging over the franchise makes him no better than a C+.
Tight end: Our general approach to fantasy football is to never use a tight end, unless the guy is a stud. Most leagues give owners the options of using three receivers, and we can think of about 300 that we'd select before picking any of guys who play this position for the Bills (but we're sure they're all great blockers).
Defense: Beyond the top five or six units in the league, defensive teams in fantasy football are generally a crapshoot. The Bills' defense fall squarely into this category -- it's "crap" and someone should "shoot" them. C-.
Kicker: Rian Lindell is the guy, with Nicholas Setta filling the "camp leg"
role. Lindell scored 113 points in 2005, making all of his extra points and converting 29 of 35 field goals. Though he's likely to again get more chances at scoring three than one, we've got a feeling that, in the grand scheme of things, he won't get many of either this season. C-.
We're not saying that the Bills will finish as the worst team in the league. There's too much that can happen, and due to free agency the difference between the best and worst team is much narrower than it used to be.
But this organization has more question marks than the Riddler's longjohns, and for now it deserves to be regarded as the worst in the league.
Hey, at least they don't have to worry about failing to fulfill anyone's expectations.
POSTED 1:31 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 2:19 p.m. EDT, July 1, 2006
BEN WON'T USE SPECIAL HELMET OR FACEMASK
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger won't be wearing any special helmet or facemask when he returns from serious facial injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident on June 12.
Although the Post-Gazette also reports that Roethlisberger is healing faster than expected from a potpourri of broken bones, Coach Chin is committed to holding Ben out until he's able to withstand hits to his head.
And he can expect to get them. Plenty of them. Defensive linemen hope to inflict as much pain as possible on the opposing quarterback, possibly in the hopes that they can knock him out of the game. Or end his life. Usually, the shots come low, to the legs. This year, Big Ben can expect to take his hits high, 15-yard penalties be damned.
So it's wise to keep him out of live action until he's fully healed and, more importantly, mentally able to stand in the pocket and take whatever might come his way.
The recovery continues next week, when Roethlisberger will try to throw some passes for the first time since the incident.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS
The Bears have signed another linebacker not named "Lance" or "Briggs."
The lawyer for the seven players suing the NFL and NFLPA is tempting fate: "You don't want to put guys like this in front of a jury, because they are going to cream the [league]." ("Cream"? Dude, we're impressed that you have a law degree given that you're only eight years old.)
RB Ricky Williams gained 97 yards on 18 carries for the Argos.
Former Bears WR John Capel received a two-year suspension from track's world governing body after testing positive for marijuana.
Mooch's gig with NFL Network includes Sundays and Mondays in the
Total Access studio and on-site work at the location of the eight regular-season games the network will carry.
Bills QB J.P. Losman is taking pointers from Ron Jaworski.
The Broncos want to put more pressure on the quarterback. (They've already succeeded in doing so with their own.)
A bill has been introduced to repeal Pennsylvania's helmet-optional law.
