Buffalo Bills Trade Lee Evans

Lee Evans, 30, was traded yesterday to the Baltimore Ravens for a 4th round pick in the 2012 draft. Evans was one of the veterans on this young Bills team. Initially the reaction was not good for the Bills. Drayton Florence tweeted the following:

DraytonFlorence: Wtf

DraytonFlorence: If I knew that was gonna happen.....?

DraytonFlorence: Wtf wtf wtf

The second tweet seems to imply he would have signed elsewhere had he known we were giving away important parts of the team. And then Drayton retweeted the following comment from a fan:

cwink1: @DraytonFlorence summing it up well.. Sorry you're stuck here.. think of the bright side, have a big year and we'll trade you to a contender

Followed by:

Biblebasher666: @DraytonFlorence MAKES NO SENSE! Are we trying to win?Seriously...

And then Drayton fired off a few more tweets of his own:

DraytonFlorence: Are we trying to win now or later????#wtfnoworlater

DraytonFlorence: Sad day for the #bills

DraytonFlorence: Why so stupid

DraytonFlorence: I'm not mad at the trade I'm mad because this will change how defenses play us now

That last tweet seems to backtrack a bit. There's no doubt Drayton was upset about the move. Those retweets are obviously telling. Given the ability to retweet a fan is a new voice for today's athlete. Fred Jackson also seemed upset by the move. Most of the young guys like CJ Spiller, AJ Williams and David Nelson didn't seem as hurt by the move and wished Evans well in Baltimore. The reality is, the younger guys like Donald Jones, David Nelson, Naaman Roosevelt, and Marcus Easley will benefit the most from this move.

Surprisingly quiet was the most vocal guy on the team, Stevie Johnson. Johnson and George Wilson had shown some support for Evans when the rumors began. Johnson outwardly questioned the possibility of the move, calling Evans a team leader. I find it suspicious that he didn't have anything to say about it yesterday.

Stevie's first tweet on the matter was:

StevieJohnson13: ...iKno We All was like wtf! Huhh?!.... but FXCK IT THO! @Scoe11 @DaJones19 @DavidNelson86 @Nyce18 #SJ13 #BILLS #GoooooonSquaaaaad

Donald Jones chimed in on the matter this morning when he retweets Stevie says and then follows it up with his own words ("gotta put da team on yo baaacckk thooo"):

DaJones19: RT @StevieJohnson13 GMorning World... FuhhWitMeee Wutupthoo..>>gotta put da team on yo baaacckk thooo

Stevie responded with:

StevieJohnson13: @Dajones19 haha Word!

Fans were outraged that we gave up our perceived #1 receiver (it could be argued Stevie Johnson was slated for that role from the beginning of camp even though he often referred to Lee as "the guy") for a 4th round pick. A 3rd round pick may have been acceptable to most Bills fan but not a 4th round pick. The argument is finding a quality player for a 4th round pick is hard to find, especially with the Bills draft track record.

Here's a list of past Bills 4th round picks:

2011: Chris Hairston (RT)
2011: Da'Norris Seacy (S)
2010: Marcus Easley (WR)
2009: Shawn Nelson (TE)
2008: Reggie Corner (CB)
2008: Derek Fine (TE - No longer on team)
2007: Dwayne Right (RB - No longer on team)
2006: Ko Simpson (S - No longer on team and clearly not worth millions)
2005: Duke Preston (C - No longer on team)
2004: Tim Euhus (TE - No longer on team)

Finding a good player in the 4th round isn't easy. The jury is still out on Easley (who they have high hopes for), Searcy (who they hope will become a starter in the secondary very soon) and Hairston (more of a project RT). Shawn Nelson has been riddled with injuries and can't stay on the field. The word potential has been used with him and Easley a lot lately but the fact is, with some of the tight ends they've brought into camp who have performed well, Nelson may have a hard time making the team. Reggie Corner has had a pretty good training camp so far so it's not out of realm of possibility that he makes the team but up until this point, his career as a Bill has been forgettable.

According to the team, they wanted a 3rd round pick but ultimately settled with a 4th rounder from Baltimore which will likely end up being a late 4th round pick because of how good the Ravens are. There were rumors floating around that the Bills wanted a player included in the deal.

Evans is coming off his worst season with the Bills - 37 receptions for 578 yards and 4 Touchdowns. Numbers that can easily be replaced. Roscoe Parrish was well on his way to crushing those numbers before an injury curtailed his season. But the numbers aren't the issue for Bills fans. Most believed he freed up Stevie Johnson on the other side, who had a really good year eclipsing 1,000 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns.

In 2010 when Terrell Owens signed with the Bills, most believed that Lee Evans would have a breakout year opposite of Owens. He only had 44 receptions for 612 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Lee has only eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving twice in his career, in 2006 and 2008.

Lee finally gets to answer the question - with a reliable quarterback, can he be that explosive receiver he resembled in 2006 and 2008? He'll be opposite of Anquan Boldin with Joe Flacco as his quarterback in Baltimore. Many believe he's been the victim of not having a good quarterback and the constant switching of coaches, offensive coordinators and general managers throughout his tenure in Buffalo.

Ultimately I believe it was a numbers game in Buffalo. Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey want their young guys in this year. Donald Jones, who the coaching staff absolutely loves, will likely benefit the most. Roscoe Parrish, who was having the best season of his career prior to injuring himself will also get a ton of time on the field. David Nelson, who Darryl Talley said "has all the tools needed 2 emerge as a team leader & make the Pro Bowl within the next 2 years." Nelson is a guy who came on big last year as one of Fitzpatrick's go to guys. They have high hopes for Nelson.

And then you have interesting guys like Naaman Roosevelt, who has caught everything in camp and made a good case for himself to remain on the team, Marcus Easley, who is a big receiver with plenty of speed that they drafted last year with big expectations, and Craig "Buster" Davis, a guy they've given a good, long hard look at this past week in camp. Davis is a former first round pick with the Chargers who has been riddled with injuries the past few years and hasn't lived up to expectations in San Diego.

It appears the Bills want a lot of guys involved in the offense, which will feature a lot of quick dump-offs, screen plays, Brad Smith Wildcat, and plenty of spread offense. Lee was the odd man out.

With Fred Jackson entrenched as the starting running back, CJ Spiller will be a guy who is looking to bounce back from a disappointing rookie season. What his role is, especially with kickoffs being less important because of the new rules, is unknown but it's likely he'll be the guy on the screen plays, draws, and lining up as a receiver at times. Then you have the Brad Smith factor. He's expected to get anywhere from 4 to 14 plays a game.

One of Ryan Fitzpatrick's strengths as a quarterback isn't the deep ball which eliminates the need for Lee Evans.  Whether this is the real reason the Bills got rid of Evans is something that will be debated on message boards for some time. A lot of Bills fans believe this is strictly a financial move but the reality is Lee Evans was going to make in the 3 to 4 million dollar range this year, which is hardly much for a #1 type receiver.

All along Buddy Nix has been saying he wants to get his young guys on the field . The Bills strongest position depth wise was considered the Wide Receiver position. Getting rid of Evans gives them the chance to give Easley, Roosevelt and Davis a closer look. Kamar Aiken, from Central Florida, is also another guy who's been having a really good camp.

Despite all of this, the question remains - why trade Lee Evans now? Evans has 2 years left on his deal. Did the coaching staff really believe his best years were behind him or was it a case of not needing him in Chan Gailey's offense?  Either way, this didn't sit well with the locker room initially, but the Bills have the benefit of having a lot of young players who won't care as much about it compared to a team full of veterans who would likely ask, "What kind of message does this send to other players on this team?"

This is something that will be forgotten quickly if the offense exceeds expectations this year. If it doesn't, you can bet Bills fans will question Buddy Nix and whether he's capable of running this team. I personally want to see how the season plays out - with Evans in Baltimore and how our offense performs this season. With so many playmakers on this team, I believe the potential is there to still have a very good offense this year. That's if the offensive line (the biggest question mark on this team) holds up.

Camp Videos: 8/11/11

August 11th Camp Notes

Apparently I picked the wrong practice to go to! Yesterday's night practice was described as a physical, hard hitting practice. Today's practice resembled a Friday practice before a Sunday game, meaning it was really light. It was almost like an extended walk through. Regardless, I still had a good time as the weather was beautiful and I had an awesome seat covered by the shade provided by the roof of the press box.

Lets get on with the report:

Michael Jasper wins the first man on the field award. I hope this is an indication of his work ethic. I've seen him come out early the other days I was at camp as well.

Dave Wannstedt was one of the first few coaches out and while observing him interacting with other coaches I realized he has a certain aura to him. This guy was a prominent coach in this league before and here he is, taking on this low key role in Buffalo. It feels good having an experienced guy taking on this role.

Jasper and Chris White were playing 1 handed catch. Both men lost, for those keeping score.

At this point the rest of the team made their way out and Torell Troup came out with a huge club on his injured right hand. Maybin was extra excited to inquire about Troup's new weapon.

Roscoe came out with just a hat on (no clothes). This was weird. Just messin'. As Gailey said yesterday, Parrish will be taking it easy for the next week or so. Shawn Nelson and LB Eddins were also sitting this one out. Alex Carrington warmed up with the Linebackers again. David Nelson, Donald Jones and Marcus Easley were participating - all guys who have been dinged up the past week.

After all of the stretches and standing around, we got some 7 on 7 stuff.

• Lee Evans had a beautiful over the shoulder catch to start the drill off.
• Evans dropped one on the very next play.
• Donald Jones had a nice catch over the middle.
• Chandler brought one in.
• Stevie Johnson with a short reception.
• Fitz overshot Lee Evans on the next play.
• Chandler brought in another reception.
• Aaron Williams sighting. Williams had a nice breakup on a ball heading toward the endzone.
• Brad Smith, lined up as receiver, caught a nice touchdown in the corner of the endzone. Crowd approved!
• The next ball was almost picked off by Jammie Kirlew. 
• Reggie Corner made a nice play to break up a ball coming to David Nelson
• Kamar Aiken had a beautiful Touchdown catch from Levi Brown that got a nice response from the crowd.
• Roosevelt caught his 2nd touchdown of the day.
• On the other side of the field I noticed Antonio Coleman lost a one-on-one battle to Cordaro Howard.
• Mike Caussin had a nice catch on the next play.
• Lionel Dotson (who was being yelled at to report to some special teams duties early on and didn't hear his name over the megaphone which led to the coach going nuts) lost 2 consecutive battles to Colin Brown, #74.
• TJ Langley beat Isaiah Thompson. Not in a fight this time.
• Erik Pears beat Jammie Kirlew (pretty sure that's the last time I'll mention that name again) handily
• Meanwhile, on the other side, Fitz had a beautiful toss to Stevie Johnson. Johnson made a hell of an effort to bring this one. Crowd loved it.
• Fitz went back to #13 again but was a little bit off.
• Fitz completed one to David Nelson.
• Andy Levitre beat Spencer Johnson on the other side.
• Bad throw from Fitzy to Chandler.
• Completion to Donald Jones.
• Fitz rounded up this drill with a completion to CJ Spiller.

Time for special teams on the other field. I decided to skip this and keep my nice, shaded seat.

Time for the real 7 on 7.

• BIG run to the left by Fred Jackson.
• Incompletion to Jackson on a short pass.
• Completion to David Nelson.
• Catch and run by CJ Spiller. Decent gain.
• No Troup yet during this session.
• Short dump off to David Martin for a short gain.
• Another short completion to Jackson. Erik Pears held his own against Kelsay and kept him at bay.
• Thigpen roll out left and completion to Marcus Easley. 
• Troup just checked in.
• Thigpen completion to Buster Davis. Davis looked smooth here.
• Bad throw to Roosevelt. Naaman never had a chance.
• Next play was the first ball I've seen Naaman drop.
• Thigpen fakes right, goes left to Easley. Easley is looking REAL good.
• 3rd team is out. 3 consecutive plays to Johnny White.
• Levi threw deep to Hubbard but he under threw him by a mile. Incomplete.
• Pass break up by DOYLE MILLER, intended for Kamar Aiken from Levi.
• Levi completion to Easley.
• First teamers back in.
• Designed screen to Stevie Johnson that the D was all over.
• Dareus dominated the next 2 plays. Would be sack on Fitz on the first one. 
• Good long completion from Fitz to David Nelson. On this play Bell and company stuffed Chris White.
• Rollout right, completion to Chandler. McIntyre did a good job blocking Kelsay on the rollout.
• Another short completion to Chandler.
• GREAT catch over the middle by Donald Jones. D Bell held up Merriman on this play. Good work, Bell.
• Second team is back on.
• Short run by Johnny White.
• Thigpen with the right sideline completion to Easley.
• Quick toss to Johnny White.
• Run right by Johnny White stopped by MOATS. Moats was in perfect pursuit of White here.
• Caulcrick brought in a short reception.
• MAYBIN WATCH: Cordaro Howard stopped him here. Maybin couldn't do anything at the point of attack.

Horn blows, looks like we're going to 11 on 11.

• Kelsay starts it off with a would-be sack on Fitz. 
• Incomplete to Lee on the deep right side. Lee and Fitz just aren't clicking.
• Completion to Donald Jones.
• Spiller run sniffed out by Merriman who would have smashed Spiller if they were really hitting.
• Fitz incompletion to Easley.
• Another incompletion to Evans from Fitz.
• Run by Johnny White that was stopped near the line.
• Completion to Easley from Fitz.
• Quick throw to Johnny White that turned into a nice play. Troup got a good push on this play.
• Thigpen incompletion. Didn't catch the intended target.
• The last play of the day was an incompletion to Caussin.

Camp ended a bit early today, at 4:48 pm. Like I mentioned above, this was a real light practice. No pads. No hitting.

AFTER PRACTICE:

Afterwards Thigpen was throwing to Mike Caussin who wanted some extra reps.

Chad Rinehart also did some extra drills by himself.

Fitz was talking with Easley extensively after practice, telling him where he needs to be on whatever route they were discussing.

Nelson was also catching a few balls as well.

I took a lot of video footage today. I will sort it out tomorrow so if you want to see footage from today's camp, come back here and check it out. 

I also realized that tweeting, shooting video and taking notes was a bit challenging and I didn't get to focus on certain guys as much as I hoped to. I was getting all sorts of questions on twitter about certain guys but I truthfully couldn't keep up with everything. I've decided that while the video footage is nice, it's not necessary and that focusing on certain guys is likely the more productive thing to do. I apologize if I don't say much about a certain guy.. like Alex Carrington who I observed more in warmups and less in actual play.

RANDOM NUGGETS OF INFO:

Carrington is so much bigger than last year. He appears to have kept his speed as well.....Fitz and Thigpen were doing rollout drills at one point and I noticed how well Thigpen runs and how well he throws on the run. Beautiful spiral and velocity...Merriman and Kelsay were by each others side the entire first half of practice. They were constantly communicating together and being coached up...I didn't really see much from the Defense today but then again, they've been dominating camp lately...Justin Rogers was not practicing again but was working hard on the workout bike...Cordaro Howard and Mansfield Wrotto are essentially the same guy, right? Both from Georgia Tech with similar size and weight...I tried singling out Erik Pears on a few plays and he seemed to hold his own today...Just wanted to give Spencer Johnson some props for his play so far in camp. He's so far under the radar and gets so little attention, Felton Huggins is even laughing...


Today's Standouts: Scott Chandler, Dareus, Stevie Johnson and Marcus Easley.


Excuse any typos or mistakes, I wanted to get this report up for you guys as quick as possible. It's now time to watch the Chargers v. the Seahawks in the first televised preseason game. Make sure you come back tomorrow as I'll post some videos and have some thoughts on the latest news surrounding Lee Evans.

Troup has cracked bone in hand

Torell Troup was diagnosed with a cracked bone in his right hand. Troup said he believed it happened when he got his hand stuck in Eric Wood's pads. He'll be fitted for a cast soon and it's expected the cast will be removed by the season opener. “Somewhere in my hand I’ve got a little broken bone, but it’ll be fine,” Troup said. “I’m still going to play. I’ve just got to wait for the pain to go away and they’re going to cast it up and I’ll get out there again.”

My Take: Too bad for Troup who was having his best training camp yet (OKAY -- out of 2). Troup made some big strides from last year, improving on his handwork and his core strength through some intense offseason workouts. The good news is this doesn't appear to be a season long injury and if they handle it properly, he should be good to go for the season opener. The only tricky thing is he's never played with this type of injury so we don't know how it will affect his overall play.

Quick note..

• The Bills have off today which is probably a great time to have off considering all of the injuries and sore muscles. 
• I'll be at camp on Thursday with minute-by-minute updates and a ridiculously long review.

Injuries mount but nothing to be too concerned about

• Shawn Nelson has been out for a week with a pulled muscle and isn't likely to return until Wednesday at the earliest, according to Coach Gailey. Nelson's tenure with the Bills has been a big disappointment thus far. I've heard the words "So much potential" associated with Nelson so many times but he can't stay healthy.
• Drayton Florence sprained his ankle during Saturday night's practice. Gailey said that he's going to miss the first preseason game but shouldn't be out much longer than that. Because of the depth in our secondary, this isn't something that concerns me. Florence missing a game of preseason doesn't affect the team at all.
• Demetrius Bell left Sunday's practice with a strained shoulder. Gailey said "it'd be a couple of days and probably he'll be back." Wang filled in at the Left Tackle position. Yes, Wang, Levitre and Wood. Kidding aside, I hope I'm wrong about Wang. Thankfully Bell's injury won't keep him out long but if it were serious - I have to tell you how petrified I am of our depth on the offensive line. Buddy keeps insisting that their line isn't as bad as we think it is. I'll take your word for it, Mr. Nix.
• Today's inactives include: Donald Jones, Drayton Florence, Justin Rogers, Kelvin Sheppard, Kellen Heard, Marcus Easley, and Shawn Nelson.
• On the positive side, both Aaron Williams and Shawne Merriman returned to practice today.

Peter King gives the Bills some props

SI_PeterKing: Bills bits: Merriman says he's baaack ... Brad Smith's big arm on display ... Dareus, KWilliams load of trouble ... This is not a 4-12 team.


That was a recent tweet from Sports Illustrated's Peter King. He will post more Bills camp thoughts in tomorrow's edition of Monday Morning Quarterback which can be read on Sports Illustrated's website.

He also tweeted the following:

SI_PeterKing: Great conversation with Brad Smith today about how the Jets' chase for Nnamdi cost them him: "The Lord works in mysterious ways.''


Since the Bills are so under the radar and get about as much publicity as I do on ESPN, this is good news for Bills fans. We can finally read some positive stuff and maybe garner a smidgen of respect from the masses. That last part is still unlikely.