Tank Carder Has the Right Idea

I'm not sure what "app" he was using (maybe you can enlighten me), but rookie linebacker Tank Carder created something that Bills fans would certainly be interested in seeing become reality:

Super Bowl champions is a title that has long eluded the Buffalo Bills. It's a phrase that has been coveted by Bills fans for 45 years. It'd be fair to say that 2012 is the first time in a long time (probably since the Drew Bledsoe days) that Bills fans felt like their team was a legitimate contender before the season began. The Bills have had their hot starts in the past, but they have never created so much buzz across the league before opening day. It's only July, but there's already only one thing on the minds of the fans, and it appears that there's one thing on the minds of the players. In case you can't figure it out, see above.

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Merriman "Strictly Business"

Check out what Shawne Merriman posted on his Twitter account this afternoon:

That sounds like the mentality of a football player, rather than someone who has been held up by distractions both on and off of the field in the past. There's no secret about Merriman's injuries. They have clearly thrown a wrench into his career. However, both he and the Bills seem much more optimistic about his return to form than they have since he was acquired off of waivers in 2010. Keep in mind that Merriman is in a contract year with the Bills. If he can find some success this season, it could land him a decent payday in the off-season, whether it's with the Bills or another team. At the end of the day, it's encouraging to hear that Merriman (now a backup defensive end) intends to be focused on the football field. After all, his career could be riding on it.

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Tilt with 49ers Moved Back to 4:25p

The NFL is taking another step towards improving the quality of games for its fans. Due to local broadcasting restrictions, often times, CBS and FOX must leave the 'bonus-coverage' broadcast of an exciting early game to broadcast the kick-off a game beginning at 4:15p. To counteract the occurrence this season, the NFL will move all scheduled 4:15p games back ten minutes to 4:25p.

This change will effect the kick-off of the Bills and 49ers at Candlestick Park in Week Five. Instead of a 4:15p start, the game will begin at 4:25p to allow the early game on CBS to reach its conclusion. As Bills lead journalist Chris Brown notes, the Bills are 3-3 on the road against San Francisco. The last time the two clubs met at Candlestick, Lee Evans and Willis McGahee led the way with two touchdowns apiece in a 41-7 dismantling of the 49ers. Buffalo most recently dropped a 10-3 decision to San Francisco in 2008 at the Ralph.

Tickets for Twitter!

Individual game tickets for the Buffalo Bills 2012 season go on sale to the general public Tuesday, July 10th. However, Bills journalist Hannah Buehler reports that there will be a special online pre-sale July 9th! This pre-sale will be available to those who 'like' the Bills on Facebook and follow them on Twitter, as well as e-mail and text message subscribers.

There will be a promo code required to purchase the tickets. Keep in mind that tickets for the home opener against Kansas City and in Week Four against New England are already sold out. However, season tickets are still available for purchase online, at the ticket office, or by calling 1-877-BBTICKS.

Kelly: Fitz's Best Asset is Defense

Yesterday afternoon, Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly spoke with Tim Ryan and Solomon Wilcots on SiriusXM NFL Radio. Of course, he was asked about current Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and what will help him the most as the 2012 season gets set to kickoff. Here's what Kelly had to say:

“As offensive players we always say your defense is your best friend and you go out and get a Mark Anderson from the Patriots, a Mario Williams from the Texans, you get hopefully Shawne Merriman healthy now, a couple of great draft picks the last couple of years, if this team stays healthy and this defense stays healthy then Ryan Fitzpatrick’s best asset will be a dominating defense that will shorten the field for him so he doesn’t feel like he’s carrying the whole burden of the Buffalo Bills, not just the team, but the whole city on his shoulders."

Kelly's assessment that the defense can be an offensive player's best friend is spot on. Last year, the Bills needed Fitzpatrick to win games for them, and he did at the beginning of the season. However, injuries and an often porous defense buried the Bills in the second half of the year. With a new monstrous defensive front, the Bills may not only be able to shorten the field for Fitzpatrick, as Kelly notes, but they may also create more opportunities for the Bills to put points on the board.

Kelly also referred to the fact that this is Fitzpatrick's first FULL off-season as the starting quarterback for the Bills. Trent Edwards started the season in 2010, and last year the lockout eliminated any OTA's that would've taken place. With a full off-season at the facility, as a starter, Fitzpatrick can work with the coaching staff to improve on anything that may have hindered his performance last season.

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Rookie WR Graham Getting Up to Speed

Exit Roscoe Parrish. Enter TJ Graham. While it may be something the lightning quick third round pick (nice rhyme, huh?) isn't used to, getting up to speed with the Bills offense became a lot more complex once the veterans hit the field for mini-camp. Suddenly, Graham was a little bit behind the proverbial eight ball. As Bills lead journalist Chris Brown writes, nine of the other 11 receivers on Buffalo's roster have at least one year's experience in the offense, leaving Graham far behind their level of understanding.

"We have hardly any new faces on offense except for a couple of linemen and him," said head coach Chan Gailey. "Everybody else has been here and knows the system. So we're trying to catch him up."

Graham certainly possess the work ethic and intelligence to fully comprehend Gailey's offensive scheme. However, the head coach is not going to slow down his offensive development just to adhere to a rookie wide receiver. It will be Graham's responsibility to acquaint himself with the offense and get adapted as quickly as he possibly can. As Brown reports, Graham did turn in a couple of touchdowns during OTA's and showed flashes of his electrifying breakaway speed. That kind of production prior to his first training camp is encouraging, but the youngster still has a long way to go in his development into an NFL wide receiver.

"He can run fast. He can catch a football," said coach Gailey. "I'm anxious to see how he can develop as time goes on."

So are we, Chan, so are we.

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5 In, 5 Out

Here's a link to the video I alluded to yesterday featuring Herm Edwards on NFL Live discussing the Buffalo Bills as the first member of the "5 In, 5 Out" series.

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New Sideline Gear from New Era!

Check it out! Less than a month away from training camp, New Era released 2012's sideline collection. This what the players and coaches will be rocking on the sidelines this season. As Bills lead journalist Chris Brown notes, these sideline caps will be available starting July 12th in the Bills Store at One Bills Drive!

Bills Hidden Treasure

I've mentioned in a previous post how the Bills possess a good deal of depth across their roster entering this season. From top to bottom, there is competition at every position and the best man will earn that starting position. That's the way Chan Gailey coaches. We know about the defensive ends, we know about the running backs. But which of the roster positions might have a wealth of talent yet to breakthrough? ESPN's AFC East blogger James Walker examined groups that could exceed pre-season expectations. When it comes to the Bills, Walker says, it's their cornerbacks.

Walker predicts (and presumably so) that Aaron Williams, rookie Stephon Gilmore, and veteran Terrence McGee all figure to play into Buffalo's pass defense, which ranked 19th in the league last season. The combination of young athleticism and crafty veterans could make for a rather effective defensive backfield. However, the bolstered pass rush of the Bills might have the biggest effect on secondary play. As Walker notes, the quicker you get to the quarterback, the more uncomfortable he is, and that could result in more turnovers for the defense. The Bills' competitive group of defensive backs, including the likes of ballhawks Jairus Byrd and George Wilson, could create nightmares for opposing quarterbacks in 2012.

Interestingly, there is no mention of Leodis McKelvin, who finds himself (in a contract year) with what many believe is his last chance with the Bills. Quite frankly, even if he has some success, the Bills may still allow him to hit the free agent market. With Gilmore, Williams, McGee, and up-and-comers like Justin Rogers and Ron Brooks, there is probably no room for McKelvin in the already crowded secondary.

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Edwards: Bills/Jets Wild Card Battle

The New England Patriots seem to be the perennial favorite to win the AFC East this season, at least in the eyes of most mainstream media. Former NFL head coach and ESPN analyst Herm Edwards discussed the possibility of the Bills and Jets battling for a wild card spot behind the division champion Patriots, giving a slight edge to the Bills. Edwards likes where the Bills are offensively as compared to the Jets, but favors Rex Ryan's defense, which is interesting considering the upgrades that Buffalo has made. Nevertheless, the Bills, who recorded only 23 sacks last year, and their new defensive weapons have to get it done on the field.

ESPN consulted 22 of their NFL analysts to come up with five teams who missed the post-season last year that will reach the playoffs in 2012. Thus, five teams who made it last year will not make it this year. This exercise was performed because over the last 16 NFL seasons, at least five teams have made the playoffs who failed to do so in the previous year. The Bills were featured on ESPN's NFL Live and NFL32 as one of the five teams "in" the playoffs for 2012. Edwards again agreed that the Bills have a slight edge over the Jets, as well as the idea that their schedule is favorable. The Bills, as Edwards points out, play only one ELITE level quarterback this year, that being their pair of matchups with Tom Brady and the Patriots. Mark Schlereth agreed with this notion, and added that the Bills offensive linemen were "mashing people" up front before the injury bug caught up with them.

Hard to disagree with any of that, except maybe the part where the Bills can only compete for the wild card spot. This is a team that defeated New England last season when healthy, and jumped out to a 21-0 lead in New England last year with no playoff aspirations. Given ten returning starters on offense, some major upgrades on defense, I don't see any reason why the Bills can't compete with New England for the AFC East crown.

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