Bills Training Camp Preview ‘Help wanted’ sign is out as April’s troops go through transition
Bills' special teams counting on reinforcements
This is the third of three stories previewing Buffalo Bills training camp, which opens Friday at St. John Fisher College
Special teams have been the least of the Buffalo Bills’ concerns. They have been ranked first overall twice and no lower than fourth since 2004.
Coy Wire, Sam Aiken, Mario Haggan, Josh Stamer, Ryan Neufeld and Kevin Everett were a big reason for that success, for they made up the heart and soul of the return and coverage units.
Their departures create a huge leadership void that must be filled before the Sept. 7 opener against Seattle.
“I’m fairly confident that the guys we have are going to replace the people we lost,” special teams coach Bobby April said. “And it’s a tough replacement. I don’t want to diminish what those guys did because I know firsthand the commitment they made, what they did throughout the week, what they did during the games.
“But this organization knows that special teams are an important part of the game, and they do a good job of bringing the right guys in. From an athletic standpoint and from a standpoint of desire, incentive and inner grit, I think we certainly have guys with the potential to get it done.”
April said starters aren’t off limits to play special teams, and several probably will participate in some capacity. In most cases, though, special teamers are backups looking for a means to make their presence felt.
Wire, Aiken, Haggan, Stamer and Neufeld exceled because they embraced that role. April’s job is finding replacements with the same mentality.
“Guys who excel on special teams have something different about them. There’s some intangible,” April said. “They aren’t that far away from anybody physically. To really be good, to be excellent, to be the best, you’ve got to have a bunch of guys who are highly motivated, who love to play and embrace doing something they don’t get rewarded for, which is hard to do.
“That’s what I’m looking for. If I find it, I’m going to do everything I can to keep the guys here. It’s ultimately someone else’s decision, but that’s the kind of guy I’ve tried to keep around here.”
Despite the personnel losses, April is encouraged by what he has coming back. Backup safeties John Wendling and Bryan Scott were among the Bills’ leading special teams tacklers last season, with Wendling topping the list at 24. Linebacker Blake Costanzo and wide receiver Justin Jenkins also were in the top 10 in special teams tackles. Some of these players need to continue performing well on special teams to secure a roster spot.
Linebackers Keith Ellison and John DiGiorgio, safety George Wilson and running back Fred Jackson started games — most of them as injury replacements — last season. As backups, their presence on special teams will increase. April thinks running back Dwayne Wright could have a breakout year on special teams.
Rookies who will get a good look include tight end Derek Fine, linebacker Alvin Bowen, defensive end Chris Ellis, running back Xavier Omon, cornerbacks Reggie Corner and Kennard Cox and wide receiver Steve Johnson.
“We’ve got a good bunch of veterans, guys who have been around long enough to know what we expect,” April said. “And we are counting on some of our rookies, too. What’s really important is putting not the best 11 players on the field, but the 11 that plays best together.”
The rookie who will grab the most attention is cornerback Leodis McKelvin. The Bills’ first-round draft pick shares the NCAA Division I record with eight career return touchdowns (seven punts, one kickoff) and his 3,817 return yards is second all-time in NCAA history.
The Bills already have arguably the best 1-2 kick return punch in the NFL with Terrence McGee and Roscoe Parrish. McGee is one of 10 players in league history with five career kickoff returns for touchdowns, while Parrish led the NFL in punt returns with a 16.3-yard average in 2007.
There are no plans to reduce their return responsibilities, but McKelvin will get most of the work this summer as April looks for creative ways to utilize the rookie’s big-play potential.
“We have in a lot of occasions used two returners on punt and kickoff returns,” April said. “Having two guys back there gives an opponent a tougher deal on how they are going to punt. On kickoffs, having another returner in the game helps when you have balls intended to go away from Terrence. And with Terrence playing defense full time, Leodis gives us a lot of flexibility. He hasn’t played a game yet, but if Leodis is who we think he is, he will give us a huge ingredient to do more things.”
The Bills are very secure with their kicking game. Punter Brian Moorman was slightly off his 2006 All-Pro form last season, but remains one of the league’s elite. Place-kicker Rian Lindell is reliably accurate with improved distance on kickoffs. April also thinks long snapper Ryan Neill will be less of a question mark with a year under his belt.
“We’re in real solid shape with our kicking and return game,” April said.
He is less certain about other areas. The Bills can’t afford a drop-off in any area of special teams, so April is counting on the emergence of new leaders this summer.
“We have high expectations for this football team this year, and I think a lot of things are going to fall to a great degree on how these guys do on special teams,” he said. “We’ve set a pretty high standard here, so I’ve got a lot to find out about these guys.”
