I attended my third Buffalo Bills practice of the 2011 season Sunday night and have another post of observations I made about the team. Here it goes:
Eric Wood is looking good at center: I talked to Eric Wood after practice for a feature and he told me he didn't feel 100 percent for the beginning of the 2010 season. The lineman sustained a gruesome leg injury to end his rookie year. He looked good against Buffalo's big nose tackles on Sunday. Wood is a great guy too.
Donte Whitner isn't going to be missed: I haven't spent a lot of time watching safety George Wilson, but he has made a number of plays with the first unit. I saw him pick off a pass and take it the other way for a touchdown on Thursday and stuff a run play on Saturday. He has been around the ball on many other occasions. Whitner was solid in run support and so is Wilson. I never liked Whitner in coverage and I think Wilson is better in that role. The former wide receiver has 8 interceptions in 63 games. Whitner has 5 interceptions in 69 games. Rookie Da'Norris Searcy made some good plays with the second team.
David Nelson looks good: Nelson put on some muscle after a solid rookie year. He is getting a decent amount of work with the first and second units. I saw him haul in a number of solid receptions yesterday. The highlight was a deep pass that Tyler Thigpen placed between two defenders. Nelson tipped it initially, then secured it and it probably would've been a touchdown in a game situation. He could push for significant playing time.
Brad Smith can do it all: Brad Smith did some interesting things against the Bills over the past few years. Now, we'll see what Chan Gailey can create for the athletic quarterback/wide receiver. I saw him throwing and catching passes during camp. He saw reps from under center in 11-on-11 and took off on runs and threw a few passes. One pass was nearly picked off by Leodis McKelvin though.
The defensive line looks tougher: The Bills gave up a lot of rushing yards last year and struggled to get after the quarterback. Things should be better this year with the addition of Marcell Dareus. He'll lineup with established starters Kyle Williams and Dwan Edwards. Last year, Torrell Troup and Alex Carrington didn't get noticed a lot, but both looked good in lineman drills Sunday. Troup is big enough to demand double teams.
Fitz to Stevie is still a good connection: It looks like these two are picking up where they left off last year. Stevie Johnson appears to be Ryan Fitzpatrick's favorite target on the field. Johnson runs great routes and has good hands. After the catch, he is explosive and gets upfield quickly. I was most impressed with Johnson's feet near the sideline and in the end zone. He always gets two feet down, no matter how tough the catch is.
That's all for now. Keep following me on Twitter for more Buffalo Bills training camp updates.
National Basketball Players are already pursuing other places to play basketball with a lockout threatening the upcoming season. Some players are heading overseas, but Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant stayed in the country.
He dropped 66 points at Harlem’s Rucker Park Monday. In the video below, Durant drains four-straight 3-pointers. It was in an Entertainers Basketball Classic game. Watch the crowd go crazy in the video below.
Sunday was my first time at Buffalo Bills training camp this year and I learned a lot by watching the night practice at St. John Fisher College.
Lot's of new names, faces and numbers - The National Football League's long lockout limited football news since the draft, so I spent a good amount of time getting used to the new names and numbers on the roster. I have a feeling it may take a few games for me to get used to CJ Spiller and Leodis McKelvin swapping numbers. There are plenty of new players in Buffalo, but there were a few moments where I realized, “Wow, he's still on this team,” like Shawn Nelson.
Marcell Dareus is a big man – I waited by the players' entrance to the field and was most impressed by Dareus' size. According to the Bills, Dareus is 6-3, 343 pounds. The defensive lineman carries that weight well. I saw him display good agility in drills, but he still looked to be one of the most powerful lineman on the team. In line drills, I saw him run over guard Kraig Urbik on one play. From what I saw, he was already running with the first unit. In a 3-4 front, the Bills can use Dwan Edwards, Kyle Williams and Dareus. That sounds pretty nice. The big question is if the linebackers can do anything this year.
Shawne Merriman can make it through a practice – Buffalo fans remember when the team acquired Merriman on waivers and he didn't make it through the first practice. I was surprised the team signed the linebacker to an extension at the end of last year. However, he looks really good. I spent a good amount of time watching linebacker drills, since I was writing about Danny Batten, and Merriman was the most impressive outside linebacker. He's a big guy and he still moves really well. In pass rush drills, Merriman embarrassed left tackle Demetrius Bell twice, going right around him.
Aaron Maybin is not so big – Merriman, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is listed at 6-5, 262 pounds. Maybin, who frequently was a healthy inactive player for the Bills in 2010, is listed at 6-4, 228 pounds. That's a big difference and should tell you everything you need to know. Maybin is quick, no doubt about it, but he isn't big or strong enough to get off blocks. He is definitely in a battle for a spot on the roster.
The Bills secondary is strong – Drayton Florence isn't even practicing yet, but the Buffalo secondary looks to be one of the team's strengths again. Terrence McGee looked healthy and was able to keep close coverage on both Lee Evans and Stevie Johnson. Some people didn't like Leodis McKelvin's play last year, but I thought he came a long way in one-on-one coverage. The big surprise was rookie Aaron Williams, who made the most plays of any defensive back I saw. Going into camp, I thought he was the fourth corner on the roster at best. He might move up. That's a deep lineup and Reggie corner isn't a bad fifth guy. By way Bills fans Ashton Youboty isn't on the team any more, No. 26 is Domonic Cook, an undrafted rookie.
Ryan Fitzpatrick is a bit rusty – The Bills held informal workouts and Fitzpatrick got together with his receivers to throw. However, a practice setting with a defense there changes things. Fitzpatrick still looked like he has good chemistry with Johnson, but overthrew and underthrew a lot of receivers on deep balls. I'm not worried about him though.
Michael Jasper is enormous – Listed at 6-4, 394 pounds, Jasper is the biggest player on the Buffalo roster. The 2011 seventh-round pick is listed as a nose tackle. I'm curious to see if he'll make the team or if he'll wind up on the practice squad. You would have to think a guy that big would be useful in the middle of the defense.
I'll be back at Bills camp Saturday night so keep following me on Twitter @MPN_DanGoldman for updates.
I watched a good amount of boys and girls lacrosse this spring and I was usually impressed when a goalie made a save that wasn't shot directly into their stick. The ball is moving very fast, and becasue they barely wear any pads, the ball usually needs to end up in their stick.
A flashy lacrosse save often involves a quick move by the goalie to get their stick in the right position. Not this save by high school junior Michael Ortlieb. (I have no idea what high school he goes to) Check it out.
Also, if you've been looking for updates I apologize for the delay. I was on vacation for the last two weeks.
I'm still in shock from this week's news in Buffalo Sabres hockey. It's been a fun and exciting week, which is a far different feeling than I'm used to this time of year. Ever since the summer or 2007, where the Sabres lost co-captains Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, I've consistently watched the Sabres lose more than they gained in free agency. It was frustrating seeing the big names out there on the open market, knowing Buffalo wasn't going to have a chance at getting them, due to financial restrictions.
Apparently things are changing in the Queen City, as new owner Terry Pegula is allowing General Manager Darcy Regier to spend whatever is necessary to win the Stanley Cup. Free agency doesn't even start until noon today, but the Sabres have already made two big acquisitions.
The team traded defenseman Chris Butler and prospect Paul Byron to Calgary in exchange for defenseman Robyn Regehr, Alex Kotalik and a second-round draft pick in 2012. The Sabres then traded a fourth-round draft pick to the Islanders for the chance to negotiate with Vancouver free agent defenseman Christian Ehrhoff. The team inked the German to a 10-year, $40 million contract. The deal is great because it's front-loaded, so the player is happy, but it still is just a $4 million salary cap hit each year.
In Regehr's case, Pegula flew to the player's house to make a case for him to come to Buffalo. Tom Golisano never did that to my knowledge.
The Sabres' experience on defense is what killed them against Philadelphia in the playoffs. The Flyers used a strong forecheck to create turnovers. Buffalo's young defense didn't know how to get the puck out of their own end. Buffalo's defense from last year was Butler (age 24), Marc-Andre Gragnani (24), Jordan Leopold (30), Tyler Myers (21), Andrej Sekera (25), Mike Weber (23), Steve Montador (31) and Shaone Morrisonn (31). Montador and Morrisonn didn't even play in game 7. Now the top six is likely Regehr (31) and Myers, Ehrhoff (28) and Sekera and Gragnani and Leopold. Big upgrade.
Regehr doesn't score a lot of points, but he's a physical defenseman, who can shut down an opponent's top forwards. His plus-minus has been positive for the past seven seasons. Ehrhoff recorded a career-high 50 points (14 goals, 36 assists) for Vancouver last year. He was a key player in the Canucks' playoff run, finishing with 12 points (2 goals, 12 assists) in 23 games. He was a combined plus-55 for Vancouver the last two seasons. Ehrhoff also possesses a big shot and can play the point on the power play.
Of course, Pegula also finalized a deal to purchase the Rochester Americans, who will again be the AHL affiliate for the Sabres.
The Sabres also spent money to keep some of their own players. Regier re-signed forward Nathan Gerbe to a three-year deal and right winger Drew Stafford to a four-year deal.
The team still needs to take care of a few more of their guys and I'm hoping center Tim Connolly isn't one of them. There is talk the Sabres could be players for Brad Richards, the top free agent this year. A superstar center is all the team needs to make a run at a Stanley Cup. In the past I wouldn't have dreamed of getting a player of Richards' caliber. But, if anyone can do it, it's Pegula.
I’ve never been the type of person who needed a push to go to the gym. Ever since my college roommate taught me a basic weightlifting routine, I’ve stuck with it.
Going to the gym is rarely a chore for me, I’m usually in a better mood afterwards and I know it’s keeping me healthy.
However, some need more motivation to workout or go the gym. That’s where a new free website called Fitocracy can help. The site combines fitness with social media and video games.
The game aspect involves a level-up system much like a role playing video game (World of Warcraft is probably the most popular example). In a video game, players would defeat enemies and complete quests to gain experience and eventually reach the next level. However, in Fitocracy, users (or players) gain points for different elements of their workouts.
I’ve used it for a month and I still don’t understand the formulas, but generally the more difficult your exercise is, the more points you will get.
The main reason I use Fitocracy is to track my progress. In the past, I just memorized roughly what weight and how many reps I did in my last visit. Now I come home from the gym and punch in my results to the website. It’s easy to do, as the site is pre-programmed with most exercises, everything from running to crunches to dead lifts to bench pressing. The site also informs me when I set a personal record for an exercise.
A quick way to gain points is by completing “quests,” another term borrowed from role playing games. The quests push you to do different activities, like use the barbell bench press three times in a week or do a set of 50 crunches at the end of your workout.
I don’t get any prize for gaining points or leveling up, but it’s still rewarding to me to see how many points I earned that day.
I haven’t taken advantage of the social media aspect of Fitocracy, but it can interface with both Twitter and Facebook, so you can share your progress with friends. There is also an online forum to get or give workout tips.
If you want to make your workout more of a game, interact with friends, or track your progress, check it out at www.Fitocracy.com. If you want follow me on there, my user name is goldy220.
I've been to around 50 Buffalo Bills games in my life and the team's two recent changes to the fan behavior policy don't bother me at all. The changes for the 2011 season (if it happens) are:
Listening to local sports radio yesterday I was surprised to here Buffalo fans complaining about the changes – mainly the time the parking lot would open. I like to get to games with enough time to grill, throw the football around and pass through stadium security before player introductions and I don't think I've ever arrived before 10:30 a.m. If fans have to get to the game at 9 a.m. Instead of 8 a.m., how is that a problem.
Obviously the main reason the Bills are making the change is to curtail how intoxicated fans are by the time they reach the stadium. However, fans can still purchase adult beverages up until the start of the third quarter. Of all the pro sporting events I've been to in my life, Bills games are by far the rowdiest and I think alcohol is probably a good part of that. The problem is that people who want to get tanked are still going to find time to do so before the game.
The change that needs to be made is with the security in front of the stadium to keep these idiots out of the game in the first place.
The smoking thing is great news, but I know it's going to cause more fans to smoke in their seats. The team does offer a fan hotline on game days so you can call or text complaints (someone smoking nearby, fighting, swearing, acting like a drunken idiot, etc.) and security can take care of it. If the team can keep up with complaints the change should work out fine.
All of these changes help the team become more family friendly. Another nice step would be making the family seating in nice seats, rather than a random corner no one would want to go to.
What do you think of the team's changes to the fan policy? Leave a comment and let me know.
Win or lose, I knew the Miami Heat would be the biggest story coming out of the NBA Finals. Mainly because they're so hated. I've rooted against them since this happened:
However, all these stories about LeBron James and the Heat being failures is taking away from coverage of the Dallas Mavericks. There's so many good stories that should be told.
I can't remember seeing a player react to winning a championship like Dirk Nowitzki (maybe Michael Jordan when he was crying and hugging the trophy?). The 7-footer immediately ran into the locker room to be by himself and looked so relieved in his postgame interviews. Dirk was labeled as a soft player who would never win the big one and showed everyone he's one of the best to ever play the game.
Jason Kidd used to be one of the biggest names in the NBA. The point guard was known for attacking the basket and dishing out beautiful assists. Sixteen years into his career he finally won the big one. He previously lost in the finals two years in a row with New Jersey. It's amazing how he transformed his game into shooting three's, playing lock-down defense and quietly running the offense.
Jose Juan Barea is one of my favorite players because we both went to Northeastern University. However, Barea who is somehow listed as 6-feet tall on ESPN, proved he's one of the best point guards at attacking the basket. Barea scored 32 points in the final two games. It's amazing how bad he made Miami, Los Angeles and Oklahoma City look defensively.
I always thought the Jet, Jason Terry, wasn't the type of player who win an NBA title. I thought he would rack up a ton of points on mediocre teams. After a slow start against Miami, Terry scored 21 points in game 5 and 27 in game 6. His contested three to seal game 5 was one of the most ridiculous shots I've seen in a long time. Terry isn't known for his defense, but he recorded eight steals in the series.
Tyson Chandler transformed the Mavericks this season. They used to be a soft team on the inside, since Dirk isn't a physical defender and they've always had mediocre centers. Chandler made them aggressive and tough. His stat line was OK (9.7 points-per-game, 1.2 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 9.2 rebounds). But, there isn't a stat for how he runs the defense that limited LeBron James so much.
I used to think Shawn Marion was washed up once he left Phoenix. After eight productive years with the Suns, where he usually averaged over 19 points-per-game, Marion's numbers dropped during stints with Miami and Toronto. As a Mav, his scoring dropped even more, but he continued to play amazing defense, while shooting at a high percentage. At 33, Marion slowed down James and Dwyane Wade.
When Brian Cardinal appeared in game two it was almost a joke to the broadcasters. They talked about his nickname “The Custodian.” There aren't stats to show what Cardinal does on the court, but he gave them big minutes. He drew charges, fought for rebounds and played tenacious defense. Cardinal even hit a three in each of the last two games. The backup now has more rings than LeBron.
Lastly is Mavs coach Rick Carlisle. He devised an impressive zone defense, in a league dominated by man-to-man defense. He made tweaks to the rotation to get his offense working and used his bench efficiently. Carlisle never is mentioned as a top coach, but I have a feeling that will change now that he has a ring – or whatever Mark Cuban elects to buy for his team.
It's amazing how often the summer of 2007 comes up when talking about the Buffalo Sabres these days. It certainly was on my mind when ex-Sabre Daniel Briere's Philadelphia Flyers beat Buffalo in the first round.
In case you've forgotten, the summer of 2007 came after the Sabres won the President's Trophy for having the best regular season record. However, Buffalo lost in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second-straight season. Co-captains Briere and Chris Drury were both free agents at the season's conclusion.
Most assumed Buffalo could only keep one high-priced center. I was on team Briere. From what I heard, the Sabres wanted Drury, but he wanted to play for the Rangers. Briere wanted to stay in Buffalo. The Sabres managed to lose both and ended up with an overpaid Thomas Vanek thanks to Edmonton.
Briere's eight-year, $52 million deal seems to be worth it for the Flyers, as he continues to be a clutch goal scorer in the playoffs. However, the Rangers aren't too happy about their five-year, $35.25 million investment in Drury. His first two years in the big city weren't bad (25 goals, 33 assists and 22 goals, 34 assists). But, the production tailed off in 2009 with 14 goals and 18 assists and Drury appeared in just 24 games last season with a goal and four assists. He hasn't come close to replicating the 69-point season he had in Buffalo
Yahoo! Sports' Puck Daddy reported today that the Rangers will buy out the last year of Drury's deal come June 15. He reports the savings could help them go after free agent center Brad Richards, who many believe the Sabres should target.
Drury turns 35 this summer, but could he still be valuable to Buffalo? While his scoring is down, the former Sabres captain brings leadership, toughness, good defensive play and the ability to contribute on the power play. One of Buffalo's off-season needs is a top centerman. I don't know if he's No. 1 material, but he'll make Derek Roy easier to swallow as the first line guy.
Remember this?
While the Super Bowl isn't always the best game of the NFL season, the NBA finals more often than not are the best four to seven games of basketball you will watch all year.
This year is no different, with the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat tied at two games apiece after another thrilling game Tuesday night. Aside from Miami's 8-point win in the opener, every other game has come down to the last shot.
Like many fans whose team is no longer playing, I find myself cheering for the Mavs. I do it for two reasons: A) Dallas is a likable team with plenty of aging veterans and B) Miami is one of the most disliked teams in recent memory, due to how the team was put together.
Ever since LeBron James' Decision debacle, I've wanted to see the team fail miserably. However, with two elite players in James and Dwyane Wade and a good player in Chris Bosh, they weren't going to lose easily. Even though I don't like them, they are fun to watch. Wade and James are capable of an highlight-reel dunk or layup whenever they're in transition.
The Mavs feature Dirk Nowitzki, a 7-footer who is more comfortable shooting mid-range jumpers than playing in the post. He's emerged as one of the most clutch performers in basketball during the 2011 playoffs and I still am impressed by his off-balance fade-away jumper. Former superstars like Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Shawn Marion are now role players and coach Rick Carlisle somehow makes it work. Jose Juan Barea who went to Northeastern University a few of the same years I did, also plays a big role.
Of course this is also a rematch of the 2006 finals where Wade and Shaq led the Heat to a 4-2 win over the Mavs. The series was marred by questionable officiating. In the six-game series, Wade converted 75 of 97 shots from the charity stripe.
So far the officiating hasn't been too bad. Wade has gotten away with a few flops, but it isn't deciding the series because the referees aren't giving Wade and LeBron tons of free throws. Wade has attempted 30 free throws and LeBron has just 19 so far.
I'm hoping Dallas wins just to show that teams shouldn't be built through free agency and having two of the best players in the game team up to win titles. Who are you rooting for?
The last three seasons of Rochester Americans hockey have been hard for me to watch. It’s not because of the team’s mediocre record. The reason I used to closely follow the Amerks was the team’s affiliation with the Buffalo Sabres, which allowed me to see the future stars of the National Hockey League team.
The affiliation ended after the 2007-08 season, as Buffalo teamed with the Portland Pirates and Rochester was left with the Florida Panthers, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2000.
There appears to be hope of the Amerks and Sabres reuniting in the near future. Buffalo radio station WGR-AM 550 asked new Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black if the team is interested in purchasing or becoming affiliates with the Amerks. Black said the ownership group is going to consider everything.
“We have a deal in place with Portland (and) it extends for two or three more years,” Black told the station. “But, I also know affiliations change.”
I don’t know how contracts work between NHL teams and their minor league affiliates, but I’m assuming there’s a way the Sabres could escape their contract with Portland, since the ownership group is discussing the possibility of reuniting with Rochester.
Rochester’s three-year deal with Florida is over, so the Amerks need to find a new parent club. It makes so much sense for it to be the Sabres.
Reuniting with Buffalo would likely mean an increase in ticket sales for Rochester. The Amerks do a good job with the gameday presentation, through contests and entertainment, but the problem has been interesting players. I know I’d be excited to see Sabres prospects like Luke Adam, Paul Byron and Zack Kassian wearing red, white and blue.
Buffalo General Manager Darcy Regier likes to build through the draft and the franchise usually has talented players in the American Hockey League. Sabres prospects have won the last three Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Awards, which is given to the AHL’s most outstanding rookie.
The Sabres would benefit by building on an already strong fan base in the Rochester area. I know the team isn’t starving for money, but I’m sure they’d save a few bucks by having players drive up the Thruway instead of flying on a plane from Maine when they are called up.
Black used to work for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who own and control their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. That arrangement can work — Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup in 2009.
I always like looking back at old Rochester team photos and seeing popular Buffalo players like Matthew Barnaby, Rob Ray, Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville and Ryan Miller.
Hopefully the 2011-12 Amerks photo will include the future stars of the Sabres.
The Buffalo Bills had the worst rushing defense in the National Football League in 2010 and the team worked to fix that in the 2011 draft this past weekend.
Bills General Manager Buddy Nix drafted Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus with the third overall pick. Dareus (6-3, 319 lbs.) is a huge upgrade for the team's run defense. He can play defensive tackle in a 4-3 defense and defensive end in the 3-4. Buffalo struggled to get production out of Marcus Stroud last season and Dareus should be a big improvement in rush and pass defense. He had 10.5 sacks over the last two seasons in Alabama. Dareus knows he will be expected to turnaround the team's porous run defense.
“I accept it with open arms,” Dareus said in a conference call after being selected. “They want to stop the run then I have to stop the run. I have to do everything in my power to make it happen.”
In the second round, I thought the Bills might take a quarterback like Andy Dalton or Ryan Mallett, a tight end like Kyle Rudolph, or an offensive tackle like Derek Sherrod. Nix surprised me by taking Texas cornerback Aaron Williams. He had no interceptions in 2010, but three in 2009. He isn't blazing fast, having run a 4.56 40-yard dash at the combine, but he's bigger than most corners at 6-0, 204 pounds. Williams takes pride in his physical play.
“I definitely take pride because I just don’t want to be a corner out there just trying to cover,” he said. “I want to be an all overall great player, not just a player good at one aspect of the game. I want to be an overall player. Being able to cover is an upside to my game.”
In the third round, Buffalo selected LSU linebacker Kelvin Sheppard to help out with run defense. The Tiger recorded over 100 tackles in each of the last two seasons. He doesn't have elite speed, but is a solid tackler with good instincts. He played for the Bills coaches in the Senior Bowl. He was known as the emotional leader of the Tigers defense.
“It’s the feeling that I get before a game,” Sheppard said. “I can’t even put it into words. I’ve been playing the game of football ever since I was five years old and it literally means everything to me. The feeling after a victory is like no other, in my opinion. I just take that to the game and I try to spread it throughout my team and to my teammates. And I see we’ve got big Marcell (Dareus) up front in front of me so I’m going to try to get his big butt fired up before those games so he can keep the linemen off of me.”
Buffalo continued to address the defense in the fourth round, selecting North Carolina defensive back Da'Norris Searcy. I expected an offensive lineman or tight end in this spot, but it appears the Bills found a new strong safety. At 5-11, 223 pounds, Searcy is big enough to play against the run. However, he ran a 40-yard dash time of 4.56 at the combine, so he can get deep in coverage. In 2010, he recorded 37 tackles and four interceptions despite missing three games.
“I’m an aggressive safety,” Searcy said. “I love to come up, play in the box. I can play back in the middle of the field. I’m an excellent tackler and I just enjoy the game.”
The Bills used their second pick in the fourth round to select Clemson offensive tackle Chris Hairston. Hairston may be a project, but he has a lot of potential. He is a big boy at 6-6, 326 pounds and has long arms. At the combine, he had the second most reps in the bench press with 33. Hairston played left tackle at Clemson, but Bills scout Tom Roth sees him as a right tackle in Buffalo.
“He is extremely big, long, good player, good athlete, productive in both phases for them (Clemson),” Roth said. “He’s more of an in-line guy than a space player. He can do it, but more of an in-line guy. Just a good player.”
Buffalo went with North Carolina running back Johnny White in the second round, which surprised me. White has a 4.56 40-yard dash time, so he isn't a burner like CJ Spiller. At 5-10, 209 pounds, he isn't big, but White didn't shy away from contact in college. He is a strong receiver and good special teams player.
“But just his versatility, that’s the big thing with him,” Roth said. “He runs hard. In between the tackles he runs very hard. He hits the hole hard, has good speed and very good hands out of the backfield. He’s a very good special teamer, and that’s a big thing with him being able to contribute on fourth (down).”
Buffalo continued to work on the defense in the sixth round, taking Mississippi State linebacker Chris White in the sixth round. At 6-3, 240 pounds, White is another physical linebacker who is solid in run support. However, there are questions about his coverage abilities. He also played for coach Chan Gailey in the Senior Bowl.
“He’s a tough, instinctive, hard-nosed football player,” Buffalo scout Shawn Heinlen said. “Chris has started two years there at Mississippi St. since being on campus and coming from a junior college. He started outside last year, inside this year. He’s a instinctive player that plays downhill. The one thing that sticks out to me with Chris is you can actually see him going to the ball as it’s snapped. His ability to diagnose plays and fill run lanes is something that he did better than anybody I saw this year on tape.
Buffalo added depth to its secondary, selecting Richmond cornerback Justin Rogers in the seventh round. He has quickness and good hands, picking off eight passes in his career. I wondered why the Bills continued to be obsessed with defensive backs.
“We think you can’t have too many corners,” Nix said. “You ought to take one every year and sometimes you need to take two.”
With their final pick of the draft, Buffalo grabbed an intriguing prospect in Bethel defensive tackle Michael Jasper. He is listed at 6-4, 394 pounds. Jasper weighed 448 pounds in January, but lost weight to get quicker.
“Well, (College Scout) Matt Hand has been stalking this guy for a year or longer and this is an amazing kid,” Nix said. “He vertical jumps 32” and he long jumps like 9’5” and he dunks a basketball with both hands. His body fat is not real high. He’s an exceptional athlete. We would’ve signed him as a free agent so we just drafted him and didn’t have to go after him, and we’re going to see if he can play.”
Overall, I give the Bills a B+ in the draft. I respect their decision not to take a quarterback. If Nix didn't feel that any of the available passers were a franchise player, they shouldn't have drafted them. The draft shows the coaching staff's faith in quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who will get a chance to be the starter out of training camp for the first time.
The selections of all the defensive backs likely means the end for safety Donte Whitner and possibly corner Drayton Florence. Buffalo was shallow at linebacker last year so Paul Posluszny could still be resigned.
By not taking an outside linebacker or tight end, it appears Buffalo is content with the current players at those positions. However, free agency is still an option if the lockout is settled.
I think Williams, Dareus and Sheppard could be first-year starters for the Bills. If Hairston can play this would be an outstanding draft.
High school sports certainly are off to a rough start this week, with rain taking out many games Monday and Tuesday. However, it's one of the best weeks in recent memory for professional sports.
We're in the middle of great playoffs for both the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association. In basketball, every series has been interesting except for Boston's sweep of New York (which I still enjoyed as a Celtics fan). Hockey has been full of overtime drama and the Buffalo-Philadelphia series is going to game 7 tonight. Game 6 may have been devastating for Sabres fans, but it was a great game to be televised nationally.
Baseball is just in the regular season, but it's early enough that I'm still interested in how each game goes (and my fantasy baseball team isn't dead yet).
Even though football is going through a ridiculous legal battle that may compromise the entire 2011 season, we have the NFL Draft Thursday, which I always enjoy. Let's hope the Bills can make a good pick.
Maybe the sun will come out and area high school teams can get some games in later this week.
Buffalo fans like to jump on Sabres goalie Ryan Miller whenever he has a bad game. You would think the goalie would avoid criticism, having led the team deep in the playoffs in 2006 and 2007 and lifted Team USA to a silver medal.
Miller wasn't in Vezina form during the 2010-11 season and fans questioned if he is worth the annual $6 million price tag. Goalies earn their paychecks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and so far Miller has been worth every penny.
After stopping all 32 shots he faced Wednesday night, Miller earned his second shutout of the series with Philadelphia. The Buffalo goalie has stolen two games for his team.
His best save came after Buffalo failed to clear the puck and Flyers forward Daniel Briere found himself all alone with the puck at the top of the crease. Briere tried to fool Miller by holding the puck, but Miller stayed in position and made a nifty glove save. The stop also came after Buffalo's failed five-minute power play to start the third period. Miller's save got the Buffalo fans back into the game.
Miller made another impressive save off a rebound with five minutes left. Mike Richards was looking at an open net, but Miller dived and used the fat part of his goal stick to stop the shot.
Some fans seem to be confused on when a goal is the goalie's fault. Most of the goals on Miller this series haven't been his fault. The goals have been odd-man rushes, where the five skaters left Miller out to dry, or deflections off skates and sticks, which are just bad bounces. It's worth noting that Miller is the only goalie in the playoffs with 2 shutouts.
The series is tied 2-2 and game 4 is back in Philadelphia on Friday. It's highly unlikely Miller is going to get another shutout so lets hope the Sabres can score some goals.
What I liked
What I didn't like
The release of the schedule for the upcoming NFL season is usually exciting. I can look at the teams I'll get to see the Bills play. However, with the lockout in effect it's not known if any of the games will actually be played. Here's the Bills schedule though:
Sept. 11 at Kansas City - 1 p.m.
Sept. 18 vs. Oakland - 1 p.m.
Sept. 25 vs. New England - 1 p.m.
Oct. 2 at Cincinnati - 1 p.m.
Oct. 9 vs. Philadelphia - 1 p.m.
Oct. 16 at New York Giants - 1 p.m.
Oct. 23 BYE
Oct. 30 vs. Redskins (in Toronto) - 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 6 vs. New York Jets - 1 p.m.
Nov. 13 at Dallas - 1 p.m.
Nov. 20 at Miami - 1 p.m.
Nov. 27 at New York Jets - 1 p.m.
Dec. 4 vs. Tennessee - 1 p.m.
Dec. 11 at San Diego - 4:15 p.m.
Dec. 18 vs. Miami - 1 p.m.
Dec. 24 vs. Denver - 1 p.m.
Jan. 1 at New England - 1 p.m.
Based on 2010 records, the Bills have the second toughest strength of schedule in 2011. Their opponents had a combined record of 137-119. Doesn't look good for a winning record.
There was a rumor that Buffalo would face Philadelphia in Toronto, which would've been bad news for western New York Bills fans. Michael Vick and the Eagles are a popular draw and most season ticket holders and local Bills fans don't go to the Toronto game. Losing Washington to Toronto isn't a big deal to me, as it's not a division opponent.
Four home games in December is an interesting scenario. It's good for the Bills in the sense that it's home-field advantage in Buffalo's worst weather. However, if the team isn't doing well, those are four games that might not sell out, including a Christmas Eve's day game against Denver.
I'm most excited to see Vick and the Eagles this season, but the least interesting game is probably Oakland. The Raiders were better last year, but still don't feature a must-see player.
The Bills once again are in zero primetime games and all but two games start at 1 p.m.
What games are you excited about this year?
Buffalo Sabres forward Thomas Vanek has come a long way from when he first entered the National Hockey League in 2005.
After a productive 2004-05 season with the Rochester Americans (42 goals, 26 assists in 74 games), Vanek spent the entire 2005-06 season with Buffalo. He saw success with 25 goals and 23 assists in 81 games, but struggled defensively, finishing with a plus/minus rating of -11. Ruff didn't trust him in the playoffs and only used him for 10 of the team's 18 games. He scored two goals in those games.
Vanek rebounded in 2006-07, scoring a team-high 43 goals, dishing out 41 assists and appeared in all 16 playoff games, recording 10 points. His 84 points during the season were second on the team to only Daniel Briere and his plus/minus rating of +47 was tops in the NHL.
After the season came one of the worst summer's in Buffalo hockey history. Both co-captains, Briere and Chris Drury, left town in free agency. The Edmonton Oilers gave Vanek a seven-year, $50 million offer sheet. Buffalo was forced to match the offer in order to keep the promising Austrian. Was the salary too high at the time? Probably.
I think the burden of the big salary impacted Vanek during the 2007-08 season. His number dropped to 36 goals and 28 assists and Buffalo missed the playoffs. Vanek bounced back in 08-09, posting 40 goals and 24 assists in just 73 games. He missed a good chunk of time due to a broken jaw.
Vanek missed time in 2009-10 to injury and finished with just 28 goals and 25 assists in 53 games. However, it wasn't a bad season for the winger. He learned to play a better game in his own end (+9 rating) and by the end of the year he was scoring in big games. Vanek is a big reason the team won the Northeast division. A knee injury limited him to just three games in the playoffs.
His numbers aren't as high as he would like this year, with 31 goals and 39 assists, but he has finally emerged as a leader. After Craig Rivet was traded, Vanek became an alternate captain. He plays smart defensive hockey and puts much more effort into his backchecks. Even when he's not scoring he is making an impact on the game.
Getting the hat trick in last night's vital win over Tampa Bay showed me he is poised for a big postseason. Each goal came in a different way. The first was a deflection of Jason Pominville's shot from the point on the power play. The second came in front of the net, using his quick hands to lift the puck over Dwayne Roloson. On the last goal, Vanek stole the puck in the neutral zone and fired a slap shot into the empty net.
I believe Vanek should be the Sabres captain next season. I've had enough of this alternating captain garbage. Vanek is getting paid like a star, playing like a star and leading like a captain already. Let's make it official Lindy.
Around the country, ground crews are cutting grass, painting the baselines and raking the dirt on the basepaths in preparation for the 2011 baseball season. Opening day is always an exciting time for fans, even though it's just one of 162 games in the Major League regular season. For me, opening day means I can watch Red Sox games again, but it also signals the start of my fantasy baseball season.
My fascination with fantasy baseball goes back to when I read Sports Illustrated for Kids in elementary school. Their website featured a free fantasy baseball league for readers. It was pretty basic – you picked from a few of your favorite players and chose a team name. There was no drafting or anything like that. I'm not even sure if there was a prize, but I was interested.
The next league I remember was something I read in the back of Sport magazine (which no longer exists). It was a mail-in baseball league, where you picked players off a piece of paper. There was no draft, so each team could have any player it wanted. Of course, being in sixth or seventh grade, I failed miserably competing against grown men, who watched more baseball than I did.
At some point, I started playing in fantasy leagues on websites such as Yahoo with friends. It's always fun being in a competition with friends that will last the entire season.
Fantasy baseball forces you to pay attention to teams you would normally ignore. Why else would I have been doing research on which pitcher will close games for the Atlanta Braves this year? Aside from the two-hour live draft before the season, there isn't much time commitment required. Just set your lineup every morning and occasionally make trades or waiver claims.
Fantasy baseball also lives out the sports fan's fantasy of owning a real team. I pick my players and see how they stack up against the teams my friends put together.
The craziest league I ever took part in was with a bunch of journalism majors in college. The league incorporated a salary cap, contracts, free agency, rookie drafts, minor league systems and even rule five drafts. That eventually proved to be too much commitment for my liking, so I'm back to a simple eight-team head-to-head points league this season.
For those that care, here is my roster:
C: Victor Martinez
1B: Adam Dunn
2B: Dan Uggla
3B: David Wright
SS: Stephen Drew
OF: Carlos Gonzalez, Jason Heyward, Jay Bruce
Utility: Delmon Young, Drew Stubbs
SP: Ubaldo Jiminez, Brett Anderson, John Danks, Shaun Marcum
RP: Joakim Soria, Joe Nathan, John Axford, Matt Thornton
Bench: Luke Scott, Pedro Alvarez, Jonathan Sanchez and Zack Greinke
Is anyone else pumped up for fantasy baseball?
We're midway through March so that means everyone around your office or school is spending a lot of time filling out their NCAA Men's tournament brackets. I don't know what makes brackets so addicting. Maybe it's our competitive nature, or maybe it simply gives us a reason to care about a games like Vanderbilt vs. Richmond and therefore gives us something to get excited about for the rest of the month.
I remember in middle school I wanted to fill out a bracket for my Dad's office pool. For whatever reason I decided that my knowledge of a few good teams would create a bracket far superior to anyone else's. I've always been horrible at brackets, so much luck is involved and it's pretty hard to know a lot about 64 different teams.
I never won a pool until 2009 when I took first in the office pool despite not following college basketball closely. At lot of my picks were based on random nuggets of information I heard on national sports radio and statistics. I like looking at points allowed and points scored – good defenses can win close games. I can't find my bracket, but I know I had Michigan State, UConn and North Carolina picked correctly to go to the final four and also nailed Carolina over Michigan State in the championship game.
Last year, I watched a lot more college hoops and paid attention to who the top players would be in the tournament and I felt confident about my bracket. The knowledge didn't help, as I took 9th out of 11 last year. I feel like the hype surrounding one player can hurt my picks too. In 2007, Kevin Durant's Texas Longhorns lost to USC 87-68 in the second round. Durant is one of the best players in the world right now, but it's a team sport. I'm excited to see how far Jimmer Fredette can carry BYU this month.
My March Madness theory is the less I know about college hoops, the better my bracket will do. I'm unsure what that means for 2011. I didn't get to see a lot of games because I spent most of my weeknights watching high school sports, but I read a lot about Syracuse and other top 25 teams online. I have Kansas, Ohio State, Florida and Duke in the final four with Kansas over Duke in the finals. If you're smart your picks are probably different than mine.
A few weeks ago, my girlfriend and I attended our first Sabres game of the 2010-11 season. We arrived at HSBC Arena far too early and decided to explore the Sabres Store and the Sabres history exhibit on the second level. While the memorabilia in the exhibit was interesting, the text explaining each item's significance contained a number of misspellings and typos. At first we felt proud that we caught one, kind of like catching typos in the New York Times, however as we found more and more it just became weird. How could the organization not have someone look it over or run it through spellcheck before plastering it on your wall for tens of thousands of people to see every game?
WGR/550AM radio host Mike Schoop spent a whole show talking about things he would change about the Sabres organization. It ranged from the Buffa-slug logo still being on the scoreboard and the seats being black and red from that brief jersey era. I agreed with pretty much everything Schoop had to say. The exciting part is now that Terry Pegula is in charge of the Sabres I have a feeling there is a chance for things to change in Buffalo.
Pegula's barely been the owner for a week and the team has already made some interesting moves. The team waived captain Craig Rivet, traded for a proven player and I've heard the team dressing room now has the Sabres logo on the carpet (how they didn't have that before is a mystery).
At Pegula's introductory press conference he expressed a willingness to spend money on the team. “If I want to make some money, I'll go drill a gas well,” he said.
I appreciate what Tom Golisano did as an owner by keeping the team in Buffalo. However, I don't think he was that interested in the sport; his main concern was making money, which in the end he made a ton of, as Pegula paid $189 million for the club. There's been speculation that General Manager Darcy Regier could've kept Chris Drury, Danny Briere or Brian Campbell if the team wasn't under Golisano's financial restrictions. Golisano's ownership has made Buffalo an undesirable place for players to come as free agents. Pegula wants to make Buffalo a destination. He is increasing the budgets for scouting and video, adding player development coaches and looking to increase player morale through everything from locker room amenities to nutrition.
“Starting today," Pegula said, “the Buffalo Sabres' reason for existence will be to win a Stanley Cup.”
Pegula is the ideal owner. He grew up a fan of the team, he still follows the team and he has the bank account to support the team.
I'd like to think Pegula had something to do with Rivet's release. How can an NHL team have its captain watching from the press box? While the team still doesn't have a captain, it slashed some payroll and lets Rivet be happy somewhere. The Sabres had to eat some of Rivet's contract, something Golisano likely wouldn't have done.
Over the years, Buffalo has made some lame deadline deals: Dainius Zubrus in 2007 (4 goals, 4 assists in 19 regular season games and 8 assists in 15 playoff games); Steve Bernier in 2008 (traded for Brian Campbell and recorded 3 goals and 6 assists in 9 games ); Dominic Moore in 2009 (1 goal, 3 assists in 18 games); and Raffi Torres in 2010 (0 goals and 5 assists in 14 regular season games and two assists in four playoff games).
Buffalo just acquired forward Brad Boyes from St. Louis for a second-round pick. Boyes scored 43 goals for the Blues in 2007-08. He hasn't reached that total since, but does have 41 points this year, which would be second best on the Sabres to Thomas Vanek.
The Sabres are poised to make a run to claim one of the last playoff spots this season. Even if they don't there is at least some buzz about the team thanks to Pegula. I have a feeling we will see some real changes at the end of the season and the Sabres will soon be seen as one of the top teams in the National Hockey League.
Saturday was one of the crazier days I've had as a sports reporter in a long time. A big reason for that was Friday's blizzard which wiped out every Section 5 basketball game. The original plan was to cover Bloomfield-Gananda Friday and Palmyra-Macedon-Marshall on Saturday. The snowstorm changed the plan to Red Jacket-Dundee at 4 p.m. Saturday and Bloomfield-Gananda at 8 p.m.
At first this seemed easy, until I realized that I would need to write my Red Jacket story in between the games and get my Bloomfield- Gananda story and photos in for the Sunday paper on deadline. In the end I got everything done on time thanks to coaches being willing to chat quickly after the final buzzer.
The Red Jacket-Dundee game was a huge surprise for me as the Scotsmen held Indians sniper Trevor Sanders scoreless. Red Jacket has been a team I've enjoyed watching this season because of how easily Sanders and fellow senior Tyler Hixson can put up points. For whatever reason Dundee's box-and-one defense completely limited Sanders' ability to take shots and no one else on the roster could come through consistently.
Dundee won 42-33, but Red Jacket was within a point early in the fourth quarter. The atmosphere of the game was incredible as Dundee and Red Jacket fans filled the gym in Shortsville. It was actually standing room only.
The Indians have a lot of seniors and it had to be upsetting to end their high school careers that way.
Bloomfield was mobbed as I expected and I seemed to nab the second-to-last parking spot in the front loop. I didn't get to see Gananda play earlier in the year, but I didn't think they could hang with the Bombers just based off their No. 8 seed and 12-7 record. I was wrong as the Blue Panthers were in the game all the way.
Gananda's shooters were on from three-point range and managed to limit Bloomfield's Jake Rayburn offensively. Rayburn took over in the fourth, adding nine points, including a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left. He then blocked Devin Muha's attempt to tie the game with a few seconds left.
I've seen Bloomfield play a few close games this year and they know how to handle the pressure. With the season on the line Saturday the Bombers didn't panic, they stayed in their offense and didn't take any ill-advised shots.
Tonight I'm going to see Bloomfield and Lyons in the semifinals at Waterloo. It's been a long time since I watched Lyons, but it should be a good game. The Lions need to find a way to slow down Rayburn if they want to advance.
Dan Goldman covers high school sports for Messenger Post Media. He grew up in Pittsford as a fan of all sports, especially the Buffalo Bills and Sabres. He learned how to cover sports through internships with The Brockton Enterprise and The Patriot Ledger in Massachusetts. After a two-year stint in Monroe County news, Dan has returned to the world of sports. He also enjoys playing ultimate frisbee.
