Press Coverage

By Tim Graham

The Buffalo Bills lost another free agent.

Kyle Moore, a surprise performer last year on a disappointing defensive front, signed a one-year contract Monday with the Chicago Bears.

Moore, despite being inactive the first four games, started seven straight games in November and December. Moore made 24 tackles, three for losses. He notched the first three sacks of his career.

Analytics website ProFootballFocus.com rated Moore 25th in pass-rushing among all 4-3 defensive ends who played at least 25 percent of their teams' snaps. The site tallied 23 quarterback hurries for Moore, tying him for 30th in the NFL.

Moore had arthroscopic knee surgery in January, but a source informed The Buffalo News the Bills wanted to re-sign him. But last month's acquisition of linebacker Manny Lawson might have made Moore expendable.

Moore was a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fourth-round draft choice in 2009 and eventually landed on the Detroit Lions' practice squad, from where the Bills plucked him in November 2011.

An update accounting of the comings and goings on Buffalo's roster in free agency:

Players who have re-signed

• • Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson
• • Running back Tashard Choice
• • Tight end Dorin Dickerson
• • Colin Brown
• • Linebacker Bryan Scott
• • Cornerback Leodis McKelvin

Players whose rights have been retained

• • Tight end Mike Caussin
• • Safety Jairus Byrd

Players who have joined

• • Quarterback Kevin Kolb
• • Defensive tackle Alan Branch
• • Linebacker Manny Lawson

Players who have departed

• • Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (Tennessee Titans)
• • Wide receiver Donald Jones (New England Patriots)
• • Wide receiver David Nelson (Cleveland Browns)
• • Guard Andy Levitre (Tennessee Titans)
• • Guard Chad Rinehart (San Diego Chargers)
• • Defensive end Chris Kelsay (retired)
• • Defensive end Shawne Merriman (retired)
• • Defensive end Kyle Moore (Chicago Bears)
• • Linebacker Nick Barnett
• • Cornerback Terrence McGee
• • Safety George Wilson (Tennessee Titans)

By Tim Graham

Doug Marrone's last season as an NFL play-caller was for the New Orleans Saints in 2008. That was the year the Miami Dolphins introduced the wildcat formation, so we don't know how viable Marrone believes it can be as an NFL device.

Marrone did, however, use the wildcat -- or "stallion," as he sometimes called it -- on occasion as Syracuse's head coach.

With that in mind, it's worth reviewing how effective the Buffalo Bills were with the wildcat last season. The players former head coach Chan Gailey used in the direct-snap formation still are on the roster for Marrone to consider.

"It's an effective play, and you can be successful at it," Bills receiver/quarterback/wildcat pilot Brad Smith told me recently.

Smith claimed the Bills' version of the wildcat last year wasn't too far removed from the pistol, zone-read offenses popularized by the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks last year.

"When you talk about Wildcat, people kind of group it incorrectly," Smith said. "Wildcat is two running backs and you run a dive or a counter play or things like that. The way we ran it was a zone read or speed option with sweeps.

"You have to account for 11 people. With the quarterback in the game, it's often 10 against 11. That's why it's been so successful in the playoffs when you have to account for every single guy."

The wildcat was a bad word around Western New York last season. Stats indicate it was effective, but the timing of certain calls and critical errors out of the formation made fans weary.

Gailey called 28 wildcat plays last year. Smith was the quarterback for almost all of them. Tashard Choice handled it three times. Fred Jackson took one snap.

C.J. Spiller ended up with the ball six times for 26 yards, including runs of 7, 7, 7 and 9 yards.

On 26 wildcat plays (penalties wiped out two), the Bills gained 175 yards and scored two touchdowns. The Bills averaged a respectable 6.7 yards, but 62 of their yards came on two plays.

Smith threw a wildcat interception that jeopardized an eventual victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week Six. On 46 percent of their wildcat plays, the Bills were stopped for 2 yards or less.

A wildcat breakdown by situation: first down (15 times), second down (nine times), third down (four times and not before Week Seven), 10 yards to go (16 times), 3 yards or less to go (five times), farther than 10 yards (twice).

Gailey's preference to call a wildcat play most frequently on first-and-10 discounts the value the formation has in short-yardage situations.

Nevertheless, Smith is under contract through the 2014 season at base salaries of $2.75 million this year and $3 million next year.

Gailey couldn't seem to figure out how to use Smith, who was the third quarterback in the summer and then a receiver again by the time the season began. But only Spiller, Stevie Johnson and Scott Chandler scored more touchdowns than Smith did.

Smith had 14 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown and 14 catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns. On kickoff returns, he averaged 27.6 yards and scored a touchdown.

"I love having the ball," Smith said. "I love having the chance to make plays, but who doesn't? If you don't want to have the ball in your hands and make plays, then you probably shouldn't be playing.

"But whatever coach says. I'll block. I'll tackle. I'll do whatever as long as we're playing this time next year. That's all that matters to me."

By Tim Graham

Fans have a tendency to overrate their favorite team's best players.

But when it comes to Buffalo Bills free agents Andy Levitre and Jairus Byrd, the appeal should be league-wide.

Bill Polian, the Bills' Wall of Fame executive, suggests Levitre and Byrd will be hot commodities if they hit the upcoming free-agent marketplace.

Polian recently rated the NFL's 2013 free-agent class for ESPN Insider. He broke down offensive, defensive and special-teams players into A, B and C tiers based on how much money and how many years a team should commit.

Continue reading "Bill Polian lists Andy Levitre, Jairus Byrd atop NFL's free agents" »

By Tim Graham

Here is a breakdown of the Buffalo Bills' 2013 free-agent class and what their designations mean.

Unrestricted free agents (13)

Teams have exclusive negotiating rights, but once free-agency begins, players are free to negotiate with other clubs. Original team receives no compensation if the player signs elsewhere.

The original team has the option to place a franchise tag on one unrestricted free agent (a guaranteed one-year salary at the average of the five highest-paid players at the position or a 20 percent raise, whichever is greater) or one transition tag (a guaranteed one-year salary at the average of the 10 highest-paid players at the position).

"Exclusive" franchise tags prohibit the player from negotiating with other clubs. A team that uses a "nonexclusive" franchise tag on a player and then declines to match an offer sheet from another club will receive two first-round draft choices from that team. Transition tags offer no such compensation.

• • Jairus Byrd, safety
• • Tashard Choice, running back
• • Tarvaris Jackson, quarterback
• • Spencer Johnson, defensive end
• • Andy Levitre, left guard
• • Ruvell Martin, wide receiver
• • Corey McIntyre, fullback
• • Leodis McKelvin, cornerback
• • Shawne Merriman, defensive end
• • Kyle Moore, defensive end
• • Chad Rinehart, offensive lineman
• • Bryan Scott, linebacker
• • Tyler Thigpen, quarterback

Restricted free agents (3)

The player may negotiate with other teams. But if the original club extends a qualifying offer to the player, then it retains right of first refusal to match any outside contract offer. There are three types of qualifying offers, offering different levels of payment and draft compensation if the player leaves.

• • Colin Brown, center
• • Donald Jones, wide receiver (Bills announced Thursday they won't tender)
• • David Nelson, wide receiver

Exclusive-rights free agents (2)

ERFA's are free agents in name only. They are players with two years of NFL experience or less and have expiring contracts. They may not negotiate with other clubs. If they are extended a contract offer, they must accept or not play at all.

• • Mike Caussin, tight end
• • Dorin Dickerson, tight end/fullback