Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

By Coast

"7 Days till Training Camp"

In 2006, Lee Evans had a breakout season for the Bills. He had 82 catches for 1292 yards and 8 touchdowns. He also should have had a touchdown pass (to Royal). Evans has remarkable speed and can stretch any defense. Him and Losman showed that they have the chemistry necessary to be the next Kelly/Reed connection in Buffalo. The problem in 2007 however will be the number 2 spot. Evans has been discovered and will be double teamed by every opponent the Bills face. The Bills do not have a number 2 caliber receiver on their roster.

The man penciled in at that position right now is Peerless Price. Price has never lived up to the promise he showed in 2002 which landed him a huge contract with the Falcons. It can be argued that Michael Vick and his lack of passing ability ruined his career, but he has shown nothing to prove otherwise since he returned to Buffalo. As the Bills number 2 man in 2006, Price had 49 reception for 402 yards for an average of 8.2 yards per catch. He also only had 3 touchdowns. Everyone can agree that this will just not get it done as Price will do nothing to distract any defense away from Evans.

Unfortunately, the Bills have no other receiver on their roster to challenge Price. The slot receiver Josh Reed has already proven that he is a disaster at the flanker position by his performance in 2003. Reed is a solid number three though and validated his questionable contract extension with solid play last season. He was more sure handed and seemed to be Losman's favorite target on medium length third downs. Reed's 410 yards receiving ranked 2nd on the team and he averaged 12.1 yards per catch.

The number 4 receiver will be 3rd year man Roscoe Parrish. Parrish proved last year that he has game breaking ability but he is way too small to challenge Price as the number two wide out. Parrish should get more touches this year than he did a year ago as it seemed like some games he just disappeared.

The battle going into camp will be for the final wide receiver position with Sam "clay" Aiken as the front runner. Aiken has been able to solidify his position on the roster since he was drafted because of solid special teams play. Unless their is a major surprise in training camp it looks as if the same 5 guys will return next year as the bills top 5 wide outs.

Robert Royal is the Bills number one tight end. He is a great blocker and allegedly is improving his pass catching ability. He showed some signs last year of being able to go downfield and make plays as he had 4 receptions of 20 yards or more. The problem with Royal is the stupid plays, i.e. the blocks in the back against New England and Tennessee and of course the infamous not getting the feet down on the pass from Evans. Royal is a solid starting tight end, not upper half of the league at all but is adequate.

Brad Cieslak and Ryan Neufield will battle to be Royal's backup. These 2 men will not be expected to make a difference in the passing game. Their main role will be to act as full back to block for Lynch and company.

The X factor in the tight end race is now 3rd year man Kevin Everett. Everett was drafted in the third round by the Bills because of his athletic ability and threat in the vertical passing game. So far the Everett experiment has failed miserably. After missing a year because of injury, Everett only had one reception for one yard a year ago. If Everett doesn't show signs of being the player he was expected to be, his tenure as a Bills could come to an end sooner than later. Proving just another in a long line of brutal draft picks by Tom Donahoe.