By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
The brand new Alliance of American Football league makes its debut on Saturday. Former Buffalo Bills general manager Bill Polian helped establish the football project.
The eight-team developmental league will play four games per weekend for each of the next 10 weeks, split over Saturdays and Sundays and aired on CBS, TNT and NFL Network.
Aside from Polian, plenty of other former players and coaches with connections to the Bills are taking part in the new league.
Here are a few names you might recognize if you tune in for this season of AAF:
C Patrick Lewis
During the final roster cuts for the 2016 season, the Bills claimed Lewis off of waivers from the Seahawks. The year prior in 2015, Lewis saw extensive playing time with Seattle, including nine starts but he never really cracked the Bills’ roster. Lewis spent the entire season with the Bills that year, but was only active one game, a Week 13 loss to the Raiders, where he played 17 snaps. That was the season Eric Wood missed the entire second half of the season, but Ryan Groy, not Lewis, saw starting time. The Bills were the last NFL roster he was on. Buffalo released him in July 2017. He’s now a member of the Arizona Hotshots.
WR Kaelin Clay
Clay actually spent two seasons with the Bills. In 2017, the Bills traded for him via a deal with the Carolina Panthers which saw cornerback Kevon Seymour head in other direction. Then he was cut and re-claimed by the Panthers that same season. During the 2018 offseason, he then came back to Buffalo but was cut by the Bills at the end of training camp.
In total, Clay mustered up one catch for 28 yards with the Bills and had two punt returns, one of which he fumbled. Clay is on the Salt Lake Stallions.
CB Ron Brooks
Brooks, a fourth-round pick by the Bills in 2012, went on to play four seasons as a reserve defensive back for Buffalo. Brooks never intercepted a pass during his NFL career, but did have seven passes defended and 62 tackles for the Bills during his four seasons.
After the 2015 seasons which ended on injured reserve, he signed a three-year free agent deal with the Eagles, who also brought in former Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who Brooks played under. However, after a right quad injury, he was released the following training camp in 2016. Brooks is a member of the San Diego Fleet.
TE Keith Towbridge
Towbridge spent two seasons with the Bills. He signed with Buffalo as an undrafted rookie in 2017 but spent the season on injured reserve. This past season he was released but re-signed to the practice squad.
Towbridge signed with the Atlanta Legends.
DT Rickey Hatley
Prior the Bills’ season finale in 2017, Hatley signed with the Bills’ practice squad on December 23. Then on December 26, he was promoted to the 53-man roster, where he recorded one tackle against the Miami Dolphins in the Bills’ season finale. While his Bills’ career is brief, he was part of the locker room scenes where Bills players watched the Bengals defeat the Ravens to send Buffalo to the postseason. In the playoffs, he also saw 20 snaps against the Jaguars, between defense and special teams. Now Hatley is on the Birmingham Iron.
LB AJ Tarpley
In 2015, Tarpley signed with the Bills as an undrafted rookie free agent. Despite that, he still managed to appear in 14 games with the Bills as a rookie and even flashed some skills. He had a sack and two interceptions in back-to-back games to finish out the season in Weeks 16 and 17. Of those, one was a game-ending interception that knocked the Jets out of the postseason. That was the final play of his career, though. Later that offseason, he retired from pro football due to concussion concerns. The San Diego Fleet will be the first time he suits up since playing for the Bills.
P Colton Schmidt
Schmidt was a bit a survivor with the Bills from 2014 to this past season. He was most recently cut in favor of Corey Bojorquez at the end of the 2018 preseason. Then Schmidt was re-signed and punted in three games but after some underwhelming play, he was cut in favor of Matt Darr. In between there, Schmidt attended the team’s home opener as a fan. Schmidt is giving kicking a try again with the Birmingham Iron.
DL Jim Jeffcoat
While a former player for the Bills, Jeffcoat will coach the defensive line for the Orlando Apollos. He previously coached the DL for the Dallas Cowboys from 1998-2004, then jumped to the college ranks. The Cowboys are the team he spent most of his career with, from 1983-94, he then finished his playing career with the Bills from 1995-97.
DB coach Donnie Henderson
Henderson was the Bills’ defensive backs coach under both Doug Marrone and Rex Ryan from 2013-16. That was the last coaching job Henderson held prior to signing with the Salt Lake Stallions as their defensive coordinator.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman
Also another coach under Ryan, Thurman was Buffalo’s defensive coordinator from 2015-16. That was his last NFL job until joining the Memphis Express as their defensive coordinator.
QB coach David Lee
Lee actually had two stints with the Bills and was a highly-touted QB coach. He spent 2012 on Chan Gailey’s coaching staff, working with Ryan Fitzpatrick. He then re-joined the Bills under Ryan in 2015-16 in that same role working with Tyrod Taylor. He’s now the Memphis Express QB coach.
DL coach Pepper Johnson
Johnson spent numerous years with the Patriots, 2000-13, and then joined Buffalo as their defensive line coach in 2014 under Doug Marrone. Then he took that same role with the Jets in 2015-16. Johnson is the linebackers coach for the Memphis Express.
Defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell
Cottrell was Wade Phillips’ defensive coordinator from 1998 to 2000, but prior to that he was Buffalo’s linebackers coach from 1995-97 and their defensive line coach from 1986-1989 under Marv Levy. Cottrell last coached in the NFL in 2007-08 as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator and is now on the Birmingham Iron staff as their linebackers coach.
TE/ coach Pete Metzelaars
Metzelaars was part of the Bills’ early 90’s dynasty as a tight end for 10 seasons from 1985-94. As a player, he had 113 catches for 2,921 yards and 25 touchdowns for the Bills. Then in 2012, he was the Bills’ tight ends coach under Gailey. He joined the Atlanta Legends.
In addition, here’s a list of players featuring in the new league that were either members of Buffalo’s practice squad or spent the offseason/ preseason with the Bills:
WR Rashad Ross (2017), OT Andrew Lauderdale (2018), LB Carl Bradford (2017), CB Sterling Moore (2016), QB Matt Simms (2015), WR Quan Bray (2017-18), CB Bradley Sylve (2017), QB Josh Woodrum, DL Tenny Palepoi (2018), P Austin Rehkow (2017), RB Aaron Green (2017-18), OT Mo Porter (2018).