Bills Training Camp: Injuries Mounting Before The Pads Go On
by MattRichWarren on Aug 1, 2011 10:27 AM EDT
in Buffalo Bills Training Camp
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PrintThe Buffalo Bills will hold their first practice with pads later this afternoon at St. John Fisher College. (For those of you interested, Brian and I should be in attendance.) Despite the lack of hitting, several young Bills are experiencing the NFL training room for the first time, and one notable youngster seems to be spending his entire career there.
All three of Buffalo's top draft choices in April found their way to the sidelines yesterday. Marcell Dareus was held out of the remainder of practice after cramping up late in the day. Dareus had a strong showing earlier in practice, knocking guard Kraig Urbik on his backside with the power and explosion that made him a first-round selection.
Second-rounder Aaron Williams was kicked in the back of the head by Paul Hubbard on a passing play when the wide receiver went head over heels. Williams is continuing to impress in his two short practices. After picking off Levi Brown in the first practice, he was step-for-step with receivers on day two and had a pass breakup and interception.
The worst injury of camp was sustained yesterday by third-round linebacker Kelvin Sheppard. In his first team practice, Sheppard pulled a muscle in his leg. Chan Gailey noted it was the worst of the three injuries, and a timetable has not been set for his return.
Updating a previous report, Marcus Easley's surgically repaired knee that kept him out of last season also kept him out of practice yesterday. The wide receiver hyperextended it in practice Friday. Gailey said the knee is still bothering him, and there is no word when he will resume practicing.
In depth chart news, veteran Terrence McGee has been moving into the slot when Williams comes in as the third cornerback. McGee and Leodis McKelvin are getting the first team reps at cornerback with Drayton Florence unable to practice.
A few players were noted to have bad days, as fourth-round pick Chris Hairston was routinely beaten in one-on-one drills. Brown has also continued his lackluster play in training camp. Conversely, Joe Buscaglia noted that Shawne Merriman's explosiveness seems to be back, and was high on the linebacker's play yesterday.
Stay tuned to Buffalo Rumblings for all your training camp coverage.
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Great, same old same old with the S+C coach :-)
Hopefully Shepps won’t be too long. And Easley better take care of that knee. Interesting about McGee playing the nickel when Williams is in.
Now attending the Univ. of Hockey.
You really can’t blame the S&C coach, as he’s not been able to strengthen or condition his players for seven months.
by Dr. Brackish Okun on Aug 1, 2011 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions
No, I know.
Thats why I put the :-)
I was expecting someone to say that, so I wanted to be sarcastic at first.
In the past, a lot of people blame and complain about our S+C coaches for every injury
Now attending the Univ. of Hockey.
On a related note: Early copies of Madden 2012 released for use at Bills training camp.
Citing injuries as the cause for the switch. When asked for comment OBD responded “Do you want some of your most important players hurt before they take a meaningful snap?” When asked how they feel about the game’s mechanics meant to screw you over and grade you down afterwards Gailey responded “It’s called motivation. I spit in your face and tell you you’re a moron you’re going to want to do better or break something, I’ll take either on the field.”
In all seriousness, I know these sorts of things happen in training camp and I like that they’re doing what they can to show all they have and put the pieces together but every time I hear injury I just cringe.
My beingadick-butnotbeinganannoyingdick skills, they're impressive.
-TCWIR paraphrased
I hope that’s true about Merriman. I feel bad for Easley though, hopefully this will just be it for injuries with him.
Aaron Williams sounding like a solid pickup.
Sheppard needs to be ready for week 1 and to start by then or we could be in trouble on the inside. I know everyone likes Andra Davis but we need Shep.
The bandwagon will be full and fast and drunk and exciting - Undee
I dont think he “needs” to be back. He is a rookie, and Id rather let him heal and learn, than force him in there. Angra can handle the position for a few weeks if need be.
Shun the non Billievers!
my concern
is that if he misses all of the limited off-season, how useful can be as a rookie? I just have memories of rookies who hold out or are injured during their first pre-season falling behind and never catching up. Aaron Maybin comes to mind. Wasnt James Hardy hurt his first off-season (genuinely asking, I dont remember)
The bandwagon will be full and fast and drunk and exciting - Undee
the major thing everyone keeps forgetting
is maybin was a one-hit wonder who wanted to capitalize on his one year success in college… he didnt take time to learn the game more …
sheppard is a senior graduate who performed several years at college and developed his instincts while there… sheppard is not going to be a bust because he is not ready to start week 1
by statcruncher on Aug 1, 2011 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions
I didnt say he was going to be a bust
but veterans often say how important a first off-season is for a career. I just hope Shep’s injury doesnt excaberate the lockout effects
The bandwagon will be full and fast and drunk and exciting - Undee
I take no solace in that statement.
He’s awfully light at 228lbs. to hold the edge, Maybe he got lighter to play special teams.
and
jlcrimm did a good job of explaining why there is no sense in playing barnett and sheppard together… it will not happen
by statcruncher on Aug 1, 2011 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions
yes I am aware of that
which is why Ive been wanting Crowder to get signed to play the SILB next to Barnett and then eventually Shepp but stat, we dont really have a SILB worthy of being an NFL starter on the roster.
So there is a sense to playing them together, we dont have a good SILB
The bandwagon will be full and fast and drunk and exciting - Undee
i am in the minority
who believes in the logic gailey is using… moats is short for an OLB… he can maximize his potential if he moves inside as an SILB… he can handle contact.. and if he reaches his potential, he can be the next bart scott…
so there we have an SILB in-house.. till then davis is the man
by statcruncher on Aug 1, 2011 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd
I was just thinking this. We know Moats is a decent pass-rusher (lets not get carried away), but if Stache thinks he has the make-up of a great SILB, I’m all for seeing what he can do. They know as well as we do he seemed to have promise at OLB and they know what makes a great SILB, so lets give them some rope on this one. He can still take rotational reps at OLB if he’s not the starting SILB.
by greysquirrel on Aug 1, 2011 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions
I dont know enough and havent seen enough of Moats to know if the move is appropriate yet, I mean, 8 games isnt all that much. But I have to think the move is coming as a recommendation from Wannstedt, who knows his linebackers. I have to trust that Wanny knows what he’s doing with Moats.
The bandwagon will be full and fast and drunk and exciting - Undee
I would say this is true
Sheppard needs to be ready for week 1 and to start by then or we could be in trouble on the inside. I know everyone likes Andra Davis but we need Shep.
If Andra Davis wasn’t available to us. I would like to see Shepp learn the plays and responsibilities and continue to get used to the speed of the game before designating him a starter. He definately needs to be ready, but with out an offseason without a play book, OTA’s proper NFL strength and conditioning, aren’t we rushing things a little bit. This goes for all of our rookies and for that matter our returning first year players. Let’s not over look Andra Davis, he had one offseason and like six games to make a difference he is more valuable today than Shepp and is needed to start the season and hopefully the whole season with Shepp stealing reps during the games. Shepp has more of a future with us, but let’s slow things down a tad before lining him up between Barnett and Merriman.
YOU ARE OUT of you kuku fufu mine craker laker Flaber baber FUNKI chunki brain. WE want to winn every year -- abayarde
by VanScottM on Aug 1, 2011 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Andra Davis or Reggie Torbot can play in the meantime
Barnett and Merriman can help cover up some mistakes..those 2 healthy will improve LB core big time…from what little I have seen of Sheppard..he will be able to catchup and overcome time miseed he will make us forget Poz pretty quick
by BillsFan1972 on Aug 1, 2011 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions
thats fair
and Andra does have plenty of 3-4 experience. Its just a shame with the lockout and now this injury because Shep was one of the “NFL ready” guys in the draft.
Whats funny is that between Andra, Burnett and Merriman we have three linebackers that if they had played together 5 years ago would have been considered one of the scariest linebacking corps in the league. Lets see if they can rekindle some past glory here!
The bandwagon will be full and fast and drunk and exciting - Undee
by poz on Aug 1, 2011 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
"a" , "u" maybe I'll just call him Nick for a while
The bandwagon will be full and fast and drunk and exciting - Undee
why would you include andra
he has always been a solid average inside ilb… no sense calling him one of scariest
by statcruncher on Aug 1, 2011 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
he was a good linebacker
when he was younger. Five years ago he was putting up Posluszny like numbers.
Surrounded with talent like Merriman and Barnett in their prime, it would have been a very good linebacking corp
The bandwagon will be full and fast and drunk and exciting - Undee
Shepp and Davis are unlikely to be playing the same position, though
Sheppard should be Barnett’s backup, not fighting Davis for a starting job.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
Nice headline
Scaring the crap out of me on a Monday, thanks a lot!
Just playin, glad to see nothing too serious.
Expect a lot of pulled muscles and sprains
Many players didn’t get the professional training they normally would have received at OBD over the summer.
Any report on Wood’s recovery? Story is that Soliai has been an animal at camp. Bills will face Wilfork and maybe motivated Haynesworth twice too. Center/guard positions important in AFC East.
Wood’s recovery
I don’t consider him in recovery anymore. He should be close to 100% at this point. I haven’t heard anything about Wood’s training camp thusfar, though.
"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.
I just flipped a coin
to decide between buying a Byrd or Wood jersey (those things are expensive and I couldnt pick one, both great Bills) and it landed on heads. So Ive got me a Wood jersey on the way.
The Posluszny jersey is officially retired.
The bandwagon will be full and fast and drunk and exciting - Undee
Congrats
Hopefully he wins the position battle at center…. ;-)
by greysquirrel on Aug 1, 2011 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions
hahahahahahaha
knowing my luck he’ll just leave when he’s a free agent!
The bandwagon will be full and fast and drunk and exciting - Undee
im sure it is!
those new jerseys do look great
The bandwagon will be full and fast and drunk and exciting - Undee
If both Dareus and Williams are superstars like it seems in the first two practices
we are going to have a great D for years to come
Colin Brown?
Is that the brown who looks poor? I forgot we even had him…..
Feeling good about the barnett signing now, obviously, the braintrust feels the young guys are not ready.
You also gotta love that he is good in coverage and a leader….CBS sports wrote a good article on the signing believing that Barnett is at least as good as poz and at a small fraction of the price. And that sir, is smart GMing! <http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/15380984>
I am not sure the Bills plan on using Sheppard in place of Davis. I am wondering if they are wanting a bruiser like Davis there. I don’t know the depth chart there, who is listed behind Davis currently or at least who has been the 1st one in when Davis goes out during the 1st 2 practices?
Anybody care to comment about this?
thanx in advance!
gobills!
PodunkO - The great post ender!
i think maybe he meant levi
I may have scored a hundred points yesterday, but I scored a lot more off the court.
why not Chris White?
isnt that why he was drafted?
The bandwagon will be full and fast and drunk and exciting - Undee
Maybe Chris White.....
If he is a very quick study and impresses and Moats is moved back to the outside.
Although, I am in the monority in liking Moats in that spot. I like it because he is big (250 lb.) and strong and very stout and I like that he can blitz well to make things more complex for offensive coordinators. Also he is no longer a rookie….:)
gobills!
PodunkO - The great post ender!
more on chris white....
I was just thinking that the Bills might not carry 5 inside guys and that would be unfortunate…..he may be too good to snek on a practice squad……interesting stuff, it will be neat to see how our whole roster develops….
At wide receiver in particular….It is neat to note to the brad smith signing detractors that when easley tweeked his leg, (it was reported worse some places) how assuring it was knowing we signed him. All it takes is one injury and things look so different, injuries happen folks…..
More on Brad Smith….I saw somewhere where we might make Brad Smith the number two QB on game days, thus really freeing up another guy somewhere and getting another good special teamer active. Risky but provocative.
gobills!
PodunkO - The great post ender!
Hopefully we keep White, a lot of our depth is aging on the inside and if Moats can play all around at LBer, they might just keep White around in case Moats is pressed into duty elsewhere.
Brad Smith is a great signing, I have no doubt Gailey will find ways to use him
The bandwagon will be full and fast and drunk and exciting - Undee
by poz on Aug 1, 2011 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah it was...
He will get a ton of plays just on special teams. It was fun looking up his stats….passing – receiving – running – punt returns – kick returns – defensive tackles; it like, went on forever! I also like that he is fast, not evans fast, but 4.46 fast. We needed the additional speed I think.
You can tell Gailey doesn’t want a good offense, but a great one. Wouldn’t it be awesome to average 30points/game this year?
I was thinking, on paper, we may have more talent at RB and WR than Kelly ever had. Certainly more depth….
Fast Freddy-CJ – C. White
Stevie touchdown – parrish – roosevelt- brad Smith
Evans – D. Nelson- D. Jones – easley
I really like all eleven players a ton, we will find out shortly just how good they are, it’s gunna be fun!
gobills!
PodunkO - The great post ender!
What is the benefit of listing Smith as the #2 and not the #3 QB on game days? I find it hard to believe that Thigpen won’t be listed as #2.
"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.
I don't know....
where I read that or if it is accurate, but since Brad Smith plays alot at other positions and is the back up QB, it is like having two players. Normally the back up QB just holds the clipboard. It may be wrong and he will be the 3rd QB, but either way, when a player can help you win instead of just watching, that is an advantage to us. It will also help us depth-wise no matter what, that he can play all special teams and 3 offensive positions as well.
I also wanted to mention how happy I was whenever he headed back to the bench for the Jerks and that I always feared they might play him more, he will be great for the BIlls. And lastly, there is a New York based article on how Brad Smith certainly deserved more from the Jerks, the writer seemed po-ed they let him go. Not only is that a good sign, it is great reading! I hate those jerks! Jerks!
gobills!
PodunkO - The great post ender!
Moats....
I like Moats there, he is very thickly built and clearly powerful, thank you!
I think ideally, by September, Davis will start, Backed up by Moats….
And Barnett will man the other inside spot, backed up by Sheppard…..and maybe get rid of torbor because the coaches feel the young guns are ready to atleast, contribute and because of that, get more reps.
I forgot to mention what was cool about the CBS article on Barnett was that it was a national column. It hasn’t been too often over the last ten years that the Buffalo Bills have been seen as shrewd nationally (or locally for that matter :). <http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/15381180>
gobills!
PodunkO - The great post ender!
poor easley...
Guy was obv ok because he passed his physical, the hyperextends his surgically repaired knee. Some guys just have the worst luck.
by bizarro bills on Aug 1, 2011 11:27 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Could be trouble....
The part about players getting knocked down could raise eyebrows. Didn’t the league agree most practices would be basically non-contact and agree to levy stiff fines for violations?
It can always get worse. Let me tell you how.
There's contact in non-contact drills
in every single NFL camp. Same thing every year.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
Silly hubbard, you can’t kick the cornerback in the face, that’s pass interference!
by Xaviermw on Aug 1, 2011 12:12 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Not too worried
Last year Chan used a high degree of caution in bringing guys back from any sort of injury. Would expect even more due to the lack of time with the S&C coaches.
Harooo
by Robot Nixon on Aug 1, 2011 12:21 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
A shame about Shep because we all think he can contribute this year. Missing a big chunk of camp is a major setback. The other injuries don’t seem like they’ll have any impact as of yet.
Great to hear about Merriman, I don’t wanna go overboard but I’ve been getting more and more optimistic about him each month since the season ended.
Anyone know?
Anyone know if the shuttles for Training Camp run back and forth continuously or just at the beginning and end. I would have to leave camp at 5 and just want to make sure I can get back to my car.
LET'S GO BUFFALO!!!!!!!
It’s too late for you, but yes they run continuously.
by MattRichWarren on Aug 1, 2011 8:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Off topic...
Still some good FA’s out there…TE-Zach Miller, Kevin Boss. Either would be an upgrade, especially Miller. Anyone know his price range and can we afford it. He would be an incredible pick up and would improve our Offense instantly. Another weapon we soooo desperately need to get us to the next level IMHO. Go get em OBD, PLEASE!
I like what Buffalo did in free agency to acquire better players which adds more competition in training camp. A free agent TE or experienced OL may help the offense a little more for this season. I see 7-9 or wild card playoffs for this team. Thank you Nix/Gailey for being persistent with your job to rebuild the Bills.
getting an OT.....
I would love to get a big, run-blocking nasty mauler and make Pears the 3rd tackle as I am pretty sure he has a few games on the left side under his belt…..
What sayeth thou?
gobills!
PodunkO - The great post ender!
On topic...
Its early in camp and its expected to have some injuries. That is why it so important for these rookies to understand that the NFL is a yearly commitment to staying in shape. I just hope they will be back soon. Poor Easley…I hope its not too serious. I would really like to see what he can bring to this offense. A lot of good things said about him to date. Shepp- Get well! Aaron looks real good so far; nice draft OBD!
Good thing the PA made sure there isn’t anything tough like an actual football practice to get them in shape for the football season. By week 15, 99% of all players should be on IR, but they at least won’t have to hustle in practice…
by Ian MacPersonoid on Aug 1, 2011 1:43 PM EDT reply actions
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