FanPost

Buffalo Bills training camp 2014: Day 5 practice recap

Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

It is always a mistake to take training camp practices too seriously. What happens there may reveal nothing about what will occur during the regular season. With that caution in mind, I decided to focus tonight primarily on the quarterbacks, since I am convinced that Peter King was right in predicting that if EJ Manuel has a good year the Buffalo Bills could be 12-4 - they have that much talent on the roster - but if Manuel falters, he said, we could be looking at 4-12. Unfortunately, what I saw tonight was not all that encouraging in that regard.

The problem with Manuel is extreme inconsistency. He made some nice throws, almost entirely to Sammy Watkins, but as frequently he made some awful plays. Jeff Tuel is definitely more consistent, and so would get my award as the best quarterback on the field tonight, but that isn't saying much. Tuel keeps the chains moving, but he is not showing any signs of being a franchise quarterback anytime soon. Thad Lewis either had a bad night or has regressed since last year, and Dennis Dixon does not look likely to make the roster.

Let me provide a running summary of plays in 11-on-11 to give people a sense of what took place on the field:

Manuel at QB

1) C.J. Spiller run outside for small gain

2) Manuel has trouble reading the field and tucks and runs for no gain

3) Spiller run for no yards

4) Manuel scrambles, throws wildly, and is almost picked off by Mario Williams who reaches up and makes a terrific play

5) Incomplete to Watkins, who tripped

Lewis at QB

1) Outlet pass to Chris Hogan for one or two yard gain

2) Poor throw which is almost picked off by Mario Butler

3) Lewis targets the ground in front of him - a truly horrendous throw

4) Lewis fakes poorly and then runs for no gain

Manuel at QB

1) Flushed from pocket, scrambles, throws incomplete to receiver who was completely covered

2) Bryce Brown runs up the middle for minimal gain (on an earlier play in 7-on-7, Brown had exploded like a rocket out of the backfield for a major gain - he is very impressive)

3) Manuel executes a very nice fake, then hands off to Fred Jackson for a good gain

4) Incomplete to Watkins, who dropped it - the pass was a little behind, but catchable

5) Good run by Jackson

6) Completed to Scott Chandler over the middle, but in a real game would have been a Jerry Hughes sack

7) Frank Summers run for little gain

8) Manuel threads the needle beautifully to Robert Woods for about 20 yards

9) Deep pass to Woods, but good coverage by Ron Brooks to break it up. This play was notable for a masterful job by Seantrel Henderson holding off Hughes, taking him all around the circle

Tuel at QB

1) Outlet pass to Anthony Dixon for 10 yards

2) Over the middle to Brown for a first down

3) Sack on a perfect blitz by Nickell Robey, who no one picked up

4) Great throw to Marcus Easley for 20 yards

5) Designed keeper (something the quarterbacks were practicing in their drills tonight) for another 20-yard gain

6) Incomplete to sideline deep

7) Nice fake and keeper for five yards

8) Sack

9) Deep pass with almost nothing on it, easily picked off by Duke Williams

These are consecutive plays that I kept a running log on throughout the evening. In a few instances, I combined two rotations (by EJ and Tuel) for economy of presentation, but basically this is a complete account of what transpired at St. John Fisher this evening. It reminded me of Bills games I have watched in recent seasons.

A few stray observations. A highlight of the night was the stretching exercises at the start of practice done to the accompaniment of classic '60s rock music. Watching the entire Bills roster become a dance chorus line was something I never expected to see in my wildest dreams.

Dan Carpenter did almost all of the placekicking, with Dustin Hopkins getting only two kicks - one of which he nailed from 55 yards out. In general, a lot of time was spent on special teams tonight - more than I have seen in previous years. Doug Marrone turned over most of the supervision to his three coordinators and spent the better part of the evening working with the offensive line, with special attention to Erik Pears and Henderson.

Tonight marked the return of Marcell Dareus, who made his presence known with a dramatic sack of Manuel, followed by his trademark dance.

Watkins looks as extraordinary as advertised, coming back to reel in a ball 40 yards downfield that Manuel had underthrown during the three-on-three drills. He could make up for a lot of Manuel's defects in a way other receivers can't.

One final observation: Jimmy Gaines is very quick and smart. One imagines he could make the practice squad, at least, and possibly the roster (since the Bills are short at linebacker). That would make three Buffalo natives on the team, along with Corey Graham and Mike Williams (both of whom also seem to be performing well).

To sum up, I came away thinking that this is a team with high potential, but in order to realize it they will need at least a "B" level quarterback. I'm not sure they have that now, but it is still early.

Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.