Peters' future directly impacts RT Chambers (Photo Source)

It's cut-down day in the NFL, and as such, the Buffalo Bills will be releasing 22 players (or more, if there's anyone worthwhile on waivers) in an effort to get down to the NFL-mandated 53-man limit by 6:00 PM EST today.  The cut-downs mark the final pre-season event; once the cuts are made, all attention turns to the Seattle Seahawks.

With the Bills' releases not expected to be announced until later on this afternoon (we likely won't know about them until after 6PM), let's speculate as to who the most nervous Buffalo Bills players are today.  These guys, in nearly every case, are toeing the line between being able to make an impact and being unemployed.

RB Xavier Omon: It's fairly safe to assume that the rookie sixth-round pick out of Division II NW Missouri State has passed Dwayne Wright on the depth chart, thanks in large part to Wright's infuriating tendency to fumble the ball once per game.  It's rare, however, that a player is simply handed a roster spot by default, and there are sure to be some interesting names to be kicking around the waiver wire today at running back.  If anyone piques the interest of the Bills, Omon might see the roster spot Wright tried to hand to him given to someone else.  If that happens, Omon is a virtual lock for the practice squad, but you can bet Omon's not sitting easy today.

WR Steve Johnson: The rookie out of Kentucky made an excellent last-gasp stab at making the roster on Thursday night - catching 8 passes for 74 yards in the pre-season finale - and it may have worked.  However, injury issues at other positions (specifically tight end) may make it difficult for the Bills to find a spot for Johnson on the final roster.  You can bet the Bills are nervous about this kid, too; if it turns out they're going to gamble to try to stash him on the practice squad, there are surely going to be some interested teams out there eyeing Johnson.

TE Courtney Anderson: The Bills employ five tight ends, and two of them - Derek Schouman and rookie Derek Fine - likely won't be ready for the regular season opener.  That means good things for the veteran Anderson, right?  Maybe not.  Tim Massaquoi is a favorite of special teams coach Bobby April, Robert Royal is a lock, and the Bills are likely to keep one of the Dereks, if not both.  Anderson's upside is the lowest of any of the Bills' tight ends, and his special teams skills aren't thrilling.  Even with the injuries, Anderson could be a goner.

OT Kirk Chambers: No, Chambers isn't getting cut.  Not even close.  But if the rumors that Jason Peters could report to Orchard Park on Monday are true - and I think an "I'll believe it when I see it" approach is prudent for such speculation - then Chambers' starting job won't be his for much longer.  That said, Chambers has grown on me.  He's not a horrible player, has the ability to play both sides (though not well on the left), and he won't make a stink if Peters returns.  Dare I say that Chambers has put the Bills in a good situation at tackle?  Still, there's nothing like job security in the NFL, and Chambers doesn't have much of it.

LB Donnie Spragan: Signed after the season-ending injury to rookie LB Alvin Bowen, Spragan has watched players like rookie Marcus Buggs and converted safety Jon Corto get more playing time at his spot, and another linebacker (Blake Costanzo) currently has an edge over him on special teams.  Add in the fact that the Bills have superb depth in the defensive backfield, and Spragan's stint as a Buffalo Bill might just end today.

CB Will James: I believe it likely that the Bills keep six cornerbacks, and if that happens, James stays.  But if the Bills have to trim their CB depth to five (and again, that's probably not likely), it's James that is the corner most likely to go.  The starters aren't going.  The two rookies (Leodis McKelvin and Reggie Corner) aren't going.  Ashton Youboty has been arguably the team's best defender this pre-season, while James has been solid yet highly unspectacular.  If a corner's going, it's James, and while my gut says he stays, you can bet his gut isn't sitting easy right now.

Stay tuned to Buffalo Rumblings throughout the day, as we'll have the list of cuts and some immediate analysis up as soon as we get wind of it.  Let's get this over with, Buffalo - it's time to play real football.

  Has Ashton Youboty outjumped the competition? (Photo Source)

As the pre-season begins to wind down, some of the Buffalo Bills' fringe players have one game left to show their stuff.  So the question becomes: what spots on the roster are most up for grabs and who's fighting for these final spots?  Besides the positions that have been discussed previously (Backup TE, Backup LT, Starting CB, Returners, Starting DT), there are some strong battles being waged between players of different positions fighting to make the final roster.

How many spots are available?
To start off, I'd like to point out the positions I feel we are comfortable enough to say who and how many players will make it.  I left a few positions up for grabs as one of those guys is likely to grab the final spot.

QB: 2 (Edwards, Losman)

RB: 3 (Lynch, Jackson, Omon(or Wright I suppose))

FB: 1 (Barnes)

TE: 3 (Royal, Fine, Schouman)

WR: 5 (Evans, Reed, Parrish, Hardy, Jenkins)

OL: 9 (Peters, Dockery, Fowler, Butler, Walker, Chambers, Whittle, Preston, Bell)

DE: 4 (Schobel, Kelsay, Denney, Ellis)

DT: 4 (Stroud, Williams, McCargo, Johnson)

LB: 6 (Posluzny, Mitchell, Crowell, DiGiorgio, Ellison, Spragan for now)

CB: 5 (McGee, Greer, McKelvin, Corner, Youboty/James)

S: 5 (Whitner, Scott, Simpson, Wilson, Wendling)

ST: 3 (Moorman, Lindell, Neill)

That gives us a rough total of 50 roster spots that should be pretty set at this point, at least numbers wise.  Again, the battle for the 5^th WR, backup C and 5^th CB are all debatable by many, but we will definitely be keeping someone for those spots.  That leaves us with roughly 3 open spots to be filled by any number of individuals from various positions: 3^rd QB, 4^th RB, 4^th TE, 6^th WR, 10^th OL, 9^th DL, 7^th LB or 6^th CB.  There should be some heated competition for these final roster spots and it should come down to a number of deciding factors, which we'll discuss after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Youboty, rookies pushing James off roster? (Photo Source)

One of the more intriguing positional battles that the Buffalo Bills were keeping tabs on heading into training camp was the battle going on for five - perhaps six - slots at cornerback.  The Bills had three incumbents, a free agent addition, and three drafted rookies battling for spots on the team - and given the unique situations of players like Jabari Greer, Ashton Youboty and Leodis McKelvin, there were plenty of story lines to follow at the position.

Now, a month has passed since the onset of that battle, and not surprisingly, there have been some surprises, some disappointments and some depth chart shuffling at the position.  We're three games into the pre-season, which means roster cut-downs are looming.  We've seen enough from the top six corners on Buffalo's roster to boil the battle down to one fact: if the Bills feel they must cut a cornerback and keep only five on the roster, it's veteran Will James that needs to go.

Five or Six?
Buffalo's top six cornerbacks are all certainly talented enough to remain on the final roster - that's not very debatable.  The problem with keeping all six players is that the Bills are virtually certain to keep five safeties, as John Wendling's special teams prowess locks him in behind the team's top four safeties.  Eleven defensive backs is an awful lot to keep, and if the Bills decide to trim that number to ten, it's a cornerback that's getting the axe.

There is an argument to be made, however, that the Bills should keep the best 53 players on the team - and if that argument is followed, it very likely includes eleven defensive backs.  If the Bills follow this strategy - and it seems like a very logical strategy to follow - don't expect any of Buffalo's top six corners to get cut.  All of them have shown versatility and a willingness to play special teams to date.  They're all good players.

Where potential meets veteran savvy
If the final verdict is five corners, however, the choice is clear in my mind: it's Will James that needs to go.  The Bills have a solid starting tandem in Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer.  Ashton Youboty - long thought to be the odd man out in this group - has two pre-season interceptions and has been the best tackler at the position.  There's zero chance that the Bills will cut either of its two rookie corners, Leodis McKelvin and Reggie Corner - even if McKelvin's play has bridged between average and awful to date.

The main argument behind keeping James - besides the fact that he's been taking first-team reps at nickel corner since signing with Buffalo - is the fact that he's a veteran.  It might be unwise for Buffalo to rely on a youngster at the nickel spot, as the position carries more importance in Buffalo's style of defense than it would for most other teams.  But from what we can discern, the Bills are looking for size and physicality at the nickel spot - and Youboty can provide that.  McKelvin and Corner are only going to get better the more they play, and the same can be said for Youboty at this point as well.

I've seen James making the same mistakes as the young guys this pre-season - he's flashed poor tackling habits and a tendency to get beat deep.  So have the young guys.  The young guys have potential; James doesn't at this point in his career.  Ergo, easy choice for the Bills, in the estimation of yours truly - if the Bills axe a cornerback, Will James seems the most likely target.

Evans extension could be completed soon (Photo Source)

After over three weeks of training camp practices, the Buffalo Bills are just two sessions shy of wrapping up 2008 Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher College.  Unbelievable, right?  With camp closing after Wednesday's practice concludes, several story lines are becoming prevalent again; and, of course, the Bills continue to make stories on the practice field as well.  Here's what we should be talking about as training camp comes to a close...

Peters Watch: Decision Time?
In case you took a holiday to Mars in March and are only just now returning to this glorious planet, Bills LT Jason Peters hasn't reported to Buffalo since taking a physical in early January.  Holding out for more money, the break of training camp seems a logical place to get a further reading on Peters' intentions for the 2008 season.  Will he report with camp over, or will he continue his holdout?  If he continues to stay away, it's likely that he'll be sitting out at least a portion of the regular season.

WGR 550 mentioned on this morning's "Howard Simon Show" that Bills LG Derrick Dockery - the only Bills player to have communicated with Peters (via text message) that we know of - mentioned that he believes Peters will be reporting for team duties "soon".  Whether this manifests into truth remains to be seen, but that - coupled with the fact that the Bills made no attempt to sign a replacement tackle after the injury to Matt Murphy - are encouraging signs for fans who'd like to see Peters report ASAP.  Stay tuned - we should be hearing much more on this throughout the rest of the week.

New Deal for Evans Imminent?
Rumors have been circulating ever since this past Thursday's pre-season win over Pittsburgh that WR Lee Evans and the Bills are coming closer to agreeing on a long-term contract extension.  COO Russ Brandon, who mentioned that he'd like to see Evans in a Bills uniform for the rest of his career, and Evans both confirmed that talks were moving in the right direction late last week.

Evans' deal is expected to be huge, and should it happen quickly, it will really solidify Buffalo's receiving corps for the foreseeable future.  This one seems to be much closer than any return by Peters, and it's expected that the ink will be dry on a new contract for Evans by the start of the regular season.

On/Off the Field
The Bills held a night practice Sunday evening and followed it up with an afternoon practice yesterday.  The Bills are steadily getting healthier, highlighted by the return of WR Josh Reed to the practice field.  Reed's lower back had kept him out of several practices and both pre-season games, but his back is now fine - though he's not completely out of the woods yet.  Reed has re-assumed his role of "Trent Edwards' favorite underneath target" immediately since his return; Edwards has spoken glowingly of Reed all week.

“I’m very, very happy with the progress that Josh has made this offseason,” said Edwards. “I was happy with the way he practiced during OTAs and minicamps and he’s progressed a ton since last year, so I’m excited for him this year.”

OT Patrick Estes, injured last week, also returned to the practice field.  Missing practice time over the past two days were TE Derek Schouman (who could miss several weeks), WR Scott Mayle, WR Roscoe Parrish (minor knee), WR James Hardy (resting hamstring), CB Kennard Cox and SS Donte Whitner (excused - family).

Position Battles Still Heated
Several position battles are still making headlines over the last few practices of training camp.  Let's review:

- RB Xavier Omon took second-team reps yesterday ahead of second-year pro Dwayne Wright, indicating that the rookie has snuck ahead of Wright in the battle for the team's #3 RB role.  Wright's fumbles appear to be the culprit.

- Receivers James Hardy and Josh Reed appear to be neck-and-neck for the starting role opposite Lee Evans.  Both are expected to be heavily involved in Buffalo's offense.

- With Derek Schouman ailing, rookie TE Derek Fine's solid performances could lead to him staying on the field ahead of Schouman when the latter returns from his knee injury.  Courtney Anderson's chances at making the final roster have improved as well.

- Both Kyle Williams and Spencer Johnson - as well as John McCargo to an extent - are vying for the starting DT role next to Marcus Stroud.  All three are expected to factor in heavily, but it appears that Williams and Johnson in particular are making strong cases to see the bulk of playing time between the three bigs.

- Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer are entrenched as the starting corners, but the battle for the nickel job is heating up.  Will James is the likely starter at this point, but rookie Leodis McKelvin - as well as fellow rookie Reggie Corner - are making a late push for the role.  It's expected that James will man the nickel spot to start the season (with McKelvin taking dime work), but the first-round pick should take over the third slot well before the end of the season.

The Bills have their final night practice tonight, and follow it up with an afternoon practice Wednesday to close out their three-week stay at St. John Fisher.  We'll discuss the events of those two practices - as well as events tied in with the end of camp - as it happens.

McKelvin, cornerbacks solid in pre-season debut (Photo Source)

As promised, I've reviewed Saturday night's broadcast of the Buffalo Bills' pre-season opening 17-14 loss to the Washington Redskins.  And, as promised, I took plenty of notes and hit the rewind button often in an attempt to get more nitty gritty details on Buffalo's personnel lineups and overall play Saturday night.

I've only had time to rifle through the first half thus far; rest assured that we'll talk about the scrubs either tomorrow or Wednesday.  For now, here's what I noticed re-watching the Redskins game in our first ever Buffalo Rumblings Film Session:

Quarterbacks: Now is definitely not the time to freak out about Trent Edwards' poor performance.  He just needs to play more.  Trent did make some bad reads while he played - both throws to Schouman, for example, were forced balls - but he's still doing the one thing that Dick Jauron wants him to do: getting the ball out quickly and, for the most part, accurately.  It's high time that Jauron sacrifice some of J.P. Losman's pre-season playing time to get Edwards some more experience reading defenses; it's quite clear that Losman doesn't need a ton of time after his strong performance Saturday.  Losman was, quite simply, in the zone.  He had one poor throw (the slant to Roscoe Parrish on third and goal); the rest was excellent work upon further review.

Running Backs: Not much to report here.  Fred Jackson got most of the work in the first half, and he played as advertised.  He looked good, but didn't stand out in any way.  Jauron did the right thing by limiting Marshawn Lynch to three carries - he doesn't need to work this early.

Fullbacks/Tight Ends: I thought Derek Schouman played poorly.  He doesn't play as fast in games as he does on the practice field; it is clear, however, that Edwards likes throwing his way.  Derek Fine looked smoother than anticipated; he did, however, whiff badly on a blitz pickup, which led to a Losman sack.  I am glad, however, that Darian Barnes is part of this team - I didn't realize how much I missed a good old fashioned lead blocker until I saw Barnes popping linebackers in the hole.  He looks like a good acquisition.

Wide Receivers: If you want a scapegoat for Buffalo's first-team offense issues, blame James Hardy.  He was routinely lined up out of position, missed some pre-snap motions, and was responsible for a false start, a near-false start, and a timeout.  He also misread the Redskins' defense on third and goal with Edwards under center.  Washington was blitzing from Hardy's side; Hardy should have read that blitz and cut his route off.  That's exactly where Edwards threw it, but Hardy wasn't home.  He's got a long way to go before he's an every-down receiver.

I really liked what I saw out of Roscoe Parrish; he might be ready for a break-out season of sorts.  I hope to see more of Justin Jenkins as well - he looks smooth operating out of the slot and is a bit bulkier than Buffalo's top two slot options, Parrish and Josh Reed.  Jenkins is a virtual lock to make the final roster.

Offensive Line: For a first-team analysis, see Ron from NM's FanPost.  I saw nothing different than he did re-watching the first half.  The second team line was comprised of Matt Murphy (LT), Christian Gaddis (LG), Duke Preston (C), Jason Whittle (RG) and Kirk Chambers (RT; also started).  I was particularly impressed with Murphy - he looked great in pass protection against a very good Redskins DE in Chris Wilson.  He's still raw at the position, however, so don't expect an immediate contribution.  Preston also fared well; he was the man responsible for blowing open a huge hole on Fred Jackson's 11-yard screen pass.  Gaddis was disappointing; he missed his assignment badly on a stunt on the Losman-to-Parrish deep throw.  Gaddis was the reason Losman had to throw that off his back foot.

Offense General: Clearly, Buffalo's offense could have played better.  But don't blame the short throws the Bills employed on Turk Schonert - he's done a great job giving Edwards options.  On two poor reads by Edwards, Schonert had layered his receivers' routes so that, within the same throwing lane, there was a short and deep option for Edwards.  Both times, the deeper route was open for Trent, and both times, he forced it to Schouman underneath.  Edwards telegraphs his passes in an obvious way; Schonert may have built in an offense wrinkle to hide that weakness.

Defensive Line: Buffalo's starting defensive line got one series, and I thought they looked great.  Marcus Stroud looks great, and the Redskins threw double teams at him quite often (he did get dominated by two 'Skins linemen once, but otherwise was a force up front).  I also thought the defensive ends looked disruptive, though clearly, they didn't play much.  Stroud and Aaron Schobel were pulled after the first series.  (By the way - there's no reason to knock Buffalo's pass rush after this game, either.  Washington threw so many balls off of three-step drops that there was no chance for the Bills to get any pass rush going.  Buffalo's blitz, however, did look weak.)

That's when things got interesting.  Spencer Johnson replaced Stroud inside and played all right; when Chris Kelsay left the game for good, however, Johnson slid out to defensive end for early downs (Chris Ellis replaced him on later downs).  Speaking of Ellis, I thought he looked good - he's quick and a bit more powerful than I imagined he would be.  He wasn't a liability in the run game, either.  He played a lot, which is good for him.  (Now Jauron just needs to employ the same philosophy with his starting quarterback.)

One last D-Line note: Jason Jefferson is terrible, whether he's lined up at tackle or end.  He's worse at end.  The guy defines the word "mediocre", and he's routinely five yards up field and out of position.  This guy can't get off our roster fast enough.

Linebackers: Buffalo's defense gave up some plays in the passing game, but don't blame the corners - the Bills' linebackers are currently pretty bad in coverage.  Both Paul Posluszny and John DiGiorgio are consistently a yard or two too deep or a step slow getting to the receiver.  Kawika Mitchell displayed a similar trait (while also looking great defending the run).  Buffalo's corners took some heat for some slant routes being completed, but the corners, in reality, were blanketing their receivers - the linebackers were just a bit off with their responsibilities.  Right now, the linebackers are the weakness of the defense, but their play isn't far off from being good.

Cornerbacks: In short, these guys looked great.  Five corners saw action in the first half (Terrence McGee sat this one out), but the best performer of them all was, of course, Ashton Youboty.  Youboty showed a physicality we haven't seen from him to date - he's an excellent tackler.  He also did very well in coverage and didn't make any mistakes.  His INT was a gift, however - Todd Collins should never have thrown that ball.  What got me most excited about Youboty was seeing him talk some smack with Redskins WR Santana Moss; I don't think I've seen that type of confidence out of Youboty before.  He looked great; I wouldn't be shocked if he pushed Jabari Greer (whose play was solid as well) for a starting spot.

Will James saw the most time in the slot, and while his play was generally good (his coverage was better than good), he did miss a tackle pretty badly on a screen pass.  Reggie Corner was the dime back (again, with McGee out of the lineup), and while he made some alignment mistakes and gave up some throws, he also showed pretty good instincts.  I like his future as the nickel back.

Leodis McKelvin made one big error - ducking inside a block rather than engaging it - and it led to a touchdown.  Other than that, he looked good in coverage (and great on kick/punt returns), but his body doesn't look NFL-ready to me.  He's really quite small.  I still think he's a starter by season's end, but he's probably fourth on the depth chart - at best - right now.

In all, I liked what I saw out of all five of Buffalo's corners - but if I had to pick a guy most likely to be released, I'm going with James.

Safeties: Not good, folks.  Ko Simpson was terrible, both on the blitz and in run support.  He was in the box a lot more than expected, with Bryan Scott playing deep.  Look for opponents to try to exploit that this season.  John Wendling, in my opinion, should be playing linebacker - he's OK by the line of srimmage, but a nightmare deep.  He hits hard.  He did, however, miss Ladell Betts badly on a draw play that led to big yardage.  He's quite green, and shouldn't see the field as a defender this season.

Special Teams: Monitored this closely for personnel.  Kick and punt coverage starting lineups listed below; these are a good indicator as to who Bobby April likes on his units, and who, therefore, stands a good shot at making the roster as of today:

Kick Coverage: Blake Costanzo, Justin Jenkins, Will James, John DiGiorgio, Keith Ellison, Derek Schouman, John Wendling, Donnie Spragan, Bryan Scott, Dustin Fox

Punt Coverage: John Wendling, Justin Jenkins (gunners); Ryan Neill (long snapper); George Wilson, Derek Fine, Blake Costanzo, Bryan Scott, John DiGiorgio, Keith Ellison, Donnie Spragan

Dwayne Wright, Duke Preston, Kirk Chambers, Kyle Williams, Marcus Buggs and Darian Barnes all saw coverage or blocking responsibilities in the first half as well.  Blake Costanzo surprised me; he was on the field for nearly every special teams play in the first half and played very well.  Is it possible he's a lock to make the roster?

Feel free to discuss/ask questions/leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Whitner to miss Saturday's pre-season opener (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills open their 2008 pre-season schedule in approximately 71 hours, and the team has already named two veteran players doubtful for the '08 premiere.  After today's practice, head coach Dick Jauron named SS Donte Whitner and WR Josh Reed doubtful for the Bills' road game at Washington.

Whitner, who has battled a sore ankle since this past weekend, has no swelling and, were this a regular season game, would be ready to go.  The same goes for Reed, who has missed a few practices resting his surgically repaired back.

WR James Hardy returned to practice today in a full capacity, but it's still unclear as to whether he'll suit up for the Redskins game.  CB Will James is in the same boat with his groin injury.  DE Copeland Bryan, WR Scott Mayle and QB Matt Baker all missed practice Wednesday as well.

Veterans Resting
Once again, Jauron eased the work load of some of his veterans, and for two key Bills rookies, this was good news.  WR Lee Evans and CB Terrence McGee saw their number of reps decreased; they were replaced on the top unit by rookies Hardy and Leodis McKelvin, respectively.  Both held their own with the ones, as well.

Leodis McKelvin, who got some first team reps at left cornerback with Terrence McGee receiving a lighter workload from the staff, forced a fumble on a catch that was made by Derek Fine.

Hardy got reps with the first team offense for most of the practice during team work as Lee Evans was given a lighter workload Wednesday by the staff. Early in 7-on-7 he made a nice reception on a crossing pattern, catching the ball in stride and heading up field. He made a few other short receptions as well...

This is an ideal situation for Buffalo.  It keeps two of their key veterans healthy, and it allows a couple of key young guys to gain some confidence working with the team's best players.  This situation is sure to present itself a few more times as the regular season approaches; it's likely that further work with the top unit will groom both McKelvin and Hardy to have the immediate impact that the club needs.

Youboty Watch
Ashton Youboty Watch has officially begun at Buffalo Rumblings, as the majority of us yearn to see the 24-year-old earn his keep with this team.  Youboty made his third interception of camp today on a tipped pass by LB Donnie Spragan; if James misses the Washington game, Youboty will have a golden opportunity to move up a slot or two on the depth chart with a strong performance.

Some Notes about the Redskins Game
Looking for the perfect spot to get the most out of Saturday night's pre-season opener?  Make Buffalo Rumblings your first and last stop.  We'll have live coverage of the game with an open game thread, so we will be able to discuss/break down the game as it occurs.  Your humble narrator will also be recording the game on DVR, which will allow us to have a little "film session" breakdown a day or two after the game.  This is where you come in.

There's a lot to take in on game day, so be prepared to give your input after the game as to what you'd like to see covered in the Film Session.  We don't need ideas yet; just make sure that you let us know exactly what you'd like to hear about once the game is over.

Also, we'll be doing a little interview session with Skin Patrol of Hogs Haven over the next couple of days - so if you're yearning for a little knowledge on the 'Skins, head on over to his fine establishment and keep your eyes peeled for that interview.

Reed (right) continues to sit out with back issue (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills are four days away from opening their 2008 pre-season schedule with a visit to Washington, and the team continued its training camp preparations last night despite nearly being driven off the field due to inclement weather.

Rain delayed practice twice, but the Bills were able to complete their full session as they head into Wednesday's 1PM practice.

Not participating in Tuesday night's practice were SS Donte Whitner (ankle), WR Josh Reed (back) and DE Copeland Bryan (hamstring).  Whitner and Reed are expected to be back on the field by the end of the week and should see some (albeit very little) playing time on Saturday.  Rookie WR James Hardy (hamstring) and veteran CB Will James (groin) were scheduled to return to the practice field last night, but due to the slick weather conditions participated only in individual drills.  They should be full go today.

Interesting Debate
An interesting debate that can arise out of a situation like last night is whether or not it's a good thing to have to fight through a practice in those types of weather conditions.  Clearly, the Bills are a young football team, and a large percentage of their most important players have not had to deal with harsh weather conditions on a regular basis before.  That'll happen often in Buffalo.  At the same time, this is just practice - and the team is, in fact, attempting to answer a lot of questions and install a new offense prior to the start of the important games.  There are definitely two strong (opposing) arguments to make.

I'd be very interested to hear what everyone here believes about this topic.

S. Johnson at DE?
As the Bills' defense practiced in nickel packages last night, there was one surprise player playing outside at defensive end:

Spencer Johnson got some reps at defensive end in the nickel package.

This is curious.  Perhaps I'm not seeing the positive spin on this, but this doesn't make a ton of sense to me.  Do I think Spencer Johnson can play end?  Certainly - he's probably the quickest, most explosive athlete the Bills have at defensive tackle.  But to play him outside on passing downs?  To me, that sacrifices some of what little pass rush the Bills already have.  Johnson would be a force to be reckoned with on run downs, but I'd rather see them sub in a guy like Chris Ellis for passing downs.

Clearly, it's far too early to get worked up about this - or to believe it's a permanent wrinkle that Perry Fewell is installing - but it's definitely something to think about.

Youboty Still Making Plays
It seems that every practice, CB Ashton Youboty - seemingly buried on the depth chart - makes one or two good plays.  Maybe it's because he's working on throws made by Gibran Hamdan most of the time, but it also speaks volumes about his work ethic.  He's working his tail off to prove he still belongs on this team; maybe the light is about to go on for this kid.

Ashton Youboty made a nice over the shoulder interception on a deep pass down the sideline from J.P. Losman. Youboty also had a pass breakup late in practice.

Rookie Reggie Corner continues to take first-team nickel back reps with James sidelined, and as krytime discusses, he's been one of the more surprising players on the field for the Bills through the first week-plus of camp.  He leads the team with three interceptions to date.  Leodis McKelvin worked outside with the second unit and also saw some reps in the nickel package with the second unit, as they continue to experiment with ways to get their top draft pick onto the field.

The Bills practice at 1PM today.  They follow it up with another night practice Thursday, a closed practice Friday, and then they hit the field in Washington for the first live game action of the 2008 season.

LB Crowell returns to practice (Photo Source)

After nine days of practices, the Buffalo Bills had Sunday off and returned to the practice field yesterday afternoon for their eleventh day of training camp.  While OT Jason Peters continued his holdout, the Bills did get some good news in the form of veteran LB Angelo Crowell returning to the field of play.  Crowell missed the majority of last week's practices with a left knee injury.

Joining Crowell on the field were newly signed LB Donnie Spragan as well as UDFA rookie WR C.J. Hawthorne, a Hawaii product that the Bills added yesterday.  Hawthorne takes the roster spot of one Jason Peters, and was signed to reduce the number of reps that Buffalo's depleted receiving corps was taking.

Strong safety Donte Whitner missed practice with an ankle injury that required an MRI, but the injury is not considered serious.  WR Josh Reed was also held out of practice Monday as the team looked to reduce his work load and rest his surgically repaired lower back; he's not expected to miss much action either.  DE Copeland Bryan (hamstring) and CB Will James (groin) also missed practice Monday.  WR James Hardy (hamstring) participated on a limited basis in individual drills.

Parrish Stepping Up in Reed's Absence
Not surprisingly, Roscoe Parrish - the other veteran wideout on the team not named Lee Evans - saw an increased workload with Reed on the sidelines.  Buffalo's diminutive return star was making some plays in the receiving game, always a nice thing to hear; he was also, however, showing that he can be physical despite his small frame:

After taking a hard hit from Jabari Greer on a short out route to the sideline that left him on the ground for a minute, Parrish came back with some of his own hitting as he cracked Ashton Youboty on a run play.

Donte Whitner shouted from the sidelines, "I see that Roscoe. You want to hit like that?"

To which Parrish responded, "I'll hit like that all day!"

Parrish isn't the only one with the bug; thing seem to have become a bit more physical as the team gears up for its first pre-season game of the year, this coming Saturday in Washington.  Justin Jenkins also received some first-team reps at wideout in Reed's absence.

Cornerback Competition Update
With Will James sidelined with his groin injury, we've gotten a pretty good look at exactly how Buffalo's depth chart currently shakes out at cornerback.  James - currently the first team nickel back on the depth chart - has been replaced at that position by rookie fourth-round pick Reggie Corner (with Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer holding down the starting slots, as usual).  Ashton Youboty and Leodis McKelvin have manned the outside slots for the second unit.  McKelvin has been taking reps at the nickel spot for both units as well.

Clearly, the Bills are mixing and matching their personnel inside for now to see which players fit best at which positions.  What may be most surprising, however, is the fact that Reggie Corner's role seems to be solidified, while McKelvin's has not.  It seems, for now, that the Bills are working on ways to get their first-round pick onto the field, because at this point, it seems pretty obvious that he won't start right away.

Who's Making Plays
Crowell looked good in his return to the lineup, making several plays in the passing game.  Parrish routinely beat defenders running routes, and has proven to be quite as difficult to cover as Lee Evans has in man coverage.  CB Jabari Greer blocked a field goal yesterday.  Buffalo Rumblings' second-favorite linebacker, Jon Banks, tipped a pass that was intercepted by safety Jon Corto.

You have to love hearing this, as well.  Looking forward to big things from #23 this year.

Marshawn Lynch ran under a reception deep down the far sideline for a big gain.

The Bills will hit the practice field for another night practice today, which runs from 7PM until just after 9.  We'll discuss the developments from tonight's practice tomorrow morning.

Jauron gives his players Sunday off (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills held a morning practice on Saturday, and the big news of the day was that the team agreed to a deal with veteran LB Donnie Spragan.  A player that the team worked out this past May, Spragan is a 32-year old veteran that has been a steady performer for the Broncos and Dolphins.  His signing came in the wake of rookie Alvin Bowen's season-ending knee injury.  Spragan is expected to compete for a reserve role at weak side linebacker and on special teams.

Missing Saturday's workout were QB J.P. Losman (re-aggravated thumb), WR James Hardy (hamstring), and CB Will James (groin).  DE Copeland Bryan left practice early with an apparent hamstring injury.

Practice Getting Boring
Much of the fanfare and interest that surrounded the first week's practice sessions seems to have died down a bit.  With the first pre-season game of the season coming up this coming Saturday at Washington, fans seem more anxious to see this team on the field than to hear about the goings-on on the practice field.  We're not alone, folks; the players are anxious to do the real thing as well:

"It felt really good to let that out and cross that line a little bit," said safety John Wendling. "But it's still your own teammates, so we're looking forward to seeing someone different across the ball and being able to just go at it with them. So we're looking forward to the preseason."

Red Zone Still Getting Emphasized
The Bills continued their focus on red zone work yesterday with another strong session in the red area.  It's becoming very apparent that Bills coaches are very focused on scoring more points this season - quite the novel idea if you're playing in the NFL.

Trent Edwards fared well in the red zone yesterday targeting his two favorite weapons down close (at least until James Hardy gets in more work): Lee Evans and Derek Schouman.

Lee Evans made a nice fingertip grab on a low throw from Trent Edwards near the sideline. He also pulled in a well-thrown ball from Edwards on a fade pass to the end zone for a touchdown.

Perhaps the best executed play came during red zone work when Edwards effectively used a play action fake to get the defense to bite and quickly hit Derek Schouman over the middle for a touchdown.

Defense Makes Some Plays, Too
Buffalo's offense played better than it has of late, but the defense made some plays of their own as well.  Leading the charge was my personal favorite player, LB John DiGiorgio, with a nice interception...

During 7-on-7 John DiGiorgio made the defensive play of the day as he stepped in front of a Gibran Hamdan pass for his first interception of camp.

(I'm not sure that "first interception of camp" is factually accurate, Mr. Brown.  I distinctly remember DiGiorgio picking off a tipped pass by Will James on the second day of camp.)

Cornerback Ashton Youboty - who did not receive as many additional reps as expected with CB James on the sideline - made a nice pass break-up in the end zone as well.

Steve Johnson almost made an outstanding leaping touchdown catch over Ashton Youboty, but Youboty was able to break up the play as the two players came back down to the turf.

The Bills have the day off Sunday and return to the practice field Monday for a 2:15PM practice.

DiGiorgio getting looks at WLB (Photo Source)

Day eight of 2008 Buffalo Bills training camp is in the books, and with it came the team's first major injury of the season.  Rookie linebacker Alvin Bowen, a fifth-round pick out of Iowa State this past April, suffered a severe knee injury in Friday's practice and is likely lost for the season.  As a result of Bowen's injury, the Bills were forced to sign veteran free agent Donnie Spragan, who is expected to be a reserve outside linebacker and special teams player this season.

With Angelo Crowell sitting out of practice and Kawika Mitchell limited as part of a rest regimen for select veterans, backup middle linebacker John DiGiorgio worked with the first team at Mitchell's weak side spot.  Keith Ellison continued to take first team reps at Crowell's strong side spot.

DiGiorgio's case is interesting.  He played weak side in one game last season - a 26-3 loss at Pittsburgh in Week 2 - and held his own in an underrated effort by Buffalo's defense that day.  It's becoming clear that he's a much more valuable reserve in Buffalo's linebacking corps than originally anticipated; it will be interesting to see if he gets any reps on the outside during pre-season action.

Losman Lighting Up Second Team Defense
Trent Edwards' play with the first unit offense has been streaky at best, but veteran backup J.P. Losman has been making plays against Buffalo's second-unit defense.  He continued that trend yesterday with a few more touchdown tosses.

Early in 7-on-7 Roscoe Parrish pulled in a long ball down the near sideline from J.P. Losman for a 50-yard gain.

Robert Royal scored for the second straight day pulling in a touchdown pass from J.P. Losman on a post pattern.

Question for y'all to ponder: if Edwards struggles early (not a huge stretch) and Losman has a killer pre-season, how long before the QB controversy resurfaces in the media?

An Opening for Youboty?
If one thing was proven last season, there's never a lack of opportunities for young players to make an impression - especially when veterans are dropping like flies.  Jabari Greer was the main beneficiary last season at cornerback.  And with Will James going down with a groin injury during yesterday's practice, Ashton Youboty's reps increased.

It's still unclear whether or not James will be able to practice Saturday, but the longer he's out, the better the opportunity for Youboty to state his case for remaining in Buffalo for a third season.  The third-year veteran is on the roster bubble just two years after being the team's third-round draft pick.

Youngsters Getting Reps
With veterans like Mitchell, Marcus Stroud, Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay getting a reduced work load Friday, several young players saw increased reps with the first team.  At defensive end, Copeland Bryan and Chris Ellis both played end with the first team.  John McCargo filled in for Stroud next to Kyle Williams with the first team, and Spencer Johnson saw some time there as well.

Rookie tight end Derek Fine has also seen some reps with the first team offense of late as the second tight end.  It appears that the Bills are experimenting with Fine in a blocking and short-area receiving role with the ones, and the rookie has held his own to this point.  That is very likely bad news for veteran tight ends Courtney Anderson and Tim Massaquoi.

The Bills are in the midst of their Saturday practice at the time of this posting, practicing today from 10:10AM to 12:20PM.  They players get Sunday off to recuperate.