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.

QB Trent Edwards, DE Chris Kelsay at Bills camp (Courtesy twoeightnine)

The Buffalo Bills held their first night practice of 2008 training camp last night at St. John Fisher College, and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend the festivities.  With pen and pad in hand, I spent the majority of my night frantically taking as many notes as possible.  It was a beautiful night, but unfortunately, I was not overly impressed by what I saw from our team.  Here are some observations, from units to players to coaches, that I hope you'll find useful (this could get long):

Edwards Struggles
For all the good that we've heard from Trent Edwards this early in camp, I saw a guy who struggled a lot last night.  He did mention post-practice that what the team was running last night was a whole bunch of new plays, which may have been the reason he looked so poor.  But he was missing receivers high, he was bouncing throws off the turf, and he was very obviously distraught at last night's misgivings.  He didn't show emotion like J.P. Losman used to, but you could definitely tell he was frustrated.  He did, however, make some very nice throws, including a couple nice deep balls.

Losman did not practice; his right thumb was taped up heavily.  He's also grown a very lovely beard this off-season.  Maybe he thinks Edwards' rookie beard is what caused him to lose his job?

Lynch (and Jackson) Looking Impressive
I absolutely loved what I saw out of Marshawn Lynch last night.  He looks more powerful and more agile than he was as a rookie.  Put aside anything you hear about Lynch's breakaway speed - I'm going to chalk that up to Lynch being beaten down by the rigors of his first NFL season.  The guy looked like a superstar in the making.  He also dove into the end zone for a touchdown (probably unnecessarily), drawing a big cheer from the gigantic crowd.

Interestingly, Turk Schonert had Lynch split out wide in a couple of formations.  He looked good catching the ball, but his understudy, Fred Jackson, looked better.

Jackson won't ever be a guy who can carry a full rushing load, but he's got that Kenneth Davis feel about him - he's above average at everything he does, especially catching the football.  He looked smooth and confident last night, and his style is different from that of Lynch.  They're going to complement each other very well.

Receiver/Tight End Notes
I came away with the impression on James Hardy that I thought I was going to come away with: this kid is going to struggle in a big way between the twenties this year.  He's still not a great route-runner, and looks positively sloth-like getting out of some of his breaks, especially on out routes.  But the dude is just straight up huge.  He'll make plays simply because he's big.  But from the looks of things right now, Josh Reed (who looked good as usual) seems like he's got a lock on the starting spot.  My guess is that Reed will play between the twenties, with Hardy being a mainstay on the field in the red zone.

Out of all of Buffalo's receivers, I came away most impressed by undrafted rookie free agent Jason Jones.  He comes from a very small school (Arkansas Pine-Bluff), but he was making some of Buffalo's corners look silly in one-on-one drills.  He's a smooth route-runner and shows great hands; he even blew past Will James on a beautifully executed deep route at one point.  I'm very interested to see how he performs in pre-season games.

At tight end, Derek Schouman and Robert Royal are light-years ahead of the competition.  They're easily the two most fluid athletes at the position.  Yes, Robert Royal makes Derek Fine and Courtney Anderson look unathletic.  I liked the way that Schouman and Royal played when they were together on the field.  Together, they might be productive enough to make us not hate the fact that they didn't draft a more athletic tight end this past April.

O-Line... well, they just need Jason Peters
Kirk Chambers better not be Buffalo's starting left tackle come opening day; I don't think I saw him successfully block Aaron Schobel in one-on-one drills once.  He's a tough blocker in the running game, but his pass protection is, well, poor.  Here's hoping that Jason Peters is back in camp before long...

The line struggled a bit in pass protection.  In 7-on-7 and 11-on-11, Edwards had the pocket collapse on him a couple times; he was forced to throw the ball away once or twice, and made some bad throws while pressured as well.  There were some holes for the team's running backs, though.

Offensive line coach Sean Kugler was working hard with rookie Demetrius Bell on his stance and pass pro technique.  Langston Walker was chipping in with some advice as well.  Bell looks ultra-athletic, but he was the greenest guy on the field by a long shot.  He's certainly a practice squad player at this point, but he's got big upside if the coaches can harness some of that athleticism.

D-Line Looks Fantastic
Buffalo's revamped defensive line looked outstanding, including the much-maligned (here, at least) starting defensive ends.  The unit was fast, powerful and disruptive - and that included the second unit line as well.

Marcus Stroud can't be blocked by one guy.  He just can't.  He's not a big guy, but his center of gravity is low, and he got a significant push every single play.  He pancaked Brad Butler in a one-on-one drill, and in some double team drills, he was able to slip blocks and get a push in most instances.

I loved the fact that John McCargo was following Stroud around like some sort of gigantic puppy.  Stroud was working with McCargo for a few minutes on block-shedding moves; it's good to see a vet helping out a talented youngster.  Those two looked great working together inside when they got to play together.  (For the record, Edwards and Evans were seen throwing off to the side as well.  They looked rather chummy.)

Copeland Bryan ran with the twos, pushing Chris Ellis to third team end, but I don't expect that to last long.  Ellis is green - he lacks lower body strength, so he certainly won't be playing on early downs - but Bryan was pedestrian.  Ellis should pass him on the depth chart by the end of camp.

Crowell Sits; Young LBs Looking Good
Angelo Crowell missed the practice; he had a wrap on his left knee and came out in shorts.  He watched the entire practice from the sidelines.  Keith Ellison replaced him on the strong side; Marcus Buggs took Ellison's spot with the second unit.

Speaking of Buggs, he has a very realistic shot at making this team.  He made one or two very nice hits in punt coverage drills, and while he's small, he looks like a very good athlete.  He's another young guy to keep your eyes on during pre-season action.

Paul Posluszny looked good.  He looks like he's in the best shape of his life, and, to be frank, like he could snap most of the Bills' receivers in half with a good lick.  He and Lynch are easily the team's most popular players.

Defensive Back Notes: Simpson Dinged
Ko Simpson left practice early with an apparent injury to his surgically repaired ankle.  He was walking on it fine on the sidelines, but he clearly was uncomfortable.  We'll see if he practices today.  To no one's surprise, George Wilson took his place with the top unit; he looks far more comfortable back there than he did last season.  He was making a few hits as well.

It was only his second practice, but Leodis McKelvin continued to struggle.  He looked better than what we heard in one-on-one coverage drills, but you can tell his ball skills are lacking.  He'll blanket a receiver, but he's not instinctual in knowing when to turn his head.  He's very good at making plays coming forward, however.  He also looked great returning punts (even earning the very loud praise of Bobby April on one return), and in positional drills, you can tell just how good an athlete the kid is.  He's very technical in his agility (read: amazing footwork), and when that can translate better to covering receivers, he should be outstanding.

Will James struggled.  A lot.  He repeatedly got burned deep covering receivers in single coverage.  He's still probably a lock to be the team's nickel corner on opening weekend.  Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer seem entrenched as the starters, and that shouldn't change any time soon.  Reggie Corner was actually playing ahead of McKelvin in dime packages; McKelvin played outside with the second unit.  I expect McKelvin to take James' nickel spot early in the season, and Corner is a bigger factor in this equation than many people tend to believe.

Ashton Youboty is very clearly the team's sixth corner - and I thought he looked very good.  He blatantly held Jason Jones in single coverage during one drill, but also made a nice break to intercept a pass in front of Felton Huggins.  He's much more physical than some of Buffalo's young guys, as well.  I hope he stays on the team - he's still got a world of talent.

General Observations
I love watching Perry Fewell and Bobby April coach.  They're loud, funny, and they get their guys moving hard.  Their units were easily the two strongest on the field last night.

The offense struggled mightily last night, but you can tell that Turk Schonert's offensive system will be better than Steve Fairchild's.  The tempo is faster, Edwards looks much more comfortable, and more guys are getting involved in the passing game (most notably Roscoe Parrish).

Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of the night practice experience.  Perhaps it was the idea that I had to go to work the next morning.  But it was good seeing the guys in Bills colors, and it was even better to hear the crowd chanting and reacting to what was going on on the field.  It was a good time.

The Bills practice from 1:00 to 3:05 today.  Buffalo Rumblings will recap the day's action later this afternoon.

Bills LB Kawika Mitchell (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills will hold their first night practice of 2008 training camp tonight at 7PM Eastern at St. John Fisher College.  Buffalo Rumblings will be represented by yours truly at the festivities; we're already scheduled to meet up with killascript and the Dukes of Awesome, and if anyone else wants to meet up to chat for a few minutes, I'm game.  Look for the lame-o wearing the Posluszny jersey, holding a digital camera and obsessively writing notes.  Hope to see some of you out there!

Here's what's been making headlines recently in Bills country...

Bills' Defensive Tweaks
Why are the Bills tweaking their defensive system, abandoning specific defensive line techniques and focusing on becoming more physical?  Not just because it makes sense.  They're doing it to take full advantage of the talents of DT Marcus Stroud.

The Bills will be milking this guy's talent for all its worth.  They'll be using the alignments that Stroud is most comfortable with - also known as the alignments that the Jacksonville Jaguars have employed during Stroud's time there - in an effort to get as much statistical production out of their new defensive star as possible.  Not a bad strategy at all.

“Obviously we’re hoping he’s going to end up being a big player for us, whether it’s versus the run or the pass,” Kollar said. “He’s obviously a little better in the run than in the pass. He played mainly on the left side in Jacksonville. So for us to say, ‘No, you’re not going to do that; we’re going to play you on the shade (the nose) all the time and you’re going to play a different side than you played on,’ that didn’t make sense to us.”

April Employing New Techniques
Bills Special Teams Coordinator Bobby April has long been known as an innovative, creative and energetic coach.  He's continued that tradition this season, reports The Buffalo News:

This summer, on occasion, he has punt returners working on a way to be more sure-handed at catching punts. The returners hold a football in their hands, a punt is boomed into the air. Before the ball comes to them, they must toss the ball they’re holding up, catch the ball that’s been punted, then catch the ball they originally held.

Players Liking Pads
Buffalo's first pads practice was yesterday, and as was mentioned throughout post-practice reports, the level of physicality was good.  Running back Marshawn Lynch made one of the better hits on the day, and the fans in attendance loved it.

Fred Jackson, the Bills’ other promising young runner, said players are eager for the first opportunity to practice in pads — even though it hurts later.

“That’s the process we need to take to get ready,” he said. “It’s good to get back to it. We’ll be taking those hits during the season.”

Losman Nicked
Chris Brown reports that backup QB J.P. Losman injured the thumb and index finger on his throwing hand yesterday after hitting his hand on the helmet of one of his linemen.  It's never good news to hear that your backup QB is dinged this early in camp, especially when your starter hasn't proven to be overly durable either.  We'll monitor Losman tonight at camp, but all indications are that he'll be fine (he continued to practice yesterday, after all).

Evans doing what Peters won't - working (Photo Source)

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Lee Evans wants a new contract; he's wanted it for two years now.  His teammate, left tackle Jason Peters, also wants a new contract.  (Y'all may have heard that rumor.)  He's wanted a new deal, at least publicly, since the 2007 season ended.

If actions speak louder than words, the Bills are currently attempting to re-sign the right guy.

Ever since putting together a 2006 season in which he caught 82 passes, scored 8 touchdowns and was mentioned as a possible Pro Bowl receiver (he did not make the team), talks about Evans' contract status have dominated headlines surrounding the player.  Currently working on his rookie contract, Evans has every right to covet a new contract - he's probably not worth "elite receiver" money, but his current deal underpays him.

Peters, meanwhile, isn't working under his rookie contract.  A budding talent at right tackle in the summer prior to the 2006 season, Peters was handed a 5-year, $15 million extension by the Bills - an extension he had not yet earned, and one that paid him over $5 million in bonus money immediately.

So which guy is most likely to hold out?  Ask me a year ago, and I emphatically answer Lee Evans - the guy who had every reason to feel disloyal to a club that, as of yet, hadn't proven their trust in him financially.  Needless to say, I've been surprised by the actions of both players.  Those actions, so starkly different from each other, prove something we may not have known until this weekend: Evans is a professional in every sense of the word; Peters isn't.

Examining the Contracts
Evans' current deal is set to expire in 2010.  However, a clause is written into his deal that gives Evans the option to opt out of the deal after 2009.  Thus, if the Bills don't sign him prior to the start of free agency in 2009, Evans will hit the market as an unrestricted free agent.

In this, his final year, Evans will make $2.25 million in base salary.  Factoring in the bonus money of Roscoe Parrish ($520K base salary, with $3.75 million in bonuses), as far as we can tell, Evans will be the second-highest paid Bills receiver in 2008, barring an extension.  Evans will make slightly more than Josh Reed ($1.825 million) and tight end Robert Royal ($1.625 million).

Meanwhile, purely in terms of base salary, Peters' 2008 numbers easily outstrip the deals he's miffed about, those of Derrick Dockery and Langston Walker.  Peters will make $3.3 million in base salaries this season, as compared to the $2 million of Walker and the $1.5 million of Dockery.  Bonuses likely obscure the picture; we were unable to confirm bonus payouts for Dockery and Walker, but they likely add to the '08 wages they'll make significantly.  Dockery has been paid $8 million of $16 million in guaranteed money to date; Walker has also received half of his $10 million guaranteed.  So, at the very root of the issue, Peters has a point - he's better than either Dockery or Walker, and deserves to be paid like it (though, again, we can't actually confirm if he's making less than them in the 2008 season).

But if Peters has reasons to hold out, Evans' are better.  Evans hasn't been handed a gift contract in his time in Buffalo, and he's currently entering the final year of his deal (as opposed to three for Peters).  Yet it was Evans catching the first pass of training camp from Trent Edwards; Kirk Chambers did the blocking at left tackle.

Buffalo's Message is Clear
Why is Evans currently in contract discussions with the Bills, while Peters "charts a road map of silence"?  Not just because Evans' situation is more urgent.  Not just because Evans deserves a new contract.  Evans is in Pittsford.  He's working with his teammates, trying to become a better football player and part of a better team.

Buffalo is going to pay the guys who show up to work.  They're doing it now with Evans.  They did it last year when, after a spring mini-camp holdout, Aaron Schobel reported to training camp on time.  They're maintaining that standard with Peters, and it is absolutely the right decision.

If you hear anything that your fans say, Mr. Peters, hear this: Bills fans respect loyalty.  Take a page out of Lee Evans' book and do what's right, not what you feel is necessary.  Evans is the kind of teammate that makes teams better.  You probably are, too, but it's pretty hard to believe it at this point.  Get to Pittsford.  You do that, you'll probably get your deal.  Until then, you're simply highlighting the difference between good teammates and bad teammates, and you're adding an inauspicious start to what could be a promising season.

Lynch one of seven current and former Bills with issues (Photo Source)

"Character."  It's the overriding quality of hard work and "team player" that former Buffalo Bills GM Marv Levy and his regime worked hard to build a new team around in his two-year run from 2006 to 2007.  Those two character-based teams finished 7-9 in consecutive years under the leadership of Dick Jauron, and with the team moving in the correct direction talent-wise, Levy saw fit to retire for a second time from the Bills organization, which handed the reigns to a trio of Levy's understudies.

In one off-season, however, several Bills players have developed issues that fall outside of the perceived "character" spectrum that could become distractions to the franchise for the foreseeable future.  Whether we're talking about legal issues, contractual issues or playing time issues, the fact remains that the Bills currently have five players with very specific stories to follow - all with varying degrees of severity.  Ironically, all five are offensive players for the Bills.

Five Offensive Players With Issues
Clearly, the affair du jours is RB Marshawn Lynch's apparent hit-and-run incident from this past weekend.  If it's found that Lynch was the driver and fled the scene of the accident, he'll be charged with a high-level misdemeanor and face up to a year of jail time; we haven't even discussed league punishment yet.  WR James Hardy (allegedly pulling a gun on his father; no charges filed) and WR Roscoe Parrish (DUI) have also had runs-in with the law this off-season.  Hardy appears to be out of the woods, but we have not been able to confirm the same for Parrish, who may face league punishment as well.

Two more players aren't in legal trouble, but have other issues which will provide story lines until the matters are resolved.  QB J.P. Losman appears set to play out the final year of his contract as a Bill in 2008 (good for him!), but it doesn't change the fact that he'd prefer to be traded.  That isn't necessarily a reflection on Losman's character - if anything, the fact that he's honoring his contract is a good thing for his rep - but it has added to the turmoil of Buffalo's off-season.  So has the apparent decision of OT Jason Peters to seek a new contract; Buffalo's best offensive lineman (offensive player?) has missed every practice of the team's voluntary OTAs in what has been described as a tactic to get a new contract.

Even two former Bills - defensive end Anthony Hargrove and linebacker Mario Haggan - have had their issues.  Hargrove was suspended for the 2008 season after failing a third drug test; he's likely done with professional football in the NFL for it.  Haggan, meanwhile, tested positive for banned substances he apparently acquired from an over-the-counter (legal) supplement.  He'll miss the first four games of the '08 season and remains an unrestricted free agent.

What is "Character"?
Maybe Bills fans - including yours truly - have been working under a different assumption of what the word "character" means than the Bills organization itself has.  Often misrepresented as "choir boys" or other assorted metaphors, I've personally always viewed character players as guys who work hard, buy into the team attitude, and do their job the right way.  Naturally, given this viewpoint (which I'm positive isn't shared by everyone here), I've been disappointed with some of the issues that have arisen this off-season, specifically in the case of Lynch, Hardy and Parrish.

But there's also an important part of character that is going to play a big factor in the future of the three guys I just mentioned - learning from your mistakes.  Will Lynch learn from his mistake, follow through on the legal process, accept his punishment and keep his nose clean?  Will Parrish do the same?  Again, Hardy appears to be out of the woods for now, but he's had repeated issues stemming from his college days - can he stay out of trouble?

To me, character is also about putting aside petty differences and playing the game.  We're seeing Losman doing that already - his head is down and he's not talking to the media, but he's practicing (sometimes) voluntarily with the team, honoring his deal.  It's likely that Peters does the same, though a holdout is not out of the question.  Those guys have character.  I believe that Lynch, Hardy and Parrish have high character as well.  They just need to start proving it.

One thing is certain - this has been a stressful off-season in Buffalo.  Plenty of change (see: free agents/draft class/releases); plenty of gambles (see: Turk Schonert, Trent Edwards); and now, plenty of turmoil.  Do the Bills remain a high-character team under the post-Levy regime?  Only time will tell.

Edwards enters Year 2 with starting experience (Photo Source)

Prior to the 2008 NFL Draft - in fact, prior to the free agent signing period of this past March - we took a look at the Buffalo Bills' roster position by position, breaking down then-current personnel, finding holes, and building our community needs list.

Now that free agency and the Draft have been completed, and the Bills have infused their roster with new talent, it's time to repeat our process.  Where has Buffalo gotten better?  Where have they gotten worse?  How will additions impact which Bills veterans remain on the roster?  These are questions that we'll attempt to answer over the next week or so.

We'll start the positional discussions off today by looking, of course, at Buffalo's quarterback situation.  To see our previous discussion on Buffalo's quarterbacks, bang it here.

Trent Edwards: Buffalo's second-year starting quarterback has a lot of pressure on his shoulders.  We all are keenly aware of where Edwards' strengths lie - he's got excellent pocket awareness, a very solid (if unspectacular) arm, the ability to read defenses, and that dreaded "p" word, potential.  We're also keenly aware of Edwards' weaknesses, most notably his lack of statistical production - both on a personal level as well as a team offense level.

Clearly, Edwards - who still has less than a full season's worth of NFL starts under his belt - has a lot of growing up to do, not only in terms of increasing Buffalo's mediocre scoring output, but blossoming into a team leader as well.  Despite all of the question marks, however, Edwards is clearly and irrevocably (do you hear that, Coach Jauron?  irrevocably) Buffalo's starting quarterback.

J.P. Losman: After making it known that he'd much prefer a trade out of town this past January, Losman remains a Bill, and he is clearly and irrevocably (do you hear that, Coach Jauron? irrevocably) Buffalo's backup quarterback.  Losman struggled in his '07 starts after an '06 season that showed marginal growth on his part.  He will likely only be a Bill for one more season (his current contract expires after 2008), and he'll then hit the open waters as an unrestricted free agent.  Due to the lack of an appealing veteran option, and the lack of a trade partner, and the fact that he's the best man for the job, Losman is the team's best bet at backup quarterback.

Gibran Hamdan: Signed during the '07 season after the team released Craig Nall for a second time, Hamdan currently resides at third on the depth chart.  The coaching staff likes Hamdan, but does he hold enough sway with the coaches to keep his job safe from the likes of Matt Baker and Luke Drone?

The Additions: Matt Baker, Luke Drone
We mentioned prior to the events of the off-season that should the Bills trade Losman, adding a backup quarterback with experience.  Clearly, the Losman trade did not happen, and the Bills instead chose to round out their training camp depth chart by adding Baker - an NFL practice squad veteran - and Drone, an undrafted rookie free agent from Division I-AA Illinois State.  Baker and Drone will enter a three-way competition with Hamdan for the #3 quarterback role in Buffalo; whether any of them ultimately makes the roster remains to be seen.

The Subtractions: None

Pre-Season Outlook: Edwards and Losman are locked in to the '08 opening day roster, and will serve in their irrevocable (Coach?) starter/backup respective roles.  Whether or not Hamdan, Baker or Drone makes the roster depends heavily on whether or not the Bills keep more than two quarterbacks on the opening day roster (they entered '07 with two on the roster).  At least one of the trio of Hamdan, Baker and Drone will stick around, either on the active roster or as a member of the practice squad.

Change: Negligible.

Please feel free to leave your thoughts on Buffalo's quarterback position - whether it be Edwards, Losman, the third-string trio, roster numbers, or anything else your little hearts desire - in the comments section.

Losman likely to leave after 2008 season (Photo Source)

I don't like opening up the volatile can of worms that is (and has been for quite some time) the quarterback situation in Buffalo very often.  For some reason, even when we're certain who the team's starting quarterback is, there's still controversy.  But today, I have to bring it up.  Why?  Well, Jerry Sullivan started it.

This past January, Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman made it known that he'd like to be traded at the team's earliest convenience.  Approximately four months later, that still has not happened.  When Losman made his trade "demand" (can a player really "demand" to be traded if they have no say in the decision?), his agent also made it clear that Losman would honor the final year of his contract - the 2008-09 season - if the Bills were unable or unwilling to deal their 2004 first-round pick.

So as it stands right now (and things could definitely change before training camp and the end of the pre-season), Losman will be a Bill in 2008, likely serving as the backup to second-year starter Trent Edwards.  That thought seems to be rather perturbing to Mr. Sullivan.  I can't figure out why, even after his latest quarterback rant.

Before I get into my issues with Sullivan's remarks, here's one good point that he makes about the situation:

It’s unfair to Edwards, who doesn’t need Losman hanging over his shoulder for a second year.

That's true - but it's not true in Buffalo's locker room.  It is plainly obvious that Trent Edwards is the starting quarterback.  Any Bills fan that pays attention is aware of that, and the Bills themselves are aware of it.  If there is any whiff of quarterback controversy next year, two things have happened - Edwards has gotten hurt and the media is firing up their favorite paper-selling tool: quarterback controversy.  If Edwards is healthy for 16 games, then he will start 16 games.  Why?  Because that's exactly what Losman himself did in 2006, and it's exactly what he would have done last season had he not gotten hurt.

Edwards will be fine.  Losman will clearly want to be on the field, but he won't get there unless #5 is injured.  Jauron has proven he can stick behind a healthy young signal-caller once in his tenure here; why on earth wouldn't it happen again?  Losman likely won't be a problem, either; Sullivan himself admits that Losman was a "good soldier" after his demotion last year.  That's about where Sullivan's good ideas end.

The big myth is that Losman could save the Bills’ playoff hopes if Edwards falters or gets hurt. But again, if Losman is such a prized asset, how come he’s still here? How come almost every other NFL team has filled its need at both starting quarterback and backup?

Sullivan explores literally every other possible explanation to Losman's still being on the roster other than it being the Bills' preference.  No one wants him.  No one would offer anything substantial in return.  Nobody has enough faith in him to warrant trading for him, even as a backup.  He even makes the claim that the Bills might not be totally set on Edwards as their starter, which is why they're keeping Losman around.

No one is insinuating that Losman can be the savior of this team should Edwards go down.  Not one single person.  But he has a better chance of doing it than any other backup quarterback currently available.  But Sullivan disagrees with that assessment, too:

For the overall good, they should get him out of here, one way or another. I don’t care who’s the backup: Daunte Culpepper, Byron Leftwich, a free-agent rookie. Anything is better than another year of Losman.

Pardon me for saying so, but that's just ridiculously biased.  We're talking about a guy (Culpepper) who has had serious knee injuries and couldn't hold onto a starting job in Oakland last year... with Josh McCown as his main challenger.  And I hardly need to remind Falcons fans of Leftwich's inability to hold off Chris Redman in Atlanta last year.  But yeah, let's sign them right up if it means Sullivan's wishes come true.  These are terrible quarterbacks, folks.  Losman isn't a gem himself, but he knows this team, he knows the system, and he's ready for one more year in Buffalo.

The fact of the matter is that no matter what Lee Evans believes, Losman is a backup.  That's not going to change.  If Edwards gets hurt (deities forbid) and Losman performs even adequately, that's a good thing for the Bills - whether or not Evans starts campaigning for a Losman promotion again or not.  Ultimately, this argument rests squarely on the shoulders of one Dick Jauron.  Stick by your starter, coach, and media attempts to create controversy like Mr. Sullivan did today will be for naught.

There.  I'm done talking quarterbacks for a while.  Local media should try the same tactic.