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.

Whitner returns to practice, may play Thursday (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills held their final public practice prior to Thursday's pre-season matchup with Pittsburgh this afternoon, and the big news of the day was the fact that right guard Brad Butler was getting reps at right tackle.  This is not a permanent move; it is merely a precaution, as the Bills will very likely face Pittsburgh with three healthy tackles on the roster.  Butler practiced with the third team on the right side, and if things go well Thursday, he likely won't see much - if any - time at right tackle.

Strong safety Donte Whitner returned to practice today; his ankle is healthy and he participated in all individual and team activities.  It's still unclear as to whether he'll play Thursday night, but it looks promising that he'll at least suit up.  CB Terrence McGee also returned to practice Thursday.

Neither of Buffalo's two injured offensive tackles - Patrick Estes and Matt Murphy - are expected to play Thursday.  Missing Tuesday's practice were wideouts Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish and Scott Mayle, tight end Tim Massaquoi, and linebackers Blake Costanzo and Marcus Buggs.

Hark! More Offense!
The Bills had yet another productive day offensively; offensive coordinator Turk Schonert reportedly installed more four-wide spread formations today, with the result that the Bills had some impressive passing plays for the second straight practice session.  James Hardy and Lee Evans were two of many beneficiaries:

Trent Edwards found James Hardy on an early 7-on-7 play for first down yardage. That was followed up by a couple of nice receptions by Lee Evans including a touchdown catch that drew cheers from the crowd.

I'll repeat what I said this morning - this type of production on the practice field remains a disappointment until it's translated to the playing field.  Hopefully, we'll see much more than we did from the offense this past Saturday.  I'm not concerned, but boy, would I like a pick-me-up.

John Wendling is Awesome
This is one of the coolest and most amusing things I've read about a Bills player in quite some time:

Leading up to the draft the Wyoming product was known by most for his YouTube video that showed him leaping over a 66-inch high bar from a standing position.

Special teams coordinator Bobby April has allowed Wendling to try leaping over the entire field goal formation including the opposing line to see if he's capable of blocking a field goal attempt.

Brownie reports that Wendling has cleared both lines on more than one occasion; while it hasn't led to a field goal block, says Brown, "at the very least it's entertaining to watch".  I'll say.  And since John Wendling is in fact so awesome, let's post that YouTube video in question for yet another view:

The Bills have a closed practice Wednesday, and Thursday they hit the field at the Rogers Centre at 7:30 PM ET for their first game in Canada.  Be sure to stop by Thursday night if you can for the Buffalo Rumblings Open Thread - we hope to have more folks join the nine of us who chatted live last weekend!

Loss of Murphy cripples depth at LT (Photo Source)

Quick Note: We're still making a valiant attempt to get everyone signed up for Buffalo Rumblings Fantasy Football.  If you haven't checked out the announcement yet and it's relevant to you, please do so ASAP!

The Buffalo Bills returned to the practice field Monday night following their pre-season opening 17-14 loss in Washington, and before the night was out had been dealt a crippling blow to their depth at offensive tackle.  With Jason Peters still MIA amidst a contract holdout, two more tackles - Matt Murphy and Patrick Estes - suffered injuries and left practice early.  The Bills finished practice with just three healthy tackles: Langston Walker, Kirk Chambers and rookie Demetrius Bell.  The seriousness of the two injuries are not yet known, but neither is likely to play in Thursday's pre-season matchup with the Steelers in Toronto.

The loss of Murphy - who performed admirably Saturday night - is especially concerning, as he was working with the second team as the left tackle.  Estes was working with the third team at the same position.  With just three healthy tackles on the roster, the team might have to experiment with players such as Jason Whittle, Robert Felton or Nevin McCaskill at tackle; they could also make a roster move soon.  Jason Peters' holdout has never looked more desperate than it does today.

In other injury news, SS Donte Whitner returned to practice, was subsequently dinged, left, and did not return - again.  It wouldn't be shocking to see him sit out Thursday's game.  LB Blake Costanzo also left early with a minor head injury.  Not participating were wideouts Josh Reed, Scott Mayle and Roscoe Parrish, tight end Tim Massaquoi and linebacker Marcus Buggs.  LB Angelo Crowell participated fully, and DE Copeland Bryan also returned.

Surprise! Offense Goes Deep
The Bills took some serious heat in the press for their incredibly vanilla offensive performance Sunday.  But hark!  Monday night was a smorgasboard of deep passes for Buffalo's offense.  Should we be surprised?

The first beneficiary of the deep passing game was rookie wideout James Hardy. On the third snap in team work Trent Edwards aired out a 50-yard bomb to Hardy on a deep post as he got between Terrence McGee and Ko Simpson, made the catch and completed the 70-yard scoring play.

Show me some of that during actual pre-season action - as well as increased playing time for Trent Edwards - and I'll get excited about this.  For now, it's merely something that sounds good from the practice setting that hasn't translated the field, a.k.a. a disappointment.

Question of the day: Is there seriously a good reason for the Bills to take Edwards and most of the first unit offense off of the field before halftime on Thursday?

The Bills practice at 1PM today, have a closed practice Wednesday, and hit the turf at the Rogers Centre for the first time Thursday.

Chambers leading the pack to back up Peters (Photo Source)

Note: As Buffalo Rumblings counts down the days until the start of the Buffalo Bills' 2008 training camp (current count: 8), we'll be breaking down some of the bigger battles we're sure to witness during summer practices as part of a comprehensive package of pre-camp topics we'll explain in more depth in the near future.  For now, we'll continue our Battles series by looking at the battle for the team's third tackle position.  Previous installments: Backup TE

With Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters unhappy with his contract situation, the training camp battle for the right to be Peters' primary backup suddenly holds much more importance for the Bills.  If Peters decides to hold out of even part of training camp - and nothing is out of the question at this point - and things get ugly, the winner of this competition becomes one of the most important players on Buffalo's entire offensive unit.

Meet the candidates...

The Favorite: Kirk Chambers (73)
The primary backup at both tackle positions last season, Chambers did not see a ton of action until the final two weeks of the season, when Peters went down with a season-ending groin injury.  He's an unspectacular athlete with marginal instincts for the game, but there are worse options as a backup tackle - he's smart, tough, and while he needs a little help, he generally avoids making big mistakes.  He's certainly the favorite, but if one of the other contenders surprises, he's certainly expendable as well.

The Upstart: Matt Murphy (70)
Like Peters, Murphy is a former tight end that has converted to offensive tackle, and he's got above-average athleticism for the position.  That's where the comparisons end.  Murphy is underweight and is making the full position switch for the first time; he's raw and needs some technique work, but he also has a bit of upside.  He's got a lot to prove, but if he starts stealing reps and moving up the depth chart during camp, Chambers better keep his head on a swivel.

The Darkhorse: Patrick Estes (79)
Signed late in the 2007 season as a reserve once Peters went down, Estes has kicked around the league early in his career.  He's a bit of an unknown commodity, but Buffalo's coaches reportedly like his smarts and his build.  He, too, has some work to do, but don't immediately count this guy out of the competition.

The Longshot: Demetrius Bell (77)
Keep in mind that Bell, the first of Buffalo's three seventh-round picks this past April, is only a long shot for the time being.  Blessed with rare athleticism for an offensive lineman, Bell is about as green as an NFL prospect comes, but he's got loads of upside and a solid athletic pedigree.  He's very likely to end up on the practice squad, but don't be shocked to see him make quick advances under the tutelage of line coach Sean Kugler.

Predicting the Winner
It may be boring, and it may leave you a bit queasy, but for now, Chambers seems like the clear favorite to win this competition.  The fact that the Bills have three upside guys behind Chambers, however, obviously indicates that the team is looking for an upgrade if one is available.  Given the team's interior depth - both Jason Whittle and Christian Gaddis have an excellent shot at making the roster - only one of these guys will make the roster, in all likelihood.  If Murphy or Estes surprises, that's great.  If not, the team will grit its teeth and go to work with Chambers for another season.

Ultimately, my opinion is as good as all of yours'; let's hear it, folks.  Who should/will be Buffalo's backup left tackle heading into the 2008 season?

Next Battle: Starting Cornerback

Peters anchors a still-improving line (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 continue those discussions today with an examination of Buffalo's offensive tackle corps.  To view our previous discussions on Buffalo's OT situation (pre-off-season), bang it here.

Jason Peters: Attention, Marshall Faulk - that left tackle you said the Bills needed desperately?  A certain Mr. Peters that was elected to some all-star game in Honolulu last season might take offense to that, my friend.  The 26-year-old has transformed himself from an undrafted free agent into a franchise left tackle, and while there's always room to improve, he can now be considered among the league's elite at his position.  He has a long, bright future in Buffalo ahead of him.

Langston Walker: Buffalo's largest offensive lineman can be a bit of a liability in pass protection, but is considered a solid player that can overwhelm defenders at times in the run game.  No, he's not a perfect tackle, but the skills he does possess complement those of Peters' well and he gives the Bills two above-average tackles.

Kirk Chambers: Chambers did not see much playing time last season (he started the season finale in Philadelphia in place of the injured Peters), but his performance was steady in what little time he did see.  For now, he's a solid reserve that can block on special teams, but the team might be in trouble if he has to play much more than he did in 2007.

Patrick Estes: Signed near the end of the '07 season, Estes is a solid developmental prospect.  However, the Bills have two more project players at the position, which could make it difficult for Estes to land a roster spot in '08.

Matt Murphy: For two seasons, Murphy stuck around Buffalo as a tight end; his forte was always as a blocker.  Now, Murphy has been re-signed by the club and told to pack on the pounds, because he's moving to offensive tackle.  Murphy will make a fine athletic tackle, and given some time, he could surprise as a fourth tackle to make the roster.  If he transitions well enough, he may even give Chambers a run for his money as the team's top reserve at the position - and he can play receiver-eligible in goal line situations and would make a fine special teams blocker as well.  This is a project worth keeping an eye on.

The Additions: Demetrius Bell
The estranged son of former NBA star Karl Malone is a seventh-round draft pick whose early role will likely be as a practice squad player.  Bell has a world of potential, but hails from Northwestern State and has played just three seasons of football.  He's an outstanding athlete with basketball experience, but he's extremely raw when it comes to football technique.  He's another player that if coached properly and with some work could develop into a fine player for the Bills.

The Subtractions: None

Pre-Season Outlook: I love Buffalo's depth at this position, and the addition of Bell late in the draft gives the Bills a nice developmental prospect with the potential to eventually contribute on this team.  Peters and Walker are a solid starting duo (not perfect), Chambers is a solid backup, and Murphy could be a surprise as well.  There's intriguing depth here.  This position only remains a team strength, however, if the two starters can continue to stay healthy.

Change: Negligible.

As always, your thoughts on Buffalo's offensive tackles are welcome and encouraged in the comments section.  For those of you clamoring to discuss the rest of the Bills' offensive line - namely, the guards and centers - hang tight; we'll be discussing them later on this afternoon.  Stay tuned!

Note: For much more in-depth analysis of Buffalo's offensive line dealing with individual performance in 2007, be sure to check out Ron From NM's excellent FanPosts here and here.