McKelvin, Bills make big plays in big W (Associated Press)

The Buffalo Bills ended a four-game losing streak with a 54-31 road victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

In a game that resembled conventional Bills football in no sense of the phrase, QB Trent Edwards scored four touchdowns, CB Leodis McKelvin picked off two Tyler Thigpen passes and returned one for a score, and the Bills forced five turnovers in a much-needed victory.  The Bills needed most of the 54 points they put up, however, as Buffalo's defense struggled to tackle and gave up plenty of big plays to the Chiefs.

Offense clicks... finally
That was the offense that Buffalo Rumblings has been calling for over the past month.  The Bills successfully established the run early, with Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson keeping the game close early.  Lynch finished with 104 total yards and the team's first touchdown, while Jackson added 76 yards as well.

With the run established, the Bills started running the play-action, and the simplified offensive attack worked wonders for Trent Edwards.  In a confidence-boosting performance for Buffalo's young signal-caller - roughed up during the four-game losing streak - Edwards completed 24 of 32 passes (75%) for 273 yards and two scores.  He added two more touchdowns on scrambles, as he finished the game with 38 rushing yards on 6 carries.  Edwards' QB rating?  120.9.  It's amazing what a competent game plan (and a not-so-competent defense) can do for you.

Everything worked for Buffalo's offense today.  Perhaps the most gratifying moment was when WR Josh Reed, who missed the last three weeks with ankle and Achilles injuries, caught his first TD pass since December 17 of 2006.  It's been a long time coming for Reed.  Lee Evans (5 receptions, 110  yards) and the tight ends (a combined 7 catches, 68 yards and 1 TD) were factors as well.  Capping off the success offensively was the fact that much-maligned head coach Dick Jauron ordered up two offensive plays on 4th and 1 early in the game, the first of which led to a touchdown run by Lynch.

Defense lucky that the O woke up
Set aside the five turnovers (two McKelvin picks and fumble recoveries by Marcus Stroud, George Wilson and Derek Schouman).  Set aside McKelvin's 64-yard pick-six.  (Well, don't.  McKelvin looked like a superstar today.)  It's true that Buffalo played most of this game with a big lead, but Buffalo's defense wasn't close to good on this day.

Kansas City gained 462 yards on the day.  Buffalo couldn't tackle to save their lives, Kawika Mitchell in particular.  Larry Johnson ran for 81 yards on just 7 carries, and Chiefs quarterbacks threw for four scores (3 from Thigpen, one from Quinn Gray in "garbage time").  It's great that the team came up with big plays defensively, but they gave up too many as well.  The D was not impressive early, surrendering touchdowns on two of Kansas City's first three drives, and needed all the help from the offense it could get.

In the end, the poor performance defensively didn't matter, as the Bills scored more points than they had in 17 years.  But if you feel the need to nit-pick, this is the area to concentrate on.

Game Balls
Two of these are going to be obvious.  One might not be.

QB Trent Edwards - I know a few of you will say "it's just the Chiefs", but this game is exactly what Edwards needed for his confidence.  He threw the ball downfield, he was more accurate than he's been in recent weeks, and he looked like a leader again.  This was a huge game for Trent.

CB Leodis McKelvin - All that "bust" talk?  It can now officially be thrown out the window; chalk his early struggles up to transitioning from Troy to the big leagues.  This kid is a monster.  Two picks, the pick-six and a 46-yard kickoff return to open the second half made him the most electrifying player on the field.

LB Blake Costanzo - Buffalo's special teams were once again outstanding.  At one point, I wondered which specialist to give this game ball to.  Costanzo was an easy choice; he was in on just about every special teams stop today.  I love the unsung hero, and Costanzo is that guy today.

Roll Call
A big "good on you" to the 22 folks who dropped by today's game thread.  As is usual, norcaliangelsfan out-nerded the rest of us with a whopping 211 comments.  The 22 folks:

ccthemovieman, WABillsfan, norcaliangelsfan, thatguy455, jj24, Brian Galliford, keuka121, taskersd, kaisertown, Cinga, Joe P., StuckInNJ, jdol1568, D.O., silverstreak3k, spavery, moncheri, NJBillsfan, dontuan, BenAllen, Tatunka, Kurupt, BILLS

I don't care what the nay-sayers come up with this week about our opponent.  It just feels GREAT to win again.

So the Buffalo Bills didn't squish the fish, losing to the Miami Dolphins 25-16 this past weekend.  We know how inept the offense was in the fourth quarter.  We know that the defense struggled, particularly in stopping Ted Ginn.  (Typing that still makes me sick to my stomach.)  We know that while losing, every other AFC East team won over the weekend.  Plain and simple, it wasn't a good weekend to be a Bills fan.

After agonizing about the loss for two days and re-watching the tape, however, there were some solid individual performances that deserve to be mentioned.  Never hurts to talk about bright spots, right?

Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson: It's hardly a surprise, but Buffalo's potent one-two running back punch performed quite well.  Sure, Jackson got stuffed three times at Miami's goal line early in the game, but when they got opportunities, they made the most of them.  The running game in general was much better than usual; in fact, Lynch and Jackson actually had some holes to run through in this one.  Lynch is a monster - there's no excuse for him only logging 13 carries.  Miami wasn't stopping him on the ground or through the air (though he stopped himself twice in the latter department).  Our runners looked great.

Lee Evans: Over the past two games, Evans has 15 grabs.  He hasn't been this productive since a four-game, 32-catch stretch in the 2006 season.  Miami did a good job shutting down Buffalo's short passing game on Sunday, yet Evans still hauled in 7 passes for 116 yards.  Perhaps this offense has reached a point where Evans will be consistently productive from this point forward.  Evans has at least 65 receiving yards in every game this season.  Think he's not a legitimate #1 receiver?  Think again.

Derek Schouman: I'm liking the fact that Turk Schonert is finding ways to get Schou the ball, even if it's only once a game (or, in reality, every other game).  It should happen more.  He's averaging 15 yards per reception, people!  He's also an underrated blocker.  I think it's high time we gave this kid a shot as our full-time starter at tight end; at least he doesn't fumble the ball.  Robert Royal has lost 4 fumbles over the past two seasons; that's unacceptable for a guy who touches the ball as infrequently as he does.

Keith Ellison: People like to point out that we have a "need" at outside linebacker, but those same people rarely - if ever - acknowledge that Keith Ellison is playing out of his mind.  He has, quite literally, been our most consistent linebacker this season.  Whereas Kawika Mitchell is borderline dominant one week and a liability the next, and while Paul Posluszny is disappearing for stretches, Ellison just makes plays.  He is one of the best open-field tacklers on the team, and he can make plays in the backfield.  He'll never be spectacular, but boy, is he dependable.  He played very well against Miami.

Jabari Greer: I'd like to offer a public apology to Mr. Greer.  Throughout the summer months and the pre-season, I was adamant that rookie Leodis McKelvin would vault Greer to be a starter for this team by mid-season.  McKelvin has had to play, obviously, but not because of Greer; Jabari has been outstanding.  He's a gamer.  He's physical, he's athletic, and though he can be taken advantage of, he's a guy that can be relied on.  He's held down the fort very well while Terrence McGee has been out of the lineup (or playing matador to Ted Ginn's bull).  Jabari's underrated, and I think it's safe to say at this point that he deserves discussion of a contract extension.

Bryan Scott: It's probably not the best news when Scott is the heart and soul of your defense, but that was the case this Sunday.  Scott was outstanding, registering a sack, making two big tackles (in key situations) in the backfield, and providing excellent coverage on the Dolphins' tight end duo of Fasano and Martin (it was Kawika Mitchell that allowed Fasano to score on Miami's opening possession).  Whether or not he's the team's second or third safety is irrelevant - he's playing very, very well right now.

Evans (left), receivers more productive in '08 (buffalobills.com)

In 2007, the Buffalo Bills fielded one of their worst offensive units in team history.  En route to a 7-9 record, the Bills shuffled quarterbacks and scored just 20 touchdowns in what was, statistically, a mediocre season on just about every level.

Fast forward to 2008.  Trent Edwards has settled the Bills' instability at quarterback by emerging as a legitimate NFL starter with tons of potential.  But that's been the only major change.  Even with very little personnel turnover (rookie WR James Hardy was the only significant off-season import for the unit), the turnaround that Buffalo's offense has made has been surprising - and even more surprising, the biggest strides have come in the passing department.

The Bills have improved in just about every major statistical category offensively, most importantly in points scored (the Bills are averaging 25.2 points per game this season, up from 15.8 in 2007).  Yet despite the significant strides made, there's still room for improvement.

Quarterbacks making each play count
We're all aware of how well Edwards has played.  He's the most exciting Bills player in quite some time, at least in terms of the excitement he engenders for future prospects of the organization.  But even J.P. Losman, filling in for Edwards for a game, has jumped in on the statistical prowess.

A quarterback's effectiveness is best measured in yards per attempt.  In 2007, Bills passing plays averaged 6.39 yards per passing attempt - a mediocre number that reflects the team's inability to make big plays through the air.  That number has skyrocketed to 8.24 yards per attempt in 2008, as the Bills have made more plays downfield and have gotten much more from their receivers in run-after-catch yardage.

Bills quarterbacks - yes, even Losman - are distributing the ball effectively and letting their receivers make plays.  It's not an elite development, but it's clearly a step in the right direction.  (Get well soon, Trent.)

Receiver production up
The Bills took some heat when their only significant upgrade to a mediocre receiving corps was the rookie Hardy, whose impact has been minimal through the first five games of his inaugural season.  Effective quarterback play, however, has turned this "mediocre" receiving corps into a bunch of playmakers.

In 2007, the Bills' top four receivers (basically, swap Peerless Price for Hardy) combined for 148 receptions, 1,847 yards and just six scores.  The touchdowns were most concerning, but 2008 is different - Bills receivers have already nabbed four scores this season, and more are on the horizon.  If statistical trends continue for the remainder of this season, Bills receivers will see increases in receptions (projected 157), yards (2,483) and touchdowns (13).

Lee Evans and Josh Reed have been the go-to guys.  Evans is currently averaging 27 yards per reception, second in the league for players with 10 or more receptions.  Reed's production has been a bit more surprising; in line for a career year, Reed has become the go-to-guy on third down.  14 of Reed's team-leading 21 receptions (67%) have created first downs; Evans has added 14 more on his 16 receptions (87.5%).

Running backs getting involved, too

One of the more noticeable differences between 2007 and 2008 has been the involvement of running backs in the passing game.  Offensive Coordinator Turk Schonert promised to emphasize the talents of Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson as receivers, and he's delivered in a big way.

In 2007, Bills running backs caught 55 passes - and that total includes the 15 hauled in by the now-departed Anthony Thomas.  Lynch and Jackson have already hit the half-way point of that total this season, as they've combined to catch 29 balls.  That puts the duo on pace to catch 93 passes this season, a very high number for any running back duo in today's NFL.

Where to improve: tight ends and pass protection
It's been great that Buffalo's running backs have been playing the role of safety valve, because the Bills have seen a drop-off in production from the tight end position.  Sure, Robert Royal has increased his production (he's on pace to outstrip his 2007 reception total by 17), but the position has dropped off as a whole.  Bills tight ends caught 56 passes in 2007; they've got just 15 this season.  The return of rookie Derek Fine from injury likely won't help balloon those stats.  Lynch and Jackson have picked up the slack, but the lack of a threat down the seam still hinders this team.

The biggest hindrance, however, has been pass protection.  The Bills aren't throwing much more than they did in 2007, surprisingly, yet the excellent pass protection that Bills quarterbacks enjoyed last season has been MIA.  Bills quarterbacks were sacked 26 times in '07, or less than twice per game.  In just five games this season, Bills quarterbacks have been sacked 16 times; if that pace continues, the Bills will likely surrender double their '07 sack total (52).  That's not good news for Edwards and his concussion, nor for the still-highly-unreliable Losman.

Even considering these issues, there's far more promise to Buffalo's aerial attack this year than we saw in 2007.  The difference has been night and day, and it's been reflected in the team's overall performance.  Don't expect the tight ends to produce more than their current clip; we can be a bit more optimistic about the pass protection given the bye week.  In the end, it all comes down to the quarterback, however; the emergence of Edwards, with an assist from Schonert, has turned an awful Bills passing game into, in reality, an excellent one.

Here are my offensive line notes from the Bills' win over the Rams.  It may be hard to believe but this is even longer than the post I did for the Raiders game...

Drive 1

Pass 1: 49 yards to Evans
Run 1: 20 yards by Lynch (negated by holding call) left B gap
- Peters was flagged for holding. While Brian thought it was a crappy call, Peters was, in fact, holding.  He had his right hand in the DE’s jersey arm hole.  He used his hold to keep the DE from turning and chasing down Lynch. While it didn’t appear that the DE was going to be able to catch Lynch without the hold, a hold it was and it killed the play.
- Dock put 95 down.
- Fowler pulled and stuffed/locked up 1 filling LB (Schouman took out the other) which helped spring Lynch for the run.
- Butler kept the DT turned away from the play.
- Walker pulled and did no particular good.
Pass 2: 6 yards to Lynch
Pass 3: Overthrow to Hardy (Edwards had him for a first down but simply missed)
- Lynch gave a pretty weak effort at chipping Peters’ guy.
Pass 4: 9 yards to Lynch
- At first blush I thought that Peters had killed the drive based on his holding penalty.  However, on closer review Edwards gets the blame as he could have had the first down with an accurate pass to Hardy.  The drive ended in a field goal.

Drive 1: 0 blitzes, 0 stacks

Continue reading this post »

  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 »

  Peters misses all 26 days of Bills camp (Photo Source)

2008 Buffalo Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher College came to a close today, and the Bills were without perhaps their two most valuable offensive players.  Jason Peters failed to report for the final day of camp - it's still unclear if (not when) Peters plans to report at all - and quarterback Trent Edwards, nursing a deep thigh bruise, sat out Wednesday's morning practice finale.

Peters missed all 26 days of Bills camp - accumulating nearly $400,000 in fines in the process - and all indications are that his holdout will continue as the Bills return to their headquarters in Orchard Park tomorrow.  The Bills still have, and are expected to exercise, their right to fine Peters up to $15,000 per day during his unexcused absence.  While some Bills players, including OG Derrick Dockery, are hopeful that Peters will report soon, it's pretty safe to say that the fan base is not.

Edwards, who injured his knee during Tuesday night's practice in a collision with RB Marshawn Lynch on a simple run play, watched the day's practice in sweatpants from the sideline.  His injury is not considered serious, but he is day to day at this point, and it's still unclear whether or not Edwards will suit up for Buffalo's third pre-season game in Indianapolis this Sunday.  Lynch, meanwhile, experienced only minor swelling and pain in his knee and was able to practice in full on Wednesday.

Besides Edwards, also missing practice Wednesday were WR James Hardy (hamstring), WR Roscoe Parrish (knee), TE Derek Schouman (knee), OT Matt Murphy (shoulder), LB John DiGiorgio (calf) and LB Jon Banks (hamstring).

Rather than going through the usual practice reports (located here and here), we'll instead take a quick look back at training camp as a whole by doing the whole cliched and overdone "Stock Report" thing.  Here's who helped themselves and hurt themselves during 2008 Bills Training Camp:

+ Bullish: CB Ashton Youboty Left for dead after the signing of Will James and the drafting of Leodis McKelvin and Reggie Corner, no cornerback has been more impressive to date than Youboty.  He's given up some big plays, but he's also flashed outstanding tackling ability and solid ball skills.  He's fought hard for a roster spot, and deserves to make the team's final roster.  Time will tell whether his work has paid off.

- Bearish: RB Dwayne Wright He's come down with a serious case of fumble-itis this pre-season (including one in each pre-season game) and it's costing him.  Xavier Omon has started to steal reps ahead of him, and the second-year pro is in danger of losing his #3 RB role to the rookie out of Division II NW Missouri State.

+ Bullish: OT Demetrius Bell He only started playing football in 2005, but Bell has been impressive to date.  He's very green and shouldn't be much more than a depth player, but Bell has big-time potential.  He's gotten a lot of opportunities with Peters holding out and with Murphy and Patrick Estes injured, and he hasn't disappointed.

- Bearish: LB Keith Ellison Routinely out of position on passing downs, Ellison has been responsible (though not the sole LB responsible) for surrendering some large chunks of yardage through the air this pre-season.  The Bills are experimenting with John DiGiorgio at outside linebacker, and DiGiorgio could wind up being the primary backup at an outside spot in place of the sliding - but still important - Ellison.

+ Bullish: SS Bryan Scott Donte Whitner has been nicked up a bit, and while the defense has missed him, Scott's play has been excellent.  He's continued to show a knack for stopping the run when up in the box, and he hasn't been a liability in coverage.  He's involved with nearly every special teams coverage unit as well.  You're going to be hearing Scott's name a lot in 2008.

- Bearish: DT John McCargo Once expected to start next to Marcus Stroud at defensive tackle, McCargo started out as the fourth tackle in camp and hasn't earned his way up the depth chart.  Currently, Kyle Williams and Spencer Johnson are battling to start next to Stroud, and McCargo doesn't seem to be a large part of the equation.  He'll play a lot, but he is decidedly fourth in Buffalo's stellar four-man rotation.  That's not great news for the former first-round pick.

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.

Royal (84), offense excel in Toronto (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills' offense entered their second pre-season game with a chip on their collective shoulder.  Less than a week after an inauspicious start in Washington, Buffalo's offense did a complete 180 in a 24-21 pre-season victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Toronto.

NFL.com video highlights

Trent Edwards - last week just 1 of 5 passing - was two for two this week.  Two for two on scoring drives, that is; Buffalo's starting offense was on the field for two possessions, and ended both with Robert Royal touchdown receptions.  Edwards finished the evening 9 of 11 passing for 104 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions.  He even had a 22-yard scramble for a first down on third and 12 on the team's second possession.

Wide receiver Lee Evans got into the act as well; after getting blanked in Washington, Evans caught three passes for 55 yards on two possessions this week.  Royal - heavily involved offensively due to a knee injury sustained by Derek Schouman - caught two balls both for scores; Roscoe Parrish, Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson were also involved in the passing game.

Buffalo's re-tooled offensive line blocked well for Lynch; Marshawn carried 5 times for 25 yards before his exit.  There were two minor errors that the offense made - Edwards was hit on his blind side on one play, and Langston Walker had a poor block on a speed rush - but otherwise, the Bills' offense was hitting on all cylinders.  It was truly an impressive performance.

Defense/Special Teams Not Slouches, Either
Buffalo's defense wasn't as spectacular as the offense on Thursday night, but they had their bright spots as well.  Take away a fluke 47-yard touchdown scramble by Steelers QB Dennis Dixon late in the fourth quarter, and the Bills held the Steelers to just 54 rushing yards on 20 carries.  Strong safety Donte Whitner, making his pre-season debut, looked good in run support and also recorded an interception off a tipped pass by Ko Simpson.

Not everything was rosy defensively, however.  The Bills missed a few golden opportunities to record sacks on Ben Roethlisberger, instead allowing the elusive signal-caller to escape and even make a few big plays down the field.  Buffalo's linebackers also continued to struggle in coverage, and the cornerbacks - specifically Ashton Youboty and Leodis McKelvin - were not as solid as they were in Washington.  The effectiveness of Buffalo's offense and some big plays, however, masked these deficiencies as the Bills' first unit built a 14-0 lead over the Steelers' first unit.

McKelvin proved that he can be explosive in the return game once again; his 95-yard kickoff return late in the third quarter gave the Bills a 24-14 lead and effectively put the game away.  Buffalo's special teams units, from team one to team four, were outstanding once again.

What's Coming Next?
- We'll have our Film Session again this week, as I was able to get this game on the ol' DVR once again.  Expect me to come back with a glowing report on rookie OT Demetrius Bell - I thought he excelled in extended action, specifically against the pass rush and blocking in space.

- The Bills have ten days off before their next pre-season game, a Sunday Night affair in Indianapolis.

- Here's the roll call from tonight's game thread: sireric, Kurupt, Bluebill, Scoe221, twoeightnine, Cinga, MonStarr_716, krytime, Fucilli5, RabidBuffalo, the Skycap, Berg79, jj24, Krenn, BuffaloBrewed, Kumario!, billsstein (17 users)... Congratulations to Kurupt, who blew away the competition with 112 comments.  Great stuff.

Plenty to be excited about after this game, Rumblers.

Losman, Bills throttled by Steelers in '07 (Photo Source)

Note: Watching the game tonight?  Be sure to stop by Buffalo Rumblings for tonight's Open Game Thread!

The Buffalo Bills will take the field for the second time this pre-season this evening as they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.  While the rest of the world focuses on the fact that the game is being played in Toronto, we'll focus on what really matters here - the team.

Just as we did last week, this will be a list of things to keep an eye out for during tonight's game.  And, just like last week, I'll be slapping this game on the ol' DVR for a little Film Session, likely to be posted over the weekend.  So, without further ado, here's what I'll be watching for during tonight's action:

Trent Edwards: I'm not exactly sure just how much pressure a starter can feel in the pre-season; rest assured that Edwards has reached that max.  After a rather inauspicius start to the pre-season in Washington last week, Edwards will look to silence his early critics with a stronger showing against the Steelers.

Lee Evans: We didn't get to see much of Evans last week, as he didn't record a reception and barely saw the field.  Ergo, I didn't even glance his way during my film review.  I'll be keeping a closer eye on him tonight.

Tight Ends: I was not at all impressed with the performance of Derek Schouman last week, so I'll be watching him - as well as his competitors - closely tonight.  I'm curious to see how they rotate in and out, where they line up (i.e. how often they're split out wide), and, obviously, who performs well.

Offensive Line: I won't be keeping as close an eye on this, simply because Ron from NM does a better job than I at keeping tabs of the bigs, but I'm interested to see more of Langston Walker on the left side - especially against a blitz-happy 3-4 defense, such as the Steelers employ.  I also never got the chance to check out the second half of the Redskins game (I certainly will get to it, just not before the game tonight), so I'll be keeping track of Demetrius Bell as well.

Chris Ellis: Buffalo's rookie defensive end played pretty well last week, in my opinion, so I'll be interested to see if he can sustain some of the momentum he accrued in Washington.  The Steelers have a rookie first-round pick in RB Rashard Mendenhall that may see some carries with Ellis on the field; seeing how Ellis defends the rush should give us an indicator as to exactly how far along he is in his development.

Cornerbacks: This goes without saying.  The Battle Royale will be closely monitored again, particularly in regards to Leodis McKelvin and Ashton Youboty.

Ko Simpson: I wasn't impressed with Simpson's play last week.  I don't fault him, simply because it was the first live football he'd played in nearly 12 months; it would be nice, however, to see some encouraging progress out of Buffalo's starting free safety.

Special Teams: Tracking the depth chart on special teams generally gives us an idea of who is really moving up the depth chart.  I'll be keeping tabs on who plays where on the coverage units; changes from last week will tell us whose chances have improved at locking up a final roster spot.

Be sure to stop back tonight for the Open Game Thread, which will go live about an hour before kickoff!

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.