Buffalo Bills (4-1) vs San Diego Chargers (3-3)

Here's a quick update on the injury status of several Buffalo Bills players as we continue to slog through the work week awaiting the Bills' home date with San Diego...

QB Trent Edwards: It's official, folks - like, really official.  Edwards is going to play in this one less than two weeks after sustaining a concussion.  Edwards practiced both Monday and today at full force and says he "feels great".  We figured this would happen, but it's still great news to hear.

WR Roscoe Parrish: Buffalo's most explosive player - period - will also return to the field this weekend.  Parrish is slightly less than four weeks removed from thumb surgery, but he's practicing fully and catching both passes and punts.  This is an important guy to have on the field.  It's very relieving to hear he's back.

TE Derek Fine: The Bills' rookie tight end is no Tony Gonzalez, but he appears to be closer to being ready to make his NFL debut.  Fine likely won't play against San Diego, but should be healthy enough to play in Miami if the Bills see fit.

DE Aaron Schobel: This is the first bit of bad news (unless, of course, you don't like Aaron Schobel).  The Bills' starting right end missed the fourth quarter of the loss in Arizona with a bum foot, and today, Schobel was spotted with a walking boot on said foot.  Clearly, he didn't practice.  WGR 550 reports that Schobel calls himself questionable.  Like him or not, the Bills need him on the field.

CB Terrence McGee: We heard earlier in the week that McGee was likely to be a go for the Chargers game, but on Wednesday, McGee practiced on a limited basis.  It's unclear at this point whether or not McGee will practice, let alone take the field.  There's still reason for optimism, but having McGee isn't as certain as we once believed it to be.

CB Ashton Youboty: Compounding the fact that McGee remains injured is the fact that his starting replacement, Youboty, has also been limited by a left leg injury.  Youboty is far more likely to play at this point, but the fact that he's dinged is a concern.  If both McGee and Youboty can't go, rookie Leodis McKelvin would get the start next to Jabari Greer, with fellow rookie Reggie Corner serving as the team's nickel back.  Ouch.

FS Ko Simpson: He, like Schobel, also left before the end of the Cardinals game with a hamstring injury.  According to WGR 550, however, Simpson considers himself to be "over 90 percent" and plans to play on Sunday.  He was limited today; if he surprises and doesn't go, George Wilson will get the nod.

***

So, in short: Trent is back!  Collective sigh of relief.  The big concerns right now are the defensive injuries, particularly in the secondary.  We're about to take on a potent Chargers passing attack, and we're going to need every healthy defender we can muster.  I still believe that McGee will find a way to play, though his chances are certainly diminishing.  Schobel's injury is cause for concern as well; perhaps this will be an opportunity for rookie DE Chris Ellis to prove his worth.

Schobel, front four not making plays (buffalobills.com)

One of the Buffalo Bills' biggest problems defensively in 2007 was their inability to consistently get pressure on opposing quarterbacks.  The Bills finished the 2007 season with just 24 sacks as a team, and as a result, they fielded one of the league's worst defenses (statistically) last season.  The defense did enough for the Bills to scratch and claw their way to a 7-9 record, but it was clear that without an improved pass rush, the Bills weren't going to get much better.

So the team spent the off-season getting tougher up front, and the impact was immediate - the Bills registered five sacks in a season-opening win over the Seahawks.  All was well - newcomers Marcus Stroud and Kawika Mitchell registered three of those sacks, and the Bills' defense dominated, holding the Seahawks to just 10 points.  Four games later, however, the Bills have added only five more sacks to that season-opening total, and the team's pass rush woes are resurfacing.

The stat that tells all
Last season, in picking up 24 sacks in total, Buffalo's leading sacker was, unsurprisingly, defensive end Aaron Schobel, whose 6.5 sacks made up what was, statistically, one of his worst seasons as a professional.  The more concerning stat was that it took 12 Bills defenders to get to that 24-sack total.  While it's not necessarily bad news that the Bills had twelve defenders register sacks, it does smack of the need to blitz often.  Behind Schobel, no Bill had more than 2.5 sacks last season.

Nothing has changed in 2008, save the fact that the blitz is a bit more diverse and potent.  The Bills have registered 10 sacks, and it's taken nine defenders to do so.  Stroud leads the team with the two he piled up on opening day; Mitchell, Schobel, Chris Kelsay, Ryan Denney, Spencer Johnson, Kyle Williams, Ashton Youboty and Donte Whitner have all added one sack each to that total.  It's the same deal - defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has been forced to utilize the blitz to get pressure, and while it worked early, opponents are starting to figure it out.

Quick strike offenses
Part of the Bills' issue with getting to the quarterback has been the offensive strategy of its opponents.  With Buffalo employing a Cover 2 zone scheme, teams have relied on quick routes and a "possession passing game", for lack of a better term, more and more as the season has progressed.  Arizona executed this attack to perfection; quarterback Kurt Warner didn't even average six yards per attempt (250 yards on 42 throws), but he completed 78 percent of his passes, moved the chains and didn't take a sack.  The Cardinals basically ran the ball down Buffalo's throat via the short passing game.

It's a bit unfair to expect the Bills to put up astronomical sack numbers when opponents are running this type of offense.  As it is, the Bills rank near the middle of the pack in sacks this season.  Until the Bills figure out how to slow down this type of attack - a minor alteration to the coverage scheme should do it - don't expect the Bills to start adding significant numbers to their sack total.  It's just not realistic.

Inconsistency starts up front
The blitz is utilized so often in today's NFL that teams are becoming increasingly proficient at picking up extra rushers.  Buffalo's blitz packages are working about as well as we can honestly expect them to - the Bills aren't registering a lot of sacks, but we've seen guys such as Mitchell, Paul Posluszny and Whitner put big hits on quarterbacks this season.  That's the sign of an effective blitz package.

The problem, then, has to lie with the guys on the line of scrimmage.  This post isn't designed to knock Schobel and Kelsay; they're good football players.  They're guys that could play on any team simply because of their energy levels (although perhaps not at their current respective salaries).  They belong on the field.  But there's a dimension missing, particularly on the edges, and that dimension is athleticism.

Rookie Chris Ellis - a third-round pick out of Virginia Tech - was expected to provide that athleticism this season.  After an underwhelming pre-season, Ellis has yet to be active for his first NFL game.  Schobel and Kelsay aren't phenomenal athletes; they're effort rushers.  Those guys can work well in this league if they're complemented.  Right now, Ryan Denney and Copeland Bryan aren't doing the complementing.  We're still not even sure if Ellis can provide that spark if he ever gets the chance to play.

Bottom line
Basically, what it comes down to is this: the Bills' pass rush is what it is.  Currently, it is a problem.  As long as the team stays healthy, it has the opportunity to have some big games and be moderately proficient for the rest of this season.  But Bills fans need to start dealing with the reality of the situation: Buffalo isn't an elite pass-rushing team, and the defense is going to struggle at times because of it.  Understand it's going to be intermittently problematic moving forward.  This Bills defense is good enough to take the Bills to the playoffs, but it's not elite - and it's not elite because it lacks an athlete at defensive end.

That's the only missing piece, folks.  Perhaps Ellis is the answer; I'm not convinced.  We just need to deal with the reality of the situation; anticipate the problem areas, and you'll have no reason to complain about them as the season wears on.  The Bills have the ability to overcome their pass rush woes, especially when considering the schedule the team faces.  But log this in your off-season observation book, and try not to break it out until the off-season arrives (whether that's the first or third week of January remains to be seen): the Bills need to address this area with a top-notch athlete in the very near future.

  QB Edwards a game-time decision (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills close out their pre-season schedule tonight in their first real home game, in which they'll take on the (undefeated) Detroit Lions.  After playing extensively just four days ago, Buffalo's starters are only expected to play a series or two as the coaching staff allows younger players to compete for final roster spots.  The Bills must reduce their roster to 53 players on Saturday.

Your humble narrator will be attending tonight's festivities in person, checking out our newly upgraded seats at good old Ralph Wilson Stadium.  I'm excited - and not just because of the seats.  I have plenty to keep an eye out for tonight; here, in a more specific manner, is what I'll be watching for:

Trent Edwards? Please?
Look, I'm all for keeping a guy healthy, but since the starters are only going a series or two tonight, I really hope Trent Edwards plays.  Buffalo's starting quarterback is a game-time decision with a thigh contusion that held him out of the win over Indianapolis; Tom Brady and Peyton Manning might be able to skip the pre-season and not miss a beat, but I highly doubt Edwards is in the same boat.  Even a series or two helps kick off a little more rust before we take on Seattle.

Wright vs. Omon
My guess is that these two guys are going to play the majority of the game, with Bruce Hall getting work at third down back.  A roster spot is on the line for Buffalo's two young running backs.  So, naturally, I'll be paying attention to their special teams integration as well as how they tote the rock.  For the record, I'm pulling for Wright.  I think he's got a chance to be a good back.  I want to trust him again, and I think the Bills do too.

The Replacements
No, I'm not talking about the crappy Keanu Reeves flick made worse by John Madden's cameo (though Rhys Ifans is excellent in that film).  At least one key player (LT Langston Walker) is not expected to play in this game, and other players such as receivers Josh Reed, James Hardy and Roscoe Parrish could miss the game as well (and that's just me speculating - I expect we'll know more later on today).  That means young guys like Demetrius Bell, Justin Jenkins and Felton Huggins are going to see time quite early.  If they perform well, they'll probably make the team.  (Not that two of the three I mentioned here aren't virtual locks already).

Chris Ellis
Let's face it - guys like Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney aren't going to see a ton of time tonight.  Chris Ellis, on the other hand, will.  I haven't paid as much attention to him this pre-season as I've liked to (though I've enjoyed what I've seen of him thus far), so he'll be my primary focus on defense tonight.

The Cornerback Carousel
I don't expect much to change in terms of the cornerback depth chart based on tonight's game, but this is the last chance for guys like Ashton Youboty and Reggie Corner to make some plays - and with them, a serious attempt at a move up the depth chart.  I enjoy watching all of Buffalo's cornerbacks play (save Leodis McKelvin last week), so their play should be charted closely tonight as well.

Special Teams
There isn't a better indicator of who is making a late move up the depth chart than who is playing where on special teams.  I'm going to do my best to keep track of coverage units and playmakers on special teams tonight.  Bobby April has a lot of pull when it comes to those last few roster spots, so anyone who stands out tonight has a pretty good shot of at least warranting serious roster consideration.

Regrettably, as I'll be at The Ralph, I will be unable to join you in tonight's open game thread.  I will be in contact via email at The Ralph, so if you're bored (and if you're in the open thread, you probably won't be), fire me a question and I'll try to get back to you promptly.  Tonight's open thread will open at 6, approximately a half-hour before the game is set to kick off.

Just get through tonight, folks.  Regular season football is just around the corner.

Bills rookie CB Reggie Corner (Photo Source)

Note: Apologies for the lateness of this entry, folks.  The Bills' quick turnaround between pre-season games prevented me from getting to this until yesterday; rest assured that we'll go over the Bills/Steelers game ASAP, with the first half Film Session post coming tomorrow morning.

Yes, the Bills have already played another pre-season game, but that doesn't mean that our Film Session review of the second half of their first pre-season game won't come without valuable tidbits.  I've already broken down some of the Bills' win over the Steelers, but for the sake of chronology, we'll cover the second half of their loss to the 'Skins first.  Rather than making general observations about each position, I'll point out some things I noticed about individual players (this will be specific to pre-season games only).  Enjoy...

Dick Jauron: Whoops.  Guess we'll start with Buffalo's head coach first.  I found this curious: Dick looked murderous after RB Dwayne Wright's second-half fumble; he clapped his hands encouragingly (while still looking pretty miffed) after RB Xavier Omon's fumble.  Just an interesting fact to add to the facts in the competition for the third RB job.

Gibran Hamdan: I wasn't all that impressed.  He made some nice throws underneath and looks like a smart enough guy.  His accuracy on deep balls isn't great, and he looks jittery from time to time in the pocket.  He's light years better than Matt Baker, but I still don't think Gibran is a mortal lock to make the final roster.

Xavier Omon: This kid looks good.  He's already as tough as Wright in the run game, but he's more physical picking up the blitz.  On two plays in Washington, Omon made thumping good hits to completely erase Redskins blitzers.  That was unexpected from Omon coming from Division II.  Quite the pleasant surprise.

Demetrius Bell: Bell has got a future.  His athleticism is great - he's got quick feet and quicker hands.  Not surprisingly, he still struggles a bit technique-wise and with more physical players; I saw him get knocked backwards more than once by a solid punch.  He looks a bit tentative at times as well - but don't mistake that for his being passive.  He looks like he could be counted on as a reserve this season.

Duke Preston: My stomach lurched a bit on one play, where Preston was blown five yards backwards into his own backfield, but otherwise, I didn't think he looked too bad.  Granted, he was playing second and third team linemen from Washington.  I think his versatility keeps him on this team for another year.

Matt Murphy: It's a pity Murphy got hurt, because I thought he looked pretty solid at both left and right tackle.  He'd have made a fine third tackle in the event that Jason Peters' holdout extends into the regular season.  Alas, the 2007 injury bug waited around for Murphy as well.

Derek Fine: Buffalo's rookie tight end is easily the team's most natural receiver at the position.  He just looks comfortable running routes and catching the football; I think by mid-season, he's playing a prominent second fiddle to Robert Royal.  Derek Schouman appears to be all hype at this point.

Steve Johnson: I liked what I saw out of Buffalo's other rookie receiver as a run blocker; he's a tough shed in the slot.  He flashed good hands as well.  I don't know if we've seen enough out of him on special teams, however, to say that he's got a shot at the final roster.  In fact, I'd say that Felton Huggins has a better shot at the final roster than Johnson at this point, because Huggins is a better deep threat.

Chris Ellis: One one running play, Ellis completely blew up the Redskins' entire blocking scheme with outstanding penetration; he was blatantly held on the play as a result.  I'm going to be honest - I thought Ellis was Buffalo's most impressive rookie in Washington.  He's still green and needs another pass rush move or two for his repertoire, but I think if things go well this season he could be starting next to Aaron Schobel in '09.

Marcus Buggs: UDFA LB Buggs is small, but packs a nice punch.  He was solid in the team's goal line stand in the fourth quarter.  He looks good on special teams as well.  He may just beat out Blake Costanzo for the final roster spot at LB if the team keeps a seventh.

Reggie Corner: He took some lumps, but he also made some great plays.  For a guy nobody knew about exiting the draft, he looks very natural - and very quick - on the field.  Another solid find by Buffalo's scouting department.

Leodis McKelvin: I'm not worried about McKelvin's cover skills; those are already solid, and they'll get much better.  I focused instead on his tackling - and it's not great.  McKelvin is physical and willing to risk his body to make a tough play, but his tackling from a technique standpoint is quite poor.  It's this fact that might prevent him from sneaking in nickel reps, at least initially, in the regular season - Buffalo's nickel back must be a good tackler in Perry Fewell's system.

I have some notes on some other players, but they're not necessarily worth posting here.  Saw some good things out of Buffalo's youngsters, though, in particular Bell, Omon, Ellis and Corner.  Again, we'll have more Film Session stuff to discuss tomorrow morning as we break down the first half of the Bills' victory over Pittsburgh.

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.

RB Jackson dominated 'Skins in 2007 (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills are set to open their 2008 pre-season schedule tomorrow night in Washington, and with this game the Bills are set to begin attempting to answer the questions surrounding the team's 2008 playoff push.  Buffalo Rumblings will cover the game with a live open thread, so stop by tomorrow evening at about 5:30 PM ET to get ready for some Bills football!

As the proud (son of a family that is the proud) new owner of HDTV with DVR capabilities, I'll be both watching the game live as well as taping the game for a little "Rumblings Film Session" series we'll run this year.  During tomorrow night's game, I'll be watching the game as I normally do - cheering on the Bills and taking a few notes here and there.  But Sunday is nitty gritty day; that's when I'll look back through the game for the details that you just can't hope to remember when watching a game live.  Here's what I'm going to concentrate on specifically this week; if y'all have any requests, feel free to add them in the comments section, and I'll do my best to keep my eyes peeled for you.

Trent Edwards: Is there any place else to start, really?  He's not going to play much, but that doesn't mean I can't demand to see positive signs from Buffalo's starting quarterback.  I'll be looking for rhythm, chemistry, presence, and most of all, production.  I won't have to look hard; y'all will undoubtedly be looking for the same things.

Offensive generalities: I'll be concentrating specifically on what we're seeing that's different from last year's offense.  Yes, it's the pre-season, so the Bills will undoubtedly be guarding many of their secrets, but they're bound to do some different things right out of the gate.

Wright v. Omon: It's pretty clear that Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson are the team's top two backs, and my guess is that we won't see much of either of them tomorrow night.  That means we'll see heavy doses of Dwayne Wright and Xavier Omon.  Who looks better?  Who plays better on special teams?  These guys could be fighting for some of Buffalo's last roster spots.

Fullbacks: The Bills are incorporating the traditional FB back into their offense, but still plan on using the TE in the backfield some as well.  I'll be looking to see how much of each the Bills use formation-wise.

Offensive Line: Again, how can we not try to pay attention to this?  The Jason Peters situation has thrown this entire offense for a loop, and we'll need to monitor how Buffalo's line holds up as they shuffle around covering for the big man's absence.  It will be especially intriguing to see how they fare against a pretty good Redskins defensive line.

Chris Ellis: The Bills have three veteran ends who won't play long, and Copeland Bryan will miss the game.  Chris Ellis is going to play a lot.  How he fares early will show us how well he's really come along as Buffalo's relatively anonymous third-round selection.

Paul Posluszny: I'm going to glue my eyes to this guy simply because he's awesome.  I'll be looking to see if he's tentative in any way and to see how he plays next to Kawika Mitchell; I don't expect to be disappointed.

CB Battle: This battle at cornerback is starting to take shape in terms of reps, but it bears watching anyway.  In particular, I'll be making an attempt to see who plays where.  How mch will Leodis McKelvin play inside as compared to outside?  Rotations will be big here as well.  I'll also be watching Ashton Youboty closely.

Special Teams: This is the one area that every team watches closely during the pre-season.  Which players are playing where on special teams?  This could be an early indicator as to who is leading the battle(s) for the final roster spots on the team.  Who's lining up where on special teams will be monitored closely throughout all four pre-season games, and it starts tomorrow night.

Again, if there's anything else you'd like me to add to the list, fire away.

Hardy, others miss practice time (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills completed their first full seven-day week of training camp last night with an evening practice at St. John Fisher College, and Buffalo's injury list continues to lengthen early in camp.

The injuries are not yet considered serious, but there are several players missing practice time.  Rookie wide receiver James Hardy, who pulled a hamstring during warm-ups, joined fellow rookie wideout Steve Johnson as sideline spectators.  LB Angelo Crowell missed his third straight night of practice, and S Ko Simpson was absent as well as he had his surgically repaired ankle tested (the MRIs were reportedly negative).  Fellow starting safety Donte Whitner left practice early after getting sick on the field.

Despite the injuries (and the continued absence of a certain Pro Bowl left tackle), the Bills' offense put together one of its better practice sessions of camp last night, particularly in the red zone.  Defensive ends Aaron Schobel and Shaun Nua were also absent.

Evans, Royal, Jackson Making Plays as Receivers
I'm hoping that headline isn't surprising to any of you in regards to Evans.  It's great news to hear just how effective Evans was last night in the red area without the team's tall, shiny new receiver to take attention away from him.  Evans burned both of Buffalo's starting corners, Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer, for scores last night.

The quarterback and receiver hooked up for a pair of touchdowns. Early in practice Edwards zipped a tight pass to Evans outside shoulder as he got just enough separation from Jabari Greer for a touchdown in the front corner of the end zone on the far sideline.  Evans later got by Terrence McGee for another touchdown reception on the near sideline.

Fred Jackson was also a frequent target of Trent Edwards during this session, both down the field and out in the flats.  What's encouraging to hear is that Robert Royal seems to be stepping up his play as he fights for his starting job with the unheralded Derek Schouman:

Robert Royal is factoring a bit more into the offense the last couple of practices. He caught a touchdown pass down the middle on a well-timed pass from J.P. Losman. He also pulled in a well-placed throw down the seam from Edwards.

Defense Making Plays in the Backfield
After two years of attempting to install a penetrating, Cover 2 defense with a disruptive defensive line, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell seems to have finally reached his goal.  Buffalo's active front seven has made plays in the backfield early and often in camp, and continued the trend last night:

Kawika Mitchell came screaming into the backfield on one stretch play to the near sideline and would've had Lynch on a tackle for loss in live football conditions...

Among the other highlights during full team work was a blitz by Donte Whitner as he got to Edwards before he delivered a quick timing pass on a three step drop for a would-be sack...

Third-round pick Chris Ellis also had a would-be sack on Losman as he knifed inside and got into the offensive backfield quickly.

Ellis is still, in my opinion, the key to Buffalo having not just a very good defense this season, but a dominant one.  If he can provide that spark as a situational pass rusher that the team hasn't had in years, Buffalo might just have one of the better defensive lines in football.  It's good to hear that he's finally starting to make some plays in camp; we'll be watching his progress during pre-season games with great interest.

The Enigma that is Demetrius Bell
As the Bills continue to experiment with their depth at offensive tackle, one benefactor has been rookie seventh-round pick Demetrius Bell.  One of the most athletic players on the team - yet also one of the most underdeveloped as a player - Bell has been taking strides as of late and was rewarded with some reps as the second-team left tackle last night.

Seventh-round pick Demetrius Bell has come along of late and was moved up to the second unit to get some left tackle snaps Thursday night. Matt Murphy flipped over to right tackle with the second group.

Murphy has impressed, too, with his footwork after making the transition to tackle from tight end.  Depending on what happens with Jason Peters' holdout situation, it's not completely out of the question to believe that either Bell or Murphy (or both) could sneak ahead of Kirk Chambers on the depth chart.  Again, that would probably only happen if Peters returns in time for the final cut-downs.

The Bills have one practice today (Friday), which runs from 2:15-4:20 PM.

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.

Two of the Buffalo Bills' four remaining unsigned rookies have inked deals, meaning that they will be reporting to training camp on time.  Third-round pick DE Chris Ellis and sixth-round pick RB Xavier Omon both signed their first NFL deals today, the team has announced.

Please use this thread as an Open Thread discussion of the rest of the day's events as players report to St. John Fisher College for 2008 training camp.  We'll do our best to keep you updated as the day progresses.

Update #7: It's official; WR James Hardy has signed on the dotted line.  He'll be in camp in time for tomorrow's morning practice.  Jason Peters and top draft pick CB Leodis McKelvin will likely reach holdout status by midnight tonight.

Update #6: The very latest on the Jason Peters situation is that if Peters holds out, the Bills will fine him and move on without him - at least, until he reports.  This situation is getting messier by the minute.  My suggestion to Peters: your best chance of getting paid soonest is to show up to work.  The Bills don't sound completely opposed to negotiating with him, but it's clear that they won't begin that process until he shows up.  If Caleb Campbell can honor his commitment to the Army after it ripped his NFL dreams away, Peters can show up and collect his $3.25 million this season - especially if his reporting means he's likely to get a new deal sooner.  Come on, Jason - show a little loyalty.

Update #5: BuffaloBills.com is reporting that Russ Brandon believes that the team is very close to reaching an agreement with second-round pick WR James Hardy, and that Hardy will be available for the team's first practice tomorrow morning at 8:30.  Meanwhile, the team is still in heavy discussions with CB Leodis McKelvin and his agent, but do not appear to be as close to a deal with him as they are with Hardy.  Report

Update #4: In an interview with Buffalo media at ~4:30 PM earlier this afternoon, COO Russ Brandon indicated that the organization does not expect to hear from the NFL in regards to a punishment against RB Marshawn Lynch for his transgressions earlier this off-season.  In the same interview, Brandon also pointedly made it clear that the Bills had not made any trade inquiries to the Green Bay Packers in regards to QB Brett Favre.

Update #3: Players have until midnight tonight to report to camp; at that point, anyone missing will be deemed a holdout.  As of 6:31 PM ET, Jason Peters is still MIA, according to WGR 550.  (Anyone recognize that photo of Peters they're using?)

Update #2: Chris Brown has a quote from Derrick Dockery up about Peters' potential holdout:

"It doesn't concern me. You just have to have faith and trust in the people you play with. I haven't talked to him in a while, but if he's here, he's here. If he's not he's not. We'll just have to move forward."

Well, it concerns the rest of us, Dock.  Peters could turn you into a Pro Bowl guard.  Kirk Chambers can make no such claim.

Update #1: As of 12:45 PM ET, there still hasn't been any update to the potential holdout status of OT Jason Peters.  With players set to begin showing up at Fisher this afternoon and into this evening, keep it locked in here for updates to Peters' status.