Peters' future directly impacts RT Chambers (Photo Source)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  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.

  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 »

Poz, defense force five turnovers in W (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills were the first visitors ever to Indianapolis' brand new Lucas Oil Stadium, and the Bills proved to be rude party guests, stealing a 20-7 victory over the Colts in the team's third pre-season game of the season.  Buffalo looked strong and consistent in all three areas of the game, but it was Turk Schonert's offense that hummed along as if it were in mid-season form, even with backup QB J.P. Losman running the show.

Buffalo's starting offense put together an 18-play, 93-yard drive in the second quarter, eating up 10 minutes of clock and converting four third downs; RB Xavier Omon capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run, giving the Bills an early 10-0 lead in the game.  Losman was efficient in a half of action, completing 13 of 19 passes for 108 yards, though he did sustain another injury to his throwing hand.

Lee Evans and Josh Reed got into the act as well.  Buffalo's two "starting" receivers (James Hardy sat this one out, as did Roscoe Parrish) caught a combined 9 passes for 78 yards, and were instrumental in the Bills' offense being so consistent on the evening.  Schonert, however, was the real star of this game; his play-calling was shrewd and kept Indy's defense off-balance for the majority of the game.  It was his offense, more than the players, that performed so well Sunday night.

Defense Blows Game Open
Buffalo's defense was excellent on the evening - though that was expected, seeing as Peyton Manning sat the game out for Indy.  Buffalo's defense forced five turnovers on the evening.  The first was the most productive, as CB Terrence McGee scooped up a Joseph Addai fumble and returned it 68 yards to give the Bills a 17-0 first half lead and effectively seal the game.  Ashton Youboty, Keith Ellison, John Wendling and Reggie Corner got in on the act as well, each recording an interception off of beleaguered Colts backup QB Quinn Gray.

The defense surrendered just 33 rushing yards on the evening, and take away a 94-yard touchdown pass on a blown coverage by Leodis McKelvin, and the Bills gave up just 116 yards through the air.  Again, it wasn't completely unexpected as they were largely facing marginal NFL players - especially at quarterback - but it was an impressive showing nonetheless.

Walker Injured
The game wasn't all bright and shiny, however.  Left tackle Langston Walker - Buffalo's most valuable offensive lineman with Jason Peters pouting - injured his forearm on a throwaway block late in the second quarter and did not return.  He was replaced in the lineup by Demetrius Bell, who performed admirably; X-rays on Walker's arm were negative, and the severity of the injury (i.e., how much time Walker may miss) is not yet known.  Jason Peters' holdout never looked more desperate than it does tonight for the Bills.

Much more on this game in the coming days, including a Film Session or two.  This was a strong showing for the Bills top to bottom.

Roll Call
Thanks to the 23 folks who came out for tonight's open thread (listed below).  Props to norcaliangelsfan, who paced the night with a smooth 180 comments on a Buffalo Rumblings open thread record night.

Here's who joined us: norcaliangelsfan, NJBillsfan, Bluebill, krytime, Kurupt, jj24, Krenn, D.O., LGB, RabidBuffalo, Fucilli5, SuperFan82, Cinga, raptoreggs, poz, Ron From NM, mckelvin, jri111, thurman, GoldenGoose, JTM1023, sireric, Optimist.  Thanks guys!

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.

Evans (83), wideouts impressive in victory (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills are back on the practice field and in the film room, and just like the Bills, we'll be breaking down a little film today.  I found some time this weekend to re-watch the first half of Buffalo's pre-season win over Pittsburgh, and trust me - it was as enjoyable to watch them "on film" as it was to watch the game live Thursday night.

Here are some general observations that I made - and hope you find useful - from Thursday's win:

Quarterbacks: What else can you say about Trent Edwards' performance (9/11, 104 yards, 2 TD)?  Unlike in Washington, where I saw Edwards make a few bad reads, I didn't see a single poor decision from Edwards Thursday night.  What made him click was the rhythm to the offense - Trent is at his absolute best when he's in sync with his receivers (which goes for any NFL quarterback), and his rhythm was perfect Thursday night.  Edwards may not have the strongest arm in the world, but he's clearly got enough zip on his throws to squeeze a pass between three defenders in the end zone.  That's strong enough for me.  If Edwards can play consistently near the level he displayed Thursday night (asking him to play at that level might be pushing it), this is a playoff team.

Running Backs: Marshawn Lynch looked quick, explosive and powerful.  He also had a superb blitz pickup on Edwards' first score of the evening, and did a nice impression of run blocking for Edwards on his 22-yard scramble.  Fred Jackson was Fred Jackson - more powerful than he looks (with great balance - see his screen reception) and one heck of a receiver.  I think it's pretty clear that rookie sixth-round pick Xavier Omon has leapfrogged Dwayne Wright on the depth chart - Omon is still better in pass protection and doesn't seem to have quite the fumbling issue that Wright does.  It's a pity, too - Wright ran the ball really well on Thursday night (not that Omon didn't), and his fumble really negated all of the excellent things he put together.

Wide Receivers: I thought Buffalo's wideouts were superb.  Few NFL receivers can run a route like Lee Evans when he's on his game.  He's so dangerous as a deep threat that he can get 18-20 yards downfield, stop on a dime, and be wide open.  If Edwards has the time to throw that he did on Thursday throughout this season, Evans is going to have a big year.  He might have a big year otherwise.  Roscoe Parrish looked good in my estimation, too - he needs to learn to run after the catch more like Evans in certain situations (like getting out of bounds in the two-minute drill), but it's clear that Turk Schonert is concentrating hard on getting him the ball this season.  I also like what I've seen out of Felton Huggins - he's a bit more well-rounded at this point than Steve Johnson, and I actually feel that if the Bills were to keep six receivers, Huggins might edge the rookie out.

Tight Ends/Fullbacks: Well, Robert Royal was the star (and by the way - this guy blocks like an offensive tackle when he wants to), but I still think I'm most impressed by Derek Fine.  Royal looked better than I've ever seen him catching the ball; maybe this is the season in which he's not a total liability as a pass-catcher for the offense.  Fine is a smooth athlete - he's not the fastest guy in the world (not even close), but he looks good running routes and especially in motion and working out of the slot.  He looks far more natural than any of his tight end peers; if things go well, I'm going to say he's the team's starter at tight end in 2009.

Offensive Line: I don't have much to add to Ron from NM, our resident O-Line guru; I will say that I was impressed once again by Demetrius Bell.  I wasn't sure how he'd hold up against a 3-4 defense (the toughest to pass protect against by far), but he showed that he's athletic enough to handle the speed rush at the NFL level.  He had a lot of help from tight end Courtney Anderson at times, but in all, it was an impressive performance for a guy who's only been playing football since 2005.  He's got a future.

Defensive Line: I dedicated most of my work on the defensive line to watching Marcus Stroud, and more specifically, how the Steelers dealt with him.  Stroud was on the field for 12 defensive plays - 8 passes and 4 runs.  On the eight passes (one a screen pass), Stroud was double-teamed twice.  Of the six pass plays he was single-teamed, he was able to create significant pressure on Ben Roethlisberger twice.  He was also tripped/blatantly held once as well.  Of the four run plays, he was double-teamed three times; the one time he wasn't, he crashed the line and made the tackle.  He is, quite simply, a force to be reckoned with - and while he can be handled by one blocker on occasion, that's usually not the case.  It's quite fun to watch that man play football.

Linebackers: Overall, this unit performed better than they did in Washington, but I still wasn't all that impressed.  Granted, the unit has been without Angelo Crowell for two games, so they're bound to improve when he returns to the lineup.  Kawika Mitchell was impressive against the run, and Paul Posluszny was solid as usual.  My problem is with Keith Ellison.  He just isn't physical enough to be good against the run; he can mop up when a running back is channeled to him, but what linebacker can't?  He's also consistently out of position dropping back into coverage, though that isn't specific just to Ellison.  Buffalo's defense struggles mightily with slant routes and the skinny post, and it's because the linebackers struggle moving backwards and the corners don't jam often.  I'm starting to think that the Bills concentrate on linebacker early in next year's draft, but the unit is scrappy and talented enough to be getting on with for now.

Defensive Backs: They weren't great.  Ko Simpson made an excellent play on a Roethlisberger pass that was eventually picked off by Donte Whitner; Whitner and the rest of his safety-mates looked good in run support as well.  Whitner in particular made a nice play at the line of scrimmage, an encouraging sign to be certain.  The pass coverage, in general, was weak; when there was no pass rush to be had, the Bills got gouged pretty badly (again, not a huge surprise).  I was particularly disappointed by Will James' performance - he tackled very poorly, took poor angles, and allowed a tight reception to Hines Ward on an excellent sideline throw under duress by Roethlisberger.  He'll need to pick his play up to hang on to the nickel job.

Leodis McKelvin and Ashton Youboty were the second-team corners (behind starters Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer), and the duo took their lumps, Youboty in particular.  Obviously, Youboty and free safety George Wilson gave up a long touchdown throw to Santonio Holmes; it was called a blown coverage on the broadcast, but it looked more like a disguised Cover 3 to me.  The Bills lined up in a Cover 2 look, but prior to the snap, SS Bryan Scott crept up to the line of scrimmage.  Buffalo's two corners and Wilson were to man the deep portion of the field in a three-man zone shell, but it didn't look like Youboty got as deep as he should have - he may have been peeking into the offensive backfield.  The result was that Holmes burned Youboty, and Wilson just missed making up for the gaffe.  (This was different than my viewpoint in the Open Game Thread, so I wanted to rectify my error here.)

Special Teams: Obviously, McKelvin's 95-yard touchdown kickoff return was the highlight and was an excellent individual play.  Outside of that return, however, the Bills' return game was rather pedestrian - Pittsburgh's punters did a nice job stalemating the punt return game, and the kickoffs never really got going outside of the touchdown play.  There's work to be done in that department.  McKelvin needs to learn to trust his wedge more often, and the wedge blockers themselves need to be more... well... wedge-y.

There was one change in terms of the starting kick coverage unit - Youboty replaced Will James, who was among that unit in Washington, and Youboty made a nice tackle on the second kickoff of the game.  Clearly, the Bills are sliding him up the depth chart in an attempt to find a way to keep him on the roster; he performed poorly defensively, but outside of McGee, he's the best tackler in Buffalo's secondary.  When Derek Schouman went down with his knee injury, fullback Darian Barnes took his spot on the kick coverage units.

Rookies Steve Johnson and Kennard Cox were the second-team punt gunners, and Johnson looked pretty good in this role.  If he's going to make the team, however, he'll need to show more than Huggins has in this role - and comparing notes from last pre-season, Huggins is still better in this role.

We'll discuss the second half of this game in our Second Half Film Session tomorrow afternoon.

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.

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.

Jackson, backs making plays as receivers (Photo Source)

Day three of 2008 Buffalo Bills Training Camp was a walk-through session; the team made up for the early walk-through today with the first pads practice of camp.  The Bills are completely done with two-a-days for the duration of camp, which may not be a bad thing, considering the way the team was hitting today.

Here's what occurred of note during today's practice, with, as usual, the bulk of the discussion topics lifted from the official site's excellent coverage...

This. Is. Football.
The pads were back on, which means that the Bills were playing physically.  Which means that football is back.  You have to love hearing lines like this:

"Marshawn Lynch got the drill started off with a good hit on linebacker Kawika Mitchell that drew some 'oohs' from the crowd."

Or this:

"In a two-on-two drill where two members of the wedge face two coverage players coming at them, Barnes was a coverage player and cracked rookie Demetrius Bell."

Or even this:

"Xavier Omon effectively lowered his shoulder to put a good lick on John Wendling..."

Running Backs Making Big Catches
We've discussed this very topic a bit already - and we're only five practices in - but running backs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson continue to make their presences felt in the passing game.

Fred Jackson had one of the prettier catches on the day as he out leapt Kawika Mitchell and Ko Simpson to make the reception down field on a throw from Trent Edwards.

Jackson has been a frequent target of QB Trent Edwards through the early portions of camp.  He was also a frequent target of Edwards during the latter parts of the '07 season; it's not a reach to expect Jackson to catch around 40 passes this season.  He should be involved heavily in the offense, even with Marshawn Lynch healthy.  That's good news for this ball club.

You have to love hearing this as well - if this can be utilized during the regular season, Lynch's celebrity will blossom in a big way...

Lynch may have trumped Wright however, as he made a reception 40 yards downfield as Edwards deftly dropped a ball between a pair of defenders for a big gain.

Welcome to the league, rookie
CB Leodis McKelvin, in his first official training camp practice as a Buffalo Bill, learned a valuable lesson at the hands of WR Roscoe Parrish today.

Leodis McKelvin got his welcome to the NFL from Roscoe Parrish. The speedy wideout flew past him on a go route and J.P. Losman hit him for what would've been a 40-yard gain.

Clearly, Leodis has still got some learning to do.

Impressed by Bowen
Working with the second unit as a rookie fifth-round draft pick, I've been impressed with what I've been hearing about Alvin Bowen.  He's been making plays against the pass, and today, he showed that he can be a factor defending the run as well.  He sounds like a very active linebacker.

John McCargo penetrated to grab Jackson behind the line, fifth-round pick Alvin Bowen also had a tackle for loss on an end around to Steve Johnson and Shaun Nua chipped in a tackle for loss.

Tuesday 7/29: Night Practice
Buffalo's first night practice will take place tomorrow night at 7PM, and Buffalo Rumblings will be represented there by your humble narrator (and we're going to meet up with one of the Dukes of Awesome!).  If anyone is able to make it out to tomorrow's night practice, I know that I would love to meet any and all Rumblers present.

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.