Today was my first full practice at St. John Fisher after leaving the initial practice early to fly out on vacation (it was great, thanks). I moved around a lot during practice and mainly focused in on the lines, as they were closest to my ultimate vantage point.
Stock Up
+Torell Troup really stood out to me today. He blew up Sean Allen in individual work, got good penetration during pass protection drills in one on one work, and had a great tackle three yards in the backfield on the goal line. He caught my eye more than anyone today, even though I didn't know what number he was wearing (for those that think I was looking out for him).
+Demetrius Bell took every snap at starting left tackle until the final full speed team work. He blocked well in pass protection.
+Paul Posluszny appears to be close to a return. He wasn't in pads and didn't do any individual drills, but he was acting as a running back during ILB drills and seemed to be moving very well.
+Trent Edwards has a stranglehold on the starting spot. Brian Brohm took every second team rep today, so I guess it's stock up for him, too.
+The starting offensive line as a whole. They looked good today and opened up some nice holes during the rushing portion of practice. Eric Wood pulled left and sealed off a backer, allowing Fred Jackson to have a nice run, and then Cornell Green sealed off the right side as Marshawn Lynch went for a big gain off tackle.
+Lots of red zone work today in full team and individual drills. Bills coaches put a garbage can face down with another garbage can face up on top, and had the QBs drop a fade literally into the bucket. The team practiced end zone fades and slants (really) down close as well. They also ended practice with a full team session on the three-yard line.
Stock Down
-Ryan Fitzpatrick took third team reps today. Stock down.
-Aaron Maybin. He had one good read during run fits and looked fast enough, but lacked any pass rush moves and was handled repeatedly in one on one and full team situations. On one pass rush, he went so far inside to avoid contact he lost contain and Brian Brohm took it outside for an eight-yard scramble. He also jumped offsides once. He can't rely solely on his speed.
-Andy Levitre looked good as part of the starting unit, but was put on his butt once and knocked around another time one on one with Marcus Stroud and Troup.
-The weather stunk today. It was super hot and muggy - Jon Corto sweat through his shirt just standing there - and then it rained on me as I rode my bike home. Did I mention it stopped as soon as I reached my street?
-Excitement. The fans at St. John Fisher today were very muted. A lot of that has to do with the way practice is structured. It's a lot more individual work this year, where last year saw more passing shell, 7-on-7, and 11-on-11 work.
Personnel Watch
Not Participating - Paul Posluszny, Cordaro Howard, Jon Corto, Spencer Johnson, Keith Ellison, Chris Kelsay, John Destin, Marcus Easley, Danny Batten. Ed Wang was not in attendance. Easley was noticeably limping with his left knee bandaged.
The Bills have canceled the practice scheduled for tomorrow morning that was not open to the public but will still hold practice tomorrow night. I will not be in attendance but Brian Galliford may be. (Which reminds me if you have an extra ticket send him an email at BuffaloRumblings@gmail.com or tweet @BrianGalliford.)
I should be back tweeting updates Thursday.