One of the subplots to the Buffalo Bills' Tuesday release of veteran punter Brian Moorman was how the team would replace him in a kick-holding capacity. According to head coach Chan Gailey, both quarterback Tyler Thigpen and new punter Shawn Powell will get practice reps there this week.
"Shawn will practice there. Tyler will practice there," Gailey said. "We'll see how it goes. Eventually, Shawn will do it, as soon as he gets some experience."
From the sounds of it, the Bills may wind up using Thigpen as the holder for a week until Powell and kicker Rian Lindell have ironed out the finer points of the way Lindell likes his kicks held. It's unclear how much time Lindell and Thigpen have spent together in that capacity, but it's likely significantly more than the time Lindell and Powell have done it.
George Wilson has previous holding experience for the Bills, as well, but long-term, the team clearly wants Powell to be the holder.