Buffalo Bills training camp practice recap recap, 7/31

Welcome to a new Buffalo Bills training camp feature that we're calling Recap Recap, where we recap all of the practice recaps being written by the fine Western New York media reporters on the Bills beat.

The purpose of this exercise is twofold: it's important to point out the good work being done by the reporters that take in practice every day, and we also want to try to follow the pertinent story lines from each practice so that we can establish trends throughout the course of the Bills' 17-practice camp. We'll be doing this for each of those 17 practice sessions, so if you'd like to suggest alternative viewpoints from other reporters not listed here, please make that suggestion. The more, the merrier.

Today's major story lines, which are covered in each of the five recaps linked below, include:

• Ugly QB play: Nobody looked good under center today. Off to a good start.
• Standout players: LeSean McCoy, Sammy Watkins, and rookie cornerback Ronald Darby were nearly universally praised for their play on Friday.
• Lineup notes: Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor took first-team reps, while EJ Manuel and Matt Simms split reps on the second practice field. Cyrus Kouandjio was the first-team right tackle ahead of Seantrel Henderson, and Corey Graham was a first-team safety ahead of Duke Williams.
• Injury updates: Mario Williams was taken off of NFI and suited up, but was held out of team activities. Injuries for Dan Carpenter (hamstring) and Leodis McKelvin (undisclosed) are not considered serious, per head coach Rex Ryan.
• Anderson coaches OL: It's looking like Aaron Kromer might be back on Buffalo's practice field soon, but for today, assistant offensive line coach Kurt Anderson schooled up the Bills' front.
• A surprise CB: Percy Harvin, best known as a receiver and return man, asked his coaches to play cornerback on Friday. They obliged - for a whopping two snaps.

These are the five recaps we most highly recommend that you peruse if you're thirsting for more detailed information.

Vic Carucci, The Buffalo News
Carucci focuses on the play of Cassel, Taylor, and Manuel on the first day of camp - and came away impressed with virtually nothing about any of them.

Joe Buscaglia, WKBW
Among Buscaglia's seven observations is a fleshed-out version of the reasoning behind Harvin's playing cornerback. Buscaglia also chimes in with thoughts on the quarterbacks, the strong play of Watkins and Darby, and a few lineup notes at right tackle and safety. He's the lone reporter that we've seen to award MVP and LVP honors for each practice, as well.

Matthew Fairburn, Syracuse.com
Fairburn, while covering most of the same stuff with the same conclusions, goes out of his way to mention that Robert Woods, Harvin, and McCoy all looked good on Friday, and that the Bills might just have themselves a great group of offensive skill players.

Ty Dunne, The Buffalo News
Carucci's TBN colleague covers a lot of the same bases, but also came away impressed with rookie running back Karlos Williams as an athletic specimen. He includes a glowing comment about team depth made by McCoy in his practice recap, as well.

Sal Capaccio, WGR 550
Mr. Capaccio also goes over the same topics du jour. His unique observations include a paragraph on how heavily involved the Bills' running backs were in the passing game, and the large amounts of pre-snap motion that coordinator Greg Roman is incorporating into his offense in Buffalo.

Grid View

• Buffalo Bills fans take in the first training camp practice of 2015. (Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
• Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy catches a pass during a drill at training camp. (Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
• Buffalo Bills running backs Karlos Williams (left), Anthony Dixon (middle), and Bryce Brown (right) wait in line during a drill at training camp. (Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
• Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan instructs linebacker Ty Powell between reps at training camp. (Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
• Buffalo Bills secondary coach Donnie Henderson takes in a drill during the first training camp practice of the year. (Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
• Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan fields questions from reporters following his team's first camp practice of 2015. (Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
• Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson speaks with reporters following the first training camp practice of 2015. (Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
• Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy fires up the crowd following his first training camp practice with the team. (Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
• Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy signs autographs for fans following his first training camp practice with the team. (Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
• Buffalo Bills quarterback EJ Manuel signs autographs for fans following the first training camp practice of the 2015 season. (Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
• Buffalo Bills quarterback Matt Cassel signs autographs for fans following his first training camp practice with the team. (Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)