Buffalo Bills (2-1) vs. Detroit Lions (3-0)
6:30PM EST, Ralph Wilson Stadium
TV: Bills TV Network (WHAM 13/WKBW 7)
SB Nation Lions coverage: Pride of Detroit

This is it, Buffalo Bills fans.  The 2008 pre-season is about to reach its end.  The Buffalo Bills are a half hour away from kicking off their pre-season finale, a home affair against the Detroit Lions, and there is plenty to be excited for.  The regular season is just around the corner.

Regrettably, I won't be able to join y'all in tonight's open game thread festivities, but as all of you are excellent, I'm sure the place will be in good hands during my absence (and by absence, I mean I'll be at the game).

If you're looking for the best place to discuss the game live as it happens, well, your search need not continue.  If you don't have an account, go ahead and create a free one and hop on in to talk about tonight's game.  I'll have a recap up later on tonight, once I make the trip back from The Ralph.  Enjoy tonight's festivities, folks, and - as always - GO BILLS.

  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.

McCargo currently the #4 DT in rotation (Photo Source)

Back in early March, mere hours after the Bills had made a splash by securing a trade for former Jaguars Pro Bowl DT Marcus Stroud, the Buffalo Bills appeared to have it made at the defensive tackle position.  Experts drooled at the potential that Stroud - along with free agent addition Spencer Johnson, imported on the same day - brought to a position that was a prominent weak point defensively in 2007.  Stroud would surely speed the development of the young man he'd be starting next to - 2006 first-round pick John McCargo, and the pair would surely work themselves into one of the better interior duos in the league.

Flash forward to less than two weeks prior to the start of the 2008 NFL regular season, and McCargo has quickly become a non-factor in Buffalo's defensive tackle rotation.  Sure, he's played a lot of snaps, and it's hard to say his play has been bad - we just can't be sure it's been good, either.  The young, developing talent that flashed big potential during the 2007 season has quickly fallen to fourth on the depth chart at his position.

The Oddity Of It All
What's strange about McCargo's absence from the defense - and yes, we're calling it an absence, because one solo tackle and two assists in three pre-season games is hardly an impact - is that the Bills' run defense has been superb to date.  In fact, Buffalo's first team defense, on the whole, has looked very good (dare we say "playoff caliber"?) in the short amount of time they've been on the field together.  Buffalo is producing defensively without much help from McCargo, who was expected to be a key cog in his third season.

Kyle Williams - drafted four rounds after McCargo in 2006 - and Johnson are competing for the starting spot that many assumed would be McCargo's.  Meanwhile, 97 barely shows up on game film.  If you explicitly pay attention to the tackle, you see the athleticism that made him a first round pick.  Yet despite playing well into the second half in each pre-season game this season, his presence has been negligible.  He's the Invisible Man amongst Buffalo's suddenly very good defensive tackle corps.

Too early for the "B" word?
Many might read this and hastily jump to the conclusion that McCargo was a wasted first round pick in 2006.  Some might even speak/type the feared "b-word" that has come to be associated with high draft picks who haven't turned themselves into serviceable NFL players.  I'm of the belief that such talk is premature.  McCargo's inconspicuous absence is slightly disconcerting, of course, but it's not a huge problem for the team until something happens with Stroud, Williams or Johnson.

My theory: McCargo has simply not found his role yet.  We know what we're getting out of the team's top three tackles: Stroud is the run stuffer; Williams is the hustler; Johnson is the versatile swing tackle.  Where does McCargo fit in?  Pass rush specialist?  Stroud's shoe-cleaner?  He has no distinctive niche yet.  When he finds that niche - and this goes with any NFL player - his play will elevate.  Until that time arrives, however, McCargo will remain Buffalo's very own Mystery Man.  (Or, more specifically, he would had Jason Peters not voluntarily joined the Witness Protection Program.)

  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 »

The Buffalo Bills have announced the first five cuts of the season, as the team waived five players to get down to the NFL-mandated 75-man roster maximum.  The cuts needed to be made by this afternoon.  The following players were released:

P D.J. Fitzpatrick, WR C.J. Hawthorne, DE Shaun Nua, CB Kennard Cox.  Additionally, QB Matt Baker was waived/injured.

Buffalo's roster now stands at 75; the Bills host the Detroit Lions in their pre-season finale on Thursday, and the team must cut 22 more players by Saturday's cut-down date of August 30 to reach the NFL roster maximum of 53 players.

Can't say that any of these cuts are surprising.  Nua was on his way out ever since the team signed street free agent Derrick Jones, who stole his reps right out of the gate.  Cox - a seventh round draft choice in April - was likely released early in an attempt to lower interest, as he is a prime candidate for the team's practice squad.  Baker has a shot at that role as well.

Thoughts on these releases?

Tuesday marks the first day of cuts in the NFL, and as a result, the Buffalo Bills will be releasing five players by the end of the day today.  The team must trim five off of its current roster of 80 to reach the NFL maximum of 75; the team will then play its final pre-season game Thursday at home against Detroit, and cut its roster down to 53 by the end of the business day August 30.

Anyone care to take any guesses as to who the five Bills cut today will be?  I'd love to hear some predictions in the comments section; here's my prediction: RB Dwayne Wright, WR C.J. Hawthorne, DE Derrick Jones, DT Teraz McCray and CB Kennard Cox will be ex-Bills by day's end.

Fantasy Football!
Just a quick reminder that two Buffalo Rumblings fantasy leagues hold their drafts today.  The Rumblings Premiere League will hold its draft tonight at 9:30; RL2 will beat us to the punch and draft first at 8:00; and RL3 has foregone the sanctity of pre-season football to draft during the Bills/Lions game Thursday night at 7:15 (all times eastern).

Speaking of fantasy, SB Nation's fantasy sports blog, Fake Teams, is running a series in which each SB Nation NFL writer (including yours truly) submits one stud and one sleeper from each team; this will hopefully give FT readers an edge when it comes to fantasy drafts.  The Bills' stud and sleeper has been posted; be sure to check that out, as well as the rest of the series.

Some reading material
Few articles kicking around the Interwebs this morning that I'd like you to focus your attention on this morning (other than what we've already mentioned, of course):

Roster spot could be around the corner for Youboty (Mark Gaughan, Buffalo News)
- It's nice to see some local media taking notice of Ashton Youboty's play finally.  It's about time the kid got some more recognition than what he already gets here.  (At least we saw it first.)

Bills sharp, announcers not so much (Chuck Pollock, Olean Times Herald)
- Nothing like a little more ribbing of the NFL Network's trio of Sterling Sharpe, Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders - the folks who called the Bills/Colts game Sunday night.  They were awesome awful.

Losman leads a sharp Bills offense (Mark Gaughan, Buffalo News)
- From Sunday night's win.  Nice read.

Reed's role a vital one in offense (Bob DiCesare, Buffalo News)
- Just for SuperFan82.

Youboty, rookies pushing James off roster? (Photo Source)

One of the more intriguing positional battles that the Buffalo Bills were keeping tabs on heading into training camp was the battle going on for five - perhaps six - slots at cornerback.  The Bills had three incumbents, a free agent addition, and three drafted rookies battling for spots on the team - and given the unique situations of players like Jabari Greer, Ashton Youboty and Leodis McKelvin, there were plenty of story lines to follow at the position.

Now, a month has passed since the onset of that battle, and not surprisingly, there have been some surprises, some disappointments and some depth chart shuffling at the position.  We're three games into the pre-season, which means roster cut-downs are looming.  We've seen enough from the top six corners on Buffalo's roster to boil the battle down to one fact: if the Bills feel they must cut a cornerback and keep only five on the roster, it's veteran Will James that needs to go.

Five or Six?
Buffalo's top six cornerbacks are all certainly talented enough to remain on the final roster - that's not very debatable.  The problem with keeping all six players is that the Bills are virtually certain to keep five safeties, as John Wendling's special teams prowess locks him in behind the team's top four safeties.  Eleven defensive backs is an awful lot to keep, and if the Bills decide to trim that number to ten, it's a cornerback that's getting the axe.

There is an argument to be made, however, that the Bills should keep the best 53 players on the team - and if that argument is followed, it very likely includes eleven defensive backs.  If the Bills follow this strategy - and it seems like a very logical strategy to follow - don't expect any of Buffalo's top six corners to get cut.  All of them have shown versatility and a willingness to play special teams to date.  They're all good players.

Where potential meets veteran savvy
If the final verdict is five corners, however, the choice is clear in my mind: it's Will James that needs to go.  The Bills have a solid starting tandem in Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer.  Ashton Youboty - long thought to be the odd man out in this group - has two pre-season interceptions and has been the best tackler at the position.  There's zero chance that the Bills will cut either of its two rookie corners, Leodis McKelvin and Reggie Corner - even if McKelvin's play has bridged between average and awful to date.

The main argument behind keeping James - besides the fact that he's been taking first-team reps at nickel corner since signing with Buffalo - is the fact that he's a veteran.  It might be unwise for Buffalo to rely on a youngster at the nickel spot, as the position carries more importance in Buffalo's style of defense than it would for most other teams.  But from what we can discern, the Bills are looking for size and physicality at the nickel spot - and Youboty can provide that.  McKelvin and Corner are only going to get better the more they play, and the same can be said for Youboty at this point as well.

I've seen James making the same mistakes as the young guys this pre-season - he's flashed poor tackling habits and a tendency to get beat deep.  So have the young guys.  The young guys have potential; James doesn't at this point in his career.  Ergo, easy choice for the Bills, in the estimation of yours truly - if the Bills axe a cornerback, Will James seems the most likely target.

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!

     
Buffalo Bills (1-1) at Indianapolis Colts (1-2)
Final Score: BUF 20 IND 7
Bills/Colts: What to Watch For
SBN Colts coverage: Stampede Blue

Q4, 9:19: Buffalo's twentieth string offense capitalizes on a Keith Ellison interception with a Rian Lindell field goal.  Bills 20, Colts 7.

Q3, 2:54: Leodis McKelvin just got absolutely torched, mistiming a jump and surrendering a 94-yard touchdown pass by Indy's Quinn Gray.  Bills 17, Colts 7.  Ugly play from our top draft pick.

Q2, 1:43: Joseph Addai blushes.  Addai fumbles the ball on a routine switch of hands; the ball is scooped up by Terrence McGee and promptly returned 68 yards for a touchdown.  Bills 17, Colts 0.

Q2, 5:00: Buffalo, behind outstanding play-calling by Turk Schonert, orchestrates an 18-play beauty of a drive capped off by a one-yard touchdown dive by Xavier Omon.  10-0 Bills.  The team did, however, lose Langston Walker (shoulder) on the drive, and J.P. Losman may have dinged his hand at some point as well.

Q1, 2:31: The Bills take a 3-0 lead on their second drive of the game on some nice work - albeit work that came up short - by J.P. Losman through the air.  Buffalo's offense has Indy's defense off-balance, but a Losman-to-Evans attempt on third down fails and leads to a 36-yarder by Rian Lindell.

Welcome, Rumblers, to tonight's open game thread for our third pre-season matchup of the year, in which our beloved Buffalo Bills take on the Indianapolis Colts at the newly constructed Lucas Oil Stadium.  The Bills will be without starting quarterback Trent Edwards (thigh) for this game, meaning backup J.P. Losman will get the start.  Wide receivers James Hardy and Roscoe Parrish, tight end Derek Schouman and offensive tackle Matt Murphy will also miss the game; more inactives will be listed here as they come.

If you'd like to join in tonight's live chat with the rest of us, create a free SB Nation account and hop on in!  Upon completion, we'll have a post-game thread up for... wait for it... post-game discussion, and we'll have our weekly film session (starters only) on Tuesday.  Go Bills!

DT Williams fighting off S. Johnson for starting role (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills have made the trip to Indianapolis, where they are set to take on the Colts in tonight's pre-season game at the newly constructed - and absolutely gorgeous - Lucas Oil Stadium.  The Bills will be without three key players - QB Trent Edwards, WR James Hardy and WR Roscoe Parrish - for this matchup, and the Colts are missing some starters as well, most prominently QB Peyton Manning.

Despite the starters missing the one pre-season game that's important to a team's growth - especially a team as young as the Bills - there will still be some positional battles and players in unique positions that we'll be keeping an eye on.  We sincerely hope that you'll join us for tonight's open thread; here's what we'll be watching for:

Hamdan vs. Baker: It has become excruciatingly obvious that the Bills will be relying on J.P. Losman as a starting option at some point during the 2008 season.  With that in mind, it's probably high time to start paying a bit more attention to the battle for the team's third quarterback spot raging between Gibran Hamdan and Matt Baker.  One of these guys might actually be our primary backup for stretches during this season.  It is prudent, therefore, to know a bit more about these two players.

Dwayne Wright: He's 2/2 this pre-season; unlike in baseball, that's not a good thing - Wright has fumbled in each of this pre-season's two games.  Rookie sixth-round pick Xavier Omon is far more than just a challenger to Wright's job as the third back now.  Wright has looked good running the ball, but he needs to protect the rock, or he won't be a part of this final roster.

Jenkins, Huggins and Johnson: We can only guess, but we're predicting that Josh Reed - due to the problems he's had with his lower back - won't play as much as the rest of the starters tonight.  Lee Evans might not see a huge work load either, though he's expected to play much of the first half.  With Hardy and Parrish out, we're going to see a lot of playing time for the three receivers fighting for one to two spots - Justin Jenkins, Felton Huggins and rookie Steve Johnson.  The time is now for them to prove that they belong on this team.

Langston Walker: Dwight Freeney is making his first start of the pre-season tonight for Indianapolis, and with that, Walker faces by far his stiffest challenge since his move from right to left tackle.  Walker handled Jason Taylor relatively well in Washington, but Freeney steps the challenge up a notch.  We're expecting Ron From NM to keep an eye on #68, but we'll be watching closely as well.

Demetrius Bell: See Walker, but substitute Freeney's name for any of a number of the Colts' reserve ends who have ridiculous speed, most prominently rookie Marcus Howard.  I'm very intrigued with this kid, as most of you know, and he'll get tested tonight.

Williams vs. Johnson (vs. McCargo?): Apparently, there's a battle raging for the starting tackle spot next to Marcus Stroud, and the two main combatants are Kyle Williams and Spencer Johnson.  The winner of the battle's title may in reality be only a figurehead position, but we've spent enough time with our eyes glued to Marcus Stroud this pre-season to know he's legit; it's time to get more familiar with his running mates.

Angelo Crowell: Buffalo's starting strong-side linebacker makes his 2008 pre-season debut tonight.  Will he look rusty?  How does he look in pass coverage?  How will he operate next to, in essence, two new teammates in Paul Posluszny and Kawika Mitchell?  Well, that's why we're watching him tonight.

Cornerback rotation: The third pre-season game is followed swiftly by initial roster cut-downs and the fourth pre-season game - this coming Thursday against the Lions - so Buffalo's cornerback battle is about to get furiously heated.  Ashton Youboty will again get most of our focus, but we're expecting Leodis McKelvin to take a step forward in the competition tonight as well.