Bills Shufflin’ off to Buffalo, Edwards on the Mend

The Bills wrapped up their training camp schedule at St. John Fisher College this morning, and are headed back to the bubble in Buffalo - well, Orchard Park.  The end of another year of pre-season festivities in Pittsford, signals the beginning of another season of football in Western New York.  The Bills head East on the I90 with much unsettled, most notably the contract dispute between they and Jason Peters.  However, most of what remains undetermined will leave Buffalo fans on the edge of their seats for the final two weeks of the pre-season.

First, we know little, if nothing about what will shakedown in the Buffalo secondary - more specifically, cornerback.  Terrence McGee will be the #1, and that’s about all we know.  It does appear that Jabari Greer has earned the right to start the season as the #2, but will it last?  Rookie Leodis McKelvin, who I expect to supplant Greer in the first quarter of the season, will undoubtedly see some time on the field for kick returns, but his role in terms of defense remains to be seen.  Beyond these uncertainties, waiting in the wings are Reggie Corner, Will James, and Ashton Youboty - all of whom are vying for any position from nickel-back, to a spot on the roster.

Secondly, it is still unclear as to where each of the wide receivers will fit into the offense.  Much like cornerback, there are quality players up and down the roster, albeit mainly as #3 guys.  Nevertheless, will James Hardy have the opportunity to impact the offense?  I think yes!  He will be in on almost every play inside the 20, and will likely be the #4 guy between the hash-marks until the season progresses.  I still think Buffalo are ready to use Parrish more this year, as their offense will be centered around playmakers, who will need to add yardage after they get the ball.  Parrish is money in that department.  Additionally, I think Buffalo are going to have a tough time deciding between Steve Johnson and Justin Jenkins.  As it stands, Johnson is the frontrunner, but because of Jenkins’ special teams’ prowess, perhaps the Bills could keep a 6th wide-out.  I wouldn’t bet on it, but I wouldn’t put the house against it either.

Finally, will Trent Edwards be ready on September 7th to put some life into the anemic offense of a season ago.  He has made progress in recent days, and barring any setback with the injury, which I’ll talk about in a moment, I fully expect that progress to continue on into the season.  That said, JP will be lying in the weeds, waiting to pounce on any opportunity.

Now, to the aforementioned injury; you would think having the starting quarterback hurt, would warrant the opening statement of any piece involving the team, however due to the insignificance of the injury, it earns only a footnote.  Edwards, in a collision with Marshawn Lynch during last night’s practice, injured his quad.  It is being called anything from a deep thigh bruise to a quad contusion; neither of which are threatening to any playing time during the regular season.  His status for Sunday’s game in Indianapolis however, is in question.  As for Lynch, he continued practicing after the collision, but walked off the field later on, with what is deemed as a bruised knee.  Coach Jauron does not feel either injury is cause for great concern.

Now that training camp is officially over, the storylines for the “real” football will begin to unfold.  Until such time…

Go Bills!

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