SB Nation - Seth McKinney

Bills' battered O-Line takes another big blow

Brian Galliford — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:05:47 -0000

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We knew, as the Buffalo Bills entered the 2009 regular season, that the team's top-to-bottom re-structure of the offensive line was a huge question mark. Jason Peters had been traded. Derrick Dockery and Langston Walker had been released. Melvin Fowler and Duke Preston were unceremoniously allowed to test the free-agent waters. Demetrius Bell made a seemingly miraculous leap from 16-game healthy scratch to starting NFL left tackle, Geoff Hangartner was signed from Carolina, Eric Wood and Andy Levitre were drafted early, and Brad Butler moved to the position he manned in college.

Presto change-o! Buffalo had the NFL's most inexperienced offensive line. It was painfully clear that bumps in the road were expected - and they came in the form of drive-killing penalties and inconsistent blocking. But through it all, we decided by and large that it would be entertaining and interesting to watch these young guys develop as individuals and come together as one cohesive unit.

So much for that pipe dream. Through the first ten games of the season, Buffalo has been absolutely ravaged by injuries up front. They've been forced to field eight different line combinations during that time frame. The tackle position has been hit so hard by the injury bug that it's now affecting the guards; add in the latest and most brutal injury, a double fracture to Wood's lower left leg, and the verdict is simple. Buffalo can no longer hope to see tangible development from this offensive line. It is in complete disarray.

By the way, folks - Wood's surgery was successful. Seth McKinney, meanwhile, was lost for the season on Sunday as well. Buffalo now has one healthy guard - Levitre.

The line combinations
Look, I tried to comb through each of the Bills' ten games to chart each and every line combination the Bills have used this season. I went through each game twice to fleece out every minor injury that forced a player in for even a snap or two. I'm fairly confident I still missed something, so keep an eye on Ron From NM's comments in this post, if he has any. He's the line guru, after all.

The original starting five didn't even get through two full games. Four opening-day reserves - Seth McKinney, Jonathan Scott, Kirk Chambers and Jamon Meredith - have seen significant playing time.

1. Bell - Levitre - Hangartner - Wood - Butler
2. Bell - Levitre - Hangartner - Wood - Scott
3. Chambers - Levitre - Hangartner - Wood - Scott
4. Scott - Levitre - Hangartner - Wood - Chambers
5. Bell - Levitre - Hangartner - Wood - Meredith
6. Bell - Levitre - Hangartner - Wood - Chambers
7. Levitre - McKinney - Hangartner - Wood - Chambers
8. Scott - Levitre - Hangartner - Chambers - Meredith

Where the Bills once had continuity - in the interior - that's gone by the wayside. Only Geoff Hangartner has been the constant, and even he has been battered, dealing with a back injury earlier in the season.

Not much more development to be had
If you've seen the replay of Wood's injury, you're painfully aware of just how over his rookie season is. He suffered fractures to both his tibia and his fibula - word is one or both were compound fractures - and stayed in Jacksonville last night to have metal rods inserted to stabilize the leg. He'll end up on IR, and will have played a little under ten games. He got some development and played reasonably well this season, but there's no more development to be had for Wood this season - hopefully, just a lot of healing.

Bell might get a little development time if he ever gets healthy, but he's been in and out of the lineup so much this season that any development he's made has been negligible. Levitre might continue to develop, so long as he isn't forced to play two different positions each and every game. The guy is a guard, and while he's to be commended for capably manning both spots, it's best if he sticks to left guard.

Hangartner is what he is. There's no development to be had there, though the guy deserves a steak or something for finding a way to make it through ten games. That's a rarity in Buffalo. The rest of the players that have seen field time aren't worth considering, as they're not the types of players around which championship-caliber offenses can be built. For the young players that really matter - Wood, Levitre and Bell - hopes for further development this season are minimal at best.

Buffalo needs a franchise quarterback. It is, without doubt, the organization's biggest issue from a personnel standpoint. Given the sheer amount of upheaval along the offensive line, that unit rates a very close second.

Keys to Victory: Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars

Kurupt — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:30:11 -0000

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After a very eventful week, the struggling Buffalo Bills head south to Florida to take on the suddenly surging Jacksonville Jaguars. Perry Fewell will be coaching his first game as the Bills' interim head coach and looks to start off on a positive note. It'll be a tough challenge, as the ravaged Bills defense faces another tough running back matchup, going against Maurice Jones-Drew and his league-leading 12 touchdowns.

With new leadership, a new starting quarterback and even more new starters on defense, it's tough to figure out how well the Bills will play this week. Who knows? Maybe the biggest question that needs to be answered this week is what there will be more of heading into the game: Bills players on Injured Reserve or tarped over sections of seats in Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. If the Bills come to play, this is yet another winnable game. Let's see how they can get it done.

Give Fitzpatrick a chance: I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but the Bills have done a better job protecting Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has been sacked just four times. That's roughly once every 19 passes he's thrown. Trent Edwards on the other hand has been sacked 21 times, roughly every 9 passes. It's probably not so much the blocking as it is Fitzpatrick making quicker decisions and getting rid of the ball. He needs to continue that this week, but the blocking needs to give him a chance to make some plays against a Jacksonville secondary missing their best piece (Rashean Mathis). If Fitzpatrick is hurried and under duress all day, it's going to lead to turnovers and some terrible passes. That can't happen if the Bills want to pull the upset.

Show some semblance of a ground game: With Andy Levitre over at tackle and Seth McKinney in the lineup, is it possible the run blocking could be a little more physical this week? Could that mean more success? Who knows, but they are facing the 22nd ranked run defense this week, so the opportunities will certainly be there. The Jaguars are also likely to be without starting MLB Justin Durant. Fewell had his guys in pads on a Wednesday this week, for the first time in a long time, so maybe that small adjustment could lead to a more physical approach on Sunday. Let's hope so.

Hit some slants to Evans: He hasn't played well at all, but Fitzpatrick did seem interested in getting the ball to Lee Evans more while he was in the lineup before. He showed a willingness to throw the slant and actually completed a few. I really want to see more of this and would love to see Evans get his chances against a mediocre Jaguars secondary.

Take away MoJo's mojo: This is pretty much the exact same key as last week against the Titan when the Bills needed to slow down Chris Johnson. It's highly unlikely that they'll actually shut him down, but avoiding big plays is a must. They need to watch out for Jones-Drew in the passing game as well as he's one of the better RB's out of the backfield in the NFL.

Shut down Sims-Walker: Mike Sims-Walker has burst onto the scene this year and become a legit No. 1 WR for the Jaguars. He's had an excellent season to date, and it's not coincidence that when he performs well, the Jaguars tend to win. They are 3-1 when he scores a touchdown and 4-1 when he has six or more receptions. The banged up Bills secondary will need to focus on slowing Sims-Walker down, in addition to helping keep Jones-Drew from hitting on some big plays, so its obviously easier said than done.

Play like hell and win: Perry Fewell's motto is a simple one, and a good one to follow. Let's hope the players take his guidance to heart and go all out to try and win his first game. It'll be nice to see the team play off the head coach's personality and passion, in a good way, for once.

*****

That's it. There's not much else to add, in my opinion. The Bills look to be in a hopeless situation with injuries, coaching changes and a quarterback shuffle, in addition to their normal ineptitude. I hope they can play well and not get embarrassed. That's pretty much where this team is at this point, so a nice performance would be a pleasant surprise. Go Bills!

Stroud one of three Bills starters out for Sunday

Brian Galliford — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:54:36 -0000

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The Buffalo Bills, led by interim head coach Perry Fewell, will be looking for a win in Jacksonville without the services of three key starters.

Marcus Stroud did not practice all week with a knee injury and has been ruled out, according to BuffaloBills.com. This could potentially leave the Bills with just two healthy defensive tackles on Sunday. Also ruled out were tackle Demetrius Bell (knee), linebacker Keith Ellison (thigh) and cornerback Ashton Youboty (ankle).

Stroud's absence is of critical importance. The Bills have the NFL's worst run defense, and they're about to take on the NFL's fifth-leading rusher in Maurice Jones-Drew without their most proven run defender. Exacerbating that issue is the fact that fellow defensive tackle Kyle Williams is on the injury report as well, listed as questionable with a knee injury that has caused him to miss Buffalo's last two games.

Spencer Johnson will start in Stroud's place, and if Williams can't go, John McCargo will make his first start of the season as well. Converted safety Bryan Scott will make a second straight start at outside linebacker in place of Ellison. Rookie guard Andy Levitre will flip out to left tackle in place of Bell, with veteran Seth McKinney getting the nod in Levitre's left guard spot.

Joining Williams as questionable for Sunday are receiver James Hardy (groin), cornerback Terrence McGee (knee) and rookie free safety Jairus Byrd (groin). McGee and Byrd were both limited in practice on Friday. With Donte Whitner returning to the lineup (he's not listed on the injury report and practiced all week), George Wilson would start at safety if Byrd can't go. If McGee cannot play, the Bills will dress just three healthy cornerbacks in Jacksonville (Drayton Florence, Reggie Corner and Ellis Lankster).

Meanwhile, Jacksonville will be missing one key defensive starter (cornerback Rashean Mathis) and is likely to be without another (middle linebacker Justin Durant is doubtful).

Fewell sticks with Fitzpatrick at QB, Levitre at LT

Brian Galliford — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:00:30 -0000

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Various news outlets - we'll link WGR 550 and Paul Hamilton, since it's been a while - are reporting that Ryan Fitzpatrick is taking first-team reps at quarterback in Perry Fewell's first practice as interim head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Fewell confirmed this fact after practice. That bit of news confirms an NFL.com report from Wednesday - prior to the firing of Dick Jauron - that Fitzpatrick would be the club's starter.

With Demetrius Bell dealing with a knee injury, rookie lineman Andy Levitre lined up at left tackle in practice on Wednesday, again according to Hamilton. Levitre saw his first reps of the season at that position last week in Tennessee after Bell left the game at halftime. Replacing Levitre at left guard was, and remains, Seth McKinney. If that move is permanent, Levitre will become the sixth player to line up at either tackle position for Buffalo this season, and the third on the left side.

Additionally, Chris Brown at BuffaloBills.com is reporting that, while safety Donte Whitner and defensive tackle Kyle Williams are back on the practice field, several players missed today's session. That list includes Roscoe Parrish, Justin Jenkins, Bell, Jonathan Scott, Marcus Stroud, Keith Ellison, Terrence McGee, Ashton Youboty and Jairus Byrd. McGee, recovering from knee surgery, worked with trainers on the sideline. Scott was absent as he continues to mourn the passing of his father.

One last note: converted strong safety Bryan Scott continues to take practice reps at linebacker, again according to Brown. That likely won't change until Ellison returns to the lineup.

Notes from the Bills' O-Line: Mid-Season Analysis

Brian Galliford — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:00:30 -0000

Editor's note, by Brian Galliford: For those of you who've been around Buffalo Rumblings long enough to know how this blog operates, you'll know that what you're about to read isn't my work. I'm all for doing oodles of research, but nobody dedicates themselves to their specific craft as thoroughly as Ron From NM, our resident Buffalo Bills offensive line guru. What follows is his incredibly in-depth analysis of the Bills' offensive line play through the first eight games of the season. Take it away, Ron. End Note

We've reached the midway point of the season and, as ~~threatened~~ promised, here's a look at where the line stands by the numbers. Just to add to the nerdiness factor, I'm taking a stab at inserting charts and pie graphs. [Ed. note: Nerd.] The good news is that, if they actually make it into the story, they do make it easier to spot trends. One trend I looked at carefully was the charge that the line has been inconsistent. The overall grades for the interior linemen (75.8% on run plays, 73.6% on pass plays) and tackles (74.6% on run plays and 72.9% on pass plays) at first blush argue for mediocre consistency. So, without further ado, here's all you need to know about the play of Demetrius Bell, Andy Levitre, Geoff Hangartner, Eric Wood, Brad Butler, Jonathan Scott, Kirk Chambers, Jamon Meredith and Seth McKinney after eight games.

Run Plays
I plugged in Scott's adventure at left tackle in Miami under Bell's numbers and turned an amalgamation [Ed. note: nerd] of Butler, Scott, Meredith and Chambers into "RT guys." The numbers don't really look all that bad in a chart - feel free to do so yourselves on your own free time - but a graph highlights the inconsistency.

Does that chart just scream inconsistency to you, too? Well, read on and take another look.

Are you surprised to see that the tackles are the least volatile of the positions? I sure was. With the exception of the game in Foxboro, Bell has ranged from about 75% to about 77%. Whomever the Bills have had at RT has been between 72% to 74% five of the eight weeks. Think about that for a second. The Bills have rotated four different bodies through the right tackle position, but haven't cratered in the run game. I'm not sure if the coaching deserves credit or if the goo at the bottom of the barrel is all pretty much the same.

Hangartner has been relatively consistent, too. He turned in a good game against the Browns, but otherwise has ranged between 72% to 75%. More troubling is that he seems to be on a gradual downhill slide. This bears watching as the year rolls along. If he can't get the job done, then I wouldn't be surprised to see the Bills eventually shift Wood to the center and go guard hunting in the offseason.

The guys making the chart look so volatile are the guards, Levitre and Wood. Levitre has led or tied the team in run grading five of the eight weeks. He cratered in Carolina, when he tied for the worst. Other than that, the only guy to top him has been Wood. Wood has tied or graded highest four of the eight weeks. He put together back to back poor (for him - still almost 74%, so we're not talking disasters) games in Miami and against Cleveland.

Clearly, the Bills need Wood and Levitre to even out their performances and consistently turn in good games - the offense can't be consistent when interior linemen turn in subpar performances three of four weeks. The tackles and centers, on the other hand, need to raise the overall level of their performances. "Consistency is only a virtue if you're not a screw up." (www.despair.com)

Additionally, the Bills' offensive linemen need to work on not killing run plays. While Levitre, for example, has generally been Buffalo's best offensive lineman on run plays, when he screws the pooch, he goes all out. Here's a look at who is killing run plays:

Bell	Levitre	Hangartner	Wood	Scott	Meredith	Chambers	McKinney
1	7	4	3	1	1	2	1

As you can see, the interior linemen account for 70% of the killed run plays. Again, it appears to be the sudden mental/physical lapse in otherwise solid-though inconsistent-play. Overall, the line has killed 20 of 189 (10.6%) of run plays.

Pass plays
As with the run plays, I plugged in Scott's nightmare day at left tackle in Miami into Bell's column. The RT guys is again a compilation of substandard outings by Butler, Scott, Meredith and Chambers. The numbers look bad whether in raw form or in graph form, so we'll keep the fanciness rolling with the graph.

I'm kind of amazed at how closely the RT and LT tackle lines parallel one another. Bad days at the tackle position in Foxboro turned into reasonable outings before cratering in Miami - only to shoot back up against Cleveland. The bright spot at tackle is that that awful performance in Miami doesn't belong to Bell. If you extrapolate only Bell's games, what you see is a gradual upward trend. The RT position still appears to be subject to wild swings, which isn't all that surprising given the constant rotation of ‘guys' on an almost weekly basis.

It's interesting (to me anyway) to see that Hangartner seems to be on a slight upward trend in the passing game when he seems to be headed the other direction on run plays. I'm not very surprised to see that he's not bouncing from good to bad, but staying within the 72% to 74% band.

As with the run game, Levitre and Wood appear to be erratic. Each of them have been the highest graded (or tied) pass protector three out of eight weeks. However, Wood was the worst (or tied) three other weeks, while Levitre was the worst (or tied) two weeks. The good news is that the guards seem to be holding in the 73% to 75% range, so hopefully they become more consistent as they gain experience.

It's sad but it's true. The line has been even worse at killing pass plays than run plays.

Bell	Levitre	Hangartner	Wood	Scott	Meredith	Chambers	McKinney	Butler
7	6	9	5	6	1	4	0	2

The line has combined to kill 40 of 254 plays (15.8%). Some of those are tipped passes, some are thrown away, some are bad passes because the quarterback can't step into the throw and so on. What can't go ‘on' is for the line to keep killing pass plays. As you can see, everyone has gotten in on the action. Speaking of which, here are the sack numbers:

Bell	Levitre	Hangartner	Wood	Scott	Meredith	Chambers	McKinney	Butler
3	1	4	2	3.5	0	2.5	0	1

Here you can see that the tackles have allowed 10 sacks, with the interior linemen giving up 7. I'd say that it's a good thing that Trent Edwards is right-handed, given that Bell has given up 3 of those 10 sacks, while Scott gave up 1.5 sacks playing LT in Miami. Therefore, Buffalo's QBs have been crunched almost equally by defenders beating either tackle.

Notes from the Bills' O-Line: Weeks 1-5

Ron From NM — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:30:17 -0000

I've been pressed for time the past couple of weeks - and having my computer die on me didn't help matters - and thus this is our first breakdown of the Buffalo Bills' offensive line in quite some time. I did break down the Bills' loss to Miami and half of the loss to Cleveland. No, it wasn't that I couldn't stomach reviewing the rest of the game (after years of eating my own cooking, I have a stomach of steel!), but rather I wasn't smart enough to hit the record button at the start of the second half. D'oh!

Rather than do my usual spiel, I'll review how the linemen have done through what is essentially 4.5 games' worth of film. Also, I'll spend some time talking about the loss to Cleveland in particular.

The Browns game was one in which pretty much everyone - not just linemen--took turns screwing the pooch. Six offensive linemen drew penalties, never mind that there are only five offensive line positions. (Thanks, Kirk Chambers!) At least one lineman screwed up on runs 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14. I only had 15 run plays to review, so on more than half of the running plays I saw, some lineman was doing something badly. It was only marginally better on pass plays, with screw-ups on passes 1, 5, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, and 17... of the 18 pass plays in the first half, or just under half. Ugh. Would you be surprised to learn that only Jonathan Scott made it through the first half without a bad pass play? I sure was!

8 of 15 run plays in the first half were C gap runs, either left or right. The Bills only tested the A gap on three occasions - for 8 yards. Yeah, I know, it's not good, but it was nice to see Geoff Hangartner hang with Cleveland's mammoth nose tackle, Shaun Rogers. Along with the two runs each to the right B and left B gaps it was enough to keep the defense honest.

The Bills gave the tackles more help in the first half on passing downs. Demetrius Bell had help on passes 2 and 18, the help on 18 coming immediately after he had been cleanly beaten for a field goal attempt-killing sack. Scott was helped on plays 6, 10, and 17. While it's good that the Bills recognize the need to give the tackles some help, keeping three guys back to block while sending out only two receivers (pass 3) just isn't the answer either. Kind of hard for Trent Edwards to go downfield in that situation.

And then there were the penalties. Yes, they're young guys. So what? Even young guys can learn to move on the snap count. In their own stadium. With crickets in the background... only replaced by loud boos when the linemen kept making stupid penalties. There's just no excuse for the entire line to be so poorly disciplined.

Through 4.5 games, the Bills had 49 offensive drives, of which only six were successful - meaning they ended with touchdowns. The other 43 drives were killed as follows:

Trent Edwards: 10.5 killed drives
Demetrius Bell: 4.5
Terrell Owens: 4
Kirk Chambers: 3.5
Eric Wood: 3
Fred Jackson: 3
Halftime/End of game: 3
Geoff Hangartner: 2.5
Jonathan Scott: 2.5
Lee Evans: 2
Andy Levitre: 1
Seth McKinney: 1
Derek Fine: 1
Coaching decisions: 1
Josh Reed: 0.5

Leaving out coaching and halftime/end of game situations, here's how drives were killed by positional groups:

Offensive Line: 18
Quarterbacks: 10.5
Skill positions: 10.5

The line is really killing the team. Those five positions have killed almost as many drives as the guys who actually are responsible for handling the ball. I think we kind of knew this would happen, given the rookie guards and a fairly young guy playing center in the NFL for the first time. What's made it atrocious has been the play at the tackles. Unsurprisingly, the offensive line numbers seem to track right along with the line killing numbers.

Demetrius Bell
6 killed plays, 2 sacks allowed
Opponent	Run Grade	Pass Grade
@ NE	78.2	71.1
TB	75.6	73.2
NO	77.1	72.6
@ MIA	N/A	N/A
CLE	75.0	73.9
Overall	76.4	72.6
Andy Levitre
5 killed plays, 0 sacks allowed
Opponent	Run Grade	Pass Grade
@ NE	82.4	73.2
TB	77.4	73.3
NO	78.0	74.5
@ MIA	75.0	75.0
CLE	76.3	72.8
Overall	77.9	73.9
Geoff Hangartner
8 killed plays, 2 sacks allowed
Opponent	Run Grade	Pass Grade
@ NE	75.0	73.2
TB	74.4	72.1
NO	73.0	74.0
@ MIA	73.9	73.8
CLE	76.3	71.7
Overall	74.4	73.1
Eric Wood
6 killed plays, 2 sacks allowed
Opponent	Run Grade	Pass Grade
@ NE	73.9	73.8
TB	77.9	74.4
NO	80.0	73.1
@ MIA	73.7	73.8
CLE	73.7	71.7
Overall	76.4	73.5
Jonathan Scott
7 killed plays, 3.5 sacks allowed
Opponent	Run Grade	Pass Grade
@ NE	N/A	N/A
TB	75.6	73.2
NO	73.0	73.1
@ MIA	75.0	70.8
CLE	72.3	75.0
Overall	74.4	72.9

I've said before that it's very hard to even get to 75 on pass plays in my grading system. Simply stopping a guy from reaching the QB isn't going to count as a good play, but rather as a decent one. Thus, the bad plays tend to effectively carry more weight, since there are few good plays (generally screens, though things like tossing a defensive lineman down and laying on them counts as good as well) to offset them. With that said, Bell and Scott are below the 73% mark - Scott mainly due to a terrible day playing left tackle in Miami, and Bell largely thanks to a dreadful day in Foxboro. Levitre, Hangartner and Wood all had letdowns against the Browns, which many of you likely noticed as Edwards was having to scramble away from even three-man rushes. Overall, however, their pass protection is decent.

Melvin Fowler and Duke Preston were abysmal in the run game, each in the 70% range. Hangartner has consistently been in the mid-70s. Amazingly, his two best games have come against some of the biggest and toughest DTs in the league. You've got to love a guy who rises to a challenge. Scott has been better than expected in the run game, coming in just behind Hangartner. Bell has been encouraging and currently has the second-highest run grade of the linemen. Levitre and Wood are both above 75%, which speaks well of their future potential.

On the subject of potential, I mentioned before that some of the coaching staff had Levitre as rated higher than Wood. So far Levitre has shown them to be astute judges of talent, at least in this specific case. He's currently got the highest grades for both run and pass plays.

As the chart below shows, the Bills have been running the ball around the ends and straight up the middle. Don't pay too much attention to the 6.5-yard average in the left B gap, as almost all of it came on one run by Jackson against the Bucs. Take out that one play, and it's more like a yard per attempt. Clearly, Buffalo has run the ball most effectively around the ends, but that doesn't mean the team should give up on pounding it up the middle. Something to remember is that Marshawn Lynch's running style is better suited to running up the middle than is Fred Jackson's.

Gap	Att	Yds	Avg
Left C	27	113	4.2
Left B	11	72	6.5
A	30	96	3.2
Right B	11	42	3.8
Right C	27	139	5.1

I don't track how many plays linemen pull, but I can tell you that Buffalo has had some good success with those plays this year. They certainly help account for some of the yardage being picked up on the outside. Something else that has really helped on outside runs has been the play of Shawn Nelson. He doesn't have great stats, but he's getting better and better at blocking. It also really helps that the tackles have killed just two run plays between them.

Through 4.5 games, Edwards has faced blitzes (I define those as five or more rushers) 54 times. He has picked up 363 yards (6.7 yards per blitz), 14 (25.9%) first downs and 3 touchdowns against those blitzes. He'd be doing quite a bit better were it not for an appalling 9 drops, 6 bad passes, and 1 batted ball. Think about that for a second: add the 15 mistakes the Bills have made against the blitz and the first down percentage goes to something like 54% and the yards per blitz would be around 13-15. The Bills have to stop shooting themselves in the foot soon - there can't be much left to hit anyway.

On the topic of hitting oneself in the head with a hammer because it feels so good when one stops, it's well past time for the Bills to put away the rollout pass to the tight end. Defenses aren't falling for it at all. Even when the pass is completed, it is for no gain. Which brings me to another sunny point: Buffalo needs to stop sending receivers on none-yard patterns. Why can't the TE at least go 3 or 5 yards downfield and be tackled immediately there instead of at the line of scrimmage? To my mind, that's a Turk Schonert issue.

It turns out that I had a little more time than I thought I would so here's the first half breakdown for the Browns game. (I'm adding this after Brian did a terrific job cleaning up my drivel so I hope it doesn't cause problems....)

Drive 1

Run 1 Lynch 11 yards through the right C gap

Bell got a ½ yard push on 98. Levitre chucked 98 and then kept 52 out of the play. Hang and Wood doubled Rogers (92) initially. Hang peeled off to hit 58. As soon as he did so Rogers spun away from Wood and almost had a tackle for loss (TFL). Scott got a 2 yard drive on 90 and wouldn’t let him turn. Fine kept 96 shielded from the play.

Bell drew a false start flag, setting up 1^st and 15.

Run 2 Jackson 2 yards through the left C gap

Bell got a 2 yard push on 98 but allowed him to shed the block and make the tackle. Levitre went to the 2^nd level and took 52 on a wide loop away from the play. Hang managed a lateral push on 92 one on one—something Preston/Fowler never could manage—and kept him out of the play by sustaining his block through the whistle. Wood went to the 2^nd level and got a piece of 50 but didn’t lock him up. Scott didn’t get any drive on 90 but kept him busy. Fine did an okay job on 96 while Nelson kept 95 out of the play.

Pass 1 sack -1 yards

Bell, Levitre and Hang kept 92 and 95 well away from Edwards. Wood helped with 92 and didn’t keep his head on a swivel—which allowed a LB to run through the right B gap. While Wood didn’t cover himself with glory, Jackson’s whiff on the blitz pick up was a play killer. It should have been about an 8 yard loss but Edwards evaded the tackle and almost got back to the line of scrimmage (LOS). Scott was doing an okay job on 90 but when Edwards ran forward in the pocket 90 was able to get in on the tackle.

Pass 2 Jackson 9 yards

The line easily handled the 3 man rush, particularly since Bell had tight end help.

Blitzes: 0

Stacked box: 0

Drive killed by: Bell’s stupid penalty and Jackson’s inept blitz pick up

Drive 2

Run 3 Jackson 2 yards through the right C gap

Scott pulled to lead the play and buried a LB into the pile. Levitre turned out to keep 98 from chasing the play. Hang turned 92 away from the play but didn’t sustain his block. 92 chased down Jackson from behind, which should give you an idea of how slowly the play developed. Wood gave 92 a little push and then wasn’t fast enough to catch 52 at the 2^nd level. Scott got no push on 90 at all, which is what slowed everything down. Nelson sustained his block on 95.

Pass 3 Owens 18 yards against a 5 man blitz

Bell did an okay job on 98. Levitre and Hang stuffed 92 while Wood and Scott stopped 90. Fine and Jackson doubled a blitzer and Nelson handled 95 on his own. It was a 2 WR pattern, which says a lot about how AVP views the offensive line.

Pass 4 Nelson incomplete

The entire offensive line blocked to the left as if it were a run while Edwards bootlegged to his right. The only problem was that defenses have seen this play far too many times to be fooled by it. 90 sat on the edge of the line and just watched Edwards—when he kept the ball 90 went after him, knowing that Nelson was going to be well covered. While Jauron has talked about running a few plays the offense executes well over and over the downside is that defenses look for those plays. Even if Nelson had made the reception it would have gone for no gain. Hey, AVP! Retire this friggin play!

Run 4 Jackson 2 yards through the right C gap

Bell pulled to the middle and whiffed on his block on 50—who made the tackle. Hang turned out and kept 98 out of the play, getting a 3 yard drive in the process. Hang got under Rogers’ pads and drove him two yards. Wood hit 52 in the 2^nd level after chucking 92. Scott again got no drive on 90, who shed his block and was in on the tackle. Nelson again sustained his block on 95 while Fine missed a cut block on 96.

Pass 5 Owens 6 yards against a 5 man blitz

Bell took 95 around the corner. Levitre picked up a blitzing LB. Hang was bull rushed by Rogers, who got inside of his block to hit Edwards. Wood did okay at first but then 99 got past his outside shoulder to hit Edwards. Scott danced with 90.

Blitzes: 2

Stacked box: 0

Drive killed by: play calling—the wasted down (rollout none-yard pattern to the TE) would have been better spent on a 2 yard plunge into the line….which would have extended the drive

Drive 3

Run 5 Lynch 4 yards through the right B gap

Bell got a 3 yard push on 90. Levitre kept 50 out of the play. Hang and Wood got a 3 yard push on 71, though it was mainly Hang that got him moving backwards. Scott got a 3 yard drive on 90.

Pass 6 Owens 7 yards (rollout)

Bell and Levitre blocked like it was going to be a screen to the left. Hang kept 71 turned away from the rollout and Wood stuffed 69. Scott got help from Nelson, which he needed. 95 got outside of Scott’s shoulder and was in position to chase Edwards on his rollout when Nelson popped him.

Run 6 Lynch 4 yards through the left C gap

Bell and Fine sent 98 4 yards in reverse like he was on roller skates. Levitre and Hang doubled 71 and got some push. Wood stood up 69 but didn’t get much push. Scott danced with 95 away from the play. Nelson did an okay job on 96 but 96 shed his block and was in on the tackle.

Run 7 Lynch 4 yards through the A gap

Bell got a 2 yard push on 98. Levitre shoved 71 then took 52 on a five yard tour of the second level. Hang drove 71 back 4 yards. Wood went to the 2^nd level and popped a LB but didn’t sustain his block. Scott didn’t get much push on 69, who got inside of him and in on the tackle. Fine stopped 96 and Nelson crossed the formation to keep 95 out of the play.

3^rd and 2, the line is taking it to the Browns defense and Levitre has a false start. Way to kill momentum, Andy.

Pass 7 INC to Reed against a 5 man blitz

Bell laid on 95 after he slipped. Levitre stuffed a bull rush and wouldn’t let him elevate. Hang stopped 92. Wood picked up a blitzer and kept his arms down. 99 almost got around Scott but Scott got under his pads and pushed him past Edwards. It wasn’t a great pass—it should have been a little farther ahead of Reed.

Pass 8 Nelson INC

Bell stopped 99. Levitre, Hang and Wood stopped two defenders as they tried to twist. Scott stopped 93 at the corner. It looked like a bad pass but in reality Nelson stumbled as he made his break. Maybe it wouldn’t have been completed anyway but I don’t know that you can pin this one on Edwards.

Blitzes: 1

Stacked box: 0

Drive killed by: Levitre’s stupid penalty—with two downs and two yards to go (before the penalty) you’ve got to believe Lynch would have gotten that first down.

Drive 4 (starting at the 1 yard line)

Run 8 QB sneak for 2 yards against an 8 man front through the A gap

The line generated a 2 yard push pretty much across the board. All things considered it was a pretty good effort given where the Bills began the possession.

Run 9 Jackson for 2 yards through the A gap against an 8 man front (Jackson??? WTF??? Where was Lynch?)

Bell got a 2 yard push on 98. Levitre chucked 71 then hit 52 at the 2^nd level. Hang got a 2 yard push on 71. Wood hit a filling 50 but (again) didn’t sustain his block. Scott allowed 69 to shed his block to the inside and make the tackle.

Pass 9 Nelson -1 yard

Bell and Levitre doubled 98. Hang stayed home and picked up a rushing 52. Wood stopped Rogers and Scott kept 69 on the LOS. Edwards never turned his head to the left, where he had Evans open for first down yardage. I’m guessing he was trying to get the ball to Owens and just hoping that he wasn’t committed from the get-go to throw a none-yard pass to Nelson.

Blitzes: 0

Stacked box: 2

Drive killed by: Edwards locking in on the right side of the field

Drive 5

Pass 10 INC—almost a sack

Bell had no one to block. 98 got inside of Levitre and almost got the sack. 98 had Edwards’ legs wrapped up, which led to the terrible pass and killed the play. Hang stuffed a rushing 52. Rogers walked Wood back to Edwards and got an arm on the QB. Scott had help stuffing 98.

Run 10 Lynch 12 yards through the right C gap

98 got inside of Bell but too late to catch the play. Levitre went to the 2^nd level but couldn’t catch 52. Rogers cut inside of Hang and almost had a TFL. Wood popped 50 hard enough at the 2^nd level to keep him out of the play but (again) didn’t sustain (grrrrrrr). Scott got a 2 yard push on 98, who lost his balance and fell. Nelson turned 96 in multiple circles and really made the play.

Run 11 Lynch 2 yards through the left B gap

Bell pulled wide and helped Nelson with 96. Nelson didn’t look like he needed the help and Bell could have picked up one of the filling defenders instead. Levitre engaged in a slow motion cut on Rogers. Hang pulled and took out a filling 50. Wood got inside of 69 and was doing an okay job of blocking him….until Wood was taken out by Scott who was trying to help with 69. 69 then chased the play.

Pass 11 well overthrown INC—Edwards hit while throwing

Bell and Levitre doubled 98. Rogers pushed Hang back into Edwards, disrupting the throw. Wood split his attention between 92 and 69. He probably should have committed to helping with Rogers but he was also ensuring that no one blew threw his gap. Scott stopped 69.

Pass 12 scramble for 21 yards

Bell beat 95 to the corner. Levitre pitched into 95 when he tried to get inside of Bell. 92 got inside of Hang and caused the scramble. 69 bull rushed Wood into Jackson’s legs, taking both Wood and 69 out. Scott stopped a rushing LB at the corner.

Run 12 Lynch 2 yards through the left B gap against an 8 man front

Bell got a 2 yard push on 95. Levitre drove 69 1 yard but then 69 shed his block and was in on the tackle. Hang didn’t get much push on 71, who shed his block to get in on the tackle. Wood and Scott doubled a defensive lineman. Wood peeled and went to the 2^nd level but by then there was no one to block.

Run 13 Owens reverse for 6 yards through the right B gap

Bell, Levitre and Hang blocked like it was a run to the left. Wood fired into the 2^nd level and blocked 52 away from the run lane but (yet again) didn’t sustain. Scott sustained his block on 99 and kept him on the LOS. Stupar had no one to block when TO cut the run back to the inside.

Pass 13 INC—pass interference on the defense

The line provided a clean pocket and the defender clearly hit Reed a full second before the ball arrived. I wasn’t at all surprised to see one of the flag happy refs not throw his flag despite the blatant penalty on the Browns. The ref in question had turned and was clearly watching the play so there’s just no excuse for him not to have thrown his flag. Happily, another ref did.

Run 14 Lynch 2 yards through the right C gap

Scott had no one to block. 98 got inside of Levitre (again!) and made the tackle. Hang went to the 2^nd level and popped 52, right next to Wood who popped 50. Scott got a 2 yard pop on 69. Fine kept 96 on the edge of the LOS. After the play 96 threw Fine down which somehow failed to draw a flag. Hmmmm. Who blocked Shaun Rogers? Stupar. Yes, Stupar. Rogers couldn’t believe it either, which probably explains why it worked.

Pass 14 Lynch 9 yards

Bell stuffed 98. Levitre was pushed back to Edwards by Rogers. Hang gave a little bit of assistance to Levitre. Wood and Scott tag teamed 69. A rushing LB never made it near Edwards even though no one blocked him—he just couldn’t navigate the sea of large bodies in time.

With momentum and the ball at the Cleveland 17 Scott has a false start.

Run 15 Lynch -3 yards through the left C gap against an 8 man front

Bell got outside of 98 to set the edge. Levitre went to the 2^nd level and eventually blocked 71. Hang blocked 71 down the line but 71 eventually broke off and went to the 2^nd level to meet Levitre. Wood got a piece of 99 and Scott had no one to block. Nelson, who had done a good job run blocking, was beaten by 53 who made the TFL and killed the play.

Pass 16 Screen to Lynch for 3 yards

Bell sustained his block on 98. Levitre missed his block on 95 and Hang stuck with 71. Wood got too far upfield too quickly. The same ref who wouldn’t throw a flag on pass interference on Reed earlier in the drive watched Wood the whole time with his hand on his flag. It’s like he couldn’t wait to throw it and did—the moment Wood took a step past 5 yards downfield. Scott kept 99 away from the play.

Pass 17 sack for -8 yards against a 6 man blitz

Bell was beaten cleanly by 95’s pure speed for the sack. Levitre took 52 on a wide arc. Hang stuffed 92’s spin move. Wood picked up 93. Scott and Fine stopped 69 and Lynch stuffed a blitzing 23. If Scott hadn’t been beaten like a trailer park wench on a Friday night there was an excellent chance for the Bills to set themselves up inside the 10. The sack instead took the team out of field goal range leading to….

Pass 18 INC—jump ball in the end zone

Bell was belatedly given help from Nelson and stopped 95. Levitre and Hang doubled Rogers. Wood and Scott stopped 69.

Blitzes: 1

Stacked box: 2

Drive killed by: Bell’s sack

And that’s all I’ve got due to being too inept to hit ‘record’ at the start of the 2^nd half. At first blush Wood did seem to do a better job of sustaining his blocks in the second half and Levitre wasn’t as susceptible to inside moves. The penalty flags, of course, continued to rain down on the Bills.

2009 Bills Training Camp is officially in the books

MattRichWarren — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:45:09 -0000

This morning was the final day of 2009 Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford. I was in attendance today - as I was for a dozen practices this year - as the moving vans arrived and the team headed back to Orchard Park for the remainder of the pre-season. Due to the copious amounts of rain yesterday, my phone was not operational for Twitter updates this morning, so I am going to change up and give you a timeline of the typical practice after the jump with my notes from today.

I arrived early thanks to a friend who attends SJF. She gave me her parking pass and I rolled into the parking lot instead of taking the blasted shuttles. That was pretty sweet.

9:30 - 9:40 Special Teams - Punt Team
Bobby April led the punt team through some work on blocking, then on getting off their blocks; meanwhile, the gunners worked at the other end of the field. As has been a continuous trend, Ryan Neill got all first team work with Garrison Sanborn squarely behind him. Working at gunner (in no particular order) were Justin Jenkins, Reggie Corner, Ashton Youboty, Felton Huggins, Jairus Byrd, Shaine Smith, Lydell Sargeant, John Wendling, and Ko Simpson. Easily the most vocal player during this work was Marcus Stroud, standing on the sideline.

9:40 - 9:49 Walk Through vs. Scout Teams
The first team offense was without Terrell Owens again today; Owens has been officially ruled out of Saturday's pre-season contest in Green Bay. Josh Reed took his reps on the outside. Bryan Scott continued to practice following his injury and alternated moving up in the box with Donte Whitner during the exercise.

9:49 - 9:55 Warm up and Stretch
Easily the most boring thing to watch in practice, it's also the best to see who is participating. QB Matt Baker was stretching, but didn't throw a pass all day, instead standing and watching in a ball cap. WR James Hardy joined Owens in the training room, and defensive tackles Corey Mace and Marcus Smith watched from the sidelines. TE Shawn Nelson was late arriving on the field, but eventually joined the team during team work. Everyone else was participating fully.

9:55 - 10:11 Position Work
At this point in the practice, the team broke up into their position groups: DL, LB, DB, OL, TE, WR, RB, QB and ST (kickers, punters and long snappers). Without pads on, the OL and DL were working on footwork and hand techniques on opposite ends of the field. The RB and QB groups started together working on hand-offs before the RB group went to work on footwork and cuts. LBs were working on gap assignments, and DBs were focusing on backpedaling and ball skills. TEs were focusing on blocking and when to move off onto the blitzing linebacker. The WRs were catching passes after breaking off routes, but the most interesting part was that a coach was smacking them with a pad when the ball was in the air. Essentially the guys had to keep their focus even though they were being hit as the ball arrived. Then the WRs and QBs got together and worked on pass routes before the TEs and RBs were mixed in as well.

10:11 - 10:19 7on 7, OL vs. DL
While the offensive and defensive linemen did some one on one work, the first team offense and defense worked in the passing shell. It was around this time that people were figuring out that T.O. was just not going to show up. Many were sad. It would have been nice for him to at least come out and wave or something. Skill players with the first team offense were Lee Evans, Derek Fine, Josh Reed (in for Owens) and Shawn Nelson in the slot. He moved in tight on a couple plays as well before Roscoe Parrish replaced him. Roscoe and Nelson's reps were split pretty evenly as the "third WR" option. Good to see the big guy getting some first team reps. As an aside, it's pretty clear that Derek Schouman and Derek Fine are 1A and 1B and will rotate with Nelson. We officially have a three-headed monster at TE.

Trent Edwards was hitting guys in stride today and not one throw hit the ground during position work or 7 on 7. He was working the ball down the field, hitting Evans and Reed for gains on 15-20 yards. Ryan Fitzpatrick also looked good, completing good passes before throwing a 30+ yard bomb to Justin Jenkins. It was a gorgeous arching pass right over the top of the defender. Even Gibran Hamdan got in on the act, threading the ball between two defenders for a 25-yard pickup to C.J. Hawthorne.

10:19 - 10:31 Special Teams - Kick Return
Bobby April had the front six on one side of the field and his back five on the other. The starters for the front line were George WIlson, Jon Corto, John Wendling, Marcus Buggs and Justin Jenkins (L to R facing the kicker), with Shawn Nelson about ten yards behind Wendling. They were working on picking up their guys based on what the kick team does. The wedge (April used the term) portion was Leodis McKelvin returning with Xavier Omon five yards in front of him, and Spencer Johnson five yards in front of Omon. The Dereks were about five yards further up splitting the field in thirds. When the ball was kicked deep, the Dereks stood about three yards apart and Johnson came between them about two yards back. They also worked on short kicks and getting communication down so they know who is going to catch it.

10:32 - 10:38 11 on 11
The first full-team work of the day again highlighted the offense as they continued to practice without pads. James Hardy made his way onto the field prior to the team work, walking out and talking with teammates. Bryan Scott had a simulated stop in the backfield on a Roscoe reverse, the second of those I witnessed today. Jairus Byrd had a nice pass breakup on a Gibran Hamdan throw working with the third team. Answering some questions, the second team center was Brandon Rodd and Seth McKinney, running second team guard, slid over to the pivot with the third team. Watching more position battles, Chris Ellis is clearly getting more reps than Copeland Bryan, who ran third team today. Ellis has been seeing second team reps while Aaron Maybin continues his holdout.

10:38 - 10:54 Walk Through vs. Coaches
A staple of the end of practice is a walk through against a team of coaches simulating a defense. It's not interesting to watch, but the fans were getting anxious and began chanting. At one point between plays, Eric Wood and Langston Walker raised their arms in the air exhorting the chants to continue and get louder. The first team offense was working against the coaches, but on the other side of the field, it was the second and third team defense getting the reps against the ghost team.

10:54 - 10:58 Stretching and Team Huddle

10:59 Position Meetings and Break
DB, OL, LB, and TE met with their position coaches briefly while the rest of the team made their way towards the locker room for the final time this year. After practice, Fitzpatrick signed autographs and Walker and Butler threw their gloves into the stands.

***

Best Development of the Day
Only one Trent Edwards pass hit the ground all day. It was a yard overthrown to Lee Evans on the sideline about 18 yards off the line of scrimmage.

Worst Development of the Day
The moving vans were moving stuff from the sidelines and locker room during the entire practice. I still have at least one camp story to tell and you should see that later this week, but for now, the only time we'll see the Bills is when they play the Packers this weekend.

Butler injured as Bills return to the practice field

Brian Galliford — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:45:08 -0000

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Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Brad Butler, a key figure on a re-structured offensive line, left practice on Monday holding his back. He walked off of the field on his own power, but was moving very slowly. Kirk Chambers replaced Butler in the lineup.

Aside from what could be a key injury, however - and let's hope it was minor - there was a lot of intrigue on the Growney Stadium field at St. John Fisher College, as the Bills returned to practice after getting Sunday off. Many young players impressed, including a handful of prominent rookies (does the picture at right give anything away?), and there were some developments in how players rotated in and out of the lineup that gave us a better look at the depth chart, as well.

If that's not enough for you, we've also got some very welcome news on the backup quarterback front. That's always worth a read, right? If you skeptically read reports that Ryan Fitzpatrick had improved throughout last week over the weekend, it's time to drop the skepticism.

It wasn't an overly eventful practice on Monday, but the intrigue levels were high. MattRichWarren covered the practice live. Our recap appears after the jump, including some injury updates worth noting (aside from Butler).

Injury Update
The Bills were fortunate enough to have TE Shawn Nelson, OG Kirk Chambers and DT John McCargo return to the practice field on Monday. All three played relatively well on the day; we'll have more on Nelson's day in a moment. Leodis McKelvin, Steve Johnson, Copeland Bryan and Marcus Smith remain sidelined with their respective injuries (in McKelvin's case, a tight hamstring). Johnson told Matt that he'd be ready to return to the field later this week. Butler's back injury will be monitored, and was the only significant injury on the day.

Keeping track of the O-Line
For those of you who have been on Demetrius Bell Watch, waiting for the second-year pro to lock down a starting tackle job, you may have been surprised to hear that when Butler went down, it was Chambers who replaced him at right tackle. This is perspective, folks - as good as Bell has looked in camp thus far (and it's worth noting that he was beaten cleanly by Chris Ellis on one play today), he's nowhere near ready for significant playing time. Buffalo's coaches realize that, and we should too.

Andy Levitre took nearly ever first-team snap at left guard, and every snap when Chambers took over at right tackle. Eric Wood is clearly (and unsurprisingly) ahead of Seth McKinney at right guard. Along with center Geoff Hangartner, Buffalo's new-look interior offensive line performed well on Monday, generating solid push in the running game and looking fairly athletic on pulls and the like. Hangartner struggled with DT Kyle Williams in pass protection once, but held up well enough to allow QB Trent Edwards to deliver the ball in about three seconds.

It's also worth noting that the Bills practiced rushing against a 3-4 defensive look. Marcus Stroud, Kyle Williams and Spencer Johnson made up the front three, and the line blocked the look well. Expect to see that more as the team slowly begins gearing up for their AFC East foes this season.

Nelson, Fitzpatrick impress
Shawn Nelson returned to the practice field after missing several days with a minor foot injury, and Buffalo's coaches wasted no time working him back up to speed. Nelson spent a lot of time with the first unit on Monday, particularly in pass sets, and looked great - his blocking is slowly coming along, and he caught several balls, including a long touchdown pass down the left sideline from Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Meanwhile, backup quarterback Fitzpatrick - much-maligned after a more-than-shaky start to camp - looked great today. True, he threw an interception to rookie cornerback Ellis Lankster, but he looked far more comfortable than he has, his offensive unit clicked, and he threw a few touchdowns as well (to Nelson, Derek Schouman and Justin Jenkins). He's coming along nicely. Believe it when you hear it elsewhere.

Hardy, Byrd work on the side
Two players remain on Buffalo's PUP list - second-year WR James Hardy and rookie FS Jairus Byrd. Both could be ready in the not-too-distant future, and both were working on their own on the sidelines on Monday. Hardy has been doing this all week, and he reports himself that his knee is feeling much better. (He's also been spotted following Terrell Owens around like a starving puppy.) Byrd worked out on the sideline as well, and should be back on the field in around a week.

Depth Chart Watch
Even before Chambers replaced Butler at right tackle, Andy Levitre was getting the majority of the first-team reps at left guard. He appears to hold the lead there at the moment. Eric Wood has all but nailed down the right guard job. Again, no surprises there.

With McKelvin on the sideline and Drayton Florence still working in the slot, Reggie Corner replaced McKelvin opposite Terrence McGee. We feel confident that Florence would have lined up outside in a traditional 4-3 set (i.e. no nickel), but the Corner "promotion" is significant in that he got the call over Ashton Youboty. For now, at least, Corner appears to be ahead of Youboty on the depth chart.

Nic Harris worked as the second-team strong-side linebacker. His chances of unseating Keith Ellison for the starting role there, however, are small; Ellison has actually looked pretty good in camp.

Tuesday
The Bills will hold yet another night practice tomorrow night at 7:00 PM. We're currently working on getting representation there; in the event that we're unsuccessful, we're willing to listen to anyone's report from camp tomorrow night. The team holds another night practice on Thursday, and in that case, we'll definitely have live coverage. More on that later in the week. Once the first pre-season game is concluded, the Bills will be practicing full-contact for the following entire week.

Recapping week one of Buffalo Bills training camp

Brian Galliford — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:30:09 -0000

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The Buffalo Bills are now nine practices deep into 2009 training camp, and after eight full days of hard work, the entire team is getting Sunday off to rest and recuperate. The pads go back on on Monday as the team prepares for its first pre-season game of the year, which takes place a week from today in the Hall of Fame Game.

A lot has happened to this point - in terms of players performing (or not), in terms of lineup surprises, and in terms of who is not in camp. We were fortunate to have representation at camp seven days, and have recaps here for those in the reviewing mood: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7. (You'll have to rely on bigger-name sources for Day 8 coverage; we'll be back camping next week.)

This post is not intended to recap every significant development; you'd be reading for the rest of the afternoon if that was the case. Instead, we'll focus on each position after the jump, giving you some of our general impressions based on what we've seen and heard, with a specific focus on the big story lines for the Bills heading into the regular season.

Quarterback. Trent Edwards is looking pretty comfortable. Not all of his throws have been pretty - defensive backs have made a lot of plays on his passes, actually - but the encouraging sign is that he's making many more big plays himself. He and Terrell Owens have quickly established a good on-field rapport, though, as with Edwards and any other player, the rest of the relationship is a work in progress. Trent's also looking more comfortable making his reads and with his footwork. Signs are encouraging. Meanwhile, steady improvement has been the name of the game for backup Ryan Fitzpatrick. He was awful when camp opened, but has leveled off to the point where we don't have to have nightmares about our backup QB situation every night.

Running Back. Marshawn Lynch looks great. He is his usual explosive (in the short area), difficult-to-tackle self. Fred Jackson has been pulling off his best Swiss Army knife impression, running the Wildcat and catching passes as a receiver in addition to his running back duties. Veteran free agent signee Dominic Rhodes is in great shape, running hard, and looks quick with the ball in his hands. He is easily the best receiver of this group; even when Lynch returns, Rhodes will get playing time.

Fullback. Nothing to see here. The position has been completely eradicated from Buffalo's offense as they transition to the no-huddle, and if Corey McIntyre wants to make the team, he'll have to do it as a specialist.

Wide Receiver. Terrell Owens has been outstanding. The man, quite simply, is a freak. His skills don't look diminished a bit, no matter what the "experts" tell you. As long as he's happy this season, the man will produce. Lee Evans is his usual self. Josh Reed is going to have a monster year, folks, provided Owens and Evans are on the field. He might lead the team in catches. Seriously. Before injuring his ribs, Steve Johnson was off to a great start as well. He's got a bright future. Roscoe Parrish has been running the Wildcat in an effort to find ways to get the ball in his hands offensively. One young receiver has been impressing as well - Shaine Smith might be just a street free agent, but he's been making plays, and is very long and athletic. Keep your eye on him.

Tight End. Derek Schouman currently has the inside track to start over the more talented, yet slightly less polished Derek Fine. Schouman looks quite impressive - he's a reliable short-area receiver, and his blocking has been outstanding thus far in camp. He routinely handles defensive ends with ease. Jonathan Stupar is a similar player, and he's been very solid throughout the first week as well. He might find a way to sneak onto the roster. Shawn Nelson is currently dealing with a foot injury, but his outstanding athleticism is apparent when he's on the field. He's easily got the softest pair of hands of this group, and he's a willing, yet highly unpolished blocker. His impact might not be immediate, but Nelson will be a player in this league.

Offensive Tackle. Outside of quarterback, this area has easily been the biggest worry for the fan base, but Langston Walker and Brad Butler are playing well. Butler has struggled some with bull rushes, but he's still re-learning tackle techniques, so that's to be expected. Once he fixes pad level issues, he'll be fine. These two are known commodities and play consistently, so as long as their shortcomings aren't anything more than physical - and thus far, they haven't been - the Bills should be alright offensively. Demetrius Bell has shown tremendous improvement in his second year; you're going to see him on the field a ton in the pre-season. Jonathan Scott has been solid as well, and has a shot to make the roster.

Offensive Guard. Eric Wood is a freaking monster. He's huge, athlhetic, strong, and tenacious. He's a leader. Buffalo's offensive line has been physically talented over the past few years, but there wasn't any leadership up front. Wood is that player. He might be an offensive captain next year; the kid oozes leadership. Andy Levitre has been impressive as well, though not anywhere near the level Wood has; Levitre is improving, but don't be surprised if he's beaten out for the starting left guard job by Kirk Chambers, a dependable veteran who doesn't make a lot of mistakes. Levitre has some growing up to do. Seth McKinney doesn't stand a chance to beat out Wood at right guard, but he's been solid as well, and he'll be a valuable reserve this season.

Center. Geoff Hangartner, unsurprisingly, has picked up the intricacies of Buffalo's no-huddle offense quickly. There isn't an awful lot to report here, as we've had a tough time keeping an eye on him, but no news isn't necessarily bad news. Brandon Rodd has been getting second-team reps at center; he's a big, thick kid that in all likelihood will end up back on the practice squad. He has some talent.

Defensive End. Chris Kelsay, surprisingly, has been the bright spot. Chalk it up to going up against Butler in practice if you'd like, but Kelsay has recorded numerous sacks and pressures, and his run defense has always been solid (when he's not getting faked out on a misdirection play, that is). Aaron Schobel is showing no ill effects of his Lisfranc foot injury, though he hasn't been particularly effective rushing against Walker in practice. Chris Ellis is looking great as a reserve; his upper body strength has improved tremendously, and he looks pretty quick out on the field. He might be ready to make an impact. Still, Aaron Maybin cannot get here fast enough - this is not an athletic group of people.

Defensive Tackle. Marcus Stroud is Marcus Stroud. Nothing to worry about here - the guy can play. Kyle Williams has been borderline dominant to this point; he might now take the crown as the Bills' best pure run defender. John McCargo was putting together some nice work before a hamstring injury sidelined him. This group isn't particularly deep (Spencer Johnson helps, of course), but all four of these guys can play. If there's a young player to be stashed on the practice squad for depth in the event of an injury, it's David Lindquist.

Outside Linebacker. Kawika Mitchell has looked solid on the weak side, and Keith Ellison has found himself making plays in the backfield on more than one occasion on the strong side. No one has come close to unseating Ellison for his starting job. Nic Harris has flashed some promise as a reserve, but his technique work currently leaves a lot to be desired. Alvin Bowen and Ashlee Palmer are easily the best athletes at this position; they're quite fast, and both have a chance to make the roster as reserves and specialists. Don't count out Jon Corto, either - he's revered by Bobby April, and he's not a bad linebacker, either.

Inside Linebacker. Paul Posluszny has been outstanding against the run, and he looks far more comfortable defending the pass and blitzing than he did a year ago. He's much, much less tentative. Pat Thomas and Marcus Buggs have been splitting second-team reps at the position, with Thomas looking a hair better. We're going to miss John DiGiorgio, however; he's a much more physical defender than either Thomas or Buggs.

Cornerback. Just like with any veteran, you can safely say that Terrence McGee has been his usual self. Not many big plays, but a lot of pass break-ups and few big plays given up. Leodis McKelvin, on the other hand, has been far more up-and-down, and he's spent a lot more time down than up. Owens and Evans are brutalizing this kid. Here's to hoping it doesn't ruin his confidence. On the other hand, he's also made some beautiful plays, including a couple of gorgeous interceptions. Once Leo gets himself consistent, he's going to be quite the ball player. The battle at nickel corner rages on, but only technically - Drayton Florence has distanced himself early from Reggie Corner and Ashton Youboty (and right now, we'd place Corner slightly ahead of Youboty as well, but that should change quickly once the team starts playing games). Ellis Lankster continues to surprise; he's a great athlete.

Free Safety. Donte Whitner has seen every first-team rep here, and that's not likely to change for a long, long time. Buffalo's coaching staff is very anxious to get Jairus Byrd onto the field, but as he's currently on the PUP list recovering from sports hernia surgery, the idea that he'd line up next to Whitner as a starter is borderline absurd. Ko Simpson has been dependable as the second-team safety, though his climb to a roster spot is still an uphill one. Antwain Spann, recently signed from the Patriots, will be watched with interest over the next couple of weeks - he's got some talent, but his role has yet to be clearly defined.

Strong Safety. Bryan Scott has been excellent, recording a few interceptions and taking one back for a score. He's even gotten some reps here and there at linebacker, in the event that the Bills have to deal with a bunch of injuries there. George Wilson has made some nice plays running with the twos at this position. John Wendling appears to be nothing more than a solid run defender and specialist; we still maintain that he, too, should make a move to linebacker.

Specialists. Rian Lindell is Rian Lindell. Brian Moorman is Brian Moorman - but circa a few years ago, when he was awesome, and not last year, when he was just very good. Ryan Neill and Garrison Sanborn will duke it out for the long-snapping duties, but let's be honest, we're not at camp to watch long snappers. We'll chart them both during pre-season games. One last note - Leodis McKelvin has looked absolutely fantastic returning kicks. He's in line for a possible Pro Bowl season in that department.

Bills OG Wood has strong training camp debut

Brian Galliford — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:11:16 -0000

Thursday's evening practice at St. John Fisher College was an eventful one for the Buffalo Bills, rookie guard Eric Wood, and the fans on hand to witness the unveiling of the team's (GORGEOUS) new throwback uniforms.

While the new jerseys are, rightfully so, the big news of the day, some solid back-and-forth playmaking between the offense and defense tonight was the big story on the field - aside from Wood's debut, of course. MattRichWarren took a night off from camp coverage, but thatguy34 pulled his best Frank Reich impression and filled Matt's large shoes rather comfortably.

Highlights, trends, stories and injury updates from tonight's practice are after the jump.

Keeping track of the O-Line
Eric Wood donned his No. 70 jersey for the first time at training camp on Thursday night, and as expected, he was immediately thrown into the fray at right guard, splitting first-team reps with veteran Seth McKinney. He had a solid night - much like fellow rookie Andy Levitre, he was a little rough around the edges, but he also teamed up with right tackle Brad Butler to open some gaping holes in the run game. If that's the launching point for Wood's career, he's off to a great start.

We're all pretty much fully aware that the left tackle (Langston Walker), center (Geoff Hangartner) and right tackle (Butler) positions are locked and loaded. Four guards are currently fighting for starting jobs, and all of them are seeing relatively equal first-team reps. Expect that to continue for a little while - but the sooner a starting line is decided upon, the better.

Offense and defense making plays
We described tonight's on-field action as back-and-forth; if the offense made a play, the defense came right back and made one of their own (or vice versa) pretty much all night. Some examples:

- Terrell Owens dropped three straight passes in one-on-one drills. He then promptly caught a long touchdown pass from Trent Edwards in 7-on-7 work. On the next play, Edwards threw a poor pass that was broken up by Leodis McKelvin - who'd been beaten on the previous scoring play by Owens.

- Roscoe Parrish ran the Wildcat set several times, but the run defense stuffed those plays rather easily. Not to be outdone, the line opened up a big running lane for Fred Jackson soon thereafter; as Jackson hit the secondary, he was popped by safety John Wendling. Bryan Scott intercepted a tipped pass and returned it for a score.

- In one-on-one blitz pickup drills, Xavier Omon was schooled by Kawika Mitchell. Paul Posluszny and Marshawn Lynch battled to a draw. Omon later redeemed himself with several solid blocks against various linebackers. Derek Fine was beaten cleanly by Aaron Schobel and Ryan Denney, but later stonewalled each player. Derek Schouman and Jonathan Stupar also performed admirably in blocking drills.

In all, plays were made by both sides. That's not the least encouraging thing you can hear this time of year.

Lineup tweaking continues
Buffalo's coaching staff continues to rotate players in an effort to look at various personnel groupings. We've discussed that trend at guard; the other spot it's happening is at linebacker.

The second-unit linebacker corps consisted of Pat Thomas on the inside, flanked by Alvin Bowen (weak side) and Jon Corto (strong side). If you recall, on the first day of camp, it was Marcus Buggs flanked by Ashlee Palmer and Nic Harris. Clearly, Matt Sheldon and Perry Fewell are trying to work these guys everywhere in an effort to get a firm grasp of their skill sets; expect a lot more lineup shuffling at this position.

Some curious notes to keep in mind in the secondary as well: in nickel packages, the first unit consists of Terrence McGee, Leodis McKelvin and Drayton Florence, with Florence manning the slot position. The second unit consists of Reggie Corner, Ellis Lankster and Ashton Youboty, with Youboty taking slot duties. This changes seemingly every night as well. Corner, Youboty, Florence and Lankster all have the ability to play the slot. Clearly, Lankster is still the sixth corner, but he's getting second-unit work, which speaks to the impression he's made thus far. Right now, however, it appears pretty certain that Florence will open the season as the nickel corner.

Injury Update
Eight players sat out practice: WR Steve Johnson, TE Shawn Nelson, DE Copeland Bryan, DT John McCargo, DT Marcus Smith, DT Ventrell Jenkins, S Dustin Fox and S Jairus Byrd. Two more - receivers James Hardy and C.J. Hawthorne - remain sidelined and on the PUP list.

The Bills hit the field tomorrow at 2:15 for a mid-afternoon workout. Be sure to give big ups to thatguy34 for tonight's camp updates, because his time is up - MattRichWarren will be back at Fisher tomorrow covering camp live in the afternoon.