After a convincing 35-20 win over Cincinnati last Saturday, the Bills head into their final tune-up before the 2010 regular season debut.
The Bills defense and special teams were still shady but the offense looked impressive in toasting the Bengals for 28 points (Reggie Corner scored the final TD on an interception).
C.J. Spiller appears to be all the Bills bargained for, plus some, after running for 52 yards and a pair of touchdowns plus 33 yards receiving. In addition, Trent Edwards had another strong outing after going 13/17 for 153 yards and a TD. So, the offense looks promising. The offensive line’s success remains to be seen. Unfortunately the starters aren’t likely to see too much time on Thursday.
Defensively, the Bills are still raw. Once everyone is healthy and involved in the system perhaps there will be improvements made. However, the pass rush is still nonexistent, that could be a seriously troubling fact once the regular season begins.
As for the special teams, the Bills simply need time to find the right bodies for the right spots. For example, I think there is a chance that Jon Corto still makes the roster because he was a strong gunner last year for the Bills. The same goes for the special teams as for the defense; they simply need more time to gel before the season begins.
As the team enters Thursday they will have three less men in the locker room. Seventh-round pick OT Kyle Calloway was released along with NT Lonnie Harvey and WR Aaron Rhea.
Rhea wasn’t long for the world, so to speak, as there are numerous candidates to make the top-five wideout positions. David Nelson, Steve Johnson, James Hardy, Roscoe Parrish and even Naaman Roosevelt (to a point) all have a better track to make the roster.
Harvey showed promise but is behind the eight ball with Kyle Williams (Buffalo’s best defensive lineman) and Terrell Troup (Buffalo’s second-round pick) on the depth chart. Harvey spent time on the practice squad last year, maybe he will be a member of the practice squad again this season, I’m unsure of the number of years he has spent in the league, so he may be ineligible.
Calloway is probably the most surprising cut among the three. The decision shows the coaching staff’s faith in Demetrius Bell, Jamon Meredith and Kirk Chambers (plus the recovery of Ed Wang). However, Calloway was touted as a player with some upside, especially coming from an offensive line factory at Iowa. I would say he is a safe bet for the Bills’ practice squad. Usually you see a promising OL prospect on the Bills practice squad, Christian Gaddis is a perfect example of that.
We are about a week away from the final roster cut-down. It is going to be might interesting to see who makes the final 53-man roster. Next week will be (sort of) exciting for Bills fans.
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