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Scouting the Buffalo Bills

Tomorrow, the Browns will take on the Buffalo Bills. In the Butch Davis era, scrimmages were a common thing for these two teams, as they would face off before the start of the preseason. The Bills are the only AFC team we'll be facing in the preseason, but the story for their team has been the quarterback controversy they've been facing. If you think the Browns' backup situation is bad, the Bills' candidates for starters could be even worse. Before tomorrow's game, here is some background information you may want to know heading into tomorrow's game:

  • Who's The Quarterback: All of us would still like to know. Heading into camp, J.P. Losman, Kelly Holcomb, and Craig Nall were the three candidates competing for the starting job. We all know (and love) Holcomb, but due to his injuries and awful sideline passes at times, he hasn't shown that he can cut it as a starter. The Bills are starting to see that as well, as he will not play against the Browns tomorrow in all likelihood. Losman will get the start and should see the most playing time, but Nall is very close to usurping his role. Nall hasn't had the chance to face a first-string defense yet, but he's looked like the best quarterback out of the bunch. Nothing against Nall, but this is a quarterback who was basically a third-string quarterback on the Green Bay Packers for a couple of years. Considering the Bills don't have the best offensive system, it's not like he'll make a big difference between Losman or Holcomb. Deciding the Bills' quarterback situation is like deciding between Derek Anderson and Ken Dorsey as your backup quarterback: whoever you choose, it really isn't going to make a difference.
  • Receiving Group: For years, Eric Moulds was the go-to-guy for the Bills. After a falling out with the team though and a lack of chemistry among the new quarterbacks, Moulds was sent to the Houston Texans. Young receiver Lee Evans is now the No. 1 receiver for the Bills, and he is a person who can absolutely fly. I believe he burned the Browns the last time we faced him on a reverse handoff play. Besides Evans, the Bills added Peerless Price in an attempt to revitalize the great season he had with the team a few years ago. One guy people may not realize about the Bills is that Andre Davis, the former Browns' receiver, is on their team. He hasn't done well since leaving Cleveland, and that's the case so far in Buffalo. He hasn't shown anything worthy of being a solid contributor on their roster, and could find himself getting cut.
  • Running Game: We all know Willis McGahee fairly well, but he's been struggling to get it going behind a porous offensive line. One thing the Bills were missing last year is depth, so they've added Anthony Thomas to their roster as the backup running back. Both men should see plenty of action against the Browns, but with the way we handled the Eagles and the Lions, the Bills should only be slightly better than those two teams were at running the ball.
  • Defensive Notes: The Bills' eighth-overall pick in the draft was Donte Whitner, a safety from Ohio State whom most of us know fairy well. Whitner will get the start at safety for the second week in a row due to an injury to safety Matt Bowen. Linebacker Takeo Spikes has a chance at making his debut against the Browns after not playing since Week 3 of last year's regular season. He's been recovering from his right Achilles' tendon that he injured. Another Buckeye, Ashton Youboty, will not play at all. He will be excused due to a death in his family (his mother).
Tomorrow, I'll have my preview/official gameday thread for the Buffalo Bills vs. Cleveland Browns game posted.