Looking for Poz flaws? Bills rookie doesn't have many

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- I know the season doesn't start for another two weeks, but I've seen enough football to know who I'd like to see win Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Paul Posluszny, come on down.

'You don't want to do something that will make them regret buying your jersey,' Paul Posluszny says of the fans. (US Presswire)

The Buffalo Bills insist he's not their starting middle linebacker; that the position is still undecided between him and John DiGiorgio. Yeah, sure. And there will be peace in the Middle East, too.

All I know is every time I look up the guy is making plays, and good for him. Good for the NFL, too. Because if there is one rookie the league will want to push and embrace, it's Paul Posluszny.

He plays hard. He plays well. He's bright. He's articulate. He has Hollywood good looks. And he stays out of trouble.

In short, he's a can't-miss prospect.

OK, so he struggled some in Friday's loss to Tennessee and committed a stupid personal foul when he tackled quarterback Kerry Collins after he'd run out of bounds.

Trust me, he'll learn. And he will only get better.

"I'm still not 100 percent comfortable," said Posluszny. "There were plays today where I felt like I was seeing things clearly and the game was slowing down. There were other plays where I was lost. So there was good and bad.

"Until I can get to a point where on every play I understand what happened and where I was supposed to be -- until I get that -- I'm going to be hesitant. The more I play and the more I practice, the more comfortable I will become."

I can wait, but I don't know if Buffalo can. When coach Dick Jauron called his team's performance "sluggish" Friday, he was generous. The Bills stunk, outplayed in nearly every phase of the game.

I know, it's only an exhibition, but there were disturbing signs: The offensive line couldn't move defenders; the tackling was dreadful; the cornerbacks were slow to the ball; Marshawn Lynch had nowhere to run.

Then there was Posluszny, who had his first sub-par game this summer. Still, his three tackles tied for third on his listless team. That gives him 16 for the summer, and if that sounds like a lot you're warm. Entering Friday he was tied for third in the NFL in tackles by linebackers.