Bills report: Strategy and personnel
--RB Willis McGahee's 61-yard TD run in Friday's preseason loss to Cincinnati was the longest run of his NFL career by 14 yards. He briefly left the game to get fluids after taking ill on the sideline but was OK afterward.
--WR Andre Davis did a nice job on special teams against Cincinnati, making a tackle at the 2-yard line on punt coverage and averaging 24.0 yards on three kickoff returns.
--FS Troy Vincent sat out Friday's game against Cincinnati with a tender hamstring, but he's expected back at practice.
--CB Ashton Youboty missed Friday's game against the Bengals after a death in the family. He's expected back later this week.
--SS Matt Bowen, who suffered a lower-leg injury against Carolina two weeks ago, is close to returning to practice.
--QB Craig Nall, who has sat out two weeks with a severe hamstring pull, played well in the fourth quarter against Cincinnati in directing two TD drives. He'll receive more playing time Saturday against Cleveland in the race for the starting job, but it's not known if he did enough to warrant a start ahead of J.P. Losman.
BATTLE OF THE WEEK
Josh Reed vs. Peerless Price for the No. 2 receiving job: There are many candidates here but Reed and Price bring the most experience. Unfortunately for them, opportunities have been few through two preseason games. Reed has one catch with two drops, raising concerns that the concentration problems that have plagued his career have not been corrected. Price has no catches so far, but has shown well in practice.
OTHER BATTLE FRONTS
Eric King vs. Jabari Greer and Kiwaukee Thomas for the third and fourth CB spots -- King and Greer have been active all camp and each did some good things against the Bengals. Greer had five tackles while King had a nice pass breakup. But the veteran Thomas got into the race with two tackles, a QB hit and a fumble recovery.
Daimon Shelton vs. Alan Ricard for the starting FB job -- This is still Shelton's job to lose but the recently signed Ricard made his presence felt with a nice 9-yard TD catch against Cincinnati.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
WR Lee Evans -- The dynamic third-year pro made a clear statement that he's ready to assume the Bills No. 1 receiving role from the departed Eric Moulds. In one half of play against Cincinnati, Evans snared three passes from QB J.P. Losman for 115 yards. Two of his catches covered 40-plus yards -- a 47-yard pitch-and-catch when he weaved his way through the Bengals secondary, and a 46-yard touchdown when he streaked down the right sidelined, had five steps on CB Keiwan Ratliff, and hauled in a perfectly thrown ball with his fingertips. Last season, Evans tied for second in the NFL with seven catches of 40-plus yards. "I think it just shows our potential," Evans said of Buffalo's big plays. "We have the potential to do a lot of good things. The main goal right now is consistency, consistency, consistency."
ROOKIE REPORT
SS Donte Whitner started Friday's second preseason game against Cincinnati in place of an injured Matt Bowen. He finished with two tackles and a pass breakup.
--DT John McCargo played with the second unit against the Bengals but wasn't credited with any stops.
--CB Ashton Youboty missed the Bengals game due to a death in the family. He's expected to rejoin the team sometime later in the week.
--FS Ko Simpson earned a ton of playing time against the Bengals with veteran Troy Vincent (hamstring) sitting out and had an active game with four tackles and one special teams hit.
--DT Kyle Williams had another strong game with one tackle and a pressure.
--LB Keith Ellison had two tackles and a special teams assist.
--Offensive linemen Terrance Pennington, Aaron Merz and Brad Butler all saw action in the second half.
INJURY REPORT
SS Matt Bowen (lower leg), FS Troy Vincent (hamstring), LB Takeo Spikes (Achilles), SS Coy Wire (back), FB Jon Goldsberry (ankle), OL Matt Morgan (hip) and OL Dylan McFarland (back) sat out the Bengals game.
Vincent's hamstring injury isn't serious. He tightened up the night before the game and coaches held him out for precautionary reasons.
--CB Eric King left the game with back spasms but should be fine to practice.
--RB Willis McGahee left the field briefly to get fluids after taking ill on the sideline.
Copyright (C) 2006 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
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