The Bills played their first preseason game and it was typical preseason game. It was a sloppy affair which one would expect considering most of the players out there will be unemployed in a few weeks. Here are a few takeaways from the game.
RB Position is Stacked
The Bills have a pretty decent stable of RBs in their backfield, so deep that one of them might not make the roster. LeSean McCoy right now is the only RB who is guaranteed a spot with 5 other RBs fighting for 2 or three spots. Two guys made a huge impact in this game and deserve to make this roster week 1. Mike Gillislee was a waiver wire steal last year as the Bills are yet again thankful for the Dolphins inability to realize what good talent is. Last year he had a couple big runs and was a very good change of pace back. This preseason he kept his momentum showing lots of burst and had one big run in his limited carries. The other RB who showed a lot of ability was Jonathan Williams. Like the 5th round Williams pick from last year, this year’s Williams showed a nice blend of speed and power that a Rex RB is. Both should definitely make the roster as both give the Bills the power and big play ability this run offense will rely on. They should remain and Reggie Bush and Boom Herron should be sent packing.
Those Who Helped Themselves
A couple of players stood out and definitely helped their job security of making the roster and having a role on this team. Let’s first start with the guys who replaced the starting left side of the offensive line. Cyrus Kouandjio and Ryan Groy replaced Cordy Glenn and Richie Incognito and both played pretty well. Cyrus held his own pretty well and if he wasn’t in the doghouse last year, would be the starting RT this year but at the very least he is a solid swing tackle. Another guy on offense is Walter Powell who did pretty well at receiver and as a return man. Powell had a couple of big catches and a nice kick return that was called back by a questionable penalty. Powell can do what Reggie Bush can do but cheaper and he can actually contribute on offense.
On defense the man who made the biggest jump was Kevin Seymour who looks like he could be the #3 CB on the team. He made a couple of nice shutdown plays and did a nice job stopping a Colts 2 point conversion in the first half. Many thought he would be a longshot to make the roster, but based on his play and his play in camp, he will one of the 5 CBs on the roster. In the front seven, third round pick Adolphous Washington was creating havoc in the backfield especially in the run game, something he struggled at in college so that was nice to see. I didn’t expect Washington to start this year due to his inconsistency against the run but so far he looks like he will be the starting on the DL with Dareus and Kyle Williams
Those Who Did Not
While some players stood out, there were a couple who did not and probably will be cut before the season starts. The biggest has to be Leonard Hankerson who pretty much played himself off the roster. Battling for a potential spot in the WR depth chart and a chance to make an impact with Greg Salas and Dezmin Lewis, Hankerson had a night to forget. He had three drops and has really fallen off from a year ago where he was the #2 WR for the Atlanta Falcons. Another is backup center Fernando Velasco who is making us hope Eric Wood never misses a snap. Velasco had a mis-snap, hiking the ball before anyone on offense was ready and when he was snapping the ball, was struggling blocking, so much that Groy had to help him out, leading to one sack. The Bills are set at backup G and T however if they suffer an injury at center, they are doomed. The man who suffered the most has to be IK Enemkpali who did not have a good night. With a couple of offsides and ending it with an ACL tear. IK wishes he could go back in time and never punch Geno in the face.
The Legend
Now to the player everyone wanted to see; Cardale Jones. Jones is an exciting QB to watch as he has a cannon for an arm and isn’t afraid to chuck it downfield. In this game he was overall a positive as he didn’t fall on his face and made a couple of throws that make you say wow. Similar to Jeff Tuel three years ago, Jones had himself an impressive game against guys that will be looking for work in a couple weeks. He is still way off from being actually NFL ready though so the fans clamoring for him to simmer down. Despite the solid game, after rewatching he showed things that only work in college or third stringers. He didn’t set his feet and on most plays he was throwing off his back leg and many of his throws were just from his arm. He didn’t read defenses as every play was lock on to the first read and hurl it and hope they catch it or he just ran. Overall it was good to see him not play horribly and in a year he should be ready to be the backup.
Overall this was a very sloppy game. From dropped passes, penalties to missed assignments, there was a lot that you hope will get straightened out. It was also a game where the 1st team offense only played one series. Tyrod Taylor after getting his 6 million raise dumped it off twice and missed on a deep ball before calling it a night and the same went for Shady. It was a messy game but that’s what you get in week one of preseason.
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