Sure, the Bills lost to Indianapolis 30-17 on Saturday night in a game so boring I actually found myself flipping over to NASCAR on occasion. But the real losses came in the form of injuries to a key starter and a key backup.
Starting safety Lawyer Milloy broke both bones in his forearm, and contrary to what USA Today is reporting he will not be available by the home opener. Best case scenario for Milloy appears to be after the bye week (week three). Coy Wire is expected to fill in as starter.
Backup QB Travis Brown left the game with a nasty looking knee injury, but the Bills received somewhat good news today when they learned the injury is a sprained MCL, not the torn ACL some club officials feared. It appears Brown may miss as little as the first four weeks of the season.
Fourth-stringer Greg Zolman now moves up to number two on the depth chart, and the Bills are searching the unemployment ofices around the country for ex-quarterbacks, with the main rumor being Shane Matthews coming to the Bills for a few weeks while Brown and J.P. Losman heal. This leaves Buffalo with a serious dilemna. The Bills need to decide if they want to put one (or both, or none) of their injured QB's on season-ending unjured reserve. If they choose to keep both active, then the Bills will have at least five quarterbacks on their opening day roster, which would seriously weaken their depth at other positions. If they go the IR route, the season becomes a waste for Losman as he would be unable to practice with the team. More on that as we learn more.
As to the positional battles. Willis McGahee had eight yards on six first-half carries, and ended the game with 57 yards on 16 caries. Starting in his first NFL game for an injured Travis Henry, McGahee failed to impress. It is becoming more apparent to me that Henry, if healthy, will begin the season as the starter. Josh Reed and Lee Evans rotated possessions at wide receiver, although the Bills came out with a one wide receiver set fairly often. Neither player made any significant contributions. Ryan Denney started at left defensive end over Chris Kelsay, following the rotation the coaching staff has used since the first preseason game.
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