Bills plan changes, but QB undecided
With a 3-5 record and a roster riddled with injuries, the Buffalo Bills' bye week couldn't have come at a better time.
After four days of no practices, Bills players returned to work Monday, saying they are better rested and ready to face whatever awaits them in the second half of this season than they were the first half.
"We have to evaluate ourselves in the first eight and then we have to carry on into the second half," safety Donte Whitner said. "You don't let the same mistakes that beat us in the first half beat us in the second half.
"And don't compound the mistakes. Don't add another one. You want to continue doing what you're doing well, but you want to get better in the things you're not doing so well."
One of the big questions heading into the second half of the season is, who starts at quarterback? Trent Edwards proclaimed that he is ready to return to the lineup after being out almost a month with a concussion. He expects to get medical clearance to play against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, but has yet to be informed if he'll be the starter.
Head coach Dick Jauron did not address the media Monday, so we won't know until Wednesday's practice if Edwards or Ryan Fitzpatrick will be under center.
"That hasn't been decided yet, and I haven't necessarily met with all the doctors yet," Edwards said. "I'm still kind of feeling good, getting better each day and today I felt great."
It will take more than Edwards coming back to cure what has been ailing the Bills' offense.
A struggling offensive line and shaky quarterback play have contributed to the possibility that the unit will rank in the bottom eight of the NFL in yards per game for a seventh straight season.
There are some bye-week changes in the works, but whether they will lead to an improvement remains to be seen. Anything the offense can do would help the defense, which hasn't been able to stop the run and has been worn down because it is on the field too much.
"There will be some tweaks," wide receiver Lee Evans said of the offense. "We know we definitely have to do something different and move forward. I don't think you're going to see a completely different offense. But hopefully we'll be able to do some things and mix things up a little bit and get more guys involved."
The Bills went into the season with hopes of making the playoffs for the first time this decade. But they have a lot of work to do to keep the postseason drought from extending to 10 years. The Bills are 3-0 in the first game after the bye under Jauron.
The next four weeks will be a good indicator of where the rest of the Bills' season is headed. Their next two games are on the road at Tennessee and Jacksonville. Miami comes to Ralph Wilson Stadium next, and then they have a short week to prepare for a Thursday night "home" game in Toronto against the New York Jets.
Only three of the Bills' last eight opponents have winning records, but they close with home games against New England (6-2) and Indianapolis (8-0) sandwiched around a road trip to Atlanta (5-3).
"We're facing some tough opponents, but they are winnable football games," Edwards said. "If we play the football we're capable of playing, if we're all on the same page, playing mistake-free football, there's no reason why we can't win a majority of those games. We've got eight games left this season and we'll see where it goes."
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