Edwards won’t play Sunday
Hardy and Parrish will also sit out
The Buffalo Bills’ offense will be missing some key pieces in Sunday night’s nationally televised game in Indianapolis.
Starting quarterback Trent Edwards was ruled out Friday due to the deep bruise in his right thigh. Receiver James Hardy will sit out due to a sore hamstring that has kept him out of practice all this week. Receiver Roscoe Parrish will sit out due to a sore knee that also has kept him sidelined this week.
NFL coaches like to play their starting players extensively in the third preseason game of the summer then give them only a cameo appearance in the fourth and final exhibition. So Edwards’ absence puts a crimp in the normal preseason procedure. J. P. Losman will start the game and is expected to play the entire first half, and maybe even a bit longer.
Bills coach Dick Jauron decided to accentuate the positive after the team’s two-hour workout at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
“It’ll work out pretty well for us, because J. P. will get a really good look and a long look on that night. It’s really good for him to play, and hopefully coming back next week, Trent will be completely healthy.
“The leg feels a lot better, he feels a lot better about it, but it just makes sense not to do anything here. So we’ll just let it rest and heal.”
Edwards is recovering from a deep bruise in his right thigh, just above the knee, that he suffered Tuesday evening.
“We’re going to be pretty cautious in terms of trying to get me back to 100 percent for the last preseason game and not take any risks,” Edwards said after Friday’s team workout at Ralph Wilson Stadium. “It’s making minimal progress, day to day. But it’s progressing, which is positive. Still it’s not where it needs to be right now. But I feel we’re going in the right direction.”
Edwards admitted he’d like to be playing.
“There are valuable reps out there for me to take advantage of, but at this point it’s out of my control,” Edwards said. “So I’ll just take it all in and get better the best way I can without getting the reps and get ready for the Lions game.”
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The Little League World Series wraps up this weekend, and Bills offensive coordinator Turk Schonert participated in the event in 1968. Schonert was an 11-year-old shortstop and third baseman for a team from California that made the trip to Williamsport, Pa.
“Obviously, we had a really good team,” he said. “Back then, only eight teams got to go in the whole world. We got beat by Japan, and they went on to win it. We were tied and we had a misplayed fly ball with bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fifth, and that’s how they beat us.”
Schonert’s team was coached by Darrell Garretson, who went on to become a legendary referee in the NBA. Garretson, Schonert’s godfather, spent 27 years as an NBA referee and also served as supervisor of officials for the league. Fans of the Buffalo Braves may remember Garretson as the referee who called Bob McAdoo for a foul on Jo Jo White at the buzzer of Game Six of a 1974 playoff game in Buffalo. White made two free throws to win the game and clinch the series for the Celtics.
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Bills backup tackle Patrick Estes was excused from Friday’s workout for personal reasons, but Jauron said he will play Sunday. So the Bills won’t be thin at tackle this week. . . . The team pumped in loud music over the stadium loudspeakers while the offense was practicing to better work on communicating during the road game.
