NFL
Crowell’s surgery miffs Bills
Likely won’t play for team again
The Buffalo Bills’ displeasure with Angelo Crowell’s decision to have surgery on his injured knee seemed obvious Friday.
Less than a day after the Bills placed Crowell on the injured reserve list, Crowell’s equipment already had been cleared out of his usual locker stall in the Bills’ training complex at One Bills Drive.
In Crowell’s normal spot, next to veteran Kawika Mitchell, was newly signed linebacker Blake Costanzo.
Crowell’s belongings were jammed into a locker stall in a corner of the room, between practice-squad player Jonathan Stupar and recently released rookie Kennard Cox.
Crowell was out of sight, but not out of mind.
Bills coach Dick Jauron said the potential for a lengthy absence from the lineup was a big factor in the team’s decision to put Crowell on the injured reserve list.
Asked why the Bills did not leave Crowell on the roster and wait for his injured knee to heal, Jauron said, “It’s just a question of what we need now, to try to win a football game and also a question of recovery time. There’s just no way to predict that kind of thing. We talked to our medical staff about it, and it’s not very predictable.”
Asked if the injury could have stretched into the eight-week range, Jauron said, “Yeah absolutely, bad-case (scenario). And that’s where we are. We’re in a situation at this time 72 hours prior to game time that we needed a spot. So we took the spot.”
Crowell had been nagged by a sore left knee during parts of last season and during training camp. He sat out the first two preseason games. However, he had practiced since, including in Wednesday’s preparation for the season-opener. The Bills did not expect Crowell to decide he needed surgery this week.
Jauron said Thursday that Crowell was scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery on the knee performed by Bills team doctors. Speaking after practice Friday, Jauron said the surgery had not taken place and that Crowell was going to seek a second opinion.
“My understanding is he’s opting now for a second opinion,” Jauron said.
Crowell could not be reached for comment. Asked about the potential length of the injury, a source close to Crowell said, “We don’t know until he has the surgery and the rehab process begins.”
“It was a disappointment,” Jauron said. “I’m sure it was a disappointment for Angelo. It certainly was for us, too. As we talked about yesterday, it kind of came out of nowhere. It came out of the blue, at least to the extent that the situation is now.”
Last season, the Bills held a roster spot for injured defensive end Ryan Denney, who had broken his foot in preseason. He wound up sitting out the first seven games before being activated.
Jauron suggested the Bills had a clearer read on how long Denney might be out last season.
“I don’t recall every single detail about Ryan, but I would say we did have probably a better idea,” Jauron said. “You’re never 100 percent sure whenever they go in surgically even for a scope. You’re never certain. So it’s all just the best guess we can have.”
Crowell, a sixth-year veteran who has started 41 games for Buffalo, almost surely has played his last game as a Bill. He is entering the last year of his contract. The Bills were not engaged in any talks to extend his contract. Their extension negotiations have been focused on receiver Lee Evans.
Crowell is due to make $1.3 million this season. Had he been on the roster for the season- opener he would have been guaranteed that amount, even if he was placed on injured reserve later on. As it stands now, Crowell will be paid his salary as long as he is on the injured reserve list.
When Crowell becomes healthy, presuming that happens at some point in the regular season, the Bills can release him, and they would not have to pay him the remaining weeks of the season.
Taking Crowell’s spot in the starting lineup will be third-year man Keith Ellison. Costanzo had been released on Saturday. He spent seven weeks last season on the practice squad and then was promoted to the active roster for the last three weeks of the regular season. Costanzo got good reviews from assistant head coach Bobby April for his special teams work last season. He will serve on all of the Bills’ special teams units in Sunday’s opener.
Meanwhile, Bills linebacker Paul Posluszny, who was held out of Thursday’s practice with a sore ankle, participated fully in Friday’s workout. He is expected to play Sunday.
