Bills notebook
Parrish injury opens door for Bills' McKelvin, Hardy
The Buffalo Bills are likely to lean on their top two rookies a bit more in the wake of an injury to receiver and star return man Roscoe Parrish.
Parrish will be out of the lineup for about four to six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair ligament damage to his right thumb. He suffered the injury early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders.
“We’re hoping it’s four to six weeks, in that range, which obviously sets us back a little bit,” Bills coach Dick Jauron said. “But it was probably as good news as we could have hoped for when we first heard about the injury.”
If Parrish is out six weeks, he would be back for the final eight games of the season, starting with the game at New England on Nov. 9. The Bills have a bye on Oct. 12.
Parrish led the NFL on punt returns last season and ranked third in the league on punt returns through three weeks this year.
While Jauron would not specifically say who would take Parrish’s place on punt returns, it’s likely No. 1 draft choice Leodis McKelvin will take over part of the punt-return work. McKelvin returned seven punts for touchdowns during his college career at Troy. He ranked fourth in the nation as a senior with a 17.4-yard average, 436 yards and three punt-return touchdowns. Jauron said the Bills would consider using McKelvin, Fred Jackson and Josh Reed to fill Parrish’s void on punt returns.
On offense the injury is likely to mean more snaps for second-round draft choice James Hardy, as well as Justin Jenkins.
“When somebody goes down, everybody slides up, so we’re counting on them all to contribute,” Jauron said.
Parrish has seven receptions this year. Hardy has two and Jenkins none.
Parrish made a number of key plays, including a 14-yard touchdown catch, after the injury occurred.
“It’s something that needs to be taken care of,” Jauron said. “Our specialists felt . . . that we had the possibility of maybe losing him for the year if it came out again, if it was rein-jured.”
•••
Bills fullback Darian Barnes injured his foot in Sunday’s win over Oakland and did not practice Wednesday. However, he ran without too much trouble on the side and said he is confident he will play against the Rams.
•••
St. Louis might get its best pass rusher back in the lineup to face the Bills. Leonard Little, who has 75 sacks in his 11-year career, missed the past two games with a hamstring injury but practiced on a limited basis Wednesday. Coach Scott Linehan said he was optimistic Little will play.
The Rams could have four new starters on defense against the Bills, counting Little. Ron Bartell, who started the first two weeks but then was benched for Fakhir Brown last week, will be back in the starting lineup, Linehan said. The Rams released Brown on Wednesday. Chris Draft, an 11th-year veteran on his fifth NFL team, will start at strong-side linebacker for Quinton Culberson. Clifton Ryan was working at defensive tackle in place of La’Roi Glover on Wednesday.
Also practicing on a limited basis for the Rams were: running back Steven Jackson (groin), tackle Orlando Pace (groin) and defensive end James Hall (thigh).
