The billboard: A daily dose from Bills training camp
Murphy injured
The Bills suddenly have a bigger depth problem at offensive tackle.
Matt Murphy went down in the middle of Monday evening’s practice with what looked like a significant shoulder injury. Murphy would be the Bills’ third-string left tackle if Jason Peters were in camp. He’s not, so Murphy currently is the second-stringer behind Langston Walker.
The injury leaves green rookie Demetrius Bell, a seventh-round pick, as the backup behind Walker. Murphy went down in a pile during an 11-on-11 drill. About the same time, backup right tackle Patrick Estes also went down with an injury to his left leg. It did not appear to be as serious as the Murphy injury. Estes was able to limp off under his own power. However, his availability for Thursday’s preseason game is in doubt. Estes is working with the second team, behind starting right tackle Kirk Chambers. Of course, Chambers would revert to backup status if Peters rejoined the team.
“There’s not much depth right now,” coach Dick Jauron said of the tackle position. “We’d like to be real deep. It seems like it works that way at times where you just get hit in a spot. We’ll keep working through it and see what happens.”
Peters’ tally
Peters remained a holdout on the 18th day since the start of Bills training camp. At a fine rate of $15,116 a day, Peters now is subject to $272,088 in fines. He is scheduled to make $3.25 million this season.
Asked if the Bills miss Peters, receiver Lee Evans said: “You look at what he’s done for our offense and to say he’s not a factor would be crazy. He was a big part of our offense last year, and he’s a very good player. We’re missing him, but we have to do what we have to do when he’s not here.”
Sideline views
The play of the evening was a long bomb from Trent Edwards to James Hardy on a post pattern early in the 11-on-11 session. Hardy got behind Terrence McGee and Donte Whitner and the throw was perfect, drawing a big cheer from a full crowd of about 5,000 at Growney Stadium. The offense looked pretty sharp early in the workout, with Edwards connecting frequently with Lee Evans. Felton Huggins caught deep passes from J. P. Losman and Gibran Hamdan. … Rian Lindell connected on field-goal tries from 47, 49, 50 and 47 yards.
Linebacker Angelo Crowell, Whitner and McGee, all of whom sat out the Redskins game, returned to practice. Sitting out with minor injuries were Roscoe Parrish, Josh Reed, Scott Mayle, Tim Massaquoi and Marcus Buggs. … Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly was in the house.
TV from TO
There still were about 2,500 tickets available for Thursday’s game against Pittsburgh in Toronto at midday Monday, but the Bills announced during the evening practice that all tickets had been distributed and it will be televised locally on Ch. 7. There was little doubt that Rogers Communications, which is running the game, would make sure the game would not be blacked out. The Bills reported that due to the release of tickets being held back for the teams, a limited number were still expected to be available via Ticketmaster.
Directions
From Buffalo take the Thruway to Exit 47. Take Route 490 East for 25 miles to Exit 25 (Fairport Road — 31F). Turn right. The shuttle bus lot at East Rochester High School is about a mile down the road. Shuttles run continuously before and after practice. There is no public parking on campus.
Schedule
The team practices from 1 to 3:05 p. m. today. Wednesday is a travel day, and the Bills will take a bus to Toronto. There is a walk-through practice in the morning, but it’s closed to the public. There is no practice Friday or Saturday. The team returns to St. John Fisher for an open workout from 7 to 9:05 p. m. Sunday.
On the Web
Check out the Bills daily blog at buffalonews. com. To post your comments, go to buffalonews. typepad.com/billboard
Quote of the Day
“I’m ready; I’m internationally ready.” — receiver Lee Evans on whether he has his passport in order for this week’s game in Toronto.
— Compiled by Mark Gaughan
