The billboard: A daily dose from Bills training camp
Three plus Brad
Right guard Brad Butler is expected to join the tackle rotation for Thursday’s game against Pittsburgh in Toronto.
The Bills will have only three healthy tackles for the game -fill-in left tackle Langston Walker, fill-in right tackle Kirk Chambers and seventh- round draft pick Demetrius Bell, who has worked exclusively at left tackle this summer. Butler started 31 straight games at right tackle for the University of Virginia and worked there with the second unit in Tuesday’s practice.
Meanwhile, coach Dick Jauron had no significant update on Matt Murphy, who suffered a shoulder injury Monday night.
“He’s getting some more evaluation,” Jauron said. “I talked to Matt earlier. He certainly felt a lot better than he did last night. ... He felt significantly better about the whole thing, so we’ll see.”
Murphy had been the second-string left tackle. He would be a third-stringer if Jason Peters was not holding out. Patrick Estes, second string at right tackle, watched practice with a wrap around his left knee, which he injured Monday. His injury is not believed to be serious. Since no free agent would be able to step in and play in Thursday’s game, the Bills opted not to sign anyone Tuesday. If for some reason Estes can’t return for the next game at Indianapolis, then the chances would increase that the Bills would bring someone in next week.
Cameo for starters
The injuries on the offensive line are likely to make the Bills’ coaches less inclined to expose the starters to injury Thursday. Jauron said he had not made a final decision on playing time but indicated quarterback Trent Edwards and the starters would not see much more playing time against the Steelers. Edwards and the first-team offense saw just nine plays against Washington.
Asked how much the starters would play, Jauron said: “Probably not significantly more, a little more. A lot of it, of course, will depend on the health of people.”
Sideline views
Rookie cornerback Reggie Corner continues to make plays around the ball. He had a good breakup of a pass for James Hardy in seven-on- seven work Tuesday. Then in red-zone work, Corner made a well-timed leap along the left side of the end zone to break up an on-the-money throw from Edwards for Lee Evans. Corner is working as the backup to Will James in the slot in the nickel defense. ... The Bills worked without pads for two hours at St. John Fisher College. Not practicing were Scott Mayle, Marcus Buggs, Blake Costanzo and Tim Massaquoi. Receivers Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish were limited. Expect Reed to be held out Thursday. Donte Whitner (sore ankle) participated fully in practice. ... In 11-on-11 work, Hardy made a nice catch on a bootleg pass from Edwards. Later Edwards was flushed out of the pocket and made an accurate strike to Evans on the sideline. Rookie Stevie Johnson made an impressive juggling catch along the right sideline on a pass from J. P. Losman. Jabari Greer picked off a pass from Edwards that was tipped by Evans. ... Robert Royal had a red-zone touchdown catch from Edwards and another from Matt Baker.
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 Bills will travel by bus to Toronto early this afternoon. After Thursday night’s game against the Steelers, the players have off Friday and Saturday.
The team returns to St. John Fisher for an open workout from 7 to 9:05 p. m. Sunday. Monday’s practice is 2:15 to 4:20 p. m. Tuesday it’s 7 to 9:05 p. m. Camp breaks after Wednesday’s workout from 11 a. m. to 12:30 p. m.
On the Web
Check out the Bills daily blog and weigh in with your comments at buffalonews. com/blogs.
Quote of the Day
“It’s exciting to play in a new stadium and in front of new Bills fans.” — Trent Edwards on the Toronto game.
— Compiled by Mark Gaughan
