One week in, four have stood out at Bills camp

By Connor Byrne  |   Friday, August 03, 2007  |  Comments( 39 )

Buffalo Bills
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Training camp is officially a week old for the Buffalo Bills, and there's a lot of reasons for optimism surrounding the team this year. So far, nobody has sustained a significant injury in camp, which is always a major positive, and some key players on the Bills' roster have stood out.

Quarterback J.P. Losman, for instance, is becoming the leader Buffalo hoped it selected in the first round of the 2004 draft, and second-year defensive tackle John McCargo, who many Bills fans believe is the key to the entire season, has come along somewhat nicely.

No doubt, many of the Bills have taken strides in camp to better themselves from last season. There are four in particular, though. Let's take a look at which members of Buffalo's roster have truly asserted themselves.

Offense:

Lee Evans, WR - After an 82-catch, 1,292-yard season in 2006, it's hard to believe the 26-year-old seems poised to get even better in his fourth NFL campaign. So far, however, that's exactly what Evans is on his way to doing. During the first week of camp the former University of Wisconsin star, who probably should have been a Pro Bowler last year and was the Bills' only true offensive weapon, has grabbed everything thrown his way from Losman and the rest of the quarterbacks and, frankly, has dominated the team's defensive backs. If Evans -- who made some great grabs during Buffalo's practice last night -- continues progressing during the season, the 5-foot-10, 197-pound speedster will be on his way to plenty of notoriety around the league, which he doesn't receive enough of.

Roscoe Parrish, WR - Other than Evans, the Bills didn't have any wideouts who stepped up last year and emerged as true threats. With Buffalo's No. 1 receiver sure to receive more attention from opposing defenses this season, it's paramount that one of its other WRs becomes a viable option for Losman. If camp is any indication, that player is going to be third-year man Roscoe Parrish, who caught 23 passes in '06. Although very small in stature at 5-9, 171 pounds, Parrish possesses a great deal of explosiveness, which is a much-envied, unteachable trait. The 25-year-old, a 2005 second-round pick from the University of Miami, can pick up big yardage on any play, which he demonstrated last season with an unbelievable punt return for a touchdown in the Bills' late-November win over Jacksonville and two lengthy scoring grabs (a 51-yard catch and gallop against the Jets in Week 3 and a 44-yarder in a Week 6 loss to Detroit). Should Parrish actually break out this year and become, say, a poor man's version of Carolina's Steve Smith, Buffalo's already promising offense will get one more big-time weapon.

Defense:

Keith Ellison, LB - A sixth-round pick in the 2006 draft, many were surprised to see Ellison make the Bills' Opening-Day roster last year. However, he performed admirably as a pro freshman, accumulating 65 tackles in 14 games. In his second camp, the 23-year-old is showing why he was a star at Oregon State. Ellison, who has gained seven pounds since the end of last year to get to 230, was penciled in as the Bills' weakside linebacker after veteran Takeo Spikes was traded in March, and the summer interception machine will become a household name soon if his strong play carries into the season.

"I'll tell you this, he was a consistent guy last year. He just went out and did his job, and that's what he's doing again this year," Bills defensive coordinator Perry Fewell told the Buffalo News.

Ellison's doing his job, for sure. This time, though, he's doing it a lot better.

Jason Webster, CB - Webster has missed the last couple of practices because of a hamstring injury, but the 5-9, 187-pounder was blowing away his cornerback competition prior to that. People tend to forget that Webster, whom Buffalo signed in late May in a low-risk, high-reward situation, was once a highly sought-after defensive back. The eighth-year man intercepted seven passes in four seasons and excelled in coverage with the San Francisco 49ers, then was given a big contract in 2004 by the Atlanta Falcons, with whom he fared poorly. Three years after cashing in, the 29-year-old is playing with a chip on his shoulder for the Bills and may end up softening the blow of losing No. 1 CB Nate Clements in free agency.

E-mail: cbyrne@realfootball365.com.

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CommentsComments: 39  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Cage		08:33 AM
08/03/2007
Good news/observations indeed!! These players stepping up come from exactly where many of the Bill's question marks originated....
No.2
ddd		09:38 AM
08/03/2007
Bilbo, nice job calling out Red Angel yesterday in your post. I hope Red Angel and Amir in S.F. didn't duel to the death-...
No.3
RJ		09:59 AM
08/03/2007
Is it Evans and Parrish are that good or is it the DBs are that bad? Probably a little of both, but for Parrish to be compared to...
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