And as for the Bills…

For the first time in my memory, I didn’t attend the Bills preseason game. Seriously now, I can’t remember the last season in which I didn’t attend at least one preseason game. But with a three-week-old at home and only two tickets (hard to take both boys) I had to watch it on TV.

Jeebus, that was a waste of time. I’m quite glad I didn’t go, despite the fact that I owned the tickets anyway.

Ko Simpson was the only Bill expected to be a starter in the regular season who even saw the field for a single snap, and the Bills gave up two – TWO – safeties behind their second-and-third-string offensive lines. Gibran Hamdan played the entire game at quarterback until he got knocked out very late in the fourth quarter, when JP Losman stepped in for six-or-seven straight handoffs despite having a chance to tie the game.

Now believe me, I get the fact that the Bills don’t want anyone getting hurt. But for a lot of kids, this is their only chance to see the Buffalo Bills play football. Granted, just seeing the stadium and the spectacle surrounding the game is a large part of it for most kids, but not seeing any starters? That sucks.

And I don’t understand it from a football standpoint either. Again, weighing the risk of injury is important, but it’s not like we’re talking about the New England Patriots here. How many snaps against real, live pro football players does Trent Edwards have under his belt thus far? We have a jumbled-up offensive line thanks to Jason Peters’ holdout, and how many series did these guys play together? It just doesn’t seem like the right approach for this particular squad.

- I think Ashton Youboty made the team with his play over the past couple weeks, and RB Dwayne Wright probably got himself cut.

- WR Steve Johnson may not make the team, but the Bills are going to be awful nervous when they waive him and try to bring him back on the practice squad. I’m not sure he makes the team unless the Bills keep six receivers, and the top-five of Evans, Reed, Parrish, Hardy and Jenkins seem set.

- I expect James Hardy to struggle to see the field and it seems to me he will make little impact this year.

- Leodis McKelvin fielded a punt inside his own five-yard line, leading to a safety. Then, he did it again. For that reason alone, Roscoe Parrish should be returning punts for the Bills. McKelvin needs to check his ego and remember for whom he plays.

- Jason Peters might be returning soon, and according to that writer from Scout.com, Jauron is going to sit him. I understand where he’s coming from, but his approach is way off. Imagine you work in an office, and decide you want to be paid more. So your solution is to go home, not return to work, not contact your employer, and when they try to contact you – you blow them off. Until now, this move has worked for exactly on person, Peter Gibbons from Office Space. Maybe Jason caught the reruns on WTBS and decided to give it a shot. I can hear him talking with Joanna now…

Peters: I basically block some guy, run a couple feet, fall down, get up, go to a huddle, and do it all again. Anyway, it’s not important, I really don’t like my job, and I’m not going to go anymore.
Joanna: You’re just not gonna’ go?
Peters: Yeah.
Joanna: Won’t you get fired?
Peters: I don’t know, but I really don’t like it, and, uh, I’m not gonna’ go.
Joanna: So you’re going to quit?
Peters: Nuh-uh. Not really… I’m just gonna’ stop going.

There you have it. Jason Peter’s motivation explained by Office Space. Hope he likes Kung Fu.

- Over 56,000 season tickets sold for the Bills. I better get my seats up on Ticket Exchange. Ka-ching!

- I would have booed at the end of the game as well, especially if I shelled out about $200 for a family of four to attend the game and got stuck with that.