With the loss of center Eric Wood for the season, the Buffalo Bills' fraternity of experienced starters will move on without another member.
The three-year starter suffered a torn ACL in the loss to Dallas last week, forcing versatile lineman Andy Levitre to slide over and handle snapping responsibilities from here on out. The injury loss is nothing new for the banged-up Bills, who with the addition of Wood, have the fourth-most players on the injured reserve list in the league with 10. Only the Giants, Panthers and Jaguars have more.
More than anything, Buffalo is running low on experienced players on the field. The Bills have had to watch veterans such as Reggie Torbor, Shawne Merriman, Kyle Williams and Roscoe Parrish step aside and rely on inexperienced backups to step up.
“They’re all young players and they’re having to learn on the fly,” Bills coach Chan Gailey told the media Wednesday. “They’re having to experience the speed of the game on the fly and that’s not an easy thing to do. I think we’ve got some good players in the making. They just need to get some reps and get some playing time, especially the rookies that we have.”
The Bills' receiving corps has certainly rose to the challenge, with second-year receivers Naaman Roosevelt, David Nelson and Donald Jones all making significant contributions to the passing game and combining for six touchdowns.
Through the eyes of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, that's what this team is all about.
“Some people might be more affected by it (injuries) but to us that’s not an excuse,” Fitzpatrick said. “You have to take advantage of your opportunities. That’s kind of the theme for this team. We are the no-names and even though some of the guys might be better known now there are now more guys that have to step up and fill in and do what the guy in front of him did.”
Buffalo is hoping that can hold true the next couple of weeks as they prepare for back-to-back divisional games that could easily make or break their playoff chances. Kicker Rian Lindell is likely to miss this week in Miami while he recovers from a shoulder injury, while receivers Stevie Johnson and Nelson, as well as safety George Wilson, all missed practice Wednesday with lingering injuries of their own.
It hasn't been all bad news for the Bills this week though, as the defense will see veteran linebacker Chris Kelsay back in the lineup after a calf injury had him sidelined for four games. Kelsay said he “feels great” and has “a lot of confidence” going into their game in Miami, which has won its last two. As far as Gailey is concerned, he doesn't care whether veterans or rookies are on the field: he's just looking for a win.
“It’s a division game and it’s a big game,” Gailey said. “There’s no magic wand, there’s not pixie dust. It doesn’t matter who it is. It might be back-ups. OK if it is and that’s fine. We’ve got to go win.”
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