Since today’s injury report was released today, relatively nothing new has occurred injury wise with the Bills. LB Ramon Humber and TE Charles Clay continue to be on the mend with their respective injuries. RB LeSean McCoy, DT Kyle Williams, LB Lorenzo Alexander did not practice secondary to requiring a rest day. Those guys go hard every Sunday, a rest day is more than well deserved. CB E.J. Gaines (hamstring), S Jordan Poyer (knee), and G Richie Incognitio (ankle) did not practice secondary to their recent injuries.
I had previously given my thoughts on Gaines and Poyer in my last article. With soft tissue injuries, there are general guidelines based on severity, but it ultimately come down to each player’s response to the injury. I still believe Poyer may be able to play Sunday, but the Bills continue to be proactive, releasing CB Tony McRae and signing CB Lafayette Pitts, who has spent time with Miami and Jacksonville the past 2 seasons.
G Richie Incognito did injure his ankle early in the 2nd quarter, sat out several plays, and was able to return to the game. It appears as though he may have sprained his ankle, which is not surprising considering his position. Considering he was able to continue playing, sitting out today’s practice especially in the rainy weather, ensured that he could have an additional day to rest his ankle. With proper bracing, Incognitio may be able to play Sunday, but not knowing the severity clouds my ability to make a definitive prognosis.
It is worth mentioning that WR Jordan Matthews is no longer listed on the injury report. While I am not an expert yet in the reporting of injuries to the NFL, this indicates two things. This indicates that Matthews did not have a set back in his recovery from thumb surgery. This also indicates that he is most likely not back at 100% though. Just because he is not listed does not mean that he is still not still healing. I expect him to continue wearing his brace for protection for at least another 1-2 games until team doctors can be confident that he will not re-fracture the area.
The only other notable injury is LB Preston Brown. He was able to participate in practice despite a shoulder injury. There is not any information other than the official press release to indicate the nature of the shoulder injury. Brown’s job is to throw his body at a moving object and stop it in its tracks. I expect that his shoulder will hurt from time to time due to the repeated impacts. As the NFL injury rules are quite strict, it is in the Bills best interest to report all injuries. As there is no information on the shoulder and he was a full participant, this does not concern me at all and does not indicate any underlying chronic issues.
Minimizing the injuries continue to be a focus of this team and while the secondary has taken a hit, the team as a whole continues to be relatively healthy. The secondary was awful last year; so far it has exceeded expectations, but this will be an area that Oakland will attempt to exploit in order to win. This will be an area that I expect the Bills to continue to address on the waiver wire and in next year’s draft. I still believe the Bills have the talent to win this game, but if the Bills have to lose, I would rather be it this game than a winnable game such as the Chargers or Jets in the next several weeks. My football predictions may not be accurate, but my knowledge of the injuries are. That’s why you are here reading.
Look for future posts including my thoughts on Sean McDermott and the culture he is instilling in Buffalo. I will continue to report on the Buffalo Bills injuries as they occur and begin to incorporate new items into my posts as they become relevant. As always, thank you for your time and GO BILLS!!
