Chris Hairston is going to be a good tackle for the Bills. He had a good outing against the Lions. He had one big mental mistake where he took the wrong guy and allowed a big sack on Tyler Thigpen but as Tasker pointed out in commentary, it was a mental mistake not a physical one. That's to be expected for a rookie who had no OTA's or minicamps and missed some time with an injury. Don't be surprised if Hairston gets in there with the starters at some point this season. I'm thinking if either tackle struggles, Hairston will get a shot. But his comfort zone is at Left Tackle.
Michael Jasper actually made a play or two. I didn't want to be too critical of the big man but his first 3 preseason games weren't good and I'm being kind there. It wasn't because he was being manhandled but rather a lack of technique that was making him look foolish out there. To me, it's a no brainer that he should be a practice squad guy but there could be some paranoia about another team signing him if they do that. Jasper is well liked and seen as a good character guy with a lot of potential. The question is, do you use a roster spot on a project like Jasper? If they kept him on the main roster, it would be a hell of a crash course for him but it's going to come down to them placing him or possibly Kellen Heard on the active roster. Heard has had a decent preseason and is also a big dude. I noticed Jasper held up better against the double teams too. There was only one play where he looked a bit lost in space, when the Lions RB reversed course and Jasper had to switch directions which turned out to be a sloppy transition. Despite that, he eventually got to the ball carrier. One other thing I noticed is his conditioning later in the game. He seemed to be out of gas. Carrying 390lbs might be too much but that's something that can be corrected with an offseason with the Bills training staff.
Thigpen looked a bit more comfortable in the second half but the results weren't much better for him or the offense. Levi Brown came in and actually started to move the ball a bit. Too bad Levi didn't get more time. Of the 2, Levi looks more comfortable running the offense but the reality is, they targeted Thigpen in free agency and gave him a nice pay day and there is a very little chance he loses his spot as the backup QB.
I loved that connection to Kamar Aiken who was oh so close to getting the touchdown. Aiken dropped a ball or two earlier (Bentley pointed this out earlier in the game and I thought it was a bit unfair because Thigpen threw about 4 freakin' balls low in a row) which hurts him a bit but this catch and run made up for his earlier mistakes. Right after the play Fred Jackson and David Nelson gave the young man some encouragement.
After the Bruce Hall TD they showed a fan in the stands with cut off sleeves on his Bills jersey. Odd looking.
Danny Batten and Antonio Coleman made another good impression tonight. Coleman had a really good night, making plays left and right. I can't see either guy not making the roster.
You know who was awful? Mansfield Wrotto. He gave up 2 big sacks where he was absolutely blown up. I know he's a Georgia Tech guy and Gailey is comfortable with (or was) him but I'd be shocked if he makes the roster.
Kelvin Sheppard made a few nice tackles. I like Sheppard's football instinct. He was in the right spot most of the time. I also think he's got good size.
I thought Zach Pianalto had another good outing but I just don't think there's room for him on the team. You have Chandler as your #1, possibly David Martin as your #2 (starting to question him because of his recent injuries and whether they really value him) and a battle between Caussin, Nelson and Pianalto for the third spot, if they even keep a 3rd tight end (they did last year). I don't think Nelson makes the team. Caussin has stood out more from day 1 of camp so we'll see how it shakes out for Pianalto who could be a Practice Squad guy.
Thank goodness the preseason is over. It's time for the real stuff. I can't tell you how exciting September 11th will be. Tomorrow is also a BIG day for the team as they trim the roster down from 80 to 53. There should be some interesting roster moves tomorrow...
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