OTA Observations

Both Paul Peck and I were on hand today for the first day of the Bills Organized Team Activity (voluntary minicamp). More importantly, most of the Bills were on hand, as well. The only veterans missing on day one were punter Brian Moorman and LT Jason Peters. These are only voluntary practices, so players may be in and out over the next 3 1/2 weeks, but it was good to see such a strong turnout.
A couple of sideline observations from Monday's workout:

-Josh Reed (above) has become a pro's pro. He was clearly the most impressive player in practice, catching every pass thrown his way. He went over the middle and made great grabs in traffic. He used his hands to catch passes that were slightly off target, and went about his business in a brisk, businesslike fashion. Can the Bills get better at WR this year? Absolutely. But Josh Reed is not going to hand his starting job to rookie James Hardy--he'll have to earn it.

-One of the most impressive things in today's NFL is the way second-year players make tremendous conditioning and body building strides, compared to their rookie seasons. A couple of noteworthy examples today: QB Trent Edwards. He clearly looks bulkier and stronger in his upper body. His shoulders look bigger, his face is slightly fuller. I wouldn't be surprised if Edwards has put on 10-15 pounds of muscle since the end of last season. Another example: Safety Dustin Fox. Although last year was not his rookie year in the NFL, he seems to have made amazing strides physically in the offseason, getting bigger and stronger. Credit Strength and Conditioning Coordinator John Allaire and his staff for working hard in the offseason building up the young players, and teaching them about nutrition and conditioning.

-It's been said before, but you can't overemphasize the impact injuries had on the Bills last season. Watching today's workout, it was great to see key players like Paul Posluszny and Ko Simpson back on the field, trying to pick up where they left our last year. Their return should bolster the Bills special teams, as well. Look for John DiGiorgio and Keith Ellison to become key coverage men on teams, now that they are not likely to be starters this season.

-The Buffalo defense is operating this week without the new helmet-headset system the NFL approved this year. The Bills tell me the helmet manufacturer is still working on installing the headsets in the helmets of two selected players on defense. I'm not sure how it will work during preseason, when the two selected defenders may be off the field by the 3rd quarter. For now, Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell was calling out the defensive signals, which were signalled in by hand by linebackers coach DeMontie Cross.

Let us know what you'd like us to look for during the Bills OTAs in the upcoming weeks. Paul Peck and I will be regular observers at the practices, and I know many Bills fans are eager to find out what the team looks like now, rather than waiting until training camp.