Buffalo
Bills

Edwards said he continues to feel better and he has not experienced any symptoms from the hit he took on Oct. 18 against the Jets. "I haven't met with all the doctors yet or anything, so I'm still kind of feeling good and getting better each day," he said.

Fitzpatrick took over for Edwards in the second quarter of the Jets game and helped the Bills pull out a 16-13 overtime victory. He then started against Carolina in a 20-9 victory, and against Houston which was a 31-10 loss. Edwards was struggling when he got hurt, and despite the fact that the Bills were 2-1 with Fitzpatrick at the helm, he has not been productive. He has completed just 36 of 70 passes (51.4 percent) for 356 yards with 2 TDs and 3 interceptions. His passer rating is a sickly 57.8.

With their young, inexperienced offensive line failing to give the quarterbacks time to throw or open holes for the running backs, the Buffalo offense has ground to a halt. It has produced just nine first downs in each of the last two games, the first time the Bills have gone back-to-back games with less than 10 first downs since 1971.

The Bills rank 28th in scoring at 15.4 points per game, 29th in yards at 264.8, 30th in third-down conversions (26 percent) and 30th in first downs at 14.5.

"We look at ourselves, obviously," coach Dick Jauron said of the sad offensive numbers. "We do a self-analysis and then we look at our problem areas and we've got a lot of them. We've just got to keep doing a better job of the things that we like and then we'll look at some new things, too, as we kind of have as we've moved along."

It is uncertain whether Edwards can provide a spark if he gets his job back. He has completed 91 of 153 passes for 985 yards with 5 TDs and 6 interceptions for a rating of 73.0. He has also been sacked 19 times. But he did say that he felt he learned a little while sitting out the last 2 1/2 games.

"It's just a matter of taking everything in that you can," he said. "Seeing what Ryan is doing well and trying to learn from him and talking to O-linemen on the side and seeing what calls they like to make. You don't normally get to do that when you're the starter. You see a lot more things when you're sitting on the sidelines. So there are some things I picked up that will hopefully allow me to get back to where I was last season."

--Tony Dungy created a stir in Buffalo when he said on NBC's Football Night in America Sunday night that the Bills had discussions about signing Michael Vick before he signed with the Eagles, and that Dungy believed that Buffalo would be "a good fit" for Vick next year if the Eagles decide against bringing him back. Wide receiver Lee Evans had this to say about the possibility of Vick coming to Buffalo: "I didn't hear anything about it. I don't know. Probably not. I love him as a player, and everything that he's done in the league, but I don't know if it'll be something that will work."

Safety Donte Whitner disagreed with Evans. "If we had the opportunity to get Michael Vick and it came down to that I believe yes (he would be a fit)," Whitner said. "I believe that he's a great football player. Right now he's not in the swing of things with all the time off. But with a full offseason of conditioning and dealing with the right people helping him to get his mechanics back in line I believe he can pick up where he left off. I believe Michael Vick would be a good fit and I would encourage whoever to bring Michael Vick in."

--In addition to QB Trent Edwards, the Bills are hoping to get a number of injured players back this week for the game in Tennessee. Whitner and fellow safety Bryan Scott are both expected to return, as is offensive tackle Jonathan Scott. DT Kyle Williams and CB Terrence McGee, both nursing knee problems, are uncertain at this point. McGee had minor surgery on the bye week and is almost certainly out, though that hasn't been made official. Williams did not play against Houston after hurting his knee in Carolina on Oct. 25. TE Shawn Nelson (migraines) was working Monday as well.

--WR Terrell Owens endured one of the worst first halves of his career as he has just 23 catches for 281 yards and one TD.

--K Rian Lindell is 12 of 14 on field goals and the only two misses have been from beyond 40 yards.

--SS George Wilson has proven to be a solid fill-in for injured Bryan Scott as he is now second on the team in tackles with 54 and has two interceptions and two sacks.

--RB Fred Jackson still leads the team in rushing yards (445), he leads the team in kickoff return yards (301), he has the highest punt return average (11.0) and is third in receiving yards (177).

REPORT CARD AFTER EIGHT GAMES

PASSING OFFENSE: D -- In one of the most amazing statistics in the NFL, the Bills have now gone 46 consecutive games without getting a 300-yard passing game from their quarterbacks. Both Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick have been feeble and the highest output this year was Edwards' 230 yards against hapless Tampa Bay. To be fair, neither quarterback has received much help from a woefully inexperienced and ineffective offensive line that has battled not only youth, but injury. At one point the Bills were starting four first-year players up front. With Edwards and Fitzpatrick struggling, WRs Lee Evans and Terrell Owens have been mostly invisible. They have combined for a mere 46 catches in eight games with only four TDs, just one from Owens.

RUSHING OFFENSE: C-minus -- In the first three weeks when Marshawn Lynch was suspended, Fred Jackson was among the league leaders in rushing yards and yards gained from scrimmage. Since Lynch's return, the running game has become stagnant. Lynch is averaging just 3.1 yards per attempt as he has regained his starting job, while Jackson's touches on offense have gone way down. And when the Bills try to get both players involved, neither seems to be able to find a rhythm. Again, the problems up front have played a big role in the lack of a running game. The only 100-yard game was produced by Jackson against Tampa Bay in Week 2.

PASS DEFENSE: B -- The Bills have been beset by injuries on defense, especially in the secondary where three opening day starters have missed significant time. CB Leodis McKelvin is out for the season after knee surgery, safeties Bryan Scott and Donte Whitner have missed much of the year, and CB Terrence McGee is on the shelf after minor knee surgery during the bye week. Interestingly, it hasn't been a terrible situation because reserves Jairus Byrd, George Wilson and Drayton Florence have played well and the Bills rank 10th in pass defense allowing 198 yards per game. Byrd has been one of the top players in the league as the rookie is tied for the league-lead with seven interceptions and the Bills are tied for second with 15 as a team. The pass rush has been better this year. After getting only 26 and 24 sacks the last two years, the Bills have 17 at the midway point as the return of DE Aaron Schobel (5 sacks) has helped. Also, DE Chris Kelsay is playing better and has 3 sacks.

RUSH DEFENSE: F -- The Bills rank dead last in the league as they have allowed 173.6 yards per game on the ground. The problems have been multiple, but it starts with injuries. In addition to all the missed man-games in the secondary, the Bills played most of the first half without MLB Paul Posluszny and now are without OLB Kawika Mitchell for the rest of the year. Backup Marcus Buggs is also down for the season. Keith Ellison leads the team with 68 tackles, but his lack of size continues to be a problem and the majority of his tackles are downfield after yardage has been piled up. Free agent acquisition Chris Draft has helped in the last few games, but the Bills are not stout, even with DT Marcus Stroud in the middle of the line.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C -- Once a primary strength for the Bills, it has been an inconsistent half-season for the kicking teams. Rian Lindell is 12 of 14 on field goals and Brian Moorman is one of the league's most reliable punters with a net average of 40.1. The coverage units have been decent, but the return game has been weak, hindered by an inordinate amount of penalties. The loss of Leodis McKelvin has hurt the kickoff return team and Fred Jackson, while solid, is certainly not a big threat. Roscoe Parrish, the two-time punt return champion, has been benched and Jackson has inherited those duties as well. Parrish and McKelvin each had late-game fumbles that led directly to losses.

COACHING: C-minus -- Dick Jauron has had to endure a spate of injuries on both sides of the ball, and the 3-5 record, given the lack of depth on the roster is actually commendable, though no one in the fan base is willing to buy that. His is perhaps the hottest seat in the league and the fans want him fired at season's end. Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has struggled to find healthy bodies and the run defense has been the worst in the league, ruining a solid season in terms of takeaways. Jauron fired Turk Schonert just before the start of the season and turned the offense over to quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt, but like his predecessor, Van Pelt is hamstrung by a poor offensive line and spotty quarterback play. The Bills have to get more creative with the personnel they have.