Seen and Herd: Preseason Week 5 | Buffalo Bills Vs Detroit Lions / News

I decided to hold off on the final preseason edition of Seen and Herd, and wrap the game's analysis and the news from "cut" day altogether. There's been a lot of interesting stories coming out of Buffalo in the past week. A lot. 

First, the game. 

The Buffalo Bills ended their dismal preseason without much improvement on either side of the ball, and the absence of starters from each team made Friday night's outing a rather boring one. 

Matthew Stafford's last start prior to the regular season was the main headline entering the game, and although his play wasn't horrible, he certainly didn't win the starting job away from Daunte Culpepper.

This year's No. 1 overall pick finished the night 5-of-9 for 81 yards, but he threw an untimely interception to surging ball hawk Reggie Corner in the first half. He flashed signs of comfort in the pocket, but was sacked twice, and fumbled after a speed rush by rookie Aaron Maybin. 

Overall, Stafford, who will be a good pro someday, displayed that the Bills still struggle with the more physical threat at wide receiver, like Calvin Johnson. Many will struggle with guys of Johnson's caliber this season. 

Though Johnson had a big evening, the depth in the Bills' secondary allows them to match up against teams with spread attacks that feature multiple talented receivers. (Patriots).

Second stringers to make contributions

Ellis Lankster was beat down field on more than one occasion, but his sure tackling, surprising athleticism, and decent coverage skills made him a lock for the final roster. 

John McCargo, my favorite player to watch this preseason, again exhibited the supreme motor and footwork that made him a first round pick a few seasons ago. He forced a sack early on Stafford, bull rushing his way to the quarterback. 

Whether it's been the aid of new defensive line coach Bob Sanders, or his re-found drive after the nullified trade to Indianapolis, McCargo will be a key cog on the interior defensive line, spelling Marcus Stroud and Kyle Williams without much production drop off. 

Aaron Maybin was at it again, this time forcing a fumble while working against the Lions starting left tackle, Jeff Backus. Maybin's acceleration off the edge is as quick as advertised, and he hasn't been bottled up in the run game thus far. 

He's the catalyst for a pass rush in dire need of a boost.

Offense sputters, but shows signs of life

Ryan Fitzpatrick started the preseason finale, and he did much to make Bills' fans realize that if Trent Edwards goes down with injury, their team may be in some serious trouble.

I'm not fully discounting Fitzpatrick, but his 40.8 quarterback rating doesn't help his cause in winning over the Bills' faithful.

Roscoe Parrish was shifty as usual in the short to intermediate passing game. 

Reports have surfaced that Parrish is on the trading block, and his extended play throughout the preseason may have been solely to put him on display, but he's showed that if used in the correct fashion, he can be lethal. 

Steve Johnson provided the big plays for a Bills offense that has yet to show they can be dynamic down the field. 

His catches of 27 and 33 yards demonstrated his growing knack to get to the football at his highest point, and use his clean route running to get open. 

He'll be critical as the fourth receiver—I'll take his youth and enthusiasm to make the big catch over many other fourth string wide outs at this point. The Bills have a good pass-catcher with seemingly limitless potential. 

The last point of emphasis heading into the game against Detroit was scoring in the red zone. The play-calling wasn't crisp or creative enough to end any drives with touchdowns. Rian Lindell field goals will not win games against the schedule the Bills have in front of them this season.

Which brings me away from the game, and on to my next point. 

Due to the fact that the offense hasn't progressed much from the glory days of Steve Fairchild, Dick Jauron and Bills' upper management decided to fire offensive coordinator Turk Schonert, and promote Alex Van Pelt to take over play calling duties. 

At first one thinks, why so late? They made the decision with only 10 days separating them from a showdown with the powerhouse Patriots.

The Bills could've given Van Pelt at least one game to test his abilities calling plays, but it comes down one simple fact: the Bills are desperate. 

Desperation in many cases is tied in with negativity, but here, it may not be. 

Now I don't have the utmost faith in Van Pelt as an offensive coordinator, but the changes needed are so blatantly obvious, it shouldn't be difficult to simplify the offense while making it more explosive.

Van Pelt will reportedly give Edwards more play-calling leeway, something I was hoping would come from Schonert a week ago. 

This instantly gives the no-huddle a faster pace, something imperative for the newly-implemented attack. 

The biggest issue with Edwards to date has been his lack of confidence throwing the deep ball. Van Pelt needs to urge Edwards to make more shots down the field.

Terrell Owens helps this facet of the passing game immensely. 

Van Pelt must begin to thin the playbook, and plan the, as Dick Jauron put it, "more attacking offense".

Cut-down day 

Making the final cut on an NFL roster isn't an easy thing to do. More than 700 players lost their job yesterday, 18 of whom were Buffalo Bills.

The day was headlined by the surprising release of free-agent signee Dominic Rhodes. 

I don't fully understand the move, but it's rumored his lack of desire in pass blocking and slowed step led to the cut of the former Indianapolis Colts star. 

Rhodes certainly would have helped in relief of Fred Jackson for the first four games of the season, but the coaching staff must have realized he wouldn't have played a big part in the offense after Lynch's return.

Still, I don't really get the thought process behind the axing a capable back-up runner, when the running back position is thin for Buffalo. 

I guess we'll see how it plays out. 

The Bills have a week to prepare for one of the more hyped games in recent memory, on the road against the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. Now, many are worried, but come on, it's finally the regular season. I'm pumped.

Next Edition: Following the Bills/Patriots tilt on September 14th.