Buffalo Bills Training Camp: August 17th Thoughts

Buffalo Bills Training Camp: August 17th Thoughts

The Buffalo Bills hosted the Cleveland Browns for the first of two joint practices on Monday afternoon at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, N.Y. On a scorching hot morning, here’s what you missed:

1) Heat takes some victims

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Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas warned there would be a few fights during these two practices between the Lake Erie rivals. With the heat as high as it was, that was almost a certainty, and it came to fruition during the first set of one-on-one drills.

While on the turf field, Preston Brown got into it with a Browns receiver. This resulted in a scuffle and both teams getting together to a barrage of whistles.

Not only were fights involved, but injuries were also plentiful today. Marquise Goodwin was taken out of play due to exhaustion, and Ty Powell is feared to have a torn ACL.

Also yanked from play was Sammy Watkins who got weary during play, according to Chris Brown of buffalobills.com. Whether it was a matter of non-conditioning or just the amount of reps they took (which was probably the most all season), the heat definitely played a role in the health of receivers.

2) Robert Woods cementing No. 2 WR role

Dec 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Robert Woods (10) reacts a penalty against the Oakland Raiders in the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

With Percy Harvin out and a competition underway for the second wide receiver slot, USC graduate Robert Woods is making it hard not to pick him as the man opposite Watkins and he was at it again today.

He ended practice with a 20-yard TD catch from Matt Cassel in the back corner of the end zone, and that was just the beginning. He sent Justin Gilbert and Aaron Ross flying in multiple directions on his routes, and made an impressive diving catch from the arm of Tyrod Taylor, while being pressured down the sideline.

Woods had already proven he had good hands, but the route running was a little off. That does not seem to be a problem as preseason game number two approaches.

3) Tyrod Taylor less than impressive

After a very solid start to his preseason, Tyrod Taylor has once again shown the theme of this quarterback competition which has become prevalent: consistency is key.

After his highlight performance Friday and a good day on Sunday, Taylor returned to the field on Monday and sometimes looked lost on plays against the Cleveland Browns defense. Once again, Taylor showed that he lacks what the other two QBs have in pocket presence.

The Virginia Tech graduate took two and sometimes only one read, before taking off out of the pocket, and had trouble evading the pressure from the Browns defensive line. Aside from two good throws that were made to Woods and Andre Davis right before that, Taylor did not find too much offense anywhere.

News and notes from Twitter:

Next: Don't count out EJ Manuel just yet

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