In a less than surprising decision, Bills quarterback Trent Edwards has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Carolina. After suffering a concussion last week against the Jets, Edwards was unable to participate in practice the entire week.
He also was unable to take part in any of the team or positional meetings through the course of the week as it conflicted with the team's protocol for dealing with concussions.
The only time Edwards was at One Bills Drive this week was to meet with team doctors to assess his progress.
"He's progressing," said head coach Dick Jauron.
Jauron nor the team's training staff has put a timetable on Edwards possible return knowing no two cases of concussions are the same with respect to recovery.
"He's progressing like he's supposed to progress after what he's had," said Bills head athletic trainer Bud Carpenter. "No setbacks."
It's expected that Edwards will be re-evaluated early next week.
Whitner and Scott also outBuffalo will again be without their two starting safeties this week. Both Donte Whitner and Bryan Scott were also ruled out of Sunday's game.
Whitner did return to the lineup last week against the Jets after missing the Miami and Cleveland games following thumb surgery, but he did not finish due to an ankle injury.
Scott has missed the last three games with a high ankle sprain and the Carolina game will be his fourth straight. The strong safety could only practice on a limited basis one day during the course of the practice week.
Whitner and Scott are considered two of the more physical safeties on Buffalo's roster and not having them on the field does take away from the Bills run front.
In the three games that Scott has been out of the lineup opponents have gained an average of over 245 rushing yards per game (246.3).
Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has referenced the secondary when asked to assess the shortcomings of the team's run defense.
"Some of it is continuity," said Fewell. "We don't have the same guys in all of the time. Some of it is secondary support. We're not doing a good job from that standpoint, and again, it sounds simple but it's not easy, you have to stay in your gap, shed a block, and make a tackle and we're not doing that. That's just the bottom-line. We're not executing the fundamentals of run defense right now. We're not a good fundamental run defense."
Expected to replace the two safeties in the starting lineup are George Wilson and Jairus Byrd, both of whom recorded takeaways last week against the Jets. Wilson had one interception and Byrd had two.
Buffalo faces the eighth-ranked rushing offense this week in the Panthers. Carolina rushed for a season-high 267 yards last week as DeAngelo Williams (152) and Jonathan Stewart (110) both eclipsed the 100-yard plateau in a 28-21 win over Tampa Bay.
Meredith to start
Starting right tackle Jonathan Scott is also out with an ankle injury. He was expected to miss two games after suffering the injury in Week 5 against Cleveland.
Rookie Jamon Meredith will make his second career start at right tackle Sunday after faring well in his debut against the Jets last week.
