McCoy doesn't practiceThe first day of Bills practice in preparation for the Jacksonville Jaguars was done without LeSean McCoy. Buffalo's feature back, who suffered an ankle injury in Sunday's regular season finale, was not fit to participate.
"Day to day. We're just going to take it one day at a time right now," said head coach Sean McDermott. "He's not going to practice today, but we're going to take it one day at a time."
McCoy appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Bills this season. The plan for now is to get the running back's ankle as much recovery time and treatment as possible, something McCoy is attacking fervently.
"He's a fierce competitor," McDermott said. "He's hard at work maximizing the treatment opportunities to get himself to where he can play."
McDermott was asked repeatedly about the possibility of not having McCoy on Sunday and didn't hesitate with his response, if in fact that possibility becomes a reality.
"Next man up. That's what we've done all year," McDermott said. "You never replace a player like LeSean. I've got a lot of confidence in Mike Tolbert and (Marcus) Murphy and whoever else we put in the backfield."
Milano a new add to injury listThere were a handful of other players who aren't practicing for the Bills today. Among them is LB Matt Milano, who is dealing with a hamstring injury.
Milano did get 69 percent of the defensive snaps last Sunday for a total of 49, with Ramon Humber getting the balance of the work (22 snaps, 31 percent).
No word on the severity of the injury. Joining Milano and McCoy on the sidelines for Wednesday's practice are Jordan Mills (ankle), Shareece Wright (concussion), Deonte Thompson (shoulder) and Kyle Williams (rest).
Thompson, Williams and Wright all missed practice time last week, but Thompson and Williams have not missed any game action.
Readying the playoff mindsetFor the Bills, the playoffs are a new experience. Sure, several coaches and players have been in playoff games before, but this group as a team has not. As far as coach McDermott is concerned, their routine is largely the same.
"There's a certain type of mindset when you're young in this type of situation to make sure we are in the right frame of mind as we approach our week," he said. "That we're focused on what we do, our process, the respect for the opponent, just like we've done all year. I'm confident in the leadership on this football team and the player-driven leadership to lead by example with our preparation."
Of course, enjoying the fact that you're one of 12 teams still playing football is fine with him too.
"There is a lot of joy around our job and passion. This is fun because it's what we do. It's what we signed up for and a result of a lot of hard work with the journey. At different points of the day you have to say, 'This is what we worked for.'
"It's the culmination of a season-long worth of work and sacrifice and the commitment to the cause. It's fun to be on this ride with our fans too. To see the excitement around the community and in the building. It's a lot of fun."
