The Bills athletic training staff along with head coach Chan Gailey made the decision to hold Stevie Johnson out of practice on Thursday as his groin was tight and a bit uncomfortable following Wednesday's practice. The decision might very well prove to have been a wise one.
Johnson was still a limited participant, but did not miss a single period of Friday's practice session.
"I did everything," said Johnson. "Everything that consists of a practice, I was out there running routes and full go with the guys."
"We've got Stevie listed as questionable, but he went out and did all that we wanted him to do today and we're going to take another long look Sunday morning and make a decision."
The Bills top wideout in hindsight was glad the staff made him sit Thursday.
"I think coach made the right call along with the guys in the training room with sitting me (Thursday)," said Johnson. "I guess it will only get better from here and we've still got only a couple of days until game day. I think it'll be alright."
"It helped a lot by doing that and we think another 48 hours will help a lot," said Gailey. "I feel good about it, but you don't know."
Johnson maintains that his groin is healthy after having surgery this past spring, but he found it difficult to describe just what the problem is.
"It is taken care of," he said. "It's not a huge issue. I don't feel mentally that it's a huge issue. I think it's something from talking to other players they've had the same situation where something may occur and then they're back steady again. That's what I believe it is so I was back out there running around."
Still, Johnson said he'll be spending a lot of time in the training room the next two days getting treatment. He insists it's just a proactive approach to keep his groin from keeping him off the field.
"I think it'll be something that I'll be taking care of for the rest of the regular season just in case something pops up again," he said. "It's about staying in the training room for my body."
Buffalo's number one passing target feels his groin problem is mostly mental, but he's confident his mind will be free and clear and focused on the game plan Sunday.
"It has to be," he said. "It's a big game. Week 1 it's a division opponent. It's the Jets. I definitely won't be thinking about anything else besides trying to beat whoever is in front of me and win the game."
