On Monday Bills head coach Chan Gailey was not optimistic about George Wilson's chances of returning to the lineup this Sunday against San Diego. Still recovering from a neck stinger suffered in Week 10, Wilson has yet to even practice. That all changed Wednesday afternoon.
The Bills starting strong safety was cleared to practice after meeting with athletic trainers Tuesday and will be out on the practice field with his teammates for the first time in almost a month Wednesday.
"I came in and had to show the trainers and the coaches what I could do as far as going to ground and showing my strength and I was cleared to practice," said Wilson. "I'm going to take it one day at a time and see how the week progresses, but I plan to be out on the field on Sunday when we take on the Chargers."
With the long layoff it's not clear what Wilson's chances are of playing Sunday at San Diego, though one can assume the co-captain will be pushing to do so. Provided he gets through the entire week of practice it sounds like Gailey is ready to re-insert him into his defensive lineup.
"That's really big," said head coach Chan Gailey. "The communication was really good on the back end while he was in there. We've taken a step back in our communication in our secondary with all the young guys we've had playing, which is understandable."
The Bills are desperate for a win, and Wilson's value to pre-snap communication on defense facing the league's sixth-best passing offense in football could prove critical. The co-captain's value as a leader also cannot be underestimated as he has already pledged to rally the his teammates this week.
"It's very urgent and it starts today just to set the tone for the week," said Wilson. "Going through practice this week we have to make sure everybody is on the same page, making sure the communication is where it needs to be and everybody is doing their assignments and not more than what they're asked to do and taking advantage of the opportunities when we have them."
