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At some point, the unlikely collection of NFL teammates struck somebody as unusual, and they began to sort out who the highest draft pick was.

Together last month for a mini passing camp near quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's home in Arizona, eight Buffalo Bills players laughed about their long-shot backgrounds.

Sophomore receiver Marcus Easley was the closest thing to a bonus baby, and he was a fourth-round draft choice with zero NFL games. So who was next in line? Backup quarterback Levi Brown was the answer, a seventh-round pick last year, 209th overall, and unable to make the roster out of training camp.

Wide receiver Steve Johnson went 224th, Fitzpatrick 250th. Running back Fred Jackson and receivers David Nelson, Donald Jones and Naaman Roosevelt weren't drafted at all.

"This is testament of who we are as a group," Nelson said Tuesday night from his home in Dallas. "We all believe in each other. We all push each other. We all compete with each other. We know we're against the odds. We're a bunch of guys nobody gave a chance to."

The Bills have a couple first-rounders in their offense who didn't attend the workouts. Running back C.J. Spiller and receiver Lee Evans are important components, but it's impressive to consider such a big contingent of overlooked players making up a team's offensive core.

Nelson and the rest of that gang can speak with a little more conviction about their futures in Buffalo now. When they gathered for some casual workouts, there was plenty of doubt about the direction of the offense.

The drafted hadn't taken place yet and the Bills owned the third and 34th selections. There was considerable talk about a quarterback being a serious option. If Auburn star Cam Newton still were on the board, then could the Bills pass him up? Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert might've been a possibility, and it was anybody's guess who would still be on the board in the second round.

"I'm sure Fitz was bracing for something," Jackson said Tuesday of the pre-draft mood. "Everybody had to be."

One thing was for sure among the Bills' players: They were rooting for the front office to stand pat at quarterback.

"We've been talking about it as a receiver group for a while," Nelson said. "We were hoping that they would stay away from quarterbacks in the draft because we have all the confidence in the world in Fitz and what he can do. We like the direction we're headed in with him."

The Bills gave their offensive players a major vote of confidence last month. Of their nine draft choices, only two play offense. They drafted Clemson tackle Chris Hairston in the fourth round and North Carolina running back Johnny White in the fifth round.

The Bills will acquire more offensive players whenever free agency dawns. General manager Buddy Nix has said they will sign another quarterback, but the club sent a strong message about Fitzpatrick's standing when they didn't draft one.

"They showed they have a lot of faith in Fitz," Jackson said. "Me and my teammates all have a lot of faith in him, too. We're excited about that. I'm looking forward to working with him and trying to build on what we did last year and making that playoff push."

Fitzpatrick and Jackson will enter the 2011 season with substantially more juice than they had last summer. Both of them were considered backups.

"You have to say that it had some kind of affect on us," Jackson said. "We weren't on the same page when we got in the lineup, but that's part of the game, and we have to adjust.

"It does hurt to not get the reps, but as long as you mentally prepare like you are the No. 1 guy, you can hit the ground running. Hopefully, now we can get those reps and go into this season as the No. 1 guys and put this team on our shoulders and make some plays."

Fitzpatrick won over the Bills' locker room and much of their fan base last year. Trent Edwards' presence had worn thin everywhere. The man known as Captain Checkdown was uninspiring at best. He was frequently injured and rarely showed a hint of nerve.

New head coach Chan Gailey backed him in the beginning. Edwards took most of the offseason reps and was named the No. 1 quarterback when training camp opened. Edwards started all four preseason games.

Fitzpatrick, Brown and Brian Brohm fought over the scraps. Fitzpatrick attempted 23 passes before the season.

Asked at the NFL scouting combine in February if he regretted those decisions, Gailey replied, "Shoot, yeah. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have done that."

At 0-2, the Bills made an abrupt change. They waived Edwards.

Fitzpatrick was a jolt to the huddle, to the Ralph Wilson Stadium crowd, to the community. He grew a bird's-nest beard and called himself the Amish Rifle. He wore his wedding ring during games. He actually threw the ball downfield.

He made the games entertaining again, even the defeats. Fans forgave him for occasional reckless interceptions.

Jackson was in a similar situation despite rushing for more than 1,000 yards the previous season.

He was in a crowded backfield with Marshawn Lynch and hotshot rookie Spiller and didn't start the first four games, carrying the ball 20 times for 87 yards through the first quarter of the season.

When the Bills traded Lynch for a 2011 fourth-round draft choice and a conditional 2012 sixth-round pick, the door opened for Jackson again.

"Right now, I feel like I'm the No. 1 guy and C.J. will come in and get a lot of plays," Jackson said. "I feel like I'm going to be the guy that's carrying the load and has got to make that running game go.

"I'm sure C.J.'s working hard and will [have] the opportunities as well, but I just got to shoulder the load and take the pressure of Fitz and make us a balanced offense. I want to be that guy."

Spiller generated preseason buzz for rookie of the year honors, but he had a disappointing campaign (283 rushing yards and no touchdowns, 157 receiving yards and one touchdown) and still has much to prove.

Jackson rushed for 614 yards in the second half of the season, tying with Ray Rice for sixth in the NFL in that span. The running backs ahead of them were Arian Foster, Jamaal Charles, Maurice Jones-Drew, Chris Johnson and BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Nice company.

The Bills ranked 25th in total offense, 18th in run offense and 24th in pass offense. Not too swift compared to the rest of the NFL.

But all of their best offensive superlatives in 15 categories (points, first downs, yards, etc.) happened Oct. 24 or later. The same can be said about individual player superlatives aside from Fitzpatrick's 71.4 completion percentage in Week 3 against the New England Patriots.

The Bills obviously found enough there to make a commitment, and the players aren't crying for help. They're thrilled the group will stay together.

"We did some good things on offense last year," Jackson said. "We feel like if we could get back on the field healthy and get another crack at this thing, we'll continue to have some success."

Enough, wrote Scott of Harrisonburg, Va. Apparently I had referenced one too many times that accuracy rates among college quarterbacks typically translate when they reach the NFL. Prove it, Scott said. Here's what he dropped in the mailbag:

My first born if you compile a list of *all* the quarterbacks that rolled through the NFC North (as starters since 2000?) and rank them by their college completion rate.

I've got my hands full already, so I won't be collecting that bounty or any other reward for this post. But Scott's question intrigued me. Accuracy is the single-most important characteristic of any quarterback, especially when you expand the definition to include decision-making. After all, throwing to the right person should increase the chances of a completion.

If a college quarterback finishes his career with a relatively low completion percentage, is it reasonable to expect he can elevate it at the professional level? Research performed by actual football statisticians, most notably the David Lewin, has suggested college quarterbacks who complete less than 60 percent of their passes at least warrant closer inspection by NFL teams considering drafting them.

There are obvious 2011 angles to this theory as the Minnesota Vikings plan to draft a quarterback next week. Washington's Jake Locker finished his career with a 53.9 completion percentage, having never completed better than 58 percent of his passes in any season. Meanwhile, Missouri's Blaine Gabbert has raised questions among those who have pulled apart his college career to find he completed only 44.3 percent of his third-down throws. Last season, he completed only 38 percent of his throws that traveled at least 15 yards.

So here's what I decided to do from an NFC North angle. Using Scott's suggestion as a guide, I looked up the college completion percentages of the 31 quarterbacks who were either drafted by one of our teams since 1999 or were the primary quarterback for at least one season in this division over that stretch. (Hat tip to totalfootballstats.com for the information and to ESPN.com blog editor Brett Longdin for helping me compile it.)

I'm not a statistician, and I don't think we should consider the information below a representative trend for the entire game. I just think it's an enlightening illustration from a pool of players most of us are familiar with. First, here is a ranking of NFC North quarterbacks based on their NFL accuracy, organized to show how the division's most accurate quarterbacks fared in college.



Again, we should be careful about drawing any firm conclusions from this data. But here are some points worth noting:

• Five quarterbacks brought their completion percentage from below 60 percent to above 60 percent, with Brett Favre forging the most dramatic path. Jay Cutler was another notable climber. I didn't include the Minnesota Vikings' Joe Webb in that count because of his small sample size. The other 11 sub-60 percent quarterbacks remained there when they reached the NFL.
• Context is critical for evaluating college completion percentages. In his original paper, in fact, Lewin noted that Cutler's 57.2 college completion percentage was misleading given the long history of much lower rates on Vanderbilt's perennially undermanned teams in the decade before Cutler arrived.
• The most accurate college quarterback on this list is Brian Brohm, who completed 65.8 percent at Louisville. We all know how that worked out for Brohm, who was stunningly inaccurate during his practice time with the Packers and hasn't been much better in several stints with the Buffalo Bills. Another example of college completion rates not translating is Drew Stanton, who hit 64.1 percent of his throws at Michigan State but hasn't come anywhere close to that with the Detroit Lions.
• Overall, 12 of the quarterbacks currently have higher completion percentages in the NFL than they did in college. A total of 16 dropped and three have not yet thrown an NFL pass. I realize there are huge discrepancies between the number of throws made by, say, Brad Johnson and Matt Flynn, but those are the raw numbers.
• It's worth nothing that the NFC North's most accurate quarterback over this stretch, Aaron Rodgers, finished his college career at 63.8 percent.

If our small sample leads us in so many directions, I think it's fair to assume that NFL teams will look well beyond the percentages. Ultimately, teams must decide what factored in to both high and low percentages. Did Locker play on an overmatched team, as Cutler did? Were Gabbert's downfield receivers substandard?

On the other side of the spectrum, TCU's Andy Dalton completed 66.7 percent of his passes last season. Was that performance the result of pinpoint throwing and smart decisions? Or is he the next Brian Brohm or even a Tim Couch, quarterbacks who benefited from a college scheme that facilitated a high completion rate?

Once NFL teams establish that context, then they can begin examining the prospect's raw throwing skills. This is where concerns have arisen about Locker, especially. Why did he have so many passes that simply failed to hit their mark during his career?

ESPN analyst Jon Gruden made clear that "accuracy can be improved" but that Locker needs to "work hard" at re-establishing his fundamentals.

"Sometimes it's because of your fundamentals," Gruden said. "Sometimes you're out of rhythm, you're in the shotgun, you're underneath the center. Sometimes you're under duress and out of rhythm. Sometimes you're hurrying, you're playing too fast. You're anticipating congestion around you when maybe there isn't."

But Gruden warned: "Accuracy sometimes can be terminal. Sometimes you can't cure that. I think that's a big concern with Jake Locker, because he does miss some throws."

We can't conclude that Locker or Gabbert are destined for NFL failure because they sometimes struggled to complete throws in college. The necessary improvement has been made over the past decade in this division, be it from a Hall of Fame quarterback like Favre or a journeyman like Brian Griese.

But it's also a reason for pause. Based on our sample size, at least, it's more likely that a relatively inaccurate college quarterback will be inaccurate at the NFL level. Scott of Harrisonburg probably didn't need me to tell him that.

» NFC Draft Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Each Thursday leading up to the NFL draft (April 28-30), the ESPN.com NFL blog network will take a division-by-division look at key aspects of the draft. Today's topic: draft rewind -- examining the past five drafts.

Chicago Bears

Best choice: My initial thought was to nominate receiver Johnny Knox, a fifth-round pick two years ago out of Division-II Abilene Christian. Knox has 96 receptions in two seasons and is as close to a No. 1 receiver as the Bears have. But the 2006 decision to draft kick returner Devin Hester in the second round was inspired. Hester has changed the game and has become one of the best returners in the history of football. He has also made steady improvement as a receiver after converting from cornerback. Hester it is.

Worst choice: The Bears made Central Michigan defensive end Dan Bazuin a second-round pick in 2007. He was taken No. 62 overall but never played a regular-season down for the team. A left knee injury ended his rookie season and a second operation on the knee led to his release in the summer of 2008. I'm not sure if the Bears could have projected the knee problems, but bidding farewell to a second-round pick after one year is problematic.

On the bubble: Chris Williams, drafted as the left tackle of the future in 2008, missed almost half of his rookie season because of a back injury and has started at three different positions in the ensuing two years. As of today, the Bears aren't saying where he will play in 2011. The position changes could merit credit for flexibility, or they could be grounds for criticism because the Bears haven't been able to lock him down at left tackle as they have hoped.

Detroit Lions

Best choice: If you had the option between a pass-rushing, playmaking defensive tackle and a freakishly skilled receiver, which would you take? I would go with the former, which is why I'm making defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh my top Lions choice over the past five years. Receiver Calvin Johnson is an elite player, but to me, Suh plays a more important position. I realize Suh wasn't exactly a surprise pick at No. 2 overall in 2010, but it's rare that a player taken at that spot lives up to the hype so quickly.

Worst choice: This discussion is limited to the past five years, so we can't nominate receiver Mike Williams (2005). Many of the Lions' now-discarded draft picks were selected with former coach Rod Marinelli's Tampa 2 defensive scheme in mind, so it's not surprising they would no longer be around. There is no smoking gun in this time period, so I'll go with receiver Derrick Williams, a third-round pick in 2009 who has failed as both a No. 3 receiver and a kick returner.

On the bubble: Quarterback Matthew Stafford, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, has missed more games (19) than he's played (13) in the past two years. His three-game appearance in 2010 suggested improvement over his 20-interception rookie season, but like any player, Stafford must find a way to stay on the field or he will be a bust.

Green Bay Packers

Best choice: Trading back into the first round in 2009 to select linebacker Clay Matthews was an inspired move. And tight end Jermichael Finley, you might recall, was a low third-round pick in 2008. But in this case, I have to go with finding one of the top receivers in the game at the bottom of the second round of the 2006 draft. Greg Jennings was the No. 52 overall pick that year and not exactly a household name after his Western Michigan career. But he was productive from the moment he arrived in Green Bay and earned a well-deserved Pro Bowl berth last season.

Worst choice: Tennessee defensive lineman Justin Harrell had a history of injuries when the Packers made him the No. 16 overall pick in 2007. Not coincidentally, injuries have prevented Harrell from establishing any sort of career. He has played in 14 games over four seasons, felled by back and knee ailments, among others. Because of the value of his draft position, Harrell gets the nod over Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, who bombed after the Packers took him in the second round in 2008.

On the bubble: The Packers don't have a player who fits neatly into this category, but on a relative scale I would go with guard Daryn Colledge, a second-round pick in 2006. Colledge has started all but three games over the past five years, making several position changes along the way, but the Packers never seem willing to commit to him for the long term. That trend continued last month, when they tendered him as a prospective restricted free agent but didn't seem interested (yet) in a multiyear contract. Is this the year they find someone to take over his left guard spot?

Minnesota Vikings

Best choice: Defensive end Ray Edwards has 29.5 sacks in his five-year career, including 16.5 in the past two season, some significant numbers for a player taken in the fourth round of the 2006 draft (No. 127 overall). But it's hard to get past the value the Vikings have gotten from receiver Percy Harvin, their first pick (No. 22 overall) in 2009. They put a substantial amount of pre-draft work into his background, and he has not been responsible for any off-field issue that has been publicized. In two seasons, moreover, Harvin has 131 receptions and has been a force as a kickoff returner as well. The Vikings didn't fully grasp Harvin's migraine history, but I'm not sure if many teams did at the time.

Worst choice: Safety Tyrell Johnson, whom the Vikings targeted and traded up to the No. 43 slot in 2008 to draft, has been a disappointment and is not guaranteed a starting job in 2011. But as far as impact on the organization, it's hard to look past the decision to trade into the second round of the 2006 draft and select quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. There is no doubt Jackson had some physical skills to get excited about. But ultimately, that decision -- along with former coach Brad Childress' faith in his future development -- set back the franchise and left it in desperation mode this spring.

On the bubble: Right tackle Phil Loadholt was the No. 54 overall pick in 2009 and has started 31 of a possible 32 games since. But is that because he deserves to be an established starter in the NFL, or was he simply the Vikings' best option? There are mixed opinions about Loadholt's performance over that stretch, and it's not clear if the Vikings' new coaching staff considers him an unquestioned starter moving forward.

The NFL frontloaded and backloaded the schedule for divisional games this year to add significance to potentially irrelevant games in Weeks 16 and 17.

The New York Jets sneaked into the playoffs last year because the Indianapolis Colts pulled their starters at halftime in Week 16 and the Cincinnati Bengals did the same in Week 17. The Jets won both games and received a wild-card entry after head coach Rex Ryan declared his team mathematically eliminated.

But the NFL's new approach didn't mean diddly squat for the AFC East.

At the Meadowlands on Sunday, the Buffalo Bills and Jets will play a junior varsity game.

Bills backup quarterback Brian Brohm, once considered by Mel Kiper to be the No. 1 draft prospect of 2008, will start. The Bills have scratched quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick because of a knee injury, giving Brohm the chance to throw his first NFL touchdown, something he hasn't been able to do in 11 preseason games.

Brohm will be throwing into a Jets secondary and the NFL-worst Bills run defense will be trying to stop a lineup that might remind us of the 1987 season.

The Jets have deactivated cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, safeties Eric Smith and James Ihedigbo, running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene and right tackle Damien Woody.

Notable scratches for the New England Patriots include receivers Wes Welker and Deion Branch, tight end Aaron Hernandez, defensive lineman Mike Wright and outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain.

There never seemed much hope this week that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (concussion) would be cleared to play in Sunday night's game at the New England Patriots, and on Saturday the team made it official.

Rodgers has been ruled out and Matt Flynn will make his first career start. The Packers promoted Graham Harrell from the practice squad to serve as Flynn's backup Sunday night and placed safety Anthony Smith on injured reserve. Rodgers' concussion will leave the Packers without a whopping nine of the 22 players who were Week 1 starters.

Rodgers has started 45 consecutive regular-season games since taking over the job in 2008. The streak couldn't end at a worst time for the Packers, who are clinging to their playoff hopes here in Week 15. They could be eliminated from the NFC North title chase as early as Monday night if they lose to the Patriots and the Chicago Bears defeat the Minnesota Vikings.

As we discussed Thursday, Flynn is a product of Packers general manager Ted Thompson's strict policy of developing key depth from within. A seventh-round pick in 2008, Flynn beat out fellow draftee Brian Brohm for the No. 2 job that summer. The Packers have never considered a veteran backup for Rodgers.

More often than not, Thompson's young backups rise to the occasion. Will that be true for the game's most important position as well? Or will Rodgers' concussion be the final blow in a season full of injuries for the Packers. We'll find out Sunday night.

The Buffalo Bills are wary of the information quarterback Trent Edwards has divulged to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"They'll ask," Bills coach Chan Gailey said, "and he'll tell."

Edwards has Gailey's playbook committed to memory after six months of skull sessions, practices, four preseason exhibitions and two regular-season games as Buffalo's starter.

The Bills waived Edwards last week. The Jaguars claimed him, and he's coming back to Ralph Wilson Stadium to play his old team Sunday.

Edwards won't start for Jacksonville. The job belongs to David Garrard, but the Jaguars thought enough of Edwards to cut their other quarterback, Todd Bouman, this week. Edwards is the only backup.

"We'll have to change some signals and some thought processes," Gailey said, "We'll have to adjust some things. That's all a part of it when a guy from one team goes to another team. That's what happens."

When NFL schedules were finalized, Week 5 was viewed as one of Buffalo's more winnable games. But Jacksonville is 2-2 and coming off a rousing final-second victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

It won't help the Bills' cause that Edwards has inside information on them.

The intel Edwards can share isn't trifling. Edwards can recognize formations and audible calls. He has been privy to strategy talk on how the Bills want to attack in certain situations. He can tell Jacksonville defensive coaches where the Bills are weakest in pass protection.

"He'll have viable information to give them," Bills receiver Lee Evans said. "That's just how it is sometimes. It happens across the board."

As an example, Evans mentioned Bills backup quarterback Brian Brohm's familiarity with the Green Bay Packers as being beneficial to the Bills in Week 2. The difference, however, is that Brohm hadn't been with the Packers since last November, when he was on the practice squad.

Gailey named Edwards his starting quarterback, and as recently as last week Edwards had access to practically every diagram of offensive game strategy the Bills had drawn up since Gailey arrived. He poured over game film.

"He can have an impact," Bills running back Fred Jackson said of Edwards. "We do have some different things there. So hopefully we can kind of counteract that. He was in the system. He knows what's going on, but at the same time they still have to stop it."

Eight days ago, Trent Edwards was good enough to be the Buffalo Bills' starting quarterback.

Twenty-four hours ago, he was good enough to be their No. 2 quarterback.

Now he's unemployed.

A week after they demoted Edwards and gave the job to Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Bills released Edwards, the player his teammates voted a captain and the quarterback head coach Chan Gailey deemed his top quarterback after six months of evaluation that included scores of practices, countless meetings and four preseason games.

Along the way, Gailey deprived his remaining quarterback of precious reps.

Unless there's something sinister going on with Edwards behind the scenes, this makes absolutely no sense and comes off as a bush-league maneuver.

I get that Bills fans have tired of Edwards and most probably are applauding the transaction.

But the decision reflects poorly on the organization. Again, unless there's more to the story, it looks like either general manager Buddy Nix and Gailey -- the men dispirited Bills fans are desperate to believe in -- thoroughly bungled the most important position on the field, or impetuous owner Ralph Wilson ordered them to dump an experienced NFL quarterback.

All of it is illogical on so many levels.

There has been no news of an arrest. Edwards said all the right things Wednesday when reporters asked him about the switch. Edwards didn't badmouth the team. He handled the move with class.

Look around the league and you'll find players being kept around despite dreadful behavior. Braylon Edwards, Albert Haynesworth, Phillip Merling.

Had there been any problems with Edwards, the Bills wouldn't have deactivated third-string quarterback Brian Brohm for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots. Had the Bills needed a reliever for Fitzpatrick, Edwards would have taken the field.

Now he's not good enough to be on the roster?

At best, this was a cost-cutting move. Edwards hit an escalator in his contract that would have paid him a base salary of $1.65 million. That's not obscene for a backup quarterback. Fitzpatrick's base salary this year is about $2.36 million.

What a waste of time.

Here are the inactives for Sunday's game between the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots in Gillette Stadium:

Buffalo Bills

• Quarterback Brian Brohm
• Tackle Jamon Meredith
• Tackle Ed Wang
• Defensive end Alex Carrington
• Defensive end John McCargo
• Linebacker Paul Posluszny
• Linebacker Antonio Coleman
• Cornerback Cary Harris

New England Patriots

• Receiver Taylor Price
• Guard Nick Kaczur
• Guard Quinn Ojinnaka
• Tackle Steve Maneri
• Defensive end Kyle Love
• Defensive lineman Brandon Deaderick
• Linebacker Dane Fletcher
• Cornerback Terrence Wheatley

Chan Gailey had seven months to judge who the Buffalo Bills' starting quarterback should be.

He staged what he described as an open competition into the preseason schedule, but it really wasn't an open competition. After rotating reps among his three quarterbacks, he saw enough out of Trent Edwards to give him the first-team snaps from the start of training camp.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Brohm and draft pick Levi Brown fought over the scraps. Edwards played every preseason game. The others did not.

Now, two games into the regular season, Gailey has admitted an error in judgment.

After an 0-2 start, Gailey has benched Edwards and elevated Fitzpatrick to the starter's role.

Bills interim coach Perry Fewell did the same thing last year.

"We're going to make a change at quarterback," Buffalo News reporter Jay Skurski quoted Gailey as saying Monday afternoon. "He's going to take the reins, and see where that takes us. We're looking for a spark. We're looking for something that gives us a new look, a new thought process. … We're looking for the right combination. We haven't found that yet."

The mistake to start Edwards was compounded by Gailey's decision to give him all of the quality reps. Fitzpatrick played in only two preseason games. He worked mostly with backup players in relief of Edwards.

Fitzpatrick will get to start against an agitated New England Patriots squad in Gillette Stadium.

What it means: Unlike last week, the Bills committed themselves to the run but still had another awful day offensively. Cue the shouts for Ryan Fitzpatrick or Brian Brohm.


Big revelation: New head coach Chan Gailey, regardless of his reputation, can't figure out how to get the Bills' offense moving. He hasn't been able to coax plays out of quarterback Trent Edwards (62 net yards passing, two interceptions), get high-paid receiver Lee Evans into the game (zero catches) or generate production from prized running back C.J. Spiller (see below).

Trending: Spiller was a non-factor again. In his NFL debut he had 11 offensive touches for 14 yards. Against the Packers, he had didn't have any carries until the final, meaningless minutes. He finished with one carry for 3 yards and four receptions for 23 yards.

Tomorrow's talker: Were the Bills leaning on Marshawn Lynch because they're about to move him? He had almost twice as many attempts as Fred Jackson. The Bills denied persistent rumors they're on the verge of dealing him, maybe even to the Packers in light of Ryan Grant's season-ending ankle injury. Grant's replacement, Brandon Jackson, had 11 carries for 29 yards and a touchdown.

Heroes: Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was 19 of 29 for 255 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Bills' respected pass defense. Packers linebacker Clay Matthews had three sacks, four tackles for losses and five quarterback hits.

Goat: Edwards was 11 for 18 for 102 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions. He couldn't complete a pass to Evans the whole game?

What's next: The Bills' schedule doesn't let up. They'll play the New England Patriots in Gillette Stadium next Sunday.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Here are the inactives for Sunday's game between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Most notable is Chad Pennington officially assuming the No. 2 role ahead of Tyler Thigpen and the stand-down order to outside linebacker Ikaika Alama-Francis, who might have started but woke up sick in the morning.

Miami Dolphins

• Quarterback Tyler Thigpen
• Receiver Roberto Wallace
• Tackle Lydon Murtha
• Tackle Jeremy Parnell
• Outside linebacker Ikaika Alama-Francis
• Defensive end Clifton Geathers
• Defensive end Rob Rose
• Inside linebacker Channing Crowder

Buffalo Bills

• Quarterback Brian Brohm
• Guard Kraig Urbik
• Tackle Ed Wang
• Defensive end Alex Carrington
• Defensive end John McCargo
• Inside linebacker Akin Ayodele
• Inside linebacker Antonio Coleman
• Outside linebacker Reggie Torbor

Check here for a full list of roster moves.

Biggest surprise: Many believed the Bills could keep an extra running back, either veteran Chad Simpson or undrafted rookie Joique Bell, because Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson have been banged up. Simpson and Bell had strong summers, but the Bills cut them both. It's also notable the Bills have given up on 2008 second-round pick James Hardy. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound target never looked as good in action as he did in a uniform. He had injury problems, missing almost all of last year while recovering from a knee injury. He had sports hernia surgery in the offseason. Undrafted rookies outperformed him in camp.

No-brainers: There was no reason to keep rookie quarterback Levi Brown on the 53-man roster. He was drafted in the seventh round out of Troy as a long-term project. He's a safe bet to clear waivers and be added to the practice squad, but if another team snags him, no big loss. The move means the Bills likely will keep backups Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm, each of whom started for them last year.

What's next: On a team that hasn't made the playoffs in 10 years, few positions should be safe. That fact is emphasized by the number of undrafted rookies who made the squad. Bills general manager Buddy Nix will monitor the waiver wire and scrutinize all the veterans who've been dumped into the free-agent pool to see if there are any fits. The Bills will try to improve their offensive line depth and defensive front seven, especially.

With teams required to get their rosters down to 53 players by 6 p.m. Saturday, I thought it would be a good idea to review practice squad eligibility.

Article XXXIV of the collective bargaining agreement outlines the rules. Teams are allowed to have eight practice squad players. A team cannot simply assign a fringe player to the practice squad. He must first be waived and go unclaimed by another club. The player then would become a free agent, not bound to sign a practice squad deal.

Players must meet one of the following criteria while previously not being on a practice squad more than two seasons:

• No accrued seasons of NFL experience.
• Free agents who were on an active roster for fewer than nine regular-season games during their accrued seasons.

A season on the practice squad constitutes three weeks. There are provisions for a third season on a practice squad.

Practice squad players remain free to sign with any other club (how the Buffalo Bills pried Brian Brohm from the Green Bay Packers) but must remain on his new team's 53-man roster unless cut.

Players make a minimum of $5,200 a week on the practice squad, but any terms can be negotiated.

With all 32 teams wrapping up their preseason schedules Thursday night, here are a few quick hits from each AFC East game:

Detroit Lions 28, Buffalo Bills 23

• Trent Edwards was efficient in his one quarter, completing all four of his passes for 66 yards, including a 50-yard strike down the left sideline to Lee Evans.
• But because Edwards is so inconsistent and injury-prone, backup quarterback remains a big question mark. Ryan Fitzpatrick had the night off. Brian Brohm played less than two quarters and completed 7 of 15 passes for 78 yards and an interception that was tight end J.P. Foschi's fault.
• Bills kicker Rian Lindell is in midseason form. He nailed field goals from 47, 50 and 41 yards. Remember when former coach Dick Jauron shied from letting Lindell try long kicks?
• The Bills still have a tough decision to make at receiver. Chad Jackson had a game-high five catches for 59 yards, but hobbled off the field late. James Hardy, a 2008 second-round pick, was targeted seven times but made three catches for 23 yards in the second half.

New York Giants 20, New England Patriots 17

• Rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski is becoming a folk hero. He caught his fourth touchdown of the preseason, a 5-yard toss from Tom Brady on their first drive. The touchdown wasn't as eye-popping as Gronkowski's first two, but he did have a defender hanging on him.
• New England's first-team defense looked shaky again. Eli Manning marched right through them, going 86 yards on nine plays for a touchdown to open the game. The Giants' starters picked up two more easy first downs on the second possession before punting.
• Running back Laurence Maroney finally got some action after being a bystander the previous two games: nine carries for 32 yards. Uninspiring. For the record, Fred Taylor started the game.
• Rookie Devin McCourty bounced back from an awful performance in the previous game, and that's a good sign with veteran Leigh Bodden sidelined for the season. McCourty played only two series but made three tackles and had a pass defensed.

New York Jets 21, Philadelphia Eagles 17

• Rookie running back Joe McKnight had a rough preseason. He lost his third fumble, and this one was returned 64 yards for an Eagles touchdown. Rex Ryan said McKnight will make the roster and be deactivated until he proves himself in practice.
• Had the Jets not used a fourth-round draft choice on McKnight, he'd be gone. He was outplayed by Chauncey Washington and Danny Woodhead. Washington ran 12 times for 56 yards, including a long of 22 yards. Woodhead had 12 carries for 45 yards and a 14-yard touchdown.
• Mark Brunell had an efficient game: 11-of-17 for 118 yards and touchdown passes to Santonio Holmes and Jeff Cumberland.
• Holmes had a busy night in what will be his last action for a month. He had four catches for 97 yards. His touchdown traveled 51 yards and came in the fourth quarter. Probably not fair to do to Philly reserves who won't be employed come Saturday. But Holmes will be out of commission while serving a four-game suspension.

Dallas Cowboys 27, Miami Dolphins 25

• The Dolphins had a nerve-racking sequence in the second quarter. Franchise left tackle Jake Long, my pick as the club's most indispensable player, got shaken up on a play when Chad Henne absorbed a blindside sack and fumbled. Four plays later, Sam Hurd beat cornerback Sean Smith for a 43-yard touchdown.
• Tyler Thigpen, not Pat White, received the prime mop-up duty after Henne and Chad Pennington took their turns. Thigpen did well. He was 10-of-18 for 160 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. He ran three times for 20 yards.
• Only 12 rushing attempts for Dolphins running backs, but 39 passes. Not sure what it means. Maybe coach Tony Sparano just wanted to let Pennington and Thigpen air it out. Maybe the Dolphins didn't want to waste their backs. But I doubt that ratio is a blueprint for the regular season.
• Tough decision coming at receiver, even after the Greg Camarillo trade. Patrick Turner (one catch for 29 yards) was a third-round pick last year, but hasn't produced as much as undrafted rookies Marlon Moore (4 catches, 31 yards and a touchdown) or Roberto Wallace (3 catches, 59 yards and a touchdown).

On the day the New Orleans Saints held their Super Bowl parade, long before the free-agency period opened and the draft took place, Scouts Inc. analyst Gary Horton examined the top three needs of every NFL team heading into the offseason.

Now that we've gone through offseason workouts, minicamps, training camps and three preseason games, let's take a look at each AFC East need and determine whether it was addressed.

Buffalo Bills

1. Outside linebacker: At the time of Horton's analysis, he didn't know Aaron Schobel would retire. Schobel would have been Buffalo's best pass-rusher in its new 3-4 defense. The Bills signed free agent Reggie Torbor and are hoping a group that also includes Chris Kelsay, Chris Ellis and Aaron Maybin will suffice. Need addressed? No.

2. Left tackle: The Bills chose to stick with Demetrius Bell. The Bills still haven't drafted a tackle earlier than the fifth round since 2002. Of the two they did draft, fifth-rounder Ed Wang is hurt and seventh-rounder Kyle Calloway already has been released. The Bills did sign Oakland Raiders free agent Cornell Green to play right tackle. Need addressed? No.

3. Quarterback: The Bills did next to nothing at quarterback, drafting long-term project Levi Brown in the seventh round and letting Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm shoot it out. Edwards won a not-so-open competition. Need addressed? No.

Miami Dolphins

1. Wide receiver: Did the Dolphins address this need? Hmmm ... Let's see ... Oh, wait. That's right. They traded for Brandon Marshall, who has recorded triple-digit receptions in three straight seasons. Marshall was one of the most enormous transactions of the offseason. Need addressed? Yes.

2. Free safety: The Dolphins drafted Reshad Jones in the fifth round, but sophomore Chris Clemons has held down the position admirably. It won't be tough to outplay last year's starter, Gibril Wilson. Need addressed? Yes.

3. Nose tackle: The situation actually got worse and worse after Horton formed his analysis. Jason Ferguson was suspended eight games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The Dolphins re-signed Ferguson, but then he retired. The Dolphins didn't draft a nose tackle, choosing to convert defensive end Randy Starks instead. Starks is undersized for a traditional 3-4 nose tackle, but Dolphins coach Tony Sparano has claimed Starks' speed has upgraded the position. Need addressed? Yes.

New England Patriots

1. Outside linebacker: Horton wrote "This defense must generate pass-rush pressure from its outside linebackers, but the Pats are devoid of playmakers and have virtually no depth at this position." They've gotten shallower with the release of Adalius Thomas, who started their playoff game. Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess are back and penciled in as the starters. The Patriots drafted pass-rusher Jermaine Cunningham 53rd overall, but he has been too hurt to get on the practice field. Need addressed? No.

2. Wide receiver: Wes Welker was looking at a potentially long rehab at the time Horton wrote his offseason preview. Randy Moss' age also was a concern. But Welker's recovery has been quick. Moss has looked phenomenal. Emerging youngsters Julian Edelman, Brandon Tate and third-round draft pick Taylor Price should be more than enough. Need addressed? Yes.

3. Defensive end: Little did Horton know how badly the Patriots would need help here. Left end Ty Warren is done for the year because of a hip injury. Right end Jarvis Green split for the Denver Broncos. The Patriots signed free agent Gerard Warren and have moved last year's super reserve, Mike Wright, into the starting lineup. Need addressed? No.

New York Jets

1. Defensive end: Horton's concern was with the age of incumbents Shaun Ellis and Marques Douglas. Ellis is back. Douglas was a free agent who departed for the Dolphins. The Jets didn't draft any defensive linemen and didn't sign any notable free agents there. They did move Vernon Gholston from outside linebacker to defensive end. Need addressed? No.

2. Safety: Compared to the Jets' banner acquisitions, Brodney Pool was a blip. The Cleveland Browns gave up on him because of recurring concussions, but the Jets' medical staff found his problem was related to migraine headaches. He's a multifaceted safety with a nose for the ball, interception four passes in 10 games last year. Need addressed? Yes.

3. Wide receiver: The Jets practically stole Santonio Holmes from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a fifth-round draft choice. Holmes was the MVP of Super Bowl XLIII and was coming off a 1,248-yard season. But character issues, underscored by a four-game suspension to start the season, made him a bargain. Need addressed? Yes.