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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Thoughts from the press box at Ralph Wilson Stadium, where the Buffalo Bills beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night 35-20:

• If there was any doubt before -- or if Bills fans were in denial and still clinging to hope Brian Brohm would win the gig -- Trent Edwards is Buffalo's quarterback.
• On the first possession, Buffalo had minus-12 yards aside from a pass interference penalty. The Bengals sacked Edwards the only time he tried to pass. But Edwards rebounded on the second drive, methodically taking the Bills down the field. He completed all five of his passes for 48 yards and connected with Roscoe Parrish for a 12-yard touchdown.
• Edwards' stat line: 13-of-17 for 153 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. He had a 122.9 quarterback rating.
• C.J. Spiller had another brilliant game. He ran 12 times for 52 yards and two touchdowns and two receptions for 33 yards in a half of work. He had a 20-yard run and a 26-yard reception.
• As mentioned in my notes column following the Bills' victory over the Indianapolis Colts last week, Spiller is going to have a lot of negative-yardage runs because of his style and the Bills' offensive line. He had runs of minus-7 and minus-11 yards. But he's a threat to break away every single time.
• The Bills showed off a little Wildcat. Spiller took a direct snap and ran 6 yards for a first down. In case you were wondering, Edwards remained on the field, split wide right. In the fourth quarter, rookie running back Joique Bell also took a direct snap and ran for 4 yards.
• Parrish is one of those players fans always want to see more of, but size always seemed to be an impediment to increased involvement. Think Leon Washington with the New York Jets. Maybe new Bills head coach Chan Gailey has been able to figure something out. Parrish caught all four balls thrown to him for 56 yards and a touchdown.
• Maybe the Bills were showcasing Ryan Fitzpatrick for a potential trade (hello, Arizona?). Otherwise, Brohm can't like the fact he quarterbacked only two series late in the fourth quarter. Brohm threw one pass, an incompletion.
• Buffalo's secondary didn't have the same success against Carson Palmer that it did against Peyton Manning. Palmer completed all but two of his 11 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns for a 142.2 rating.
• Second-year outside linebacker Aaron Maybin, the 11th overall draft choice last year, may have gotten some traction. He didn't start even though Reggie Torbor was out with an undisclosed injury. Chris Ellis started instead. But Maybin did force J.T. O'Sullivan into an intentional grounding call with some heavy pressure in the third quarter and sacked Jordan Palmer twice in the fourth quarter.
• James Hardy, a second-round draft pick in 2008, didn't make much of an impression in his bid to stay on the roster. He had one catch for 30 yards (great pass from Fitzpatrick) and a drop. That was all.
• Undrafted rookie receiver David Nelson had another strong game: two receptions for 34 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown.
• Third-year cornerback Reggie Corner looked like he might be on the roster bubble in a deep defensive backfield. He helped himself in the fourth quarter by intercepting Jordan Palmer and dashing 20 yards for a touchdown.
• Reserve cornerback Ellis Lankster, meanwhile, had another rough night. Quan Crosby beat him for a 44 yard pass play one series after Corner's touchdown. Lankster broke up a pass on fourth-and-goal from the 6, but he got away with pulling on Dezmon Briscoe's collar. Lankster was called for illegal hands to the face to wipe out an Arthur Moats 9-yard sack.
• The Bills strength in recent years has been their special-teams play. Special teams coordinator Bobby April bolted for Philadelphia, and the transition to Bruce DeHaven has not been smooth. Their kickoff coverage unit has been awful. The Bengals averaged 32.7 yards per return and rarely started a drive insider their own 30-yard line.

Some observations from the Buffalo Bills' 42-17 loss to the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on Friday night ...

• You can see why the Bills hotly pursued Mike Shanahan to be their overlord. The Redskins went 4-12 last season, but looked like a far more polished team under Shanahan than the Bills did under their new coach, Chan Gailey.
• Buffalo was sharp on its opening drive, despite losing running backs Fred Jackson (hand) and Marshawn Lynch (ankle) to injuries. Trent Edwards completed all but one of his five passes for 44 yards. Every throw was to a different target. A 20-yard Lynch run was wiped out by a penalty.
• That was about all that went right for the Bills' starters or second-stringers. It seemed unfair to watch veteran quarterback Rex Grossman hook up with prospect Devin Thomas on a 44-yard touchdown in the third quarter. The Bills don't nearly have that kind of depth.
• This is how Buffalo ended a span of seven straight possessions, beginning with its second and lasting deep into the third quarter: interception, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt.
• Of those seven series, only one began inside the Bills' own 20-yard line. None went farther than their own 38. Five of those six punts were of the three-and-out variety. They had another in the fourth quarter.
• It didn't matter what Redskins offensive unit was on the field when it came to figuring out the Bills' new 3-4 defense. Not helping was inside linebacker Paul Posluszny being scratched. He missed the first part of training camp while recovering from groin surgery and should be OK.
• The Bills were destroyed in every phase. The first game without special teams coordinator Bobby April, and Bruce DeHaven's return to Buffalo, was ugly. The Bills allowed a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown. Ellis Lankster fumbled away a punt return.
• Outside linebacker Aaron Maybin played deep into the fourth quarter and appeared to get pushed around. He finished with two tackles and was called for roughing the passer on what should have been an incomplete pass on third-and-6 in the first quarter. The Redskins eventually scored a touchdown.
• But Maybin did record his third sack in an NFL uniform, getting to Miami Dolphins castoff John Beck in the fourth quarter. All three of Maybin's sacks have been in preseason games.
• For you Dolfans out there, Beck struggled with his third team. He completed two of seven attempts for 27 yards, fumbled once and was sacked twice.
• On a positive Bills note, backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick closed out a drive late in the third quarter with a 5-yard touchdown pass to David Nelson. The score capitalized on a 43-yard Chad Simpson run two snaps earlier.
• Nelson finished with a game-high five catches for 47 yards.
• With Jackson and Lynch sidelined, Simpson and undrafted rookie Joique Bell had their moments. Bell ran five times for 52 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown.
• Brian Brohm didn't play. Many Bills fans hoped Brohm would win the starting job, because he presents unknown possibilities that Edwards and Fitzpatrick don't. Seventh-round draft choice Levi Brown completed three of seven passes for 28 yards and an interception.
• Gailey said Brohm will play Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts, while Fitzpatrick sits out.

On the Sunday following the Super Bowl, special-teams coaches around the league are always on pins and needles. That is because they're waiting for Dallas Morning News NFL columnist Rick "Goose" Gosselin to release his annual special-teams rankings.

Gosselin, my old officemate at the DMN, has developed an intricate system for ranking the special-teams units from all 32 teams. In fact, teams such as the Eagles will often cite Gosselin's report when announcing a new special-teams coach. Surprisingly, the hapless Cleveland Browns were ranked No. 1 this season and the Super Bowl-winning Saints checked in at No. 29.

The Cowboys hired former Jaguars special-teams coach Joe DeCamillis before the '09 season and moved up 23 spots to No. 4 in the overall rankings. The Eagles were 17th, Giants 20th and Redskins 27th. The good news for Eagles fans, though, is that new special-teams coach Bobby April led the third-ranked special-teams unit in Buffalo. OK, here are some other NFC East-related tidbits from the Gosselin rankings:

• The Eagles led the league in punt returns with a 13.5-yard average thanks to DeSean Jackson.
• Pete Carroll made a major mistake running off former Cowboys special-teams coach Bruce DeHaven from Seattle. The Seahawks finished 11th in the rankings despite having a bad overall team.
• Cowboys opponents had an average starting point at the 22.8-yard line (second in league), something that could be attributed to leading the league in touchbacks. David Buehler deserves major props for his work in that department.
• The Cowboys were fourth in the league with 38 punts downed inside the 20. That's one of the main reasons Mat McBriar belonged in the Pro Bowl.
• The Eagles and Chargers tied for first in field goals made with 32.
• The Cowboys ranked 30th in field goal percentage with 64.5.
• The Redskins led the league in giveaways on special teams with five.
• I realize the Packers don't play in the Beast, but can you believe they had 28 penalties on special teams? The Falcons had a league-best six.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills staged a media meet-and-greet with new head coach Chan Gailey and his coordinators Thursday afternoon in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

For the first time since they've been hired, offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins, defensive coordinator George Edwards and special-teams coordinator Bruce DeHaven spoke with reporters.

Mostly, it was a chance to get a feel for their philosophies, but there was a little news to report.

Gailey finalized his staff by announcing he had retained DeMontie Cross as inside linebackers coach and has assigned Bob Sanders to outside linebackers and newcomer Giff Smith to the defensive line.

Sanders coached Buffalo's defensive line last year after serving as the Green Bay Packers' defensive coordinator. Smith coached with Gailey at Georgia Tech.

Gailey also said he has spoken to two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Aaron Schobel, who's considering retirement.

"I took from the conversation he has not decided," Gailey said. "I think that's going to come with time. He's going to have to make a decision.

"We know what a great player he is. You know you'd like to have him on the Bills if we could make that happen. We'll see what he decides. I don't want to speak for him."

Gailey also acknowledged rumors the Bills are interested in trading for a veteran quarterback, perhaps Michael Vick. But Gailey didn't have much info to share. He said he hasn't gotten through the evaluation process with the quarterbacks on his roster: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Trent Edwards and Brian Brohm.

"This is a quarterback-driven league at this point," Gailey said. "It hasn't always been that way, but it seems to have become moreso in the last decade or so. You have to have a quality player there. It does not have to be a big-name player. You just have to have quality production. That's the decision you're trying to make."

I'll post Edwards' thoughts on the move from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 scheme, but in the meantime, here is a rundown of the Bills' revamped coaching staff for 2010.

Now that new Buffalo Bills coach Chan Gailey has essentially assembled his staff, I thought it would be worthwhile to present a snapshot of who they are.

You'll notice a couple blanks still need to be filled in. The Bills have yet to designate a defensive line or linebackers coach and could have other openings on the staff. For example, they could choose to break up inside and outside linebackers.

The Bills have two defensive assistants who haven't been assigned duties. Bob Sanders and Giff Smith have experience coaching the defensive line. Sanders did it last year, but he also coached linebackers for the Miami Dolphins.

What stands out to me is the lack of NFL experience throughout the staff.

Defensive backs coach George Catavolos has banked 26 years in that role. Special-teams coordinator Bruce DeHaven has put in 23 years. But there's a huge drop from there.

Gailey has gathered acquaintances from his days at Georgia Tech and assistants he identified as up-and-comers during his brief stay with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Gailey will have at least eight assistants with two or fewer years of NFL experience in the positions they will hold with the Bills. At least four of them will have zero seasons of NFL experience in their given role.

That's not to say they're all neophytes.

One of those first-timers is veteran quarterbacks coach George Cortez, who has spent more than three decades coaching at colleges and in the Canadian Football League.

They might all be fine teachers, but I think it's fair to wonder how these coaches will handle the fast-paced, high-pressure setting of an NFL sideline on Sunday afternoons.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Jim Moore of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer checks in with Seahawks receiver Nate Burleson, who expects to play in Week 2 despite a knee injury.

Bill Hoppe, writing for the Post-Intelligencer, examines the Bills' dominance on special teams against the Seahawks. The fake field goal embarrassed Seattle.

Clare Farnsworth of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer asks Matt Hasselbeck about the bulging disc in his back. Hasselbeck says that's not why his back was hurting.

Also from Farnsworth: An overview of the Seahawks' performance, with references to "un-special" teams. Special-teams co-captain D.D. Lewis lamented poor attention to detail.

Eric Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune explores the Seahawks' depth problems at receiver. Courtney Taylor expresses confidence in his abilities despite a poor showing.

Also from Williams: A closer look at the Seattle special teams, with comments from punter Ryan Plackemeier and special teams coach Bruce DeHaven.

More from Williams and Frank Hughes: Nate Burleson and Seneca Wallace wound up being the top two choices as punt returners. That could change with Burleson hurting.

Also from Hughes: Mike Holmgren says the Seahawks might need some time to get up to speed offensively. The Bills were good enough to make that obvious.

John McGrath of the Tacoma News Tribune keeps the faith for the Seahawks, noting that they looked similarly horrible during the 2005 season opener, only to reach the Super Bowl.

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times checks in with Hasselbeck's back, confirming reports of a bulging disc and noting how much is riding on the quarterback this season.

Also from O'Neil: Seattle finished with more punts (11) than points (10). Ouch.

Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times assesses the damage following Seattle's first-game meltdown. Holmgren hopes it was a wake-up call.

Scott Johnson of the Everett Herald says Burleson has suffered knee issues before, including the last time a team needed him as its No. 1 receiver.