Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills practice in New York

“It was a lateral move and a lot of guys left, didn’t they?”

The Bills ended up with wide receiver Sammy Watkins, a budding star. Robert Woods followed up that play by beating Gilbert for a TD on a throw from Cassel. The Bills were down to Robert Woods, Deonte Thompson, Dez Lewis and Andre Davis at WR by the end of Mondays practice.

But as the starter for the injured Leodis McKelvin, and with the success the Panthers had throwing his way, Browns QBs will certainly know where number 28 is lined up and try to test the rookie again next week. He has been nearly impossible to cover for both Bills corners and opponents. It is unclear if Goodwin’s sickle cell anemia contributes to his difficulties as the temperature rises but it’s obvious that he has an issue with the summer heat at St. John Fisher. And the fans win because the pride factor between teams raises the level of everyone’s play.

Unofficially, Darby was targeted by Carolina Panthers quarterbacks six times in the team’s first preseason game. He caught a pair of touchdowns while working with the first-team offense, including an impressive one-handed grab.

In other news, Bills LB Ty Powell was carted off the field with a knee injury during practice and Ryan isn’t optimistic. After practice, Powell made his way up the stairs outside the Bills’ locker room on crutches.

A little bit of a scuffle occurred during the first day of combined practice between the Bills and the Cleveland Browns. If the Bills decide to keep four backs, LeSean McCoy and Fred Jackson are locks, and then the final two spots will be up for grabs between Brown, rookie Karlos Williams, and veteran Boobie Dixon. Meanwhile, LeSean McCoy and Bronson Hill got most of the work at running back, while wide receiver and return man Marcus Thigpen mixed in at running back to help out. I can’t say enough good things about him. There aren’t many offensive lines that provide a better measuring stick for the Bills’ star-studded defensive line.

“We tried to make the best of it as we could”, said Ryan.

But the Browns acquired Williams, a longtime starter for the Green Bay Packers, in March because they let Buster Skrine walk in free agency and can’t rely on Gilbert to start opposite two-time Pro Bowler Joe Haden.

“We’ll conduct business as business is being done to us I can promise you that”, said Rex Ryan.

Capped off by a nationally televised preseason game in Cleveland on Thursday, the joint practices will bring both teams together for individual drills, inter-squad scrimmages, and opportunities for improvement.