Estimated reading time: 3 minute(s)
Last season the Buffalo Bills finished with a losing record. Seven wins, nine losses. For the second year in a row. Everyone wants to win, and no one wants to lose, but obviously the 2007 version of the Buffalo Bills were cut some slack due to a ridiculously inordinate amount of injuries. Many of those injuries were season-ending.
There is hope in Buffalo this season. Hope for a winning season. Hope for a return to the playoffs after nearly a decade-long absence. Hope for continued success over the next several years. There is a strong, young nucleus of high-character, high-talent (at least, potential) guys. It would seem the sky is the limit.
But there is one thing that could turn a potential winning season into another 7-9 season. The injury bug.
In a strange, seemingly rash turn of events, LB Angelo Crowell will undergo knee surgery to correct a problem that has bothered him the past couple years. He was supposed to be out at least two to four weeks, but the Bills subsequently placed him on the injured reserve list. Now he is gone for the season.
No one is quite sure why he would wait until three days before the first game of the year, but some speculate it could have something to do with his contract expiring after the 2008 season. It is possible that his knee was just bothering him and he wanted to fix it. The apparent haste of the moves by both Crowell and the Bills would suggest there is more here than just a sore knee.
In addition to Crowell’s absence, LB Paul Posluszny will possibly not be 100% for this game as he sustained an injury in Wednesday’s practice. He’s planning on playing, and coach Jauron also confirmed that.
So for week one, so far that’s two starters down. And don’t forget starting QB Trent Edwards is returning to action for the first time since injuring his leg in training camp. Edwards already has a reputation for being injury-prone, and he may not quite be 100% either.
Oh yeah, and there’s the thing with Jason Peters…
There is always so much potential as you go into a new season. It’s a blank slate, and you have the team assembled that you think will get the job done. But there are so many factors that can change that, and as Bills fans saw last season, the injury bug can bite hard.
I am admittedly a bit scared at the developments of today. Crowell was going to be a big part of our defense. We have good depth, but how many injuries can this up-and-coming team sustain before they cross that fine line between winning and losing? When does this team with so much potential go back to mediocre, and another season of around 500 football?
No one can say, but today definitely reminded me that there are no guarantees. Let’s hope the Bills have gotten all of the injuries out of their system for 2008.