Buffalo Bills Tame Cincinnati Bengals 35-20

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.

Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals NFL Preseason Preview Game Aug, 28

The Bills' first Buffalo-area appearance of the 2010 preseason will include a visit from an old friend, as Terrell Owens and the Cincinnati Bengals descend on Ralph Wilson Stadium for a Saturday night warm- up.

Owens spent the 2009 season with Buffalo, leading the team with 55 catches for 829 yards and scoring six touchdowns, but the perennial Pro Bowler failed to help Buffalo avoid a last-place, 6-10 finish.
The Bills opted not to re-sign Owens in the offseason, and he subsequently inked a one-year deal with Cincinnati in late July. During his first preseason with the Bengals, Owens leads the team with nine catches for 108 yards.
Since opening with a Hall of Fame Game loss to the Cowboys (16-7), the Bengals have looked generally impressive in wins over the Broncos (33-24) and Eagles (22-9).
Quarterback Carson Palmer was 15-of-23 for 169 yards in last Friday's win over Philadelphia, though he did throw a pair of interceptions in the victory.
On the injury front for Cincinnati this week, cornerback Morgan Trent (ankle), and tackle Andrew Whitworth (thumb) are question marks, while safety Gibril Wilson (knee) will not play.
Possibly overshadowing Owens' return for Buffalo fans will be the development of the team's quarterback picture, which should come into sharper focus on Saturday.
According to head coach Chan Gailey, Trent Edwards is leading the competition after a solid outing in last week's 34-21 win over the Colts in Toronto. Edwards was 5-of-8 for 93 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown pass to Lee Evans, versus Indianapolis. Backups Brian Brohm (14-of-21, 125 yards) and Levi Brown (2-of-5, 10 yards) also saw time.
Part-time 2009 starter Ryan Fitzpatrick did not play against the Colts, but could see some action in relief of Edwards on Saturday.
Buffalo fans will also get their first live look at first-round running back C.J. Spiller, who carried 10 times for 54 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown pass, last week.
Both the Cincinnati and Buffalo starters should see their most extensive work of the summer on Saturday night, in keeping with third-game-of-preseason tradition.
The Bengals own a 6-4 advantage in their all-time preseason series with the Bills, including a 44-31 road victory in the last such meeting, prior to the 2006 campaign.
The teams last met in meaningful play during the 2007 season, a 33-21 Buffalo win at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
The Bengals and Bills will meet again in Week 11 of the 2010 regular season, a matchup that will also take place in Buffalo.