Jim Lang

Jim Lang is a Connected anchor and NFL reporter for Sportsnet. Also check out Jim's website, www.jimlang.ca

The destination for the final stop in our NFL training camp tour was St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York; summer home to the Buffalo Bills.

After the laid back vibe at Bills camp under Dick Jauron, there is no doubt that there is a new boss man in charge of the Bills. Chan Gailey has been around football for a long time and he loves to bring an "old school" vibe to his training camps.

That means the Bills spend a lot of time in camp working on the fundamentals of the game. As a matter of fact, under Gailey, the Bills coaching staff are pounding those fundamentals of football into the minds of the players. To make sure the offensive line keep their pads low on run blocking, Gailey has a special training device brought in. It’s a steel cage with a metal bar running along the top at a pre set height. The offensive line has to come out of their stance low or they are going run smack into the bar. There’s an old saying in football when it comes to battles along the line of scrimmage, "the low man wins". This drill is a great way to reinforce that point.

Gailey and the coaching staff have no tolerance for mental mistakes. During one 7-on-7 drill, receiver Chad Jackson fumbled the ball after a reception. Poor Jackson wanted to hide because the second that ball hit the grass he received an earful from the Bills coaching staff.

Armed with what he calls his "Justin Bieber" hairdo, once again quarterback Trent Edwards is at the controls of the Bills offence. For Edwards to cement his status as a true starting quarterback in the NFL, he needs to be way more consistent than he has been so far in his career. That inconsistency was on display at the Bills Monday morning practice. In 7-on-7 drills, Edwards was getting a little frustrated because he had trouble completing a pass against the Bills defence. But in the two minute drill, Edwards was flawless. Edwards was very honest afterwards, saying that he still doesn’t feel he is where he needs to be with the offence. In Gailey’s mind, Edwards has had some good days and some mediocre days, but he hasn’t taken a step back during camp.

Maybe it's his laid back California attitude, but Edwards is a good dude. He said the highlight of his off-season was taking part in the famous American Century Golf Championship in Tahoe. While he said he had a blast, he did admit it was a bit nerve wracking hitting golf balls with so many people staring at him. A self-confessed golf addict, Edwards shot a respectable 84 at a local course on his off-day.

One thing Edwards will have going for him this year is rookie running back CJ Spiller. Now I still feel the Bills should have drafted one of the big offensive linemen that were still on the board, but Spiller is a special talent. So much so that Gailey said he is constantly dreaming up new ways to get Spiller the football. They will move him around and Edwards will not hesitate to throw the ball to Spiller when he slips out of the backfield. What makes Spiller stand out is not so much his amazing straight away speed, but his quickness. Spiller can be at top speed in only a couple of strides and he can make moves in the open field.

However, all of Spiller’s talent and potential is overshadowed by the fact the Bills offensive line needs work. This has nothing to do with a lack of effort or desire; it’s a simple case of a lack of talent up front. The Bills are blessed with a lot of depth in the defensive secondary. So you would have to think GM Buddy Nix is thinking long and hard about dealing one of defensive backs to pick up another offensive lineman.

Not only is Chang Gailey calling all of the offensive plays, he also decided to switch the Bills base defence to a 3-4 scheme. The happiest guy about the new defensive alignment is safety Donte Whitner. Claiming that the old 'Tampa 2' scheme didn’t really suit his skill set; Whitner is loving the new defence and is excited for the start of the season. Not much was made of it at the time, but in the off-season the Bills picked up veteran defensive end Dwan Edwards. The former Raven has a lot of experience in the 3-4 defence and he looked sharp in the morning practise.

There’s another reason that Gailey is running such a tough camp, the Bills have a brutal schedule to start the season. Home to the Dolphins, at Green Bay, at New England and then back home to the Jets. With his southern drawl and years of experience, Gailey is one of those guys you would love to grab some beers with and sit around and talk football all night. The man has seen and done it all.

Emerging star at camp: Wide receiver Steve Johnson. The third year player out of Kentucky was far and away the star of the Monday morning practice and the word is he has been a stand out through out the entire camp. Gailey thinks so much of Johnson that he has him practicing exclusively with the first team offence.