Beat up Bills lose Carrington for season
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- For a team that is already painfully thin at just about every position, the Buffalo Bills suffered more than a notch in the "L" column against the New York Jets in Week 3.
Coach Doug Marrone on Monday went through the litany of ailments that befell the Bills, and the worst of it was that defensive end Alex Carrington, who was really coming on at the end of 2012 and had earned is way into this year's starting lineup, is done for the season.
"Alex Carrington unfortunately had a torn quad tendon, which I think will put him out for the year; he'll have surgery today," Marrone said of Carrington, who was officially placed on injured reserve a few hours later. "I feel bad. I'm not going to lie to you and sit here and say next man up.
"You have feelings and that's what's difficult. Here's someone who has been very productive for the past three games and someone who is a very good football player. Here's a player who has put in a lot of time, that's been very consistent, a good leader for us and done everything we've asked him to do, and unfortunately he has an injury."
Corbin Bryant, who joined the team in the offseason after coming into the league in 2011 as an undrafted free agent, is Carrington's backup, but the Bills could also choose to use veteran defensive tackle Alan Branch in that role.
The next most serious injury appears to be a hamstring pull for cornerback Leodis McKelvin, which occurred on Buffalo's first defensive series of the game. Marrone was uncertain about the extent of the damage, and he would not give a guess on whether McKelvin can play Sunday against Baltimore.
"We'll see how that is when he comes back and starts working on the field," said Marrone.
If he can't play, the already-depleted secondary takes a further hit, and the Bills may be forced to start strong safety Aaron Williams at corner, where he played during his first years in the NFL with poor results, prompting his move to safety in the offseason.
Running back C.J. Spiller also hurt a quad in the second quarter, tried to play early in the third quarter, and wasn't able to continue.
"It's sore, but it shouldn't be anything that will keep me out this week," said Spiller. "I should be feeling better day-by-day. Just taking it slow, just a little sore right now."
Defensive end Mario Williams and defensive tackle Marcel Dareus both suffered ankle injuries in the second half, but Marrone didn't think either was serious enough to keep them out of the game against the Ravens.
The Bills are already playing without cornerback Stephon Gilmore, free safety Jairus Byrd, cornerback Ron Brooks, wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, guard Doug Legursky and place-kicker Dustin Hopkins. Byrd, Legursky and Hopkins have a chance to get back this week, while Gilmore, Goodwin and Brooks are out at least another three weeks.
"Hopefully we can get some of the guys back that were banged up," said center Eric Wood. "You've just got to move forward, the 'next man up' mentality. Give the opportunity to someone else if some of these guys aren't going to play."
