Bills Experimenting With New Looks As Game 1 Approaches

“I haven’t done it in a while, but I did it in the preseason,” Spiller said of returning kicks. “It felt good to get back out there. The biggest thing is to have ball security and to give the offense the best field possession if I have the opportunity.”

“I’ve done it my whole career, so it’s not like stepping into something that’s brand new. I feel comfortable feeling the ball, protecting it and trying to give us the best field position as possible.”

Buffalo kept four running backs on their final roster, with Spiller, Jackson, and offseason acquisitions Bryce Brown and Anthony Dixon. Dixon was limited in practice today with a hamstring injury, with Marrone saying he has “concern” that Dixon may not be able to play on Sunday due to not finishing practice today.

Even without any injuries to the group, Marrone thinks there are times the team “could” play all four running backs during a game, as he trusts them all to perform in different roles and situations.

“I feel comfortable about all those backs in there, depending on what we’re running,” said Marrone. “I really do. I don’t have issue whatsoever.”

The weakside linebacker position is also having a temporary change, as Nigel Bradham, who Marrone today called “probably the most improved player” on the team, is suspended for the game against Chicago due to a marijuana-related arrest in August of 2013. The team’s unofficial depth chart lists free-agent signee Keith Rivers as the player on the weakside, and rookie Preston Brown as the strongside player, according to WGR 550′s Joe Buscaglia.

A third-round pick from Louisville, Brown played against Marrone’s Syracuse teams when the two teams were in the Big East. When he watched film of Brown, Marrone was reminded of the rookie season Kiko Alonso had last year.

“Now I know that’s saying big, but when Preston first came out on the field he was doing that,” said Marrone.  “Running around, making plays like Kiko was. That was my initial impression. My first impression was, ‘Wow.’ Having played against him for a couple of years in college, I knew a lot about him and I thought he moved a lot better in person here than I did when I was coaching against him.”

The biggest issue for the Bills this Sunday will be the large receivers quarterback Jay Culter will have at his disposal in Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, and Martellus Bennett. Marrone didn’t say what the team’s plan was, but addressed what ways a defense can do to handle “the matchup problem”.

“I think there’s a couple different things you can do,” said Marrone. “You’ve got to be careful with speed because they’re long striders and if you think that they’re not running fast, and people will say that they’re not, but they are. We’ve got to be very careful about that. We’ll look to do a couple different things and see what’s working.”

Whether the Bills’ tweaks and strategies for this week will work remains to be seen until Sunday. Buffalo’s defense will need something to work to limit the effectiveness of the Bears’ passing game. Also, a special teams score from either Spiller or Goodwin in the kick return game could make a big difference as well.

Injury notes:

• Linebacker Brandon Spikes was limited in practice with a knee, although he fully participated in team drills and not in individual. Safety Jonathan Meeks also was limited in practice with a neck injury. Lee Smith did not participate with a toe injury. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore (groin), linebacker Randell Johnson (ankle), and receiver Sammy Watkins (ribs) were full participants in practice.