Posluszny hopes to return against Jets
Veteran LB Draft signed as backup
By Jay Skurski
News Sports Reporter
Updated: October 14, 2009, 8:24 AM / 4 comments
Help is on the way for the Buffalo Bills' beleaguered linebackers.
The team added veteran free agent Chris Draft on Tuesday, and might be on the verge of getting one of their own back.
A source within the team told The Buffalo News that linebacker Paul Posluszny has told teammates he hopes to play Sunday when the Bills visit the New York Jets. Posluszny, who has missed the past four games with a broken arm suffered in the season opener at New England, was originally expected to miss six weeks with the injury.
Posluszny was in the locker room Monday for a brief time while reporters were allowed access, but declined an interview request.
Posluszny had surgery to repair a broken bone in his left arm, the same injury he suffered two seasons ago, also in New England. He said the week after surgery that he was confident the procedure addressed the problem so that the risk of the same injury would be reduced.
"The surgery went well, they did a great job with that and I should be good to go from here on out so I shouldn't have to worry about this happening again," he said.
Posluszny still needs clearance from the team's medical staff to play. If he were to return this week, it would be a huge boost for a Bills' run defense that has been decimated by injuries and has dropped to 29th in the league, giving up an average of 154.6 yards per game. Both Kawika Mitchell and Marcus Buggs were lost for the season to knee injuries in Sunday's loss to the Cleveland Browns. Mitchell was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
Mitchell was making his first start at middle linebacker for the Bills after Buggs, who had replaced Posluszny, proved ineffective.
Draft, 33, has played for five other teams during his 11-year career. The former 1998 sixth-round draft pick by Chicago has started 85 career games, including eight in St. Louis last season, and has experience playing outside and in the middle.
His most productive season was 2003, when he had a career-best 124 tackles (103 solo) while starting every game for the Atlanta Falcons. He had a second 100-tackle season with Carolina in 2006.
If Posluszny isn't able to take the field this week, the job would likely fall to Keith Ellison, who finished the Browns game at middle after sliding over from the strong side.
"If it happens I'm ready to play wherever they need me on the field," Ellison said. "Whatever they need from me to help this defense, help this team win, I'm open to do it."
Ellison has seen snaps at middle linebacker in training camp, but that wasn't the case last week.
"Keith hadn't taken a rep at mike [middle linebacker] the whole week, but I think he did a tremendous job coming in," said rookie Ashlee Palmer, who made his first start at weak-side linebacker against Cleveland. "I believe Keith knows the defense in and out."
Ellison, a fourth-year veteran, is third in the NFL with 49 tackles, according to the stats kept by the league. He has not, however, recorded a lot of big plays in his career, with just two interceptions and two sacks.
And at 6-foot and 229 pounds, he's also not the ideal size to be in the middle, but the Bills are at the end of the depth chart.
"With the injuries it's kind of hit us pretty hard, but it's not something we can think about," Ellison said. "We can't use that as an excuse."
. . .
The Bills also added safety Todd Johnson to the 53-man roster Tuesday. Johnson, 30, reunites with coach **** Jauron, who drafted the free safety in the fourth round in 2003, Jauron's final year as coach of the Chicago Bears. Johnson started 18 of 42 game appearances in four years with the Bears. He spent the last two years in St. Louis, appearing in 30 games with four starts.
