Bills Lose Preseason Opener at Chicago

I've never been a fan of preseason football games.  You get to see each team's projected starters for a short time and they're replaced by rookies or free agents trying to make the team.  That's what preseason is all about - giving players a look to see how they play in game situations.  There's only so much you can determine during training camp.  Sometimes a player really raises eyebrows by his performance in preseason games.The Bills now have plenty of tape of players after their preseason opener in Chicago.  The Bills opened the scoring with a 44-yard Rian Lindell field goal, but the Bears rallied back for a 10 to 3 win.

The bright spot was the Bills' defense, especially their projected starters.  They were tough against the run and pretty much shut down the Bears' offense in the early going.  The Bills also finished with 9 sacks - an area they desperately need to improve on this season.  Linebackers Shawn Merriman and Danny Batten both finished with a pair of sacks.  Bills' top draft pick Marcell Dareus showed he'll be a force to deal with.  He finished with a sack and forced another and often was double-teamed by the Bears offensive line.

The Bills play their next preseason game next Saturday night again on the road at Denver.