DETROIT – The Detroit Lions were hoping Matthew Stafford would have a brief and productive tuneup for the regular season.

The Detroit Lions were hoping Matthew Stafford would have a brief and productive tuneup for the regular season. He didn't. Stafford's second pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown and he didn't lead Detroit to points on his second and last drive. But, third-stringer Drew Stanton threw a pair of second-half touchdown passes to lift the Lions to a 28-23 win over the Buffalo…

Settle on a starting quarterback. Nurse an offensive line together. Learn the 3-4 defensive scheme.

When it comes to what transpired in Bills training camp and the prospects for the 2010 season, two out of three ain’t bad.

Coach Chan Gailey and his staff bit off a lot to chew when they inherited a roster physically beaten up by injuries and mentally beaten up by finishing with a 6-10 record. Buffalo is riding a franchise-record 10-year playoff drought.

With minimal activity in free agency and the drafting of a running back first overall rather than a quarterback, Buffalo is banking on Gailey’s offensive creativity and a shift to the in-vogue 3-4 on defense to make it competitive again in the rugged AFC East.

Gailey promised a competition for the starting QB…

On Thursday night at 6:30 P.M EST, the Buffalo Bills will take on the Detroit Lions in their fourth and final matchup of the preseason. The Bills are coming off of two very impressive and inspiring victories over playoff caliber opponents in the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bills have put up over 30 points in consecutive games, leaving much to be excited about.

While it isn’t clear exactly how long the Bills starters will play, it will be exciting to watch the reserves battle for the final roster spots.

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Matt Leinart, really?

ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted this morning that the Bills, Raiders and Giants are three teams that have discussed trading for Cardinals QB Matt Leinart. 

In my 20+ years of following the Buffalo Bills, I’ve seen some idiotic decisions, but at this juncture Buffalo couldn’t make a more foolish one. 

Any quarterback brought in this late in the preseason would have difficulty learning a new system, even one that’s apparently simplistic like Chan Gailey’s. 

This shocking report comes four days after Trent Edward’s second sharp preseason effort, games in which he led multiple touchdown drives against supposed playoff-caliber opponents. 

The last time I checked, Matt Leinart was struggling mightily in Arizona, and was supplanted by the inconsistent Derek Anderson. 

Leinart’s definitely got talent – it was on full display in college, but he’s in his fifth year in the league now, and when he’s been pushed into the bright lights of a starting NFL job, he’s buckled under pressure. 

I know his biggest issues have come this preseason, but nothing from any regular season game in the past makes me believe he’s ready to be a viable NFL starter. 

We can’t jump the gun on what happens in the exhibition games, and I’m not marking Trent Edwards down for the Pro Bowl, but right now, these quarterbacks seem to be moving in entirely different directions. 

The move would probably require a draft pick, and the acquisition of the agitated, inaccurate and mostly inexperienced Matt Leinart would not help the Buffalo Bills whatsoever. 

His contract would be a problem, also. Leinart is due $2.49 million in base salary in 2010 and he’s scheduled to make $7.36 million next year that includes a $5.5 million roster bonus on the first day of the next NFL season (via buffalorumblings.com) – NO Thank you. 

Buffalo has been labeled by many as the club with the worst quarterback situation, but I like what I’m seeing from Edwards and the Bills certainly don’t need to complicate things any further. 

I thought we were done with the California QBs? At least Edwards has been through the rigors of playing quarterback in Buffalo.

You think Leinart, who I’d call a prima donna, someone who hasn’t felt weather colder than 70 degrees in his life, will some day be a capable signal caller in the Queen City. No way. 

Say it ain’t so. 

Read more Buffalo Bills news on BleacherReport.com

The history of the Buffalo Bills can be traced far back into the years of the AFL.

Did you know that the first football team in Buffalo was the Buffalo Bisons?

Trivia is always a fun way to learn facts about your favorite team.

See how many you get right and post the number. Let us fans know how well you know Buffalo Bills trivia.

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Buffalo's running back corps is getting healthier with Marshawn Lynch set to play in the Bills' preseason finale against the Detroit Lions on Thursday. Coach Chan Gailey said Lynch looked good in returning to practice Tuesday for the first time since hurting his ankle in a loss to Washington.

The Buffalo Bills suffered a serious blow in their first preseason matchup against the Washington Redskins, when the team’s leading rusher of the 2009 season, Fred Jackson suffered a broken bone in his left hand, and former first-round selection Marshawn Lynch suffered a high ankle sprain.

The Bills entered the 2010 season with arguably the most loaded backfield in the entire National Football League, and the injuries to two starting-caliber running backs were expected to set them back, despite the emergence of the No. 9 overall draft pick, C.J. Spiller.

Jackson’s hand injury was expected to sideline him into the beginning of the season, however he was seen performing drills in practice this afternoon, while wearing a large cast.

On the injury, Jackson told BuffaloBills.com that he “drank a lot of milk,” but more importantly, that he wouldn’t attempt to carry a ball yet, as the injury isn’t fully healed.

Lynch on the other hand, was seen running conditioning drills at full speed, according to Coach Chan Gailey, who stated to BuffaloBills.com, “He did running afterwards and kept up with everybody else, which is important, but we’ll know a lot more [today] when we have a real practice.”

The Bills face off against the Detroit Lions this week for the last preseason game, and Lynch is expected to play, which will be a great addition to a group that has contributed over 120 yards on the ground against the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals in consecutive weeks.

What This Means For The Bills

Lynch’s return allows Coach Gailey to utilize the multiple-back sets that he has commented on throughout the off season. The Bills are very deep at the running back position, and we saw certain packages with both C.J. Spiller and Marshawn Lynch on the field at the same time against the Washington Redskins.

Having Lynch back gives more options for the Buffalo offense, who will try to make the best use out of the weapons at their disposal, due to the lack of quality depth at the wide receiver positions.

Fred Jackson’s return to practice is a good sign, and he even took the first rep with the first team offense, but it is important that he returns to full health before taking the field, as the team can’t afford to sustain another injury to a key member of the squad.

Read more Buffalo Bills news on BleacherReport.com

Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch is expected to return from an ankle injury and play in this…

Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch is expected to return from an ankle injury and play in this…