Aug. 24, 2008

 CB Jabari Greer saw the writing on the wall when the Bills grabbed CB Leodis McKelvin in the first round. But he’s done an admirable job of erasing the message (“back to the bench”) with his scrappy play through the preseason. Sources say McKelvin’s superior athleticism is mitigated by his slow absorption of the defensive playbook, and that the Bills feel more comfortable right now with Greer holding down the fort.

 Given the high-flying tendencies of the Patriots’ passing attack, it would seem as though running backs would be deemed expendable. Yet word out of Foxborough is that five backs — Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, LaMont Jordan, Kevin Faulk and Heath Evans — could end up making the roster. If one is to get cut, it’s likely to be either Jordan or Morris, who play very similar roles.

 For as much hype as Dolphins rookie OLT Jake Long has generated, sixth-round OG Donald Thomas has been awfully impressive in his own right. Thus far, Thomas has easily represented to be the best value among the Dolphins’ rookie class. He’s already locked down the starting ORG job.

 Word out of New York is that lightly regarded WR David Clowney was mounting a strong case to be the Jets’ No. 3 receiver before suffering a broken collarbone, which will keep him sidelined upward of two months. With such a long time on the fritz, the preseason revelation is no certainty to make the final cuts.