Two Bills Drive

'"You know what, I wasn't here technically when he was picked," Beane said. "I did follow him. We thought well of him scouting him in Carolina. When I got here, he is better than I expected. The one thing you try to investigate and we only did so much research there, so I didn't know all the intangibles. This guy has the moxie, the pocket presence, the leadership. You see him talk to veteran players, young players, guys of different ranks. Everything. He seems to be natural. They seem to attract. That's what you're looking for in leaders and we know how important the quarterback position is and he's got a lot of that." '

'Williams spent last season with the Miami Dolphins but is currently a free agent. He signed a free-agent contract with the Bills in 2012. The contract was a six-year deal that could have been worth up to $100 million and it carried with it $50 million in guaranteed salary. Williams spent only four seasons with the Bills but had 43 sacks in that span.'

'Cordy’s back: After an injury caused him to receive a shot in his foot and plenty of rest, left tackle Cordy Glenn saw playing time against the Lions for the first time this preseason. Glenn played the first two series of the game, which is when some of the offensive starters played. However, most did not. Nathan Peterman (9-for-11, 81 yards) played those first two series before Keith Wenning (5-for-15, 41 yards) took over for the rest of the game. Back to Glenn, a good sign for him.'

'Sorry Keith. Wenning isn’t a surprise, but what will be a surprise over the next week-and-a-half is the injury status of Taylor. Rookie Nathan Peterman will start opening day against the Jets if Taylor does not fully recover from a concussion. The biggest storyline during the week ahead.'

'"I was proud of the way he handled the offense tonight and the game, and the situations he was in," McDermott said. "It's important that we bring him along and do the right things."'

'Journeyman Keith Wenning was 5 of 15 passing for 41 yards for Buffalo. Before Wenning was signed Monday, Peterman was the Bills' only healthy quarterback, with starter Tyrod Taylor and backup T.J. Yates in concussion protocol. Through the first three preseason games, Peterman completed 50 percent of his passes for 372 yards.'

'Thursday was a night where many of the Bills' depth players were looking to make a name for themselves before Saturday's league-wide roster cuts. The Bills' roster currently sits at 83 players, and will need to be trimmed down to 53-players by Saturday at 4 p.m.'

'The rookie has looked decent this preseason. But he looked really good Thursday night. Peterman went 9-for-11 for 81 yards, but once again showed plenty of poise and very good decision making. He also ran a couple times, using his feet and athleticism wisely. The only poor throw he made was one that went slightly behind TE Nick O'Leary in the red zone. Otherwise, Peterman made some very good, NFL throws. Head Coach Sean McDermott reiterated in the locker room after the game that Tyrod Taylor is still the team’s starting signal-caller. But if for some reason he could not play week one against the Jets, Peterman at least showed he's capable of running an offense and giving it a chance to compete. Heck, he even used the hard count right, drawing the Lions offsides twice.'

'Joe Banyard was busy once Williams left the game, finishing the night with 68 yards on 14 attempts. Banyard added a one-yard touchdown in the third quarter.'

'With Jordan Matthews looking like he’s nearing a return to action, the Bills have enough room to keep six on this roster. And with that final spot, I think it came down to Brandon Reilly against Daikiel Shorts and Philly Brown.'

'Long story short, Dareus better buy in, because if he doesn’t, the Bills’ current decision makers do not appear to be the type to bluff.'

'Game-goers should also be aware that Big Tree Road will have eastbound traffic starting at 10 p.m. from Fieldhouse Drive to Route 219.'

'Reserve offensive tackle Michael Ola suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter and did not return. Defensive tackle Jerel Worthy left at the end of the first quarter after going helmet-to-helmet with a teammate as he went for a tackle. He left the game and was being evaluated for head injury.'

'Despite the fact that most of the defensive starters were sitting, Buffalo held Detroit’s offense to 93 total net yards in the first half. They also forced a pair of turnovers, which were converted into 10 points by the offense.'

'Glenn did not go the entire first series. He went seven plays and then came off before the offensive unit finished with a field goal on the drive. He returned for offense’s second possession before his night was over.'