Battle for Bills’ back-up QB heating up

PITTSFORD — Heading into training camp, Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey decided to let the play of Vince Young and Tyler Thigpen make the call of who would be the team’s number two quarterback.

But, if there is indeed a battle, nobody told Young.

“I’m not really looking at it as a battle right now,” said Young. “I’m not trying to beat (Thigpen), I’m just doing what I have to do to try and get better.”

Thigpen’s attitude is a little different.

“Obviously, there is a competition right now between me and Vince,” said Thigpen. “I think Vince and I understand the way the business works and every year they are going to bring somebody in to compete with you. At the end of the day, I have to worry about myself. If you are out there worrying about somebody else, you aren’t working on the task at hand.”

The job of back-up quarterback is indeed a coveted one, especially given the fact that there wasn’t a suitable enough No. 2 when Fitzpatrick cracked his ribs during the week seven game against the Redskins.

Instead of putting in someone else and let his starter heal, Gailey decided that an injured Fitzpatrick gave the Bills a better chance to win than the healthy number two, who, at the time, was Thigpen.

“I’m trying to get better each and every day,” said Thigpen. “If I can get myself better, it’s helping this team out.”

Given that Young was brought in to compete with Thigpen, and that Thigpen barely saw the field last season, it appears as though the job is Young’s to lose. But for now, Young doesn’t see his role that way.

“I’m just doing what I am doing now,” said Young. “Just working and getting better. What else can I do?”

That’s exactly what Young should be doing after the play of the last week and a half of camp by the second team offense.

Last Wednesday, Gailey was direct in talking with reporters about how he felt about the Young/Thigpen-led two’s.

“(Their play) is a concern,” he said. “And it’s not just Tyler. He and Vince both are having some trouble. The two’s in general are not performing well offensively. The one’s are doing fine, but the two’s are struggling.”

Thigpen echoed his coaches sentiment.

“I’ll tell you what, starting off we were a little rusty,” said Thigpen. “But now that we are two weeks into camp, we are on the same page and we know what to expect when we see certain coverages.”

Gailey agreed.

“The installation has gone slower the last couple of days, so we got to repeat some things. When you repeat them, they will look sharper and crisper on their reads. It’s paid dividends. They are seeing things and doing some things with the football that is better than those first few days, that’s for sure.”

Young and Thigpen are each working hard to make sure that second-team offense is running smoothly. Said the 6-5, 232 pound Young: “I am just trying to get the guys in there and making sure I am making the right reads.”

“It’s those little things we have to do,” said Thigpen. “Watch film, communicate, understand the plays we have going in.”

The second-team offense’s first test will be on Thursday when the Bills host the Redskins in their first pre-season game.

“It’s going to be a little different when we go against Washington because it’s a different defense,” said Thigpen. “We have to understand everything and that way we can understand what we expect them to do and what they expect us to do.”