ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the Buffalo Bills' 22-10 loss to the San Diego Chargers:
One of the game's more curious decisions was the Bills' choice to start Leodis McKelvin and Stephon Gilmore -- and not Corey Graham -- at cornerback. Graham, who has arguably been the Bills' best cornerback this season, emphasized in the locker room that he "hasn't earned anything" but admitted, "I'll be standing here lying if I said I didn't want to start." Coach Doug Marrone said the Bills "rotate guys in" at cornerback, and that led to Graham starting the game on the bench. McKelvin, who allowed a 49-yard Malcom Floyd catch and committed a 31-yard defensive pass interference penalty, wasn't in the locker room by the time reporters entered.
Wide receiver Sammy Watkins was blunt when speaking about the offense's struggles. "We sucked on third downs," Watkins said. While third downs were a problem, the Bills (43 percent) actually fared better than the Chargers (38 percent) and performed better than their average through their first two games (33.3 percent).
The Bills exited Sunday's game with three official injuries: left guard Chris Williams (back), wide receiver Marcus Easley (knee) and safety Da'Norris Searcy (ankle). Not on that list was cornerback Nickell Robey, who was replaced by Ron Brooks later in the game. Brooks called the move a coach's decision and said Robey's health was fine.
