Parrish & schedule
Roscoe Parrish is out four to six weeks with ligament damage to his right thumb, suffered in Sunday's win over the Oakland Raiders. This is a blow to the Bills' attack. However, an oddity in the NFL schedule this year could make the timing of the injury a bit less harmful to the Bills. Buffalo does not play any AFC East games until Week Eight of the season. The Bills meet Miami on the road on Oct. 26. If Parrish is out only four weeks, he would be back for that game. If he's out six weeks, he would be back for the Bills' ninth game of the season, at New England on Nov. 9. That would mean he would miss two division games but be back for the final four AFC East contests. Parrish is a gamer. He played with a cast on his hand for the last nine games of the 2005 season, after breaking his wrist in preseason. Look for Leodis McKelvin to handle a lot of the punt-return duties in Parrish' absence. If the opponents are punting from good field position deep into Bills territory, the Bills may use Fred Jackson or Josh Reed, more experienced return men, in those situations.
---Mark Gaughan
