Tarvaris, Tyler And The Turk

Tarvaris Jackson’s first pass in a Buffalo uniform, thrown with the Bills facing fourth-and-3 and 31 yards away from the go-ahead touchdown, was intercepted.

What figures to be Tyler Thigpen’s final pass in a Buffalo uniform, thrown with the Bills 24 yards away from the go-ahead touchdown, was also intercepted.

So one of the few conclusions that can be drawn from Thursday's 38-32 loss to Detroit in the exhibition finale: The Bills are perfectly capable of losing with either guy.

Meanwhile, Ryan Fitzpatrick – the only quarterback on Buffalo’s roster who matters much once the real season starts in nine days – had his sharpest outing of the practice schedule. Fitzpatrick connected on all five of his throws, capping his lone series with a nice fade to Stevie Johnson for a 4-yard touchdown.

Of course, the drive came against a Lions defense playing without half its likely starters. And the Bills promptly gave up 28 points before the first quarter ended. That Lions surge, as well as Buffalo’s subsequent comeback to briefly retake the lead in the fourth quarter, came with neither team fielding any of their likely starters.

And it was the exhibition finale, perhaps the most meaningless exercise for which fans are forced to pay in professional sports.

So I may have said too much already about all that.

Of slightly more importance is tonight’s final roster cut-down, when at least 22 aspiring NFL players will have their dreams dashed, or at least delayed. Tim Graham of the Buffalo News has an excellent look at the unfortunate soul tasked with breaking the news, known in training-camp lore as “The Turk.”

"That's the last thing they want to do, fill out all that paperwork after their dreams were just shattered," the unnamed Turk said. "Then the absolute worst part is driving them to the airport afterward. What do you say to them? His career just ended."