Bills S Vincent out for season, hurt LB Spikes misses practice

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) _ The Buffalo Bills placed veteran free safety Troy Vincent on injured reserve with a hamstring injury Wednesday, ending his season. <br/><br/>Linebacker Takeo Spikes missed practice

Wednesday, September 13th 2006, 1:28 pm

By: News On 6

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) _ The Buffalo Bills placed veteran free safety Troy Vincent on injured reserve with a hamstring injury Wednesday, ending his season.

Linebacker Takeo Spikes missed practice because of a hamstring injury.

Spikes and Vincent were both hurt in the first quarter of Buffalo's season-opening 19-17 loss at New England on Sunday.

The 35-year-old Vincent, a 15-year NFL veteran, aggravated a left hamstring pull that he had in training camp. He confirmed the injury will end his season but no other details were immediately available.

Spikes referred to his injury as a ``mild'' pull of the right hamstring, but it's uncertain whether the Bills would want the two-time Pro Bowler to test his leg and risk aggravating it further in Sunday's game at Miami.

Spikes, who forced a Tom Brady fumble that was returned for a Buffalo touchdown on the game's first play from scrimmage, was hurt during the second series. Spikes was playing his first regular-season game since tearing his right Achilles' tendon in Week 3 of last season.

Vincent was also hurt during the second series, feeling a twinge after tackling running back Laurence Maroney. Vincent, who is president of the NFL Players Association, had been looking forward to playing this weekend, which would have marked his 200th career game and come against his former team, the team that selected him in the first round of the 1992 draft.

Rookie fourth-round pick Ko Simpson, who registered seven tackles filling in for Vincent against the Patriots, will likely get his first career start.

If Spikes is out, Angelo Crowell would switch from the weak to the strong side. Josh Stamer and rookie Keith Ellison would then split duties on the weak side.