‘Allen and the starters will see their most extensive playing time of the preseason against a Detroit starting defense that ranked 10th overall last season, including eighth against the pass.’
BillsBeat - August 22, 2019
Bills at Lions: 5 things to look for in critical third preseason game
‘How the Bills will use LeSean McCoy, 31, and Frank Gore, 36, will come better into focus after this game. The Golden Boys had six combined carries for 13 yards against the Colts and Panthers. Rookie Devin Singletary is the starter in waiting, leaving Marcus Murphy, T.J. Yeldon, Senorise Perry and free-agent sensation and everybody’s favorite former rugby player Christian Wade battling for one spot. Perry is nursing a tender ankle.’
Josh Allen, Zay Jones, 8 more Buffalo Bills to watch vs. Lions
‘No one is asking Allen to complete 82 percent of his passes on Friday night like he did one week ago–especially if he is playing an entire half of football or more–but all eyes will be on the quarterback to see if he can get into a rhythm with the offense, move the ball and put up points during his time on the field.’
Bills Rookie Oliver Boosted By Kyle Williams' Crash Course
‘”A guy who played 13 years, the knowledge fresh on his mind? He was able to help me out a lot,” the first-round pick out of Houston said, referring to Williams’ visit three weeks ago. “I gained that much more in a couple of days than I had in probably months sometimes in college.”‘
NFL 2019: Belief In Buffalo Is Bills Closer To Contending
‘”We didn’t want to build it to make a playoff,” Beane said, referring to the Bills sneaking into the postseason in 2017 and only after all the tiebreakers fell Buffalo’s way. “We’re trying to build something so that we’re contending every year.”‘
Bills Preview Capsule
‘Nine wins aren’t out of question for retooled team that has added depth throughout lineup, including mostly revamped offense to spur Allen’s development entering second season. Much depends on how quickly many new pieces on offense begin to jell, and Allen carrying over progress he showed in winning three of final six last year.’
Anderson reflects on his time with Bills, mentoring Allen
‘“My job was to help him get ready. To prepare him week-in and week-out,” Anderson explained. “We aren’t just going to run plays at practice and go home. We are here to work,” he said to me as if he was back talking to Allen himself on a Wednesday morning getting ready for a game.”‘
Bills need to follow the trend around the NFL
‘Even if you take into account the backups/depth guys there still aren’t many decisions to be made on defense. We are probably talking about the last guy on the depth chart at defensive end, linebacker and cornerback and perhaps the fourth safety. The starting defense has looked good in the first two games although they did not face a starting quarterback. They might not against the Lions either since there is no definitive word as to whether or not Matthew Stafford will play. He has been held out of Detroit’s first two pre season games.’
Zay Jones Embraces New Role
‘“Zay is one of the hardest working guys on the team,” said quarterback Josh Allen. “He goes out there and does his job and doesn’t say anything or complain about anything. He just puts his hard hat on and goes to work. His role and leadership ability is very big for our offense. That’s only going to continue to get better as well.”’
4 Storylines to Watch: Bills vs. Lions Preseason Game 3
‘Can Duke do it again? I don’t believe any players stock went up more than Duke Williams’ following the second preseason game. The Bills wide receiver entered that game as an after thought in the position battle but that’s all changed. The Bills are still trying to sort out the final roster spot or two at wide receiver. Duke has great size (unlike his fellow WRs) and if he shows up big again the final spot could belong to him.’
Special teams can swing roster battle
‘Lorenzo Alexander made a living as a special teamer for a decade. In a league where everyone was a star in college, he sometimes reminds younger teammates to appreciate any chance they get to stay.’
Josh Allen and the offense find increased value in live game reps this preseason
‘“Well, we put points on the board, obviously we’d like to end that first drive with six points and not three,” Allen said. “That day we took what they gave us, that was what we were trying to work on and we’re trying to improve on that every day.”’
Three years in, Frazier enthused by Bills’ defense
‘“It makes a big difference compared to almost three years ago when we got together for the first time. To sit down and talk to the guys and introduce what we’re doing (to) and now they can actually stand up in front of the room and talk about some of the things that we do, what our philosophy is and how we want to do things. It’s like night and day and you can see it in how fast they’re playing at this point. Just a year ago, with Tremaine (Edmunds, middle linebacker), his growth and maturity has helped our defense to be able to play faster, because now you can introduce things without having to say, ‘OK we have to slow it down, we have a rookie middle linebacker, we have to go baby steps.’”’
Bills' Corey Bojorquez will get shot to make punting impression in Detroit
‘His competition for the punting job, Cory Carter, is out of the game due to a sore knee.’
Mitch Morse will not play for Bills Friday against Detroit
‘If Morse gets cleared for full contact, he could suit up in the exhibition finale against Minnesota Aug. 29. But most NFL teams sit most of their starters in the last preseason game. It’s hard to imagine him making any more than a cameo appearance against the Vikings.’
Buffalo Bills’ Mitch Morse progressing in concussion protocol but won’t play Friday vs. Detroit
‘Bills fans have been clamoring for Morse’s return to the field after general manager Brandon Beane signed him to a four-year, $44.5 million deal in free agency to make him the highest-paid center in the league. But the 27-year-old has remained in the protocol the past few weeks with no real signs of returning until Tuesday’s practice when he was in full pads.’
Buffalo Bills adding Callie Brownson as intern to coaching staff for 2019
‘In Buffalo, she follows Kathryn Smith and Phoebe Schecter. Smith made history in 2016 as the first woman to hold a full-time coaching position in the NFL when she worked as Rex Ryan’s special teams quality control coach. Smith was not retained by McDermott when Ryan was fired.’
Buffalo Bills think unselfishness of Zay Jones could have impact in win column
‘“I knew that I could do it and I knew I was capable of doing it. I think that’s a key of winning games – to be unselfish,” Jones said. “You gotta try to put your team first – whatever it takes to win (at) whatever position it is. It may be a little bit uncomfortable for you at first but you go do it with a good attitude and then you get good results off of it.”’
As the Legend of Christian Wade grows, Buffalo Bills RB urges patience
‘“You gotta think about it,” said Bills teammate Frank Gore, who is the NFL’s fourth All-Time leading rusher. “It’s his first time playing football. I’ve been playing football since I was 4 years old. I learned the game in Pop Warner and he’s learning it in the NFL, you can’t go no higher than this.”’
4 reasons Buffalo Bills should sign punter Ryan Allen
‘Cory Carter and Corey Bojorquez have been in a competition throughout the spring and summer, but neither has been able to create separation in the competition. For every booming punt, there seems to be two or three inconsistent kicks.’
Buffalo Bills player among PFF’s top-10 offensive rookies midway through preseason
‘In the draft, Buffalo added four players. Offensive lineman Cody Ford was the first offensive player selected by the Bills in Round 2. Buffalo added two offensive players, running back Devin Singletary and tight end Dawson Knox in the third round of the draft. The Bills also spent their final pick of the draft on tight end Tommy Sweeney. Knox has missed Buffalo’s first two games of the preseason with a hamstring injury, but could play as early as this Friday against the Detroit Lions. Every other rookie above has played in in Buffalo’s first two preseason games, but none of them cracked the list.’
Bills Hire Callie Brownson as Intern to Coaching Staff for 2019 NFL Season
‘A native of Alexandria, Va., Brownson got her first coaching job at Mount Vernon High after playing at safety and running back for the D.C. Divas of the Women’s Football Alliance. She was hired as a scouting intern for the New York Jets in 2017 before joining Dartmouth as one of two training camp interns hired by coach Buddy Teevens in 2018.’
Sweeney feeling comfortable in rookie year with the Bills
‘Sweeney has made quite the impression with Bills players, coaching staff, and fans thus far. He first got on Bills fans’ radar when he made a great catch during this year’s “The Return of the Blue and Red” practice in front of thousands of Bills fans at New Era Field.’
Bills' McDermott isn't willing to discuss playing time for Friday's game
‘LeSean McCoy didn’t play in the first preseason game while Frank Gore sat out the second. McDermott said both will play in the third, “Both will get more work than they’ve gotten before, but we’ll continue to talk about the plan all the way up to game time.”’
Bills Fine-Tuning Little Things Ahead of 3rd Preseason Game
‘“For me it’s just all about technique, the basics, the fundamentals, your eyes because the game speed picks up,” said linebacker Lorenzo Alexander. “I’m just making sure I’m seeing what I’m supposed to see as far as my keys, and reacting appropriately. The biggest thing is just staying healthy. Really those two or three things, if I can take those into week one of the season, I’ll be happy about it.”’
Bills add female coaching intern for 2nd straight year
‘Callie Brownson was added to the staff on Wednesday. She was working in a quality control capacity with the special teams during the portion of practice open to the media.’
Tommy Sweeney “hasn’t blinked” after getting 1st team opportunity with Bills
‘“First thing is he hasn’t blinked,” said offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. “We’ve thrown him in there with the one’s and two’s, and when we first started he was with the three’s. He understands football.”’
Quinton Spain aims to solidify his spot along the offensive line
‘“Wherever he [Johnson] puts me I just go,” Spain said. “I’ve been working at left [guard] but you never know what it will be at the next day. I just have to take it a day at a time.”’
Quick Hits: Mitch Morse and four others ruled out for Friday
‘McDermott also announced that four other players, Tyler Kroft, Cam Lewis, Cory Carter, De’Ondre Wesley, will not practice Wednesday and will not play in Friday’s game as well.’
Bills Today: Sean McDermott sees advantage to different offensive line combinations
‘With Morse back in the lineup it’s anticipated that it will kick Jon Feliciano back to the guard position, where he has also lined up this offseason. The right side of the offensive line will be up for grabs between Feliciano, Cody Ford and Ty Nsekhe. Spencer Long has also been rotated in at the right guard spot.’
BillsBeat - August 21, 2019
Bills' Ed Oliver letting his guard down, finding trust with his teammates
‘“He’s becoming more open to talking with his teammates and integrating with his teammates,” Frazier said Tuesday. “There was a period where a wall was kind of up. Your teammates, they can really help you, if you allow them – especially the veteran guys. He had his guard up for a while, and you can see that guard coming down now. He’s listening to those (teammates), along with his coaches.”’
Above all, Bills' Andre Roberts 'really smart' on returns
‘”He is the smartest returner I’ve ever been around.”‘
Buffalo Bills sign OL: 4 things to know about Erik Magnuson
‘The Bills love versatile players. In his career at Michigan, Magnuson played both guard and tackle. In his two seasons in the NFL, Maguson has seen playing time at both tackle spots.’
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen thinks rookie TE Tommy Sweeney is ‘a special talent’
‘“He’s a special talent, he really is,” Allen said Monday after the team’s practice at the ADPRO Sports Training Center. “He is one of those rookie guys who maybe not a lot of people knew before our first couple of games. He’s a smart kid, he does his job, and is very physical at the point of attack as well.”’
Buffalo Bills’ Sean McDermott most likely to get fired after disastrous season, says ESPN+
‘A four-win season would mean two consecutive years of steady decline for the Bills after their first playoff appearance in nearly a generation in 2017, which was McDermott’s first season in charge. Young quarterbacks are expected to make a significant jump in their second full season, so if the Bills’ offense stumbles in 2019, much of the blame probably will be laid at the feet of the coaching staff, not second-year quarterback Josh Allen.’
Bills' Morse OK'd To Practice While In Concussion Protocol
‘Morse no longer wore a red non-contact jersey when taking part in practice Tuesday, a little over three weeks after he was diagnosed with a concussion. It’s unclear how and when he was injured.’
With Josh Allen, the Bills are using the blueprint that turned Cam Newton into the NFL MVP
‘”How he processes the game, how we went from a mobile quarterback to a quarterback who runs when necessary – I’m obviously going through that transition, so there are lot of lessons from early in his career.”‘
Morse, McDermott out of red non-contact jerseys
‘While center Mitch Morse and tackle Conor McDermott are still officially in the concussion protocol, both were back on the field Tuesday and both in white jerseys like the rest of their offensive teammates. Up until now, both linemen had been wearing red non-contact jerseys.’
Ed Oliver acclimating to team culture
‘“It’s like a family,” said Phillips. “You really care about the people and want to do right for the people here, coaches and players.”’
Bills sign offensive lineman Erik Magnuson
‘The 25-year old was originally signed by the 49ers as an undrafted rookie in 2017 and has appeared in eight career games over his first two NFL seasons (2017-2018). Magnuson played his college football at Michigan.’