Two Bills Drive

‘The talent was evident. When he was awake, no one could catch him. But McKenzie always struggled to concentrate in the classroom. And when he sat still, he’d often slip into a deep sleep at inappropriate times. Now McKenzie is standing at his locker at the Buffalo Bills’ practice facility, recently claimed off waivers, surrounded by microphones and cameras and, he says later, fighting a powerful urge to zone out.’

‘The release of Kelvin Benjamin this week opens up more opportunity for the likes of Robert Foster, Ray-Ray McCloud and Isaiah McKenzie – provided he can play despite a toe injury. Last week, Zay Jones became the first Bills receiver to catch two touchdown passes in one game. He’ll dominate the snap count, but it will be who emerges behind him that’s worth tracking.’

‘Todd Bowles is a dead man walking. The Jets are expected to fire him after this season.’

‘The Jets rushed six, and the middle linebacker came up the A gap, past the center (a favored Jets tactic). The Titans blocked with only five. The Titans’ outside receiver, Cameron Batson, didn’t rub tightly enough against his teammate in running the short slant, which allowed Johnson to get inside position.’

‘I’ll say this for recent free agents who have signed with the Bills – they seem to genuinely love playing here. Maybe that’s just something they say in the media, but when I hear players like Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer gush about playing in Buffalo, they strike me as genuine. The same goes for drafted players. Just look at the comments from Josh Allen and Tre’Davious White, to name a couple.’

‘The Bills have 24 players on their roster age 25 or younger. Here’s a look at them, in my order of the most important going forward.’

‘I got mesmerized by the Buffalo Bills at probably 6 years old. I definitely remember that 1964 (AFL) championship game. I remember the bottle caps on the sodas with the name, number and caricature of a Bills player inside of each bottle cap. I can remember playing football in the streets before I was even allowed to be in the streets. My love affair with football, with the Buffalo Bills, is over five decades old.’

‘McDermott won an overturn the first time he threw his red flag onto the field, way back in a Week 3 game against Denver in the 2017 season. Since then he has lost nine straight challenges.’

‘The Jets’ defense, which had a terrible time in the teams’ previous matchup on Nov. 11 when Matt Barkley started while Allen was out with a sore elbow, is likely to have major issues trying to handle the rookie’s multidimensional talent.’

‘”I’ve made lifelong friendships out here,” said Birner, who spent 30 years working at the West Seneca Developmental Center and was a ticket-taker at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium working Sabres and Braves games. “I gave up (working Sabres and Braves games), but it’s tough to give up the Bills. You’re still a fan.”‘

‘The Howard team said it will not comment publicly on the arrest because it will be the focus of a lawsuit against the county. His top officials also will not say if there has been any change in Achtyl’s status as a result of the Belsito arrest. Chief of Administration John W. Greenan said Achtyl will not be working at this Sunday’s Bills game.’

‘“We wanted to start a foundation to give back to our communities back home in Louisiana,” Mills said of himself and his wife, who grew up in the neighboring parish. “The kids there don’t get that many different opportunities to increase their knowledge by experiencing new things.”’

‘Benjamin, 27, was released by the Bills on Tuesday after a disappointing 12 games during which he made 23 catches for 354 yards and a touchdown. Benjamin went unclaimed on waivers after being released, with no team wanting to pick up the remainder of his $8.5 million base salary. He goes from the league’s No. 31-ranked passing attack to the high-powered Chiefs, who lead the NFL in scoring and have the third-ranked passing attack led by an MVP candidate in Patrick Mahomes.’