‘“It’s extremely sad that Jon got hurt working out, but as we all know, that is a part of football,” Dawkins said Tuesday on a Zoom call with reporters. “Things happen off of the field and things happen on. Jon was a true piece to our line, but I think that the GM (Brandon Beane) and coach (Sean) McDermott did a great job last year creating depth. Because Jon got hurt, it’s not like an ultimate panic. We care, we love him. Jon is going to come back stronger and better than ever, but it’s time to push forward.”’
Archives for August 5, 2020
Veteran guard Evan Boehm no stranger to Bills’ philosophy
‘Boehm (pronounced Bame) can play guard or center. The other veteran backups on the Bills’ line (with NFL starts) are: Ty Nsekhe (17), Williams (41), Long (44), Ryan Bates (0), Ike Boettger (0) and newly acquired Brian Winters (79). There probably will be four backup jobs available. But several offensive linemen figure to make the practice squad because one is guaranteed to be promoted to the active roster from the practice list each week this season.’
All eyes on Tremaine Edmunds, Bills’ D: ‘You’ve got a target on your back.’
‘”It’s really about us just coming out every day and getting better,” Edmunds said. “I mean, it’s as simple as that. We have a different team; it’s not the same defense we had last year, so I think guys have to understand that, first, and I think that’s where it starts. Each year is going to bring new opportunities and each year is going to bring new challenges, so we just have to take advantage of every opportunity we have this year.”‘
Bills activate DT Vincent Taylor from reserve/Covid-19 list
‘Taylor’s presence became more important after Star Lotulelei decided to opt out for the 2020 season. In the four games he played with the Bills last season, Taylor had six tackles and a pass defensed. Before joining the Bills, he spent the 2017 and ’18 seasons with the Miami Dolphins.’
Bills QB Josh Allen excited to be with a ‘bunch of dudes who love football’ as camp starts
‘“While we’re on the field it’s all walk-through tempo but you get out there, you see a man across from me and you get those competitive juices flowing,” Allen said Monday during a Zoom call with reporters. “Coach is constantly telling players to slow down but I will say I’d rather have him telling us to slow down than to speed up.”’
Tremaine Edmunds’ mother made sure her three NFL-playing sons worked hard in offseason
‘“I had my mom out there and she was just killing us, but it was all for the better,” he said with a smile. “We were out there with a mission to get better. We told each other we don’t know what’s gonna happen, but we’re gonna be ready when the time comes, so we stayed pushing each other.”’
Maiorana’s Memories: New Bills QB Drew Bledsoe lit up the Vikings in 2002 OT thriller
‘In just his second game for the Bills, he set a team record for passing yards with 463, a mark that still stands, and his third touchdown pass of the day, a 48-yarder to Peerless Price in overtime, produced a thrilling 45-39 victory.’
Buffalo Bills release veteran G Spencer Long
‘Long was entering the second year of a three-year deal that he signed last offseason. The Bills will have to eat a little more than $1 million in dead cap money over the final two years of the deal. But Buffalo saves more than $2 million on their cap in 2020 and about $4 million in 2021 by releasing Long now.’
Buffalo Bills make pair of roster moves Tuesday; no deal yet with G Brian Winters
‘Buffalo still has four players on its Reserve/Covid-19 list (WR Duke Williams, CB Ike Brown, CB Dane Jackson, CB Siran Neal), bringing the active roster to 81 players (85 total counting the players on Covid list). That means that any player the Bills want to add to their roster, via free agency or back off the Covid list, requires the team to release a player.’
Bills’ Tremaine Edmunds: ‘Smart’ new LB A.J. Klein making presence felt in meeting room
‘It’s become a joke how Beane and coach Sean McDermott have created the Bills-Carolina Panthers pipeline in their three seasons in Buffalo. But in a league where continuity is king, the Bills are set up to be one of the most familiar teams in the NFL in 2020.’
Buffalo Bills still have ‘underdog mentality’ despite ‘huge target’ on their back, says Dion Dawkins
‘“We have a swagger about us, but we still have that underdog mentality,” Dawkins told the media on a Zoom press conference. “We honestly don’t care about any of that hype. We know what we have to do day in and day out. And honestly, we all know that this will be our hardest year yet because there is a giant target on us. And it is what it is.”’
McDermott: Challenges are greater than ever, but that will not impact high standard Bills have set
‘“You know, we’ve always talked about it, about winning off the field, helps you win on the field, no different this year,” he said. “I’m not lowering my standards and I don’t expect anyone in this building to be lowering their standards.”’
Marv Levy Stadium also has a nice ring to it
‘“There is no better person to bestow this honor upon than Hall of Fame Coach Marv Levy, the man who led the Bills to four consecutive AFC Championships,’’ Luchette wrote on the Change.org online petition he recently set up. “Throughout his career, Marv Levy’s decency, resilience, and intellectual curiosity were unparalleled. Indeed, they still are today. Renaming the stadium in his honor would be a fitting tribute to this great man and a worthy capstone on his football career.”’
Bills release offensive lineman Spencer Long
‘In just one season in Buffalo, Long appeared in 14 games and was primarily used as a utility lineman who could play both guard and center. The 29-year-old had signed a three-year deal with the Bills back in February of 2019 worth $12.6 million.’
Bills roster in-depth: Defensive tackle
‘Butler was a 2016 first round pick of the Carolina Panthers out of Louisiana Tech when Bills head coach Sean McDermott was the team’s defensive coordinator. New Bills defensive line coach Eric Washington was his defensive coordinator for the past two seasons there. Although he failed to live up to his first round status through his first three years in Carolina, the 6-foot-4, 330 pounder had a breakout year in 2019, collecting six sacks and 32 total tackles. Like Jefferson, Butler projects to play the interior defensive line for the Bills but has the versatility to play outside, especially in a three-down lineman set, where he had much of his success last season in Carolina.’
Beane: Allen will ‘be more calm, more comfortable going into Year 3’
‘”We like versatility, so we’ll move all of our guys around. Rarely do we have a guy that is a one-whole player. Mitch Morse is probably one of the only ones that is going to play center only. Dion Dawkins is going to play left tackle. But the rest of those guys are going to move around and play both guards or guard-tackle, center-guard… We’re going to put the best five out there, the same motto as we had last year. If it’s better with Cody at right guard, he’ll play there. If it’s better with him at right tackle, he’ll play there.”‘
Bills release Spencer Long
‘Before coming to Buffalo, Long was drafted by Washington in the 2014 NFL Draft and spent four seasons with the team. He played one season with the New York Jets in 2018.’
Bills QB Josh Allen on playing this season: “It’s a great opportunity to give this nation hope”
‘“I just want to give a shout out to Terry and Kim [Pegula] for allowing us to do what we do right now. Everything’s been first class and they’ve made as many adjustments to the building and the facilities as they could. Everything’s been smooth so far, we just gotta continue to wear masks and we’ve got these little beepers that make sure we’re staying six feet apart,” Allen explained.’
Bills LB Tremaine Edmunds ready to take his leadership to the next level
‘“I’m just trying to be the best leader out there that I can be, just having those guys knowing they can trust me out there and just leading the defense,” Edmunds said on a zoom call with reporters.’
Bills keeping their “swagger” but aren’t buying into the hype
‘“We have a swagger about us but we still have that underdog mentality. We honestly don’t care about any of the hype and we know what we have to do day in and day out. Honestly we all know that this will be our hardest year yet because there’s a giant target on us,” Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins said on a zoom call with reporters.’
Bills defense benefits from Virginia workouts both on and off the field
‘“I think it went well. I think it was very beneficial for everybody, not just the new guys but the old guys as well because when you’re away from it for so long sometimes you tend to forget some things. It was great, we had a great turnout you know I’m glad the guys came there,” Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said on a zoom call with reporters.’
Bills release C/G Spencer Long
‘The move comes a day after multiple national reports that the Bills had agreed to terms with guard Brian Winters who had just been released by the Jets over the weekend.’
Bills release Spencer Long
‘Long played only 174 snaps as a backup interior lineman last year, but was solid when on the field. However, the Bills do still have plenty of inside depth with Evan Boehm, Ike Boettger and even do it all utility lineman Ryan Bates.’
Bills can handle weight of expectations, Covid restrictions
‘Dawkins called it “extremely sad” that Jon Feliciano won’t be a part of the O-line to start the season. Feliciano is out indefinitely with a torn pectoral muscle. He said there won’t be a panic because of the quality work Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott did creating depth.’
‘Control what you can control’ Josh Allen’s message at Camp
‘”You know it’s extremely frustrating when we’re going walk thru and I want our guys to go full speed and get that timing down, I understand why we’re doing it.”‘
Bills release OL Spencer Long
‘The offensive lineman played in 14 games last year in his first season with the Buffalo Bills. Long was drafted by Washington in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft and spent four seasons with the team. The offensive lineman also played one season with the New York Jets in 2018.’
DT Vincent Taylor activated off Reserve/COVID list, LB Mike Bell released
‘Taylor played in three games with the Bills last season and recorded two tackles and one pass defensed. The DT spent 2017 and 2018 with the Miami Dolphins where he played in 21 games. With defense tackle Star Lotulelei opting out of the season, Taylor provides depth to the position.’
Brandon Beane provides this update about the Bills and free agent guard Brian Winters
‘”I was explaining in my press conference the other day, it’s such a long process right now. Before we can even physical him, he has to come up here and get at least one negative test on the COVID test. We physical him in another facility, not in our place and then test him again. It takes time to do any of these transactions, so we’re optimistic but until guys get through all that process it’d be premature to say he’s a Bill.”‘
6 things we learned from Tremaine Edmunds and Dion Dawkins about Bills training camp
‘”I think any time you’re at the top you have a target on your back, right?” Edmunds said. “It’s really about us just coming out every day and getting better. It’s as simple as that. We have a different team, it’s not the same defense as we had last year. I think guys have to understand that first, and I think that’s where it starts at.”‘
Bills Today | When will the Bills re-sign Tre’Davious White?
‘”I’m a big fan of Tre White, on the field, off the field, what he brings to our team,” Beane said. “He’s definitely a guy that I was referring to that you don’t want him to walk out of here, you want to keep him long term. At the end of the day it’s got to be right for him and right for us. Hopefully at the right time we’re able to make that happen.”‘