Two Bills Drive

'"Granted, McDermott has never been a head coach," said Harrison. "He's also taking over a franchise that underwent a front-office shift just months after he accepted the job. The Bills' new rookie GM, Brandon Beane, is a familiar face to McDermott, as the two worked together in Carolina. Worth noting here that McDermott's lack of experience as a head coach does not make him unqualified for the post. … He just wrapped up eight straight seasons as a defensive coordinator (for the Eagles and Panthers), fielding a top-10 defense in half of them. Five of those teams made it to the postseason."'

'He had a two-hour meeting with the Pegulas, who peppered him with questions. What did you learn? What will you do for our locker room? What will you do with your platform?'

'"A lot of growing up, a lot of maturing, a lot of figuring out who I am, what I want out of life," he says. "Back then, that guy didn't realize the ramifications his actions had. He was living in the now. Now that I got some time between me and him, I just shake my head and smile and work to distance myself every day from that guy."'

'On Football Outsiders advanced metric scale the Bills 2004 defense, which featured players like Sam Adams, Pat Williams, Aaron Schobel, London Fletcher, Takeo Spikes, Nate Clements and Lawyer Milloy, was the fourth-best defensive unit in the NFL in the last 30 years.'

'"I was familiar with his skill set and who he was as a person," the coach said. "That said, as we all know, when you transition to the NFL, it’s a different game."'

'"In October 2013, an offensive tackle for the Dolphins, Jonathan Martin, left the team for 'emotional reasons.' Not long after, it was reported this resulted from alleged harassment by some teammates, particularly Incognito. A report compiled by independent investigator Ted Wells produced evidence including texts from Incognito to Martin using sexual threats against Martin’s sister, and text exchanges between Incognito and teammate Mike Pouncey in which both use homophobic slurs.'

'Analysis: Jones is clearly fourth on the depth chart, sometimes failing to get any reps at all during 11-on-11 drills in the spring. He threw a brutal interception on one of the few that he did get to end a minicamp practice — the type of play that is hard to forget because of how bad it was. There might still be time for him to catch up, but he'll have to take full advantage of the opportunities he does get once training camp arrives. Ahead of him, Yates and Peterman didn't really do much to stand out, but the former is a veteran who is familiar with the offense and the latter was drafted by the team in the fifth round. Those are significant advantages when compared to Jones, who has no ties to this front office or coaching staff.'

'"The problem with the Bills," one fan said, "I mean, we love 'em, but the product on the field's obviously sucked for years. So we have our fun with the tailgate, and that's how it all started."'

'A Micah Hyde or Jordan Poyer injury could be a big blow to the Bills this season. Yes, even Poyer who has very little starting experience. Colt Anderson provides special teams presence and the fourth spot is anyone’s to win. Addition is possible.'

'It was a marriage of a gritty, blue-collar populace and a just as gritty, just as blue-collar football star from Western Pennsylvania that was further cemented by the resolve and resilience Kelly displayed in dealing with extreme circumstances. The hard-to-swallow losses in each of those Super Bowls are among them, of course, but even more to the point were the death of his son Hunter at age 8 from Krabbe’s Disease, and two bitter fights of his own with cancer.'

'McCoy may be the teams' best offensive player, but Watkins could be if he stays healthy.'

'“We both thought it would be a good idea to both train in Los Angeles and kind of be near my little brother and help him transition to his freshman year in college,” said Zay Jones of the idea he and his older brother Cayleb came up with for the five weeks between minicamp and training camp.'

'“Who is going to emerge at receiver? Who is going to back up Shady? The Mike Gillislee departure left a void to fill,” Polian said. “I have no question that the defense will come together. It just might take a while. It will come more sooner than later because (the scheme is) so similar to what Jim Schwartz did there. You’ll see them get cohesive relatively soon. I want to see how the offensive line performs. That’s an area where I think there are some question marks as to how well it can perform.”'

'"I’ve really been impressed with the leadership," Taylor displayed, "the intangible qualities that are inherent or must be inherent to that quarterback position," McDermott told reporters during last week's mandatory minicamp. "I’ve watched him develop in those areas and that’s important as we look to move forward. There’s leadership qualities at that quarterback position that are important to winning football games, and I think he’s done a nice job in that area."'

'“We’re both sort of short and stocky – and aggressive,” Johnson said. “Mike Tyson was fearless. He knew every time he stepped in the ring, he was going to dominate somebody. So to be compared to that, that’s pretty good. But I have to uphold my part.'