Niagara Gazette

‘Andreessen, considered to be a longshot to make the final roster, made a team-high 12 tackles as he played through the first drive of the third quarter in Buffalo’s 9-3 preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Saturday. “When a young guy gets an opportunity and he makes the most of it, it’s fun to watch a young man like that,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “… You love stories like that. Real happy for Joe.”’

‘It could be the last chance to see some of the starters, specifically Allen, before the regular season begins. Allen has not played three preseason games since 2019, when it was a four-game slate instead of three.’

‘If the Bills place Milano on the injured reserve before the final cutdown date, he won’t be able to play for the remainder of the season. That means the Bills would have to release another player if they choose to add to their linebacker depth before the start of the year.’

‘Now, with less than 30 days until the regular season begins, a collection of nearly 50 game-used guitars at the Bills Elvis Guitar Exhibit from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Kenan House Art Gallery in Lockport. The exhibit is part of a tailgating experience, with Lang’s band, Bills Elvis and the Tailgaters, performing from 3 to 5 p.m. along with food, drinks, games and a chance for kids to decorate their own guitar.’

‘“I think we’ve done a really good job of developing players,” McDermott said. “That’s what you look forward to every day coming in with this young team, to help them develop and bring them along. The practice squad players that have come on and done some good things. They’ve been on the varsity, on the active roster, so that’s a critical part. … The practice squad and the complexion of the practice squad has changed from what it used to be.”’

‘“Our guys have gone against each other a lot up to this point and they’re probably sick of going against each other,” Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. “Just to go to a new environment — new, fresh faces — common sense tells you it’s going to energize you a little bit, give you a little bit of a second wind as we are in training camp.”’

‘“Luckily for me, there’s some carryover between what (offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s) running and what I was with last year with Sean (Payton) in Denver,” DiNucci said. “So for the most part, I mean, football is football. The plays are the plays. It’s just everyone’s got their little tweaks on terminology and what they call stuff.”’

‘“I want to win anything I ever do, every play,” Brady said. “But there’s also bigger pictures and some intentionality, in terms of hey we need to make sure some of these runs, or some of this type of thing versus these types of looks. In a game, it’s like, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get a first down.’”’

‘On more than one occasion, McDermott was displeased with the efficiency of practice and let his team know about it. McDermott also reminded his team that training camp wasn’t over just because practices have moved from St. John Fisher University to Orchard Park.’

‘Quarterback Josh Allen said after the game that the Bills weren’t using their best plays and they never aggressively targeted Coleman. But there were a few moments where Coleman showed he needed to make adjustments.’

‘“I think some of the younger guys who haven’t been in our locker room and some new guys who haven’t been in our locker room who are veterans, they start to understand the standard is the standard,” McDermott said. “It’s the standard even in a preseason game. … There is a standard and an expectation when put (on) the colors of the Buffalo Bills to come out and play a lot better than we did and coach a lot better than we did.”’

‘There were some snap issues early in training camp, but McGovern and Allen both chalked it up to getting comfortable with each other. Those problems have been quelled over the last week, but McGovern sees playing in the preseason a chance to continue to refine their chemistry.’

‘Spector was in the mix to be the starting middle linebacker for the Buffalo Bills early in training camp last year and then a hamstring injury in the final preseason game put him on injured reserve until Week 6. He returned for two games, playing 28 special teams snaps, and exacerbated his hamstring, putting him on the shelf for three more weeks.’

‘It’s just an example of how competitive NFL practices can become, especially during training camp when players are fighting for a job. That’s also why, even as tackling has largely been eliminated and contact overall has been stripped down during practices, coaches don’t feel the need to play starters for long stretches during preseason games, if at all.’

‘Offensive coordinator Joe Brady says the playbook is mostly installed, with a few adjustments and tweaks done throughout the season based on personnel and opponent. Allen and the Bills offense seemed comfortable to start Wednesday’s practice after getting bested by the defense Monday for the first time during training camp.’