Niagara Gazette

‘Overall, Bills quarterbacks were sacked three times, while Damar Hamlin undercut a route and picked off Matt Barkley. All of this also occurred without Jordan Poyer practicing due to vet rest and with head coach and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott missing practice for a family personal matter, but was slated to return for meetings in the afternoon.’

‘“You can’t hit that field with no hesitation,” Hamlin said. “You’re putting yourself in more danger by doing that. Like I said, I made the choice to play. But I’m processing a thousand emotions. I’m not afraid to say that it crosses my mind of being a little scared here and there. But like I say, my strength is rooted in my faith and my faith is stronger than any fear.”’

‘“That was the reason why I signed,” Sherfield said. “I talked to Brandon Beane and he was like, ‘No, I want you to become a contributor on offense.’ That was one of the main reasons why I came here. This is probably the first organization that I’ve been with, where they see the potential of receiver and being able to continue to take steps and take those leaps.”’

‘Pegula watched practice from an SUV parked behind the end zone. Her husband, Terry, split time between Kim and watching from the sidelines, while their son, Matthew, stood next to the car.’

‘“I’m just trying to take it all in, be present in these moments,” Poyer said Friday. “Not worried about what’s going to happen this offseason or next year. This is my time, this is our time to be here to learn, to grow and to evolve as people and as a football team. Let the dominoes fall how they fall. We’re gonna play hard and there’s gonna be some ups, there’s gonna be some downs.”’

‘But no matter who starts with the first group, Jackson eventually works his way back into the lineup by the end of practice.’

‘“None of us want to be labeled as, ‘Oh, this guy is for this situation, this guy’s from this situation,’” Harris said. “… That’s why we come out here and work so hard and you know, not just running the ball, but catching, blocking, doing all these things to make us complete backs. Because we all are gonna have to do a lot of different things.”’

‘“Forcing my way out of anywhere is not my goal,” Diggs said. “I don’t feel like I have to at this point. I feel like I’m in a great space, a great place, I’m loved and I’m appreciated. At the end of the day that’s all I want. That’s all anybody would want in any job that you do.”’

‘“I think that that goes a long way in terms of building a football team or any team for that matter,” McDermott said. “That chemistry is important, that bond is important. If you don’t have that, it’s hard to get it once the season happens because it’s go, go, go during the season.”’

‘Miller, linebacker Tyler Matakevich and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips will all begin training camp on the PUP list. Miller is still recovering from a torn ACL in Week 12 last season, while Phillips is rehabbing from shoulder surgery. Players can be removed from the PUP list any time before the start of the regular season.’

‘Since McDermott was hired in 2017, 14 players have started multiple games at guard for the Bills, including six over the last two seasons. But only two of those players — Cody Ford and Wyatt Teller — were drafted by Buffalo and both were subsequently traded.’

‘Offensive line, defensive line and linebacker are the three areas to watch throughout camp and if the Bills choose to keep an extra player for any position, it likely comes from one of those three groups.’

‘Hines never became a significant part of Buffalo’s offense last season after being acquired in a trade from Indianapolis for Zack Moss and a fifth-round pick. He had 13 total touches and one touchdown after arriving with the Bills, but he did return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the regular season finale against the Patriots, the first game following Damar Hamlin’s collapse in Cincinnati.’

‘He still transitioned from being a baseball-first athlete to football and slowly learned the game, finally breaking through as a junior. By the end of his career, Shorter rarely left the field during games. South Brunswick has an enrollment of almost 3,000 students, but coach Joe Goerge didn’t use a big roster and Shorter played receiver, cornerback and special teams.’

‘The Bills sacked or hit quarterbacks on 6.2% of dropbacks before Miller’s injury and 6.1% afterwards. But they put pressured on quarterbacks — including hits and sacks — on 18.6% of dropbacks without Miller and 15.8% without him.’