Niagara Gazette

‘Sure, Pittsburgh is an elite NFL defense. The Bills won’t face many that good this season. But they’re playing to a higher standard these days. When people are picking you to get to the Super Bowl — or at least back to the conference title game — you get judged against the best teams, not the fourth-best team in the AFC East or South.’

‘The cautionary tales are out there. I’m sure Beane and McDermott have reminded their team of what happened in Carolina, when injuries, the release of a star player in a contract dispute (Josh Norman) and the physical regression of a young star quarterback (Cam Newton) contributed to a precipitous decline.’

‘Allen knows he won’t be judged by what he did in 2020, but whether he lives up to this contract and gets the Bills to the next level. Teams no longer give massive deals to unproven rookie quarterbacks, but they do pay for perceived potential when it comes time for the lucrative, long-term extensions.’

‘The NFL has been set on a new Buffalo stadium from the start. The Bills floated the idea in 2012, when Wilson was still alive. At the time, the three worst stadiums in the league were considered to be Oakland, San Diego and Buffalo. You know what happened to the other two teams.’

‘It’s unlikely that they really think the state will throw $1.1 billion their way. But, it’s not out of the question that they’d shoot for $750 million, especially since the state showed that they didn’t mind giving that to Elon Musk and his questionable Buffalo factory.’

‘Contending otherwise was irresponsible. It’s too bad reporters couldn’t have followed up with Beasley. From the start, the Bills players have refused to take questions on the issue, while being only too willing to discuss it on their social media platforms.’

‘It’s funny, where NFL players are concerned. Has any collection of people ever been more cavalier about what they put in their own bodies? I wonder if Beasley has ever questioned the rampant use of painkillers in football, or called random drug testing an infringement of his constitutional rights.’

‘If the head coach is applauding office personnel for getting vaccinated, you can imagine what he thinks about players who have expressed reservations, as Josh Allen, Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis have done.’

‘There it is. Beane made it fairly clear that the Bills approached their first-round pick with an eye on what’s going on in the rest of the AFC, particularly at the quarterback position.’

‘There’s two reasons why I like Ojulari as a Bills fit. First, I think he’s a talented enough player that he could come in and contribute in the same SAM linebacker role that A.J. Klein has in their defense. But also, he could be Jerry Hughes’ long-term replacement.’

‘But it’s not the running game that cost the Bills a chance at the Super Bowl last January. In the conference title game, the team’s biggest since the Kelly era, it was their inability to control both lines of scrimmage that proved their undoing against the Chiefs.’

‘Buffalo presents that to him. It also gives him a place where he can fill multiple roles. Instead of seeing A.J. Klein’s highs and lows at the SAM backer, as well as the need of a competent pass rusher, Vernon could come in and fill the void Lorenzo Alexander left after retiring following the 2019 season.’

‘Hate Brady? Bills fans should be thanking him. The Bucs exposed the Chiefs, humbled them, rendered them human. A loss like that can be tough for a team to come back from. When the Super Bowl ended, it felt like KC had come back in the pack a bit. Really, what more could Bills fans ask for?’

‘While Felton played running back in college, he easily transitioned to WR last week, cooking plenty of DBs in the slot. I know wide receiver may not be the Bills’ top priority, but Felton is the type of weapon every modern NFL offense needs.’

‘John Brown could be gone. Center Mitch Morse will have to restructure his deal for the Bills to negotiate the cap. Jon Felciano and Daryl Williams, two cogs of the offensive line, are unrestricted free agents. So are Josh Norman and Andre Roberts, among others. Stefon Diggs is worthy of a new contract after leading the league in catches and yards.’