Olean Times Herald

‘Sunday, Nov. 1, 1 p.m. Here it is. After nearly two decades of soul-crushing losses to the Patriots, this will be Buffalo’s first meeting with its divisional rival sans Tom Brady.’

‘There were several players in attendance along with some coaches, and the service was by a priest who traveled with the team. During the service, the first Bible reading was done by Bob Griese, who, out of uniform, looked more like a member of the choir than a pro football player. Then Coach Shula took the pulpit and did a very respectful job on the second reading. It was one of the nicest Masses I’ve ever attended. The priest never did entreat the Lord to help his team, but as usual back then, the Dolphins beat the Pats.’

‘For only the fourth time in the franchise’s 61-year history, the Bills have four national games on their slate with the possibility of a fifth and all but one are in the season’s final five games.’

‘“I’M MAYBE a little bit different than some defensive head coaches. A lot of defensive head coaches, and maybe head coaches overall, have a tendency to pad their side of the ball personnel-wise. I don’t want to do that,” McDermott said, although, of the 23 free agent, trade and draft additions made by the Bills this offseason, 13 were defensive players with eight on offense and two kickers. “I know you’ve got to score points in this league to win games. To have a balanced football team, we need to score points and that’s been an emphasis and a theme we’ve talked about since the end of the season. I’m encouraged by what we’ve added personnel-wise to help us in that category.”’

‘“We’re all professionals,” McDermott said. “This is where passion and discipline play a big part. If you’re passionate about what you do, you shouldn’t need a kick in the butt to get up every morning and go to work. The longer this has gone on, and I’m sure you guys feel the same thing, the more discipline it’s taken.”‘

‘“There were guys on both sides of the ball with 10 picks left that were in the mix, including Epenesa. We never tried to trade up in the second round. We liked who was on the board and we had good grades. Obviously Epenesa, you’ve seen his production. I assume he fell because of his 40 time (at the Combine, a slow 5.04 seconds). Some people knocked him a little bit on that, but I’m looking for football players and he’s a damn good football player.”‘

‘Finally, there’s his inaccuracy on the deep ball. It matters little whether Diggs, Brown, McKenzie, Foster, Davis and Hodgins can stretch the field if the ball doesn’t get to them. Despite Allen’s big arm, his struggles with accuracy are amplified when throwing long.’

‘“It was fun (but) weird on Thursday,” he said of having his wife and boys nearby. “I was like ‘I gotta get to work … what are you guys doing here’? Everything you used to do. “But I was able to get some charts (done), and my sons did the board for a while. It got long at times so Haley actually jumped in and I had her managing the board, so that I could be doing stuff on our computer, but it was a family effort. I think fun for them, too, to just see how it works. They obviously were hearing some of the Zoom calls with the scouts. It was a draft that I don’t think any of us will ever forget.”’

‘Smart and competitive quarterback with an accurate arm but doesn’t have the arm-strength, mobility and deep accuracy that would allow him to ascend to the next level. Fromm projects as a sufficient quarterback as a borderline “win with” or “win in spite of” player. He isn’t necessarily a guy who will be the main reason a team wins games, but he won’t normally be the reason his team loses them. His leadership and smart decision-making will be his best assets.’

‘In a poll of ESPN, Ourlads Scouting, Pro Football Focus, CBS Sports and Bleacher Report, the consensus was that the two-time All-Big Ten selection was the 19th highest graded player in the draft. He was also the third-ranked defensive end behind Ohio State’s Chase Young who went second overall, and K’Lavon Chaisson of LSU taken 20th, by Washington and Jacksonville, respectively.’

‘But he also admitted that when the lottery got to the fourth or fifth round, the picks would likely be decided by need, noting that a fifth-rounder, for instance, who was the best player on the board, might not make Buffalo’s roster. Thus, Beane indicated, those last five choices would likely be selections at positions where depth was needed.’

‘The broadcast also turned a negative into a positive. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the last few drafts, has been booed unmercifully. This year, Bud Light turned it into a COVID-19 fundraiser with a promotion called #BooTheCommish. And every time Goodell appeared in front of a wall of screens showing a team’s fans, he encouraged them to boo.’

‘“Day 1 will be hard,” Beane admitted of tonight’s opening round. “We’ve just got to play some videos of Stefon Diggs when 22 comes up. We’ll just be patient and watch it all and when Day 1 is over, whether (we trade back into the first round) or not, we’ll stare at the board … ‘What’s (there) that we like’?’

‘“All the time we hear rumors,” Beane said. “It was pretty open that we were snooping around (last) midseason to make a trade for another receiver and we just couldn’t find a deal that worked for us.”‘

‘Sure enough, Las Vegas has the Patriots and Bills in a virtual odds tie to win the division with the Jets and Dolphins a toss-up for last.’