Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘“That window of opportunity,” Smith continued, “you’ve got to take advantage of it because once that window closes, you never know when it’s going to come back again. It’s critical that everyone does everything in their power to take advantage of this window with this special talent that we have on this team, and make it count.”’

‘“You could tell that the confidence was there right away,” Hollister said, recalling that first weekend he spent with Allen. “One of the biggest things I remember is that he wanted to show me his highlight tape on his phone. Right then and there I knew this kid was confident and had ice in his veins.”‘

‘Now resetting his career as Allen’s backup, Trubisky has started Buffalo’s first two preseason games and after playing only two series and attempting two passes in the opener, Trubisky had to be licking his chops love when he saw offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s game plan.’

‘“It’s good to be excited, but at the same time, we do have a lot of work to do,” McDermott said. “There’s certainly a lot from this game we can learn from and improve on. That’s why we go back and practice, and the guys know that. You’ve got to be able to stay consistent in this league or else it will eat you up. I thought it was a good performance today.”’

‘By now, you know the story. The Bears over-drafted Trubisky in 2017, trading all the way up to No. 2 overall to pick a player who’d been a full-time starter in college for just one year at North Carolina. Oh, and they picked Trubisky instead of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, each of whom were taken a couple hours later in that first round.’

‘A 2021 sixth-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills, Hamlin lost three of his close friends to bullets, senseless deaths that the police never solved. And in his own home, his father, Mario — trying to make ends meet for his wife Nina and Damar — turned to selling drugs. He got popped, was found guilty and spent 3½ of Damar’s formative years in prison, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves.’

‘“But you keep pushing; God has a way of doing stuff and making things happen in your life so you can snap back and just like realize that, shoot, life can be over before you know it, regardless of what you made in life and what you did. You just got to just keep stepping and just do what’s right because you never know what tomorrow brings, really.”’

‘“These games mean a lot to a lot of different players,” Allen said. “I know that, I understand that, so getting to sit back and watch my buddies do good and have fun and make plays out there, it’s exciting for me.”’

‘“It was awesome,” Brown, the Buffalo Bills third-round draft pick, said recently following practice at One Bills Drive. “Joe just blew the door off the hinges from a knowledge aspect. UNI really gave me a good base to go off of and understanding things, and then Joe came in and he started fine tweaking everything. It was insane.”’

‘“That’s what you’d like,” McDermott said. “The more you can do, that’s true for all of us. I think it has evolved, yes, like the game has evolved. I think certain fundamentals and the core of football will always be there, but it’s a space game and that’s why these positions on defense, we’re seeing the evolution of some defenses because of what’s happening on offense.”’

‘“Just taking little pieces of everybody’s game and trying to apply that to myself whether it’s a release, whether it’s a top of a route or something in the pass protection world,” he said. “I’d say I learned the most from Greg Olsen. He’s like a professor of football. He’s so smart and he’s the man.”’

‘That should count for something, but it might not mean as much for a practice squad quarterback as knowing the offense; being able to run the scout team and give the defense a good look at the upcoming opponent; and having a rapport and serving as a knowledgeable sounding board to exchange ideas with Allen, Trubisky, QB coach Ken Dorsey and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.’

‘Rousseau hasn’t played a down in anger since the end of the 2019 college football season with Miami as he opted out of 2020 due to concerns about COVID-19. But throughout the first two weeks of training camp he hasn’t looked rusty at all, and now that the preseason games have begun, Rousseau made a fine early statement.’

‘Sweeney said there were some moments early on when he wondered if he’d ever be able to play again. However, the doctors who treated him assured him throughout that he would recover and be able to resume playing in 2021, and that has proven to be the case.’

‘“Early stages, I was OK with it,” Obada said the other day following a steamy practice at One Bills Drive, referring to the constant re-telling of his story. “As the years keep adding on and as I’m applying myself and making my sacrifices in order to close that gap, I definitely want to be known as a player now. I don’t really want to be known as a story or a good time. I just want to be known for my work and what I bring to the team, and how I can affect winning.”’