Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘“It’s good to have Matt,” coach Sean McDermott said. “I really appreciate the way he plays and his leadership on this team, the way he works, his work with Josh and Tyree (Jackson) and that’s an important piece as the backup quarterback. He’s done a real nice job to this point.”’

‘1. Bruce Smith.’

‘“Coach McDermott came up to me and I called the coin toss and I said, ‘We want the ball’ and he said ‘OK, let’s go get it,’” Allen said following the Bills 27-14 victory over Carolina. “From that point on we were ready to go.”’

‘The Allen-to-Beasley connection is real, and as I’ve been saying almost since the day the Bills signed the diminutive slot receiver in free agency, he’s going to be a major weapon for Allen. In four preseason possessions to date, Beasley has six catches and had one last week wiped out by a penalty.’

‘The Bills have a clearly defined depth chart at the most important position: Josh Allen is the starter, Matt Barkley is the backup, and Jackson is a guy who really doesn’t look like he belongs in the NFL and is either going to be cut or stashed on the practice squad.’

‘“The reports have all been positive, and his maturation over the last few weeks has been tremendous,” said Frazier. “We talked about that prior to his going away on summer break. You can see by the way he’s practicing he’s improved in that area. That’s who he is. He’s one of those guys who’s going to work on any perceived weakness that he has. The results are what we’re seeing now.”’

‘“I wasn’t surprised,” said Panthers wide receiver Chris Hogan, who played four years in Buffalo before joining the Patriots and is now with the Panthers. “Just playing across the league in my time with Buffalo, it didn’t matter where we played, they’d always be there loud and proud. It’s great to bring some people here to Spartanburg.”’

‘As for the group battling for the fifth and sixth receiver spots, it’s going to be an important two days for Ray-Ray McCloud, Isaiah McKenzie, Robert Foster, and Cam Phillips who need to show up in these workouts.’

‘“I was with him, but it’s been a few years since the last time we worked together,” McDermott said. “But what I remember is the competitiveness, the toughness. Obviously, he’s played in this system before so he has some familiarity with our system, both in the slot and at corner. We’ll see how he does and how he progresses. He’s been out of it a little bit, so he has to play himself back into shape. We just want to get him acclimated to what we do and his new surroundings and teammates and take it one day at a time.”’

‘“Some organizations, some head coaches, you just don’t know and you don’t like the situation, but I knew what I was going to get here with him and I was excited when him and I were talking, Brandon Beane and I were talking, I knew this was going to be a great opportunity for me and my family,” said Coleman, who played for McDermott as a rookie in 2010 in Philadelphia, and then again in 2015 and 2016 in Carolina.’

‘“The quarterback gets the call, and then he says the play and I’m trying to think about where I’m lining up, who do I have to protect the quarterback from, and what’s my route,” said following the Buffalo Bills’ 24-16 preseason-opening victory over Indianapolis. “You think of all that stuff in a split second, and then break the huddle and line up and try to ID the linebacker, ID the safety, try to look at the front, and they snap the ball and you’re out.”’

‘All in all, Allen looked much like he did last season: There were a couple lasers, and then a couple he completely misfired on.’

‘“The quarterback gets the call, and then he says the play and I’m trying to think about where I’m lining up, who do I have to protect the quarterback from, and what’s my route,” said following the Bills’ 24-16 preseason-opening victory over Indianapolis. “You think of all that stuff in a split second, and then break the huddle and line up and try to ID the linebacker, ID the safety, try to look at the front, and they snap the ball and you’re out.”’

‘For a guy who many figured would be headed to the practice squad by summer’s end, Sweeney may be starting Thursday night when the Bills open the preseason at New Era Field against the Indianapolis Colts.’

‘On offense, configuring the unit with one running back and three receivers, the only positions that appear to be undecided are tight end, right guard and right tackle. That is assuming Mitch Morse can get healthy and line up at center.’