Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Now, what also must be recognized is that Allen was facing better Colts players than Barkley was. That said, Allen needs to show some improvement this week and next and at least give fans a glimmer of hope that if Josh Allen were to get hurt, he could come in and at least keep the ship afloat and perhaps even further it along on its journey.’

‘The game will be available locally via the following stations: WROC (Channel 8, Rochester), WIVB (Buffalo area), WTVH (Syracuse area), WKTV (Utica area), WENY (Elmira area), WRGB (Albany area), and WBNG (Binghamton area).’

‘“Simply put, it’s to get them ready for the season,” coach Sean McDermott explained Thursday before the Bills’ final practice of the week. “We took a little bit of a different approach last year, and this year we’re going back to what we’ve somewhat done in years past other than the COVID years of course where we didn’t have preseason games. Just trying to do right by the players and get them ready to go for Week 1.”’

‘Basham was in on three tackles including a sack, and he was a menace on several of the 19 snaps he played. On one first-quarter snap he stuffed Colts running back Evan Hull on a third-and-2 and on the next play Damar Hamlin stopped Hull to create a turnover on downs. Later, he sacked Gardner Minshew for a loss of six yards, and he tackled Jake Funk on a run play that gained only a yard.’

‘Williams will likely remain on the outside as Milano’s backup and then contribute on special teams, but down the road, it’s possible he could develop into the signal caller in the middle of the defense.’

‘“You have to take advantage of them and it’s hard to not force things to try to make a splash, you know?” Barkley said Saturday after he completed 14 of 15 passes for 172 yards and touchdowns to Tyrell Shavers and Dezmon Patmon to lead the Bills to a 23-19 victory over the Indianapolis Colts at Highmark Stadium.’

‘However, let me just remind you that these preseason performances are extremely difficult to gauge because there is no game plan, no real prep for the opponent, and Allen was playing mostly with backups during the two quarters and one series he played during the Bills’ 23-19 victory.’

‘Elam played that way in college at Florida in a press man system, but in Buffalo’s zone-heavy scheme, he has to learn to use footwork and positioning to cover the NFL’s top receivers because he won’t always be able to get his hands on them, and when he does, he’s likely to get penalized.’

‘You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV – you must watch on your phone or tablet.’

‘Major explained that the old camper and RV lot has been eliminated and will not be brought back until the new stadium opens in 2026. By not moving it elsewhere, that will keep existing parking space for cars in place. Also, the bus and limo lot – which used to be right where the new stadium is going – has been moved over to the Highmark Stadium side of the road at the corner of Abbott and Southwestern Blvd.’

‘As McDermott said, no decision has been made on anything, but of the three most hotly-contested camp battles, right guard seems close to settled as Bates feels like the clear-cut leader over rookie second-round pick O’Cyrus Torrence. Yes, the two have been sharing reps with the starting unit, but some of that is due to the fact that Bates looks like the frontrunner to be the backup center in case Mitch Morse gets hurt. Thus, he has had to work with the second-team out of necessity at that position, and that’s when Torrence has been getting the bulk of his first-team reps.’

‘The event was not an official meet and greet but an opportunity for some patrons to interact with the 29-year-old New Jersey native, who has played for the Buffalo-based NFL team since 2017. Dawkins stopped by after the final day of training camp, held at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford.’

‘“He’s just a really edgy guy, doesn’t think he should ever be blocked,” said defensive line coach Eric Washington. “He has a really, really competitive, aggressive mindset, his hands are extremely violent, and he understands pad level and all the things you have to do to give yourself a chance to win. I mean, he gets (upset) if he’s blocked or stalled as a pass rusher. I absolutely love that. He’s got a lot of pride in how he performs.”’

‘“I think that’s a huge part of being a rookie,” Dorsey said of the camp development. “O’Cyrus is getting more and more to that point, and I’ll tell you what, he did a great job in the offseason between mini camps and training camp because he knew more when he came back than he did when he left. That’s the exciting part about him is there’s something inside him that wants this. He wants to be a good football player and he wants to be out there and help us win football games.”‘

‘“I’m always looking to improve, always looking to get better, but this year it’s all about just playing confident and playing fast and free,” he said Monday following practice at St. John Fisher University. “That’s my big emphasis. I know what to do, I know how to play this game and just trust that trust in myself.”’