Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘“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.”’

‘The first two games, at Detroit and then at Chicago on Aug. 21, will feature heavy doses of the young players who are trying to make the back end of the roster. And then in final game at home against Green Bay on Aug. 28, you’ll probably see the starters play longer, perhaps as much as a half or three quarters.’

‘“I kind of saw it coming, just the way I was progressing,” Trubisky said Tuesday following practice with his new Buffalo Bills teammates. “Year two was really good and then year three and four, not as good; I was dealing with some injuries and some other things going on there. It was disappointing but it wasn’t a surprise. You can kind of see that they were just continuously believing in me less and less and that’s just kind of how that process went.”’

‘Tyler Bass, the rookie sensation from a year ago when he set a new Bills single-season scoring record with 141 points, is unchallenged as the kicker. Newly signed free agent punter Matt Haack (who will double as the holder) is replacing Corey Bojorquez and is all by his lonesome, too. And to take it a step further, factoring in the other key position in the kicking/punting operations, Reid Ferguson is the only long snapper in camp.’

‘“I think (he) fits Buffalo, right?” coach Sean McDermott said. “We went through that vetting process (before the 2018 draft), the scouting process of making sure that we could check that box of the fit with Buffalo and the community. People say things about Buffalo, but they really don’t know. They don’t take the time to come find out. I think Josh is changing that and I think we’re changing that.”’

‘By no means were the Bills terrible because they did generate pressure, but the sixsome of Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison, Trent Murphy, A.J. Epenesa, Daryl Johnson and Quinton Jefferson was a bit underwhelming, particularly in terms of sacks, of which they combined for just 16.5. Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt had 15 by himself to lead the NFL.’

‘Now, all Allen needs to do is live up to what is not only the largest contract in Buffalo sports history, by a whole lot, but one that also makes him the second-highest paid player in NFL history for now in terms of average salary per year.’

‘Make no mistake, the football he will play from here on out will be done so with a glaring spotlight shining on him. He’s in a new stratosphere in NFL circles and in terms of average salary starting in 2023, his $43 million would rank second in the league behind only Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, $45 million.’

‘“Sometimes there are just some obstacles that you can’t work out right now and you have to postpone it; we’ll see here soon,” Beane said. “At the end of the day, we’ll probably put a deadline on it at some point here in preseason. I don’t like to carry that stuff into the season. We haven’t put a specific date on it. We’re in August so I’d say we’re down to a few weeks to either get this done or delay it and try it again in 2022.”’

‘“Just in the locker room, the vibe of the team,” McDermott said, speaking about what was lost when Kumerow left. “Certain people get talked about a lot, right, like the head coach, the main positions – receiver, quarterback, middle linebacker, that’s what gets talked about. But there’s a lot of glue on this team that flies under the radar, guys that connect the team, guys that make us who we are, and I would say (Justin) Zimmer and Kumerow are a big part of that. So to have the chance to get him back here was a big opportunity for us.”’

‘“I don’t want to coach, I told them that up front,” Lorenzo Alexander said with a smile Tuesday after lending some of his expertise to the team that last employed him in the NFL. “I love the game, I love the guys, but I love my kids and my wife more.”’

‘Defensive tackle Ed Oliver said pretty much the same thing. “A.J., from this offseason looks like a totally different player this year,” Oliver said. “Just how comfortable he is, his maturity. He was here a lot this offseason working out. You can tell even with his get off, his awareness, everything.”’

‘“When I first got here, even though he taught me a lot, Star didn’t really talk to me a lot,” Oliver said, still smiling when thinking about Lotulelei’s low-key, whisper-like approach to things. “It’s hard to explain, but he was one of the guys that was just like, ‘Hey bro, go over there.’ It’s hard to explain, but I appreciated it.”’

‘“I feel like (it’s) the same question every year; we’re competing,” Wallace said. “I’m in the most competitive job in America. If you’re not out here competing, if you’re not out here having fun, what are you out here for? Dane’s a great corner, so is Cam Lewis, so is Nick (McCloud), so is OG (Olaijah Griffin). There’s so many guys that they brought in, there’s so many talented guys, you’re out here for one reason and one reason alone, to compete.”’

‘“No, I never have,” running back Zack Moss said when asked if he’d ever practiced in front of a crowd that size. “I mean it was cool, it was great having all the fans back in the stadium because, obviously, last year every game with no fans, up until the playoffs. So just having all the fans back in there and just hearing the roar, everyone being in there and seeing things getting back to normal a little bit, that kind of helps a lot. I’ve never practiced in front of 20,000 fans but I kind of just treated it as a game situation, trying to block it out and just focus on my job.”’