Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘“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.”’

‘“The only injury that’s kept me out of games was the knee,” said Ford, who has changed his number from 70 to 74. “My rookie year I played with an injury, but I never missed any time for it. I handled it after the season and when the next season came around, I was ready to go. Until my knee injury, I was all in. As far as the frustration goes, it was more frustrating just not being out there, but I can’t get mad at the injuries that I’ve had.”’

‘“Yeah, I’m sure if you were to ask them that question, that’s exactly what they would want to answer: ‘Yes, I need to make more game-changing plays,’” defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said Friday. “Tremaine would say that, so would Ed.”’

‘“I try not to think too much about last year just because it’s a new year, everybody’s starting from ground zero,” Diggs said when he met with western New York reporters in person for the first time since he came to Buffalo in March 2020. “It was a great year, didn’t end well, and I’m trying to keep it going. We’ll see this year. Things might be different. Nothing’s ever the same, so I just control what I can control.”’

‘“Every year is different, every team is different, but you have to start at square one every year,” he said. “You have to start over and have to, mindset wise, be as humble and hungry as you can be. I’ve found over the years that that humble and hungry approach goes a long way inside the building and outside the building, and life in general. That’s what we subscribe to and that’s what I expect to see from our team.”’