Toronto Sun

‘But the Bills’ first-team offence couldn’t do a dang thing with its only star offensive player resting with a sore groin and hip, running back LeSean McCoy. His presence wouldn’t have helped much, to be honest.’

‘Ryan, who has missed just one NFL game since leaving the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers after two seasons in 2006, averaged 44.7 yards per punt in his 10 seasons with the Seahawks. Last year he averaged exactly 45 yards per kick.’

‘But clearly, to be named this week’s starter only hours later, the strong-armed Allen must have continued his fast-improving play with the first team at Monday’s practice.’

‘Allen – in hard contrast to pre-injury McCarron – looked vibrant, confident and in rhythm. Sure, he completed nothing but short passes, but Allen kept moving the chains on all three drives – with, and against, different sets of players.’

‘The injury might open the way for fast-improving rookie quarterback Josh Allen to ascend to starter by the end of training camp. Or as early as the coming week.’

‘More than anything that’s a sign that Bills fans are even more desperate than Browns fans for a quarterback who doesn’t suck – and, after they’ve suffered through an achingly long line of failed Checkdown Charlies, who (a) isn’t afraid to throw it deep, and (b) has the arm to get it there fast.’

‘Allen, 22, said he stays after practice – as he did Sunday – or comes out onto the practice field as much as 30 minutes early to “just throw those routes.”’

‘“We’ll do that through the first preseason game, and then we’ll adjust from there and decide, Are we going to keep it the same? Are we going to give him more reps? Or are we going to give him less? Everything is earned here.”’

‘Could the 6-foot-5, 237-pound native Californian notice the difference between first-team defensive backs and the second- and third-stringers he otherwise has exclusively faced since joining the team last month? In a word, yes.’

‘Buffalo’s selection of Allen over Rosen, after trading up to No. 7, is sure to be debated for months, if not years, to come. Instant reaction on Twitter, radio and other social media seemed to indicate that most Bills fans were livid that GM Brandon Beane took the other Josh, Allen over Rosen.’

‘But McCarron did not throw a pass in either 2014 or 2016, and in mop-up duty this past season he completed 7-of-14 for 66 yards and no TDs or picks.’

‘Is it the first of two leapfrogs for the Bills, so as to land a phenom rookie QB in the top 10 of the draft, a la the Philadelphia Eagles two years ago to get Carson Wentz at No. 2?’

‘The Browns probably view him as a safeguard, a temporary starter only if whichever phenom QB they select high in Round 1 doesn’t immediately earn the starting job, as happened with Mitchell Trubisky (No. 2 overall) last year on the Chicago Bears, and with Jared Goff (No. 1 overall) two years ago on the Los Angeles Rams.’

‘But as any discerning viewer of NFL games can attest, whenever the Bills have most needed Taylor to snatch a late victory from defeat with his passing, or succeed as a passer when the Buffalo run game has stalled, he has mostly failed.’

‘“As soon as I got fired by the Pegulas, I was like, no chance. I got rid of all my Sabres stuff. I had the (Roger) Crozier jersey, the French Connection jerseys … I got rid of every damn one of them.”’