‘People often discuss the effect sitting behind quarterbacks has on a rookie, and how the Bills handle this season will be interesting. Will they give McCarron a bit of rope? Or will they listen to the inevitable calls to play Allen. It will likely all depend on the stakes for the Bills this season, but only time will tell if the risk to move up for Allen will pay off sooner, later or never.’
BillsBeat - June 16, 2018
7 observations from 2018 Buffalo Bills minicamp, Day Three
‘It is difficult to get a gauge on running backs in the spring, but one thing you can’t ignore is usage. Murphy was out on the field quite a bit and all across the board — sometimes getting some first, second, and third-team run. He’s an intriguing name to watch — especially if they do keep four running backs on the roster.’
Bills Today: McDermott on developing QBs this offseason
‘“All three young men have worked extremely hard,” said McDermott. “They’re active learners and they’re really excited to grow, and they love to take coaching, they’re leaders in their own respective ways. As I’ve said before, Nate and A.J. are working with the ones and twos, and Josh is working with the threes. Josh did work some with the ones throughout this week. We will continue to do that periodically through training camp, and we’re just going to stick with the plan and adjust it when and where need be. I’ve been pleased with the work they’ve put in to this point.”’
BillsBeat - June 15, 2018
Minicamp's a wrap: Josh Allen's big arm and other Bills observations
‘”Cam’s got a strong arm,” said Proehl, referring to Carolina star Cam Newton. “I was a ball boy so I used to always have to catch him. At first I thought nobody could beat Cam. But throwing with Josh and seeing the way that ball comes out of his hand, it’s close. I can’t. I don’t know. It’s close.”‘
Sideline to sideline: College hoops coaches Witherspoon, Hartman visit Bills minicamp
‘“I absolutely did pick up some tips,” Witherspoon said afterward. “The pace of it, the rhythm of it, the tempo of how fast it moved and how guys got from place to place.”’
Five things we learned during the Bills’ offseason program
‘The Bills’ first-round draft pick was eased into his transition to the NFL, and McDermott made no bones about it — Allen operated with the third-team because at this early stage, he was behind A.J. McCarron and Nathan Peterman not only in experience and NFL status, but in viability. It figures to be a long haul for Allen in his quest to become what the Bills are hoping for, their long-term franchise quarterback. And it may not happen in training camp, either.’
7 things to know following Buffalo Bills' final minicamp practice
‘Buffalo may want to bring the quarterback along slowly, but he could change their plans if he continues to perform well.’
Jim Kelly’s fight for tomorrow
‘Speaking with a noticeable slur but getting his message across clearly during the 30-minute Q&A, Kelly stressed the need to encourage others who might be going through struggles of their own, no matter how big or small.’
Benjamin eagerly catching up in 2nd season with Bills
‘The Bills’ passing attack ranked no better than 22nd in three seasons under Tyrod Taylor, who was traded to Cleveland this offseason. Buffalo hasn’t cracked the top 10 of the NFL in yard passing since finishing fifth in 2002 during Drew Bledsoe’s first season.’
A Spectator in Minicamp Week: Eric Wood on Retirement
‘“The second I want to play again and get upset my career’s over is the second I need to think back to how close I was to really being messed up for the rest of my life, and not being able to live a normal life and raise a family the way I want to,” Wood says now. “So yeah, the timing stunk. But all things considered, we come off a playoff berth, I get out, and I can walk and play golf and run around with my kids.”‘
Allen has best day yet as Bills end minicamp
‘For the most part, the starters stood on the sidelines for any offense vs. defense work. The second and third-units seemed to get almost all of the reps, although all three quarterbacks rotated again.’
With OTAs behind the Bills, it's time for relaxation and family time
‘This week Allen has received some limited first team reps. McDermott said, “The first thing I look at is his poise and is he handling himself in and out of the huddle the right way, is he getting our offense to the line of scrimmage, making the proper checks and he was able to do some of that and I was impressed from that standpoint and I thought he put the ball in positions for plays to be made at times and then other times, he could’ve put the ball in a better positon, but overall, I thought he handled himself well with room to grow.”’
Allen saves best for last
‘”There’s been moments along the way through Josh’s career as a Bill to this point where you’re saying, ‘I knew he was here [at this level], but in fact, we think he’s a little bit further along than that in some areas.’ That said, [there is] still a lot of work to do.”‘
5 things we learned from Day 3 of minicamp
‘Josh Allen turned in some good-looking plays, how Taiwan Jones won the spring and plans in the works for offensive players to meet during the break.’
Bills Today: National attention shines on Tre’Davious White
‘The other list Bleacher Report feature White on had to do with players who deserve more hype. White has battled a lack of hype since last season, being given no recognition at multiple honors including as a Pro Bowler, or as recently as being left off the list of the top-10 second year players put together by Nate Burleson.’
BillsBeat - June 14, 2018
Training camp becomes shorter for Bills’ players
‘Indeed, Buffalo’s training camp has been shrinking in length in recent years, as evidenced by the 2018 schedule which was released Wednesday.’
Rebuilding Bills’ offensive line continues to be a work in progress
‘“That would either be lying to yourself or lying to someone else,” Newhouse said after Wednesday’s session. “There’s a lot of reps that have to go into a line meshing together, so we’re not going to act like it takes no time at all. I might be sitting here, talking to you in late August, still saying that. But I have no doubt in my mind, based on the kind of guys that we have — the humility, the work ethic and the skill level — that we’ll be closer then than we are now.”‘
Don't read too much into Bills' rotations this time of year
‘”There’s a lot of different ways and reasons for doing what we’re doing, and that’s true at every position. You see some 2s with the 1s and 3s with the 2s. Those are some questions you want to answer this time of year and in the early portion of training camp. Once we get to the second, third and certainly fourth week of training camp, then we’ll try to build some continuity with the 1s so it carries into the season.”‘
Bills Minicamp Notebook: Day 2 brings Josh Allen, offense together
‘The first 11-on-11 session during practice was a red-zone segment. Allen’s first pass was knocked down, and he scrambled on the next play. He made an impressive touchdown throw on the offense’s third snap, throwing a rope to receiver Jeremy Kerley in the back of the end zone. Just two plays later, Allen missed a wide-open Kerley on what should have been an easy throw for a touchdown. Such is life with a developing rookie.’
What They Said: McDermott, McCoy, McCarron, Peterman and Allen on start of minicamp
‘I’ll go back and give the players credit; they’ve done a tremendous job this offseason being in Buffalo and working their tails off. The coaches have been teaching and it’s been a good environment around the building. We’ve got great weather outside and a lot of positive energy around this place right now.’
Full schedule: Bills 2018 training camp
‘Fans wanting to see the team on the practice field will have to be up early — 10 of the 14 practices at Fisher begin at 8:45 a.m. There will be just one night practice at 5:30 p.m. on the first day of camp. The team will also host a night practice Aug. 3 beginning at 6:15 p.m. at New Era Field.’
McCoy doesn't sugarcoat it: Losing Wood and Incognito a big blow for him and Bills offense
‘“I mean, losing Richie and Eric, I’d be lying if I told you that it didn’t matter,’’ McCoy said Tuesday as Bills mini-camp got underway at New Era Field. “Some people might say that to kind of nip it in the bud and get it out of the way, but those guys are great players.’’’
7 things we learned from day 2 of Buffalo Bills minicamp
‘AJ McCarron started Wednesday’s practice by hitting someone in Bills gear, but it wasn’t a player. A throwaway pass by the quarterback hit strength and conditioning coach Eric Ciano. He followed that up by connecting with Andre Holmes on a touchdown pass. Later in practice he connected on a deep pass down the field (more on that next). Mark Ludwiczak of Bills Digest noted that the quarterback had some of his best throws of the spring on Wednesday.’
Browns QB Tyrod Taylor would love to knock Buffalo Bills out of playoffs in 2018
‘”Definitely motivated,” Taylor said. “Things didn’t end the way I would have liked it to in Buffalo, but God has a plan. They wanted to move forward. We’re still in a good position. We could possibly see those guys in the playoffs or we could knock those guys out of the playoffs. I would definitely love that. It’s definitely added motivation and I take that to work with me every day.”‘
Buffalo Bills training camp schedule 2018: Dates, times, ticket information
‘In addition to practices, the Bills will be holding theme days at St. John Fisher College. The themes include Christmas in July (July 29), Princess & Super Hero Day (August 1), Wild West Day (August 2), Military Appreciation Day August 5), One Buffalo Day (August 7) and Pirate Day (August 14). Full details on the theme days will be announced at a later time.’
Allen gets red zone work with starters; Proehl, Streater make highlight reel grabs
‘Wednesday there was another new wrinkle. Allen got the first shot with the starters when they opened their offense vs. defense portion of practice, as it started with a red zone session.’
Dawkins taking things day-by-day with the new offense
‘”It’s never easy,” Dawkins said with Jeremy White on WGR, Wednesday morning. “It’s definitely harder because we have a whole new offense. It’s not like we’re coming in with the same playbook, so it’s a totally different life. [We’re] taking it just day-by-day.”‘
Kaelin Clay is happy that the Bills wanted him back
‘Clay knew Sean McDermott from their days in Carolina, so he knew what to expect from him, but that doesn’t make moving around any easier, “It was difficult,” Clay said. “But its part of the business, you can never get comfortable and you just have to take advantage of the opportunities that you do have, so I was grateful enough to be here and now I’m grateful to be here again and have a full off-season to learn the playbook.”’
Bills announce 2018 training camp schedule
‘In total, there will be 14 practices at St. John Fisher, with the opener a 5:30 p.m. start. There will be one night practice at New Era Field, and one late afternoon practice at the ADPRO Sports Training Center in Orchard Park.’
7 observations from 2018 Buffalo Bills minicamp, Day Two
‘After watching four practices of Josh Allen with the whole team, I wrote on Tuesday that he has mainly given up and down performances to this point. However, on Wednesday, he had his best day yet without surrendering a throw that makes you utter, ‘Well, what was that?”
Find out when the Buffalo Bills hit the field at St. John Fisher for training camp
‘The Buffalo Bills released their training camp schedule Wednesday. The first day of training camp will happen Thursday, July 26th at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are required to attend the first day of training camp. Training camp runs through August 15th.’
Phillips excited to begin career learning from Williams & Lotulelei
‘”So much of my motivation is to prove them right,” Phillips said. “31 teams did happen to pass on me in the draft, but that’s not the motivation. It’s the motivation that one team did choose me. They took enough faith and trust to choose me and so just trust them and really let them know who Harrison Phillips can be.”‘
Buffalo Bills training camp schedule released
‘August 3, the team will practice inside New Era Field. A week later they’ll hit the field at their ADPRO Training Center.’
Bills bus lot rate going up to $100
‘The bus lot rate is going up from $60 to $100. The price hike is in response to some infamously bad behavior by Bills fans.’
Rookie Phillips drinking from Bills' deep well of DL experience
‘”So much of my motivation is to prove them right,” Phillips said. “31 teams did happen to pass on me in the draft, but that’s not the motivation. It’s the motivation that one team did choose me. They took enough faith and trust to choose me and so just trust them and really let them know who Harrison Phillips can be.”‘
Bills release schedule for training camp at Fisher
‘This year, the Bills have scheduled six “theme days” including “Christmas in July, Princess & Super Hero Day, Wild West Day, Military Appreciation Day, One Buffalo Day and Pirate Day. The theme days will include free printed photo opportunities for families and limited giveaways.’
5 things we learned from Day 2 of minicamp
‘AJ McCarron got to run the first unit and had 1:25 to work with on the clock from his own 30. He started hot with completions to Nick O’Leary and Jeremy Kerley on back-to-back plays to move into the defense’s territory.’
What you need to know about the 2018 Connors and Ferris Training Camp schedule
‘In addition to the same great hospitality and family-friendly activities offered at training camp year after year, the Bills will be hosting six theme days to further enhance the fan experience at Fisher. Bills fans are encouraged to come dressed the part and to participate in the fun associated with each theme, such as free printed photo opportunities with custom backgrounds. A limited number of giveaway items will also be available for guests on each theme day. With each $50 purchase at The Bills Store, during the themed practices, fans will receive a themed koozie while supplies last. On Sunday, Aug. 5, for Military Appreciation Day, discounts at concession stands will be given for active military members and veterans. More information on theme days will be shared when it becomes available.’
Bills Today: McCoy sees potential in Bills QB competition
‘“I’m good friends with A.J. Green and we talked over the offseason when the deal went down, I reached out to him first,” said McCoy. “I called him, ‘Hey man, what are we getting?’ Which everybody does that… But A.J., he’s honest with me. Said that A.J. (McCarron) is a heck of a player, plays hard, he’s going to know the offense, make the right reads, as long as guys help him out he should be fine.”‘
BillsBeat - June 13, 2018
Nearing 30th birthday, McCoy shows no signs of slowing down
‘“I don’t think there’s any slowing down,” tight end Charles Clay said after Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp practice. “You see that he doesn’t take any real punishment. He does a good job of moving and dodging tacklers. And then, when he is getting tackled, he does a good job of … landing. It’s almost weird. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him take a big shot, just because he’s so good at manipulating his body. I could go on and on about the dude.”‘