Archives for July 2017

'“Communication has come a long way,” said Hyde. “I just think that goes along with learning the playbook. Once you get comfortable you can go out there and communicate.”'

'The Bills desperately need that to continue. Outside of quarterback Tyrod Taylor, there may not be a more indispensable player on the roster than McCoy. That’s both because of his elite ability, and a lack of depth behind him. When the team opted not to match Mike Gillislee’s contract offer by the Patriots, they lost one of the more productive backup running backs in the NFL.'

'McDermott has never been the kind of leader at an NFL training camp that he’ll be this year, because this is the first where he’ll be the head coach. As has been the case since his arrival at One Bills Drive, he will put his own distinctive markings on it.'

'Players will sign one item per person for children 14 and under in the autograph tent following practice sessions. Lines for autographs will be limited to the number of children that can be reasonably accommodated. Players may also sign unnanounced along fenced areas after practice. Start time of the autograph tent is flexible each day based on the end time of practice. There will be no organized autograph sessions following night practices.'

'"What makes great leaders great?" McDermott said. "At the end of the day, that's what coaches are. In addition to teachers, this is a leadership role. Coordinator is a leadership role, position coach. You're leading people. I've spent a lot of time and I've become passionate about leadership and creating a culture that is a winning culture. That's, to me, when you look at the way we played in Carolina. Not to go back, but the culture that we're trying to build here is one that defensively I felt like we had in Carolina, where the guys love coming to work. Think about this for yourself. If you love driving down One Bills Drive and you love coming to work, and I get it, it's work, but when you love what you do and you love the people you're doing it with, you can win with that.'

'Will fans be patient with McDermott and Beane? They’ll need to be, because unless Taylor becomes a legitimate franchise quarterback and the defense turns back the clock to 2014, I don’t see this team winning more than six or seven games. There are too many holes and a brutal out-of-division schedule featuring games against Atlanta, Oakland, Kansas City, Tampa Bay and Denver. So, it’s going to take time, perhaps a few seasons. McDermott and Beane are friends, and that’s a plus after the tempestuous relationships between former GM Doug Whaley and ex-Bills coaches Ryan and Doug Marrone. Whaley’s hunger for power and questionable personnel moves fueled the dysfunction.'

'Oh, where have the good times gone? What had been the AFC's winningest team of the 1990s, the Bills have spent the new millennium relegated to afterthought status, compiling the longest active playoff drought in North America's four professional sports.'

'"We're building; every year we are working to win," said McDermott, who refused to term his first season in Buffalo a rebuilding year. "That's not where we're going with this. That's not it at all. It's about winning football games. It's hard. It's a challenge when you say, 'Hey, we focus on the process and the scoreboard takes care of itself' because we're evaluated by wins and losses. But I just know, being a part of two winning organizations before coming here, that in order for us to win we have to focus on that. That'll translate into wins soon enough."'

'“Yeah. I think you hear about that all the time when you're around this town,” he said. “You hear about it. But what's amazing to me is the passion of these fans is unmatched. I mean you're out there yesterday (the final day of minicamp, when the team allowed select fans into the ADPRO Sports Training Center to watch the session) and you see little guys out there that they just bleed Bills, and that's just awesome to see. And the neat part is that the parents who were around in the early 90s have children who have never seen a say 'X' and 'hey, you know, before I pass I want Joe or Jane to see the team the way I saw it.' And I love that.”'

'"The league does a good job, first of all. At the combine they have kind of mock interviews, really, where they bring in a firm and you wear a suit and you go through a mock interview with a spotlight on you, basically. So the league prepares you for it a little bit. I think they've really used that as a video file on each candidate that's out there that you can get some feedback on. So that's a nice little boost that the league provides.'

'“I feel like I did pretty good, but I have a ways to go if I want to benefit this team in any way,” said White. “I’ve got a long ways to go, so I’m looking forward to getting back home and getting to work and working on my craft and getting better.”'

'“When we were in the car riding back to the airport his phone was blowing up from his agent about this Buffalo job starting to brew,” said Beane of McDermott. “He was on the phone the whole time with his agent talking about his options and how the San Fran thing went.”'

'It’s not unheard of for young pass rushers to take some time to adjust to the NFL level. Khalil Mack, the University at Buffalo product who might be the best defensive player in the league today, had four sacks as a rookie, then increased that total to 15 in his second year.'

'Of course, fairness wasn't the point. Javad and Filipowski were just having fun by appealing to sensitive Bills fans who over-react to every perceived slight.'

'He fell on hard times after leaving football. He was charged with resisting arrest after a confrontation with police in Los Angeles in 2014, but a judge ruled him not mentally competent to stand trial.'