‘“Again going back to the Carolina roots, Mario was a key piece to our defense in Carolina,” McDermott said. “Another highly competitive individual that played really good football for us. We felt like adding Mario would help us, not only from a skill-level standpoint but also some of the leadership in the defensive-line room.”‘
Archives for May 1, 2020
Sean McDermott refuses to allow pandemic to disrupt Bills’ culture
‘”That part’s certainly a challenge,” the coach said. “Our players this time of year are used to players sharing their stories, in some way, shape or form, in order to help bring our team together. And so, we’ve continued with that during our meetings, where players are sharing, coaches are sharing, maybe where they live. They tell their story a little bit, they talk about their family.”‘
Offensive line improvements will have to come from in-house for Bills
‘The Bills return not just all five starters, but all four of their backups from last year’s 53-man roster. That’s rare in a league with such high turnover from year to year.’
Sabres get help from Bills in readying for maybe-virtual NHL draft
‘”I think it’s more than a possibility; I think it’s an absolute certainty,” Sabres Assistant General Manager Randy Sexton told The Buffalo News of the NHL holding a virtual draft. “We’re fortunate with the Bills. Brandon Beane and Sean have been tremendous with sharing their approach to things – the snafus to be careful on and watch for and plan for. Jason spent a lot of time talking to those guys. That’s been really helpful.”‘
Bills coach Sean McDermott: This year’s team motto is ‘Find a way’
‘“We felt like the teams that come out of this the most prepared, the most unified, would potentially have created a competitive advantage,” McDermott said Thursday during a 45-minute Zoom video conference call with reporters. “That remains to be seen, but we felt like when (virtual meetings) kicked off a week ago that we were ready to go. I give our staff a lot of credit for that.”’
5 things Bills’ Sean McDermott said on Stefon Diggs, challenging offseason, & free agents
‘“You look at the production that Stefon has experienced over the course of his career, that speaks for itself. He’s played in big games. He’s had big roles in those games,” McDermott said Thursday afternoon on a video conference call. “We believe that, and it’s been shown and proven to this point, people are able to come to Buffalo and become the best version of themselves. He’s certainly been awfully good to this point.”’
AJ Epenesa lining up next to Ed Oliver? Buffalo Bills GM explains how team envisions using second-round pick
‘“AJ’s a guy that we didn’t necessarily think would be there, but he’s versatile,” GM Brandon Beane told Miller and Kirwan. “That’s what I would say about him. And he’s productive. For us, we see him as a left DE first, but on rush downs, come inside and be a nickel rush. And we like that thinking. Pairing him sometimes with Ed (Oliver) on the inside or some of our other guys that would be in there.”’
Buffalo Bills’ Zack Moss will be instant-impact rookie, says Mel Kiper
‘“I was surprised to see Moss still on the board in the third round, and the Bills picked up my fifth-ranked running back to play the Frank Gore role next to Devin Singletary, who was picked in the third round a year ago. Moss had eight games with 100 rushing yards last season but also showed some receiving skills, catching 28 passes and averaging 13.9 yards per reception. For as good as Singletary was as a rookie, he had only two rushing touchdowns, so it could be Moss who gets the carries inside the 10-yard line. This is a really strong tandem to help Josh Allen, who enters a critical Year 3.”’
Lorenzo Alexander comments on AJ Epenesa taking over No. 57 with Buffalo Bills
‘“Well I’m glad it’s AJ Epenesa,” Alexander tweeted. “Love the way he plays the game!”’
For Bills, new QB Fromm ‘too good to pass up’
‘“The board. Simple as the board,” said Bills’ general Manager Brandon Beane. “I wouldn’t have told you going into (the draft) that (Jake Fromm) was on our radar, but we had him in a spot (on our board) that you just can’t ignore and we gave him his due.”’
Bills Coach Sean McDermott Buoyed By Offseason Upgrades
‘“Listen, we’re definitely further along than where we were when I got here,” he said. “And that’s part of the goal, you want to be able to say that.”’
What the Bills didn’t do in the 2020 NFL Draft, and one thing they definitely got right
‘With coverage-specialist linebackers Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds, Buffalo didn’t enter the 2020 draft with a major need at “big nickel,” but for a team that utilized the nickel package 76% of the time in 2019 per Sports Info Solutions, finding a defender with linebacker-like run-halting skills and safety-esque coverage ability to play next to Milano and Edmunds was a priority with the long-term future in mind.’
McDermott: Bills staying prepared and unified during pandemic situation
‘”We usually spend about 70% of our spring on our passing game, since there’s no pads. Then it gets to 60/40 or maybe 50/50 (at camp), so that’s the biggest thing we’re missing right now as far as time on task.”‘
Sibling rivalry brewing in the AFC East
‘In the sixth-round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins drafted long snapper, Blake Ferguson, from LSU. Blake’s older brother, Reid, is entering his fourth season with the Buffalo Bills.’
Sean McDermott adapting to challenging times during COVID-19 pandemic
‘“About a week into this we got together as a staff and we tried to really anticipate where it could go and certainly I’m not a rocket scientist but you could kind of get a feel for where this was headed, at least that we probably weren’t going to be back in the building for weeks on end. So we got together as a staff and really tried to put together a plan so that we would have our act together,” McDermott said.’