‘This year’s Buffalo mantra, with the addition of Diggs, the return of John Brown and Cole Beasley at wideout and a running game of rising star Devin Singletary and Moss, has been “Now Josh Allen has no excuses.”’
Archives for August 17, 2020
Bolstering of core special teams roster lifts Heath Farwell’s outlook
‘“We lost a bunch of guys on special teams,” Farwell said on a Zoom call with reporters Sunday. “The good part is we got some great players brought in here. Tyler Matakevich, he’s the best cover guy in the league in my opinion. He is so talented. He has a motor that just gets to the football, his energy shows up at practice. His ability to get to the football – you don’t see on special teams.”‘
Bills add DT depth with two signings, waive two players
‘Joining the team are Tanzel Smart, a 6-foot-1, 295-pounder who appeared in 31 games over the past three seasons for the Los Angeles Rams; and Justin Zimmer, a 6-3, 300-pounder who has appeared in three games the past two seasons.’
Inside the Bills: How Bills are adjusting to new process of acquiring players
‘Within the last week, the league relaxed rules as it relates to free agent tryouts. Previously, if a team wanted to bring in a player for a tryout, it was required to have an opening on its roster. The idea was to limit travel amid the pandemic – the league didn’t want teams flying three or four players in for a workout if it was only going to sign one. That meant Beane and his counterparts around the league spent plenty of time on the phone, trying to figure out who is healthy and available. Agents would also send videos of their clients working out to show they are fully recovered from injury.’
Bills’ Andre Roberts: ‘My age doesn’t matter’
‘“I do think knowing the game helps me a lot, especially as you get older, and that’s any veteran,” Roberts said. “You don’t know too much when you’re younger. You’re just trying to go out there and play the game, but as you get older, you learn more things, you see more things. So, that definitely helps you in the game. I think that helps me a lot in the return game.”’
Buffalo Bills sign DTs Justin Zimmer and Tanzel Smart
‘This will be Zimmer’s second offseason stint with Buffalo.’
3 things to know about Justin Zimmer, Buffalo Bills’ new defensive tackle
‘Last season, Zimmer appeared in two games with the Cleveland Browns. He recorded five tackles in that time and was released at the end of the July by the end with a non-football injury designation.’
4 things to know about Tanzel Smart, Buffalo Bills’ new defensive tackle
‘Smart and his fiancée have a YouTube channel in which they video blog about the NFL, travel, food and more. The couple also plays certain games and uploads them to their channel.’
Bills sign defensive tackles Tanzel Smart and Justin Zimmer
‘The Bills had a total of four defensive tackles tryout for them, according to the NFL’s transaction wire. Oftentimes, teams simply want to get a look and information on a player now in case they need to act quickly at the position at some point during the season. However, in this case, they were clearly looking to add to and make changes at the spot.’
Bills begin final phase of training camp Monday
‘On the first day, players will be allowed to practice for a total of 90-minutes, with a 15-minute daily increase, up to 2.5 hours of maximum on-field work. The league is officially referring to this last phase as the “Contact Integration Period,” which lasts through September 6th, but with a maximum of 14 padded practices and two days off over those 20 days.’
Bills leaning on Andre Roberts dynamic return skills once again
‘While some players start to decline as they get older, Roberts, 32, has done the opposite. He still manages to perform at a high level each season, something Bills special teams coordinator Heath Farwell is amazed by.’
Bills eager to watch Hauschka, Bass compete for kicking duties
‘”It’s a classic training camp matchup,” Bills special teams coordinator Heath Farwell said. “You have a veteran kicker that’s proved him, that’s made some big huge kicks in the playoffs and throughout the regular season of his career. Then you have this young kid that’s hungry, competitive, and that’s trying to take his job.”‘
Bills kicking battle a “classic matchup”
‘“We’re trying to put them in all those pressure situations,” Farwell said. “We’ll bring them up at the end of practice. We’ll bring them up in the middle of practice.”’
Bills long snapper Reid Ferguson has good reason to remember (some of) 2020 fondly
‘In March, he took a journey to the Holy Land in Israel. It’s something he started planning with the Bills team chaplain two years ago. “It was a life changing trip for me,” Ferguson said. “We were really excited to venture out of our comfort zone a little bit.”’
Roberts still ready and waiting to get his revenge against Jets
‘“The fire is definitely still there,” Roberts said. “As long as I’m playing for the Buffalo Bills, I’ll have that chance to play them twice. That fire still burns within me regardless of who we’re playing, but I definitely have that extra chip when I’m playing the Jets.”’