Two Bills Drive

'"Granted, McDermott has never been a head coach. He's also taking over a franchise that underwent a front-office shift just months after he accepted the job. The Bills' new rookie GM, Brandon Beane, is a familiar face to McDermott, as the two worked together in Carolina. Worth noting here that McDermott's lack of experience as a head coach does not make him unqualified for the post. … He just wrapped up eight straight seasons as a defensive coordinator (for the Eagles and Panthers), fielding a top-10 defense in half of them. Five of those teams made it to the postseason," analyst Eliot Harrison wrote.'

'After that, you can wait a while before taking any more of the Bills. In a recent 12-team mock draft conducted by a group of fantasy experts for NFL.com, McCoy was chosen with the 1oth overall pick.'

'"There are cities that have franchise and there are football towns in this league," Beane said. "I consider, I always said the top three for football towns in no particular order, are Green Bay, Buffalo and Kansas City. So I knew, 'Hey, this is a football town.'"'

'Beane’s parents have been season-ticket holders for the Panthers since the 1990s, but nobody in their section knows they are Beane’s parents. In September, the Bills will travel to Carolina for a Week 2 game against the Panthers. Sean McDermott told Beane to tell his parents they have to wear Bills gear. Cindy said they might have to find another section so they don’t blow their cover in their regular seats.'

'“Well, because of my college career, I’m more comfortable right now at left tackle. I know that Coach Juan has mentioned to me that I am going to have to learn both left and right tackle,” said Dawkins. “As of today, I feel comfortable more at left tackle because of the reps.”'

'"I think we are getting better," Hyde said after a mandatory minicamp session last week. "Every day, we are getting better. Everybody is out here working. I can’t speak for offense as much as defense, but the defense is getting better every day and we are communicating.'

'It's hard to argue with Incognito's series of tweets. Incognito is among the team's most passionate players, his performance with the Bills has led to back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances and he's certainly been accepted in Buffalo. While it's easy to reference Incognito's past as a reason to hate him, the Bills' left guard has worked hard to redeem himself from the incident that could have ended his career in 2013.'

'Beane has been betting on himself all his life. He picked NFL games against his teacher during his seventh grade history class. He bet his high school golf coach a drink and a candy bar during practice rounds. Even today, he can't pass the putting green at Dick's Sporting Goods without turning it into a competition. It never matters whether money actually changes hands. Beane just craves having something on the line.'

'The Bills have a stranglehold on the Rochester market and there's really no reason to hold camp there anymore.'

'John Murphy: I consider Marcell Dareus the most indispensable man on the Bills roster. If he can get back to his form of 2013-14, the Buffalo defense should also return to prominence. So far this offseason, Marcell has shown that he’s matured and more serious about his craft than he has appeared to be the last two seasons. He seems focused and has worked hard to get in good condition during his regular appearances at the voluntary workouts.'

'The Bills finished No. 1 in special-teams DVOA two straight seasons, powered primarily by kick returns from cornerback Terrence McGee. In 2004, he averaged 26.3 yards per return and scored three touchdowns. In 2005, he was even better: only one touchdown but 30.2 yards per return. That's the second-best kick return season in our database. Punter Brian Moorman was the other star of Buffalo's special teams and was selected first-team All-Pro after averaging 45.7 gross yards per punt in 2005.'

'The Bills added veteran cornerbacks Shareece Wright and Leonard Johnson, a former Panther, in the offseason and both will provide competition. However, Seymour did plenty to establish himself as a worthy candidate for significant playing time. During offseason workouts, he worked inside, covering the slot receiver in nickel defense, as well as outside.'

'That 2004 team, which finished with a 9-7 record, has a unique distinction. The website Football Outsiders, which analyzes the NFL through use of advanced metrics, calls the 2004 Bills the best team of this century to miss the playoffs. The Bills had Football Outsiders' No. 1 defense and special teams that year, according to the website's DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), which measures the success of each play based down and distance, then makes a comparison to the NFL average baseline adjusted for situation and opponent.'

'I'd say that documentary probably was about six months, between finding out who we're gonna shoot, getting in contact with them, going to Buffalo to shoot it, coming up with the voice narration. The voiceover was written by us, so it took a long time to put the thing together.'

'"You have somebody with five kids like I do, the opportunity to come in here, just smile and take a few pictures, you never know what that may do for the spirits of parents or kids," Williams said. "It's always fun to come in and spend a little time with those guys.'''