Two Bills Drive

'Hopes always are high for the new guy. Beane didn't throw up on his tie, drop an F-bomb or deliver a treatise about the benefits of communism. No red flags Friday, at least.'

'"I knew Sean was this big wrestler," Beane said. "Little did I know he had a wrestling mat in his house. He says, 'bring him over. We'll wrestle.' He's got a whole, almost a WWF setup over there.' … When he left, I was like, 'thanks a lot. There goes my wrestling coach.' "'

'“#perfectjob,” the NFL Hall of Famer tweeted after it was announced he would join a panel in New York City on May 17. Celebrity chef Mario Batali is another one of the judges.'

'“He’s a great man,” Beane said of McDermott. “We built a good, trusting relationship in Carolina. You can never predict the future, it’s not like Sean and I said, ‘Hey, we’re going to leave the same year.’ I trust Sean and I think Sean trusts me and I think you’re going to see a heck of a partnership between the two of us.”'

'A reunion in Buffalo with McDermott would have made plenty of sense. The Bills signed safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer in free agency, but did not add any additional depth during the draft. Boston could have competed for a starting role in Buffalo against Poyer.'

'"I went through the interview process with the Pegulas and I had never met them," Beane said. "That's the first thing you do is figure out, who's the owners? Who's leading this ship? I was blown away. You go into something you're kind of like 'I don't know what it's going to be like.' When I left the interview, I wanted to be a Buffalo Bill. When i got the call for the second interview, Haley and I had already talked about it and it was just a dream come true. They undoubtedly will do anything they can to help me and Sean and the rest of this team to build a winner to what this team used to have back in the 90s." '

'"Laying up in that hospital bed on pro day, man, with a torn Achilles and having surgery, words can't even describe how I was feeling, man," Sylve said. "Words can't even describe, bro. All I remember doing was just laying down and crying. Just like, why? Why this?"'

'Beane and Botterill (40) are younger in terms of their peers in their respective leagues. They’re young, but that doesn’t mean their innovative and winners. They have to show and prove those, not be handed these descriptive words.'

'To hear Beane talk, and then McDermott a few hours later at his own post-practice presser, one can’t help but come away convinced these men were close in Charlotte, both inside and away from Panthers headquarters. And that they share so much mutual personal and professional respect as to make whatever compromises are necessary to make this thing work.'

'"He's on track," McDermott said. "He's doing a nice job, and I like the look in his eye. And again a credit to Cyrus and our medical team. He's rehabbing similar to (wide receiver) Kolby (Listenbee) and doing a nice job with it."'

'Robinette expected to be drafted, but the Department of Defense altered its position to require service academy graduates to serve at least two years on active duty before pursuing professional sports full-time. The previous rule, in effect for just one year, had allowed athletes to immediately apply to serve on reserve status and play right away.'

'"I would bounce ideas of him of where we could get players. We were always talking about how to make our defense better," Beane said. "And now, instead of just talking about the defense with him, I'm going to talk about the whole team with him."'

'"We feel his vast understanding and experience in many facets of football operations will be invaluable to our club moving forward. We also believe his vision for the Buffalo Bills, combined with his detailed approach, will help build a foundation for sustained success."'

'"I went through the interview process with the Pegulas and I had never met them, and so that’s the first thing you do – you’re trying to figure out, alright, who’s the owners, who’s leading this ship? And I was blown away. You go into something, you’re kind of like, eh, I don’t know what it’s going to be like. When I left the interview, I wanted to be a Buffalo Bill. So when I got the call for the second interview, Hayley and I had already talked about it and it was just a dream come true and they (Terry and Kim) undoubtedly are going to do anything they can to help me and Sean and the rest of this team build a winner to what this team used to have back in the ‘90s."'

'Of the 58 players on the rookie camp roster, chances are slim – at best – most of them will get that far. But that’s why they’re here. For that one shot. And they’ll all have three days to prove to the coaching staff they deserve to stick around.'