Niagara Gazette

‘”I’ll call them front-runners,” Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver said. “They act like they’re excited, but they really not excited. … A lot of offensive guys. Everybody is pretty much excited. … You just want to get the first day of pads over with, get the hand on the ball and just feel what it feels like to actually be back playing football.”‘

‘Allen torched the Bills defense in seven-on-seven work early in practice, throwing a touchdown to rookie Keon Coleman, who beat cornerback Rasul Douglas in the corner of the end zone.’

‘It was the first public appearance for Pegula since suffering a cardiac arrest in June 2022. As practice was wrapping up, Pegula’s husband, Terry, walked over to the vehicle and helped his wife get out.’

‘“No charges were ever filed and the case is closed,” Miller said Thursday. “I’m able to just move forward and focus solely on football.”’

‘The Bills haven’t wasted any time integrating Hollins and the other new receivers into the offense. The 6-foot-4 Hollins saw a significant amount of time with the first-team offense during red zone drills on the opening day of practice and he was once again featured in 11-on-11 sessions Thursday, making three grabs, including a laser from Josh Allen that zipped between cornerback Christian Benford and safety Mike Edwards for a completion.’

‘With only one returning wide receiver (Khalil Shakir), Allen got together with the quarterbacks and receivers in Nashville before camp to continue working to get on the same page. But that’s something Allen does with receivers every summer.’

‘“If you saw me throwing it after (practice) with Mack Hollins, I can’t throw the ball high enough,” Allen said. “Even if I get him jumping, it’s still not where they want it. I gotta keep getting it as high as possible and creating as much separation as I can against those DBs and utilize their height and their tools to go up and catch a ball. So it’s something we’re gonna keep working on, I’m excited.”’

‘The Bills have won a lot under McDermott, but winning also has a price. Given the roster turnover this year, it seems only a complete debacle would cost McDermott his job, but it’s fair to wonder how many times the Bills can afford to hit a wall in the second round.’

‘“When we’re communicating with each other, he’s saying the communication before I even get it out,” Bernard said. “Just little things here and there, talking about the splits, about situational ball, like what’s coming, what the offense is presenting to us. Me and him have a really tight connection, and … we see things the same way, so having him right behind me, and just reciprocating what I’m thinking, it builds a level of confidence between both of us.”’

‘Buffalo returns four of the five offensive linemen from last year in Spencer Brown, Dion Dawkins, Connor McGovern and O’Cyrus Torrence. But the one who is gone, Mitch Morse, was the leader of the unit and a steady hand at center.’

‘All-Pro slot cornerback Taron Johnson takes over as the unquestioned leader of the secondary, but perhaps the most important player in the secondary is Taylor Rapp, who goes from spot duty to full-time starter at safety. With a newcomer Mike Edwards or a rookie Cole Bishop starting opposite him, Rapp has to take over for Hyde and Poyer by directing traffic.’

‘“You’ve got to continue to evolve year to year, and so, whatever success we might have had last year running the football towards the end, we’re going to have to continue to evolve that,” Brady said. “You can’t just pick it up and just continue to do the same thing. James Cook, we’re excited about the progress that he showed at the end of last season and the mindset and the work ethic that he’s having right now that you’re hoping he’s a guy that’s going to continue to take another step.”’

‘In their last four playoff losses, the Buffalo Bills have logged a total of four sacks, while allowing 5.6 yards per carry and 7 yards per play. With little pressure to deter them in those games, opposing quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow have completed 72.3% of their passes and thrown 10 touchdown passes with no interceptions.’

‘The cash-strapped Bills also said adios to receiver Gabe Davis, the team’s No. 2 receiver the last two years, and couldn’t pay him the three-year, $39 million deal he got from the Jacksonville Jaguars even if they wanted to pay him that price. So now the Bills are replacing 58.6% of their receiving touchdowns, 53.4% of their yards and 51.2% of their catches.’

‘In games Allen throws one interception, the outcome doesn’t change drastically from the game he throws none.’