Niagara Gazette

‘“I think my biggest expectation is to actually be in the stadium,” Mulligan said. “Our new stadium is going to be modeled after this one, similarly, so I’m really excited to see how everything looks and feels.”’

‘Not much was expected from Jackson when he was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL draft, but he always seems to find his way back into the starting lineup. The Bills drafted Kaiir Elam in the first round and Christian Benford in the sixth last year, but Jackson was the No. 1 cornerback coming out of training camp.’

‘Buffalo has been in this position often over the last few seasons, building up confidence with a big win, only to have a letdown and lose a winnable game. That 9-6 loss to a Jaguars team destined for the No. 1 overall pick following the 2021 season is still all too fresh.’

‘“It feels like I’ve been away from (my pads) so long and I see them each and every day,” Miller said. “I’m in the film room, and the locker room, and training room each and every day. But it feels like I’ve been separated from those guys for so long, man. And it feels good to be back in gen pop, back with all the other guys, man.”’

‘“He personifies what it is to be a Buffalo Bill,” McDermott said. “His family is tremendous. And he works as hard as anybody I’ve ever been around and I love him. I mean, to see him on that field — the way he was hurting — is hard. It’s hard to watch.”’

‘“Coming in early in the week, sitting down with the coaches, and really airing out what we needed to do, what we had to get done, and how we were going to attack the offense,” Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard said. “… I feel like it gave us a lot of confidence coming into the game. We knew exactly what we wanted to do. exactly how we were going to do it, the communication that needed to be had and we worked on it all week and felt very confident coming into the game.”’

‘Allen flashed greatness in the two weeks since, but largely played an efficient game and lightly sprinkled his heroics into the mix. Allen posted good games against inferior teams, and then against the team slated to unseat the Bills in the standings, he unleashed the magic. Go figure.’

‘Whether it was about how the Dolphins have become national darlings for a high-powered offense and the Bills have become afterthoughts for those who believe their Super Bowl window closed with last year’s resounding loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the playoffs and the ensuing drama surrounding Stefon Diggs that hovered throughout the offseason, the Bills just wouldn’t bite. But they left breadcrumbs.’

‘“As far back as I can remember, I’ve been a Bills fan,” said Keenan Walsh, a Falls native who now lives in North Carolina who will be part of the big reunion and tailgate party at the stadium in Orchard Park on Sunday. “We used to listen to the games on the radio with John Murphy. Those were the glory days of the ‘90s. That got us interested in the Bills and we’ve been following them faithfully ever since.”’

‘Taylor Rapp, who started 48 of 57 games with the Los Angeles Rams, is expected to be Poyer’s replacement.’

‘The rivalry went stagnant in the 2000s, with both franchises mired by mediocrity and AFC East ruled by the New England Patriots for two decades. But with the Bills resurgence and the Dolphins appearing to be on the same path, the rivalry was reignited with a playoff meeting last season.’

‘But the Dolphins provide a rival that everyone can agree upon. Bills fans thought Josh Allen’s ascent meant a Patriots-like stranglehold on the division for a decade, but Miami has arrived to be the spoiler and boasts a similar desire.’

‘While coaches far too often get credit for being revolutionary in a copycat sport, Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is going against the grain. Offenses throughout football are trying to see how thin they can spread defenses side-to-side while McDaniel is compressing the field inside the numbers to hit the edge, and eventually, stretch them vertically.’

‘And now it may be a primary weapon in stopping a Miami Dolphins offense that leads the NFL in total yards (550.3), passing (362), rushing (188.3) and points (43.3). Meanwhile, the Bills ranked third in the league in time of possession, holding the ball more than 35 minutes per game.’

‘It’s too early to claim Bernard is better than his predecessor, Tremaine Edmunds, who was a Pro Bowler with the Bills that signed a record-setting contract with the Chicago Bears during the offseason. But it already seems that Bernard has a trait that Edmunds, to the frustration of many, never developed. Edmunds ran sideline to sideline, racking up tackles or taking on blockers, but rarely created turnovers. He only had one season with two interceptions, two sacks was a season-high and he never recovered a fumble in five seasons.’