Niagara Gazette

‘It wasn’t an ideal first impression of the No. 1 offense — which did not include Dawson Knox, who dressed but did not play with finger injury — but it’s hardly cause for concern yet. The play calling in the preseason is always vanilla, while who and what was seen on the field against the Steelers won’t be the same as Week 1 against the Jets.’

‘Allen hasn’t been reluctant to look toward Kincaid during training camp, and even though it may be a vanilla offense during the preseason, fans will get to see how the rookie fits into the offense for the first time.’

‘Klein’s greatest value has never been as a sideline-to-sideline marquee linebacker, considering he’s only started more than 10 games in a season once under McDermott. It’s his knowledge of McDermott’s defensive scheme and his ability to communicate with the other linebackers and the rest of the defense.’

‘“You want to get them ready in as much dress rehearsals as you can put them in to make sure that they’re ready to go,” McDermott said. “… It’s what we feel like is the right thing for the team this year and where we’re at. It’s no different if you look at the military and what they do, they don’t just throw the guys out there. I’m not saying this is what they do in terms of the military, but they’re the best of the best in what they do and they have dress rehearsals also, so that’s what we do.”’

‘When the game started Saturday, Doyle appeared to be on the roster bubble, behind at least four offensive tackles — Spencer Brown, Dion Dawkins, David Quessenberry and Brandon Shell — throughout training camp at St. John Fisher University. But when Shell abruptly retired Tuesday, Doyle was given another chance to climb back up the depth chart.’

‘Not only does his solid speed — Isabella ran a 4.31-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine — and quickness help him give the Bills depth in the slot, but he is also capable of returning kicks and punts.’

‘“When you’re out on the field, and we’re going fast, they can just say, ‘Hey, stay over there,’” Shakir told the Gazette after practice Tuesday. “You were at X and now you’re at Z. So just making sure that when we are playing fast, I would say the hardest part is just making sure that as we’re going fast we can flip flop spots so we can go as fast as we want to.”’

‘Offensive and defensive players were trash-talking back and forth throughout team sessions. At one point, linebacker Tyrel Dodson and offensive tackle Spencer Brown got into their second skirmish of camp, with Brown’s helmet popping off and Dodson tossing it before being calmed by linebackers coach Bobby Babich.’

‘“I was just excited and I was ready to play,” Hamlin said. “I don’t feel like I have nothing to prove at all. I don’t. But in a way, you know, it’s kind of like proving it to myself and just accepting a challenge of just being able to go through something so tough and just to be able to come back and overcome that. And then just to prove to yourself that nothing can stop you, nothing can stop you from doing what you want to do and reaching the heights that you want to reach.”’

‘“The road that I had to go through, I never for once thought that my talent level was low or anything like that,” Ray told the Gazette after practice Thursday. “I always felt like this is where I was supposed to be. I still feel like I’m grinding to be one of the best pass rushers I can be, football player I can be every day. … I was very grateful for every moment (of training camp), just taking it in and I was even more grateful for this to show everybody that I still got a lot to bring to the table.”’

‘“I remember, last camp, I was dreading getting out of bed and going to practice and just surviving through the day,” Brown told the Gazette after practice Wednesday. “Now I wake up, I’m like, ‘Gosh, I feel great. I’m gonna go workout at 6:30 and then have a great practice, push through it, wear myself out and then I know I’m going to feel good tomorrow.’ So instead of surviving, trying to thrive.”’

‘“I like this the organization and the way they do things,” Boeheim said. “We’re not quite that organized in basketball. We’re a little bit more spontaneous. Here, you got a lot of guys, everything’s orchestrated step by step. I learned from football, we chart our practice and we time our practice, too, but not quite like this. We’re working with fewer guys. So it’s a little bit easier, but it’s fun.”’

‘During practice, Bernard got his third consecutive day with the No. 1 defense — although he and Dodson both got No. 1 reps with Matt Milano out of practice Friday — and played exclusively with the presumptive starters Sunday.’

‘“Man, just seeing the fans out here and how they’re going crazy,” said Williams, a rookie linebacker. “It’s a great experience and there’s a reason why you want to be in Buffalo. The fans and the culture.”’

‘This season, however, Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has said it’s important to get Davis so easier opportunities this year, while teammate Stefon Diggs says Davis would be a No. 1 NFL wide receiver anywhere else. Davis showed why on Day Seven of training camp Thursday at St. John Fisher University.’