Olean Times Herald

‘How many times has the Buffalo Bills defense shaken off a seemingly debilitating injury? Sure, there is a limit to how many subtractions one unit can take. But we didn’t see it Thursday night. Instead, we saw a defensive masterpiece.’

‘Bernard left Thursday night’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter with a pectoral injury and didn’t return to the game. Brandt reported that it’s a pectoral strain and could keep the Bills captain sideline for about a month.’

‘So with respect to the Pats, the winner of Thursday night’s game will have the first leg up on the East race but a long way to go.’

‘If there was any doubt, Sunday’s season opener showed why the Bills need their Superman at quarterback.’

‘Getting a feel for these Bills, who might have less star power, but are younger; who might have fewer sure things, but are hungrier, has been difficult to do. And that’s true not only for the fans — it’s also the case for the betting market; both for those who make the wagers and the sportsbooks that take them.’

‘Allen doesn’t have those elite, proven weapons like, say, the dynamic duos of receivers on the Bengals and Dolphins. Especially not after Buffalo traded Stefon Diggs to Houston and let Gabe Davis walk to Jacksonville. That’s not to say they’re bereft of talent, either, but it’s mostly unproven talent. The Bills expect big things from Dalton Kincaid, but he’s only a second-year tight end. Keon Coleman is a rookie second-round pick, Khalil Shakir, a fifth-rounder two years ago. Maybe by season’s end these will be household names outside of Western New York, but they’re not widely known outside of here.’

‘And if and when it does, he’ll be just the latest in a long string of fathers and sons to play for the same franchise in pro sports (and even more playing in the same league). No, it’s not quite Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. playing on the same Seattle Mariners team (or even LeBron James and Bronny on the Lakers), but both Gores are now part of the same franchise’s history. Over in Pittsburgh, the Steelers drafted Joey Porter Jr. last year. Marcus Foligno followed his father, Mike’s, footsteps as a Buffalo Sabre.’

‘Local product Joe Andreessen, dubbed “Buffalo Joe” by Allen and his teammates, started his second consecutive game at middle linebacker and played into the fourth quarter in his last bid to make the 53-man roster, or practice squad. He was again among the team leaders in tackles with eight total (two solo, six assists).’

‘This month, Sports Locker debuted collaborations with Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir. The product? Caricature designs from local artist Eric Jones, which are now available in multiple apparel forms — t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts and more — in men’s, women’s and youth sizing and various colors. Also available are car decals.’

‘No, the Bills’ offense didn’t look much — if at all — better against Pittsburgh than in last week’s preseason-opening loss to the Bears, but that reasonably had a lot to do with coach Sean McDermott’s cautious decision to rest Allen. That call, according to McDermott, had everything to do with a heavy storm that pounded Acrisure Stadium with rain before Saturday night’s game. Not wanting to take chances with the franchise’s quarter-billion-dollar man on a wet grass field, the Bills kept Allen on the sidelines in a ballcap and instead started Mitchell Trubisky alongside the rest of the first-team offense.’

‘“I’d say it’s a lot different, you know, high school football to this,” Andreesen said, comparing Saturday to his Section 6 championships. “High school you’re kind of playing, this is more like my livelihood I’m playing for if that makes sense. High school is more fun and enjoyable. So, yeah, more on the line here, I’d say definitely. But in a way, still a great experience, both of them, and a little bit more fancier, obviously, than I had in high school.”’

‘Of the 33-6 loss, generally, McDermott acknowledged some small positives — Tyler Bass making two kicks, red zone defense holding the Bears and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams to two field goals — but sounded mostly unsatisfied. “Outside of that, (we have) a ton to work on,” McDermott said. “A ton to work on and our standard was not out there today. That’s not how we play. So there’s a lot that we need to do to get ourselves ready to go here.”’

‘The Bills don’t have a traditional No. 1 receiver, but what they do have are plenty of options, players who each bring a different skillset to the offense.’

‘Among returning Buffalo pass-catchers, Dalton Kincaid had the most targets from Josh Allen last year at 91, more than any 2023 Bills except Stefon Diggs, who got his typical huge share of looks at 160. But, with Diggs in Houston and Allen’s wide receiver core full of newcomers, could Kincaid be in for an even heavier workload in his second season as a pro?’

‘The Bills targeted Diggs 160 times last season, in line with his first three seasons’ worth: 166 in 2020, 164 in 2021 and 154 in 2022. Since 2020, he’s ranked first, fifth, fifth and seventh in targets among all NFL pass-catchers. Davis, meanwhile, was third on the team with 81 targets last year. In total 56.5% of Josh Allen’s 2023 targets went to players no longer on Buffalo’s roster. So where will they go in 2024? Allen might rely more on Dalton Kincaid in his second year and Khalil Shakir in his third. He also has several fresh faces in the huddle, most notably rookie Keon Coleman and veteran free agent Curtis Samuel.’