Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘In just his second game for the Bills, he set a team record for passing yards with 463, a mark that still stands, and his third touchdown pass of the day, a 48-yarder to Peerless Price in overtime, produced a thrilling 45-39 victory.’

‘“While we’re on the field it’s all walk-through tempo but you get out there, you see a man across from me and you get those competitive juices flowing,” Allen said Monday during a Zoom call with reporters. “Coach is constantly telling players to slow down but I will say I’d rather have him telling us to slow down than to speed up.”’

‘“Guys have been in this system for a little while now and know the expectation that Sean puts on us and the expectation that (defensive coordinator Leslie) Frazier puts on us and we understand what is expected of us when we walk into the building,” he said.’

‘“Our expectations are always high,” he said. “This is going to be a different camp, a camp like no other. But I think at the end of the day we have to still hold ourselves to a high standard and Sean and I aren’t going to sit here and say, ‘It was the COVID year, we didn’t make the playoffs, so be it.’ Nothing’s changed here; we expect playoff-caliber practices. That’s why the pressure is on us all to stay healthy and to do things right so that we can have the best 53 guys out there and not have 10 guys on the COVID list come mid-September.”’

‘“Nobody wants to sit in an apartment or a hotel room all the time, but this is the year that we’ve got to do whatever it takes, and we’ve got to find a way to keep ourselves healthy. Hold each other accountable. Our veteran leaders peer pressure, peer leadership … I know some of those guys spoke up on a call the other day and they did a great job of stressing to everyone on the call that we can’t let our guard down.”’

‘“He’s a quick player to react, what we call ‘pull the trigger’ in terms of how he keys and diagnoses things and finds the ball,” McDermott said. “That’s what stood out probably the most in Florida. I would say he plays a free style of football that’s rugged, it’s physical, it’s nasty. That’s to me what jumps off the tape. He pulls the trigger and then plays a physical brand of football.”’

‘They do have some veteran depth after signing free agents Evan Boehm and Darryl Williams, while 2019 free agent pickup Spencer Long is still with the team, though he’s really not starter material.’

‘As of Thursday afternoon, the five who have either tested positive or have been placed in quarantine because they have been in close contact with others who have been infected are defensive back Isaiah Brown, wide receiver Duke Williams, defensive tackle Vincent Taylor, and defensive backs Siran Neal and Dane Jackson.’

‘With his body type, 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, the thought was that he could provide a downfield threat from the tight end position once he gained more experience and improved his blocking.’

‘“It’s indescribable,” said Williams, who at this point was in just his second NFL season. “That’s all I can say, indescribable. Unless you’ve played this game and had something taken away from you like that, you can’t put it into words.’’’

‘Those intangibles are the kinds of things McDermott loves. Oh, and did I mention he once blocked four kicks in a season?’

‘He’s not someone who’s going to rush the passer, nor is he a player who will make tackles behind the line of scrimmage. However, he was adept at tying up blockers to help others like linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano flow more freely to the ball.’

‘Then again, should we have been surprised? This was a game that featured six future Hall of Famers on offense – Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and James Lofton for the Bills, Steve Young and Jerry Rice for the 49ers.’

‘However, the team could practice all together if the roster was 81 or less, and that apparently is the route Sean McDermott is taking.’

‘It’s not yet put up or shut up time for the No. 7 overall choice in the 2018 draft, but year three is the point when players need to make a definitive statement regarding which way their careers are headed. Obviously, given the importance of the position and the future monetary investment that is involved, the stakes are exponentially higher for quarterbacks.’