Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘“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.’

‘“We are deferring all season ticket memberships for the 2020 season. All season ticket members will maintain their season ticket location and account seniority for the 2021 season. Season ticket members will have the option to apply any money paid towards their 2020 season tickets as an account credit or be refunded.”‘

‘“I said it at the end-of-season press conference (in January following the playoff loss to Houston), I blamed myself as much as anybody,” Beane said. “It’s my job and my personnel staff’s job to add weapons to help run Brian Daboll’s offense, help our quarterback, help Sean (McDermott). And so one of the things that I thought we still needed was finding somebody opposite John Brown to pair with Cole Beasley.”’

‘“When you have a duo like me and Andre who played together for so long, you’re going to have your times when you have good days and bad days,” Kelly recalled years later. “The thing about Andre is he just wanted to be the best, the top guy all the time. I knew he was my go-to guy, I knew where my bread was buttered, but there were times when he knew he wasn’t going to get the ball and he’d take a play or two off. And I was one who didn’t want anybody taking a play off.’’’

‘This was a request the NFLPA had made to the NFL owners which they were steadfast on getting pushed through, arguing that it made no sense to take the risk for games that do not count. The NFL originally wanted to cut the schedule from four games to two, and then to one, but the union wouldn’t budge.’