Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘“Great institution, academics were important to my family,” Daboll said of UR. “I had a couple other (offers), but at the end of the day I felt like it was a good fit. John Snell is the coach that recruited me, coach (Chris) Battaglia was the defensive coordinator, and coach Parrinello, just all good people.”’

‘Then rookie Zay Jones and the now departed Deonte Thompson led the receivers in 2017 with 27 receptions each. In other words, about as many catches as guys like A.J. Green, Antonio Brown and Julio Jones make in the span of three games. Kelvin Benjamin would have topped the chart had he been in Buffalo all season. In fact, he probably would have led by years’ end even though he didn’t arrive via trade from Carolina until Halloween. But he hurt his knee almost immediately, missed time and was never at full strength.’

‘The chopper was delivered to Kelly in 2008 at that year’s annual Jim Kelly Celebrity Golf Classic, an annual benefit for Kelly for Kids and Hunter’s Hope Foundation. Kelly enjoyed riding the 710-pound custom cycle with his former Bills teammates in the past.’

‘“I’m confident that he is wired the right way and he’ll learn from the moments both high and low that did or didn’t go his way,” coach Sean McDermott said. “He’s an extremely confident young man and a guy that works hard. Sometimes as a rookie, in this case as a rookie quarterback, you’re thrust in a situation where everyone sees your body of work. I know his second year will be better than his first year. I thought he did some really good things his first year. When you look at the DNA, he’s a fit for us in that regard.”’

‘“Whether they’re going to draft somebody or not, it’s just a great opportunity to be able to compete and really showcase day in and day out what you’re able to do and have a chance to achieve the ultimate goal — and that’s to start,” McCarron said the day he signed his contract back in mid-March. “Whatever they feel is best for the organization, I’m just going to come out and work my tail off for them and for this city. Just be the best player that I can.”’

‘But the Bills, players’ union and the league can’t afford to do that, and are right to take a wait-and-see posture.’

‘“I had no offers because no one had ever come out of Firebaugh for football,” Allen said. “It’s not what we’re known for, so coaches didn’t get around to seeing much film, coaches didn’t get out to see me in person.”’

‘“We were coming in over the mountains and the plane started just doing like this,” Beane told reporters, using his hands to mimic the bouncing around in the sky that the jet underwent. “Literally, your head was going off the ceiling. Terry was standing by me, we were watching some video of Josh on our iPads, so he’s standing by me and we’re going through some plays and progressions and things like that, and literally he is grabbing on to try to get back to his seat and we’re bouncing around.”’

‘“Sean stood up there and he owned the Tyrod decision,” recalled general manager Brandon Beane. “Now, he didn’t just do that decision; he didn’t just off on a whim do that. There was a lot of in-house conversations about positives, negatives, understanding this is the quarterback, this is not easy, and you’re putting in a rookie. But at the end of the day, he went in there and he owned it to the team.”’

‘In a lifetime of “finest hours,’’ this was his finest. Speaking without notes. Right from the heart. And he was on stage barely six minutes.’

‘”Make a difference today for someone who is fighting for their tomorrow. You don’t need to a Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers to make a difference out there,” Kelly said during his ESPYs speech, which was televised on ABC. “Every single person in this room can be a difference-maker.’

‘”I just got out of the hospital not too long ago from surgery, but the thing is I love the kids,” Kelly said to a group of reporters. “I dream about doing this and I love it. As long as I was able to get up and get out of bed, I’ll be here.”‘

‘This year there are six sessions that will require you to have a ticket to enter. The tickets are free, but you must obtain them from various locations around western New York. They will be available starting Wednesday at 9 a.m.’

‘It states that if McCoy is ultimately charged with a crime, or even if he’s under suspicion pending investigation which is certainly the case right now, he is subject to the exempt list and thus would be ineligible to participate in any team activities including practice and games until the issue is resolved.’

‘The dispatch report provides some more detail about the night of the robbery and assault of McCoy’s girlfriend, Delicia Cordon, at the home the two shared in Milton Georgia. Cordon’s two children from another relationship also lived there. As well, reports show, there had been previous domestic calls to the home.’