‘Allen brings the possibility of the playoffs if he takes a step or two forward.’
WGR
Rafael Bush retires; Bills sign safety Kurt Coleman
‘Coleman got his career started with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010 when he was selected in the seventh round (244th overall) out of Ohio St. University. In four seasons with the Eagles, Coleman appeared in 59 games while making 207 combined tackles, forcing two fumbles and making seven interceptions. In his first year with the Eagles, Coleman got the chance to play under the direction of current Bills head coach Sean McDermott when he was the defensive coordinator and secondary coach in Philadelphia.’
Marino: Robert Foster could have “a great individual season”
‘”He is the most complete receiver in terms of upside and areas of the field he can attack. John Brown can lift coverage vertically, and that will leave routes open underneath that I know Foster can run well.”‘
How will the Bills handle their crowded running back situation?
‘”I think the two older vets are going to push each other and going to provide a lot of competition to that room. And obviously, Devin’s come in and T.J. and Marcus Murphy. Senorise Perry is still learning the offense as well, but has been a really good special teams player. And then Christian Wade. We have a lot of players there. But I’m not sitting here and saying right now I’m keeping four or five or whatever. We’re going to keep the best ones.”’
Rumors of trying to trade up in draft were “definitely overblown,” says Beane
‘At the time, the Jets GM was Mike Maccagnan. He was since fired by the club. But that night back in April, eventually, Maccagnan chose Williams himself with the No. 3 overall choice and the Bills grabbed Oliver. Before all that could happen, Beane was basically doing his due diligence and having the types of conversations almost all GMs are having. It may very well have been more about the Jets tying to trade down and looking for a partner to do it with.”‘
Monson: Cole Beasley is the perfect way to treat an inaccurate QB
‘”Cole Beasley is the perfect way to treat an inaccurate QB. He’ll get open underneath more than most WRs. You’re maximizing the margin of error that Allen can get away with on those shorter players.”‘
Time to win?
‘Between then and now, we’ve had Marrone and Whaley, then Rex and Whaley with Rex’s twin Rob thrown in on a tandem bicycle for good measure. Now here we are, staring down Year 3 of Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane.’
Beane and McDermott reflect on first two years, discuss what lies ahead
‘“We are further along than where we were when we first got here,” he said, reflecting back to when he was hired. “And we talk a lot just in meetings with Terry [Pegula] and Kim [Pegula] both, whatever the topic is – in this case the state of our football team about where we are. What our concerns are for the upcoming season. And so we feel, I’ll say I in this case, I feel that we are a better football team today than the way we ended the season, with a lot of work to do. And so does that mean we’re gonna win one game or X number of games? That remains to be seen. But I feel like we are – this organization is – in a better place now than where it was three or four months ago.”’
Knowing who to pay and when is a balancing act for Beane
‘“Yeah, I mean, it definitely makes sense if your team is there and you’re close to doing it to try and maybe make some moves,” Beane said in an interview after the Bills wrapped up mandatory minicamp. “Especially seeing where some of these quarterback numbers are going because, you know, once you make that investment, some of these guys are making $30-35 million a year, that you are going to have to sacrifice some other positions. So it’s a sensible way to do it.”‘
To take the next step
‘When it comes to my opinion of Allen as we approach Year 2, I’m not far removed from where I was a year ago at this time. I still don’t know exactly what the Buffalo Bills have, and it’s more hope than belief that Allen will be the long sought after answer at that critical position. While there were some positives in Allen’s rookie season, we are far from where the Cleveland Browns are with huge expectations of Baker Mayfield after an impressive rookie showing.’
Baldinger sees great things in Tremaine Edmunds
‘“He’s got a tremendous presence,” Baldinger said. “Obviously his size alone, when you combine that with elite speed…I always think when your middle linebacker is fast your defense looks faster. I think he was a guy that just got better [with> the more he saw as the season went along… I expect that Sean [McDermott> and Lesile [Frazier> this year will use him in a variety of other ways.”’
Barnwell: The Bills’ defense is “nationally underrated”
‘”This a nationally underrated defense. The offense, you figure, will take a step forward this year. I’m not necessarily high on Josh Allen, but he could be the one that pushes the envelope for Buffalo.”‘
Sal’s AFC East position battles: Defensive backs
‘You won’t find many teams with a more solid group of starting two safeties and a cornerback as the Buffalo Bills have with safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, along with cornerback Tre’Davious White.’
The Bills defense is good, but not nearly as good as it should be in Madden 20
‘How in the hell is Jordan Philips only a 65? On his talent and draft status alone he should be higher than that. What Bills fans saw from Jordan Philips last year was an athletic player that can supply pressure up the middle. A rating of 65 is way way too low. I’d have him at 75.’
What would 8-8 mean for Bills?
‘If the “what” is 8-8, whether it impresses you at all probably will depend on the “how”.’