WGR

‘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.’

‘“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.”’

‘“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.”‘

‘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.’

‘“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.”’

‘”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.”‘

‘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.’

‘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.’

‘If the “what” is 8-8, whether it impresses you at all probably will depend on the “how”.’

‘“They’ve got to win more games than they did last year, and I think you have to see a step from Josh Allen. I mean, this is year three for the regime really. And yeah, they probably bought themselves some time with making the playoffs when nobody thought they’d make the playoffs. I mean, I bet you Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane were not expecting to make the playoffs if you caught them on an honest moment. It’s still year three and much like the situation in San Francisco, Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch, Jimmy Garropolo, they’re into year three. Out there, they’re feeling the pressure to win. There should be some pressure in Buffalo.”’

‘Josh Allen’s rating starts where it ended up at the end of last season. Allen’s 74-rating is the same as the likes of Sam Darnold, Joe Flacco, and Ryan Tannehill. That’s tied for 28th among quarterbacks. A strong start to his sophomore season would likely see Allen jump into the 80s.’

‘But I have the Bills second to the Jets mainly because of the depth behind those three. Deon Lacey, Corey Thompson, and Julian Stanford all know the game and can be relied on to fill in when called upon, but the trio have a combined 12 NFL starts amongst them, and only three over the last two seasons (Thompson was a rookie last year). In a short-term situation the Bills should be fine, but if any of them has to start for an extended period of time, there may be a significant drop-off. Rookie Vosean Joseph and veteran Maurice Alexander will push the three for primary backup roles.’

‘“I’d say I’m pretty optimistic. I think that they have a good chance to build on what they did last year. I thought they were a lot better last year than I thought they would be. I think it’s between them and the Jets for second in the AFC East. And I wouldn’t be surprised, especially with all the upgrades they made in free agency, the offensive line, some of the weapons for Josh Allen, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re very firmly in the wild card mix in December.”’

‘The biggest question and X-factor not only on the DL but maybe the entire defense is the health of Trent Murphy.’

‘First-round selection Ed Oliver finished as the second highest rated defensive tackle at a 79 overall only behind Jets rookie Quinnen Williams (82 overall). Oliver was given the most speed, agility, and acceleration on the interior.’