WGR

‘“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.’

‘”Right now it’s about refining the way he plays,” Simms said. “Being a little bit less aggressive at times and a little more accurate. But, he was one of my tougher rankings. Allen, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield all were. Because they’re more talented than guys that are in front of them, they just haven’t had the body of work or consistency yet for me to sit there and say ‘oh no they’re definitely better than some of those guys in front of them.’ Josh Allen is a guy that I certainly can see after a good season next year, being in the top 10 of my quarterback conversation.’

‘The Bills are the exact opposite of the Patriots. Instead of only turning over one player and having four returning, they’ve gone the other direction and have only one returning starter with four other positions expected to be different. And they absolutely needed to do that after last year‘s struggles.’

‘The two teams will practice against one another on Tuesday, August 13 and Wednesday, August 14 on the campus of Wofford College, where the Panthers hold their training camp. Both practices will begin at 9:25 a.m. and will be open to the public with no ticket required to attend.’

‘”What we’re worried about with Allen is that while there were positive signs from him on his feet and on the move, in the pocket and within structure, when you want him to take a three step drop and throw an accurate ball, we’re dealing with a very inconsistent quarterback. He has some nice throws… but accuracy typically isn’t something that’s gained, it’s something that’s hidden. When you have inaccuracy, you conceal it, you push it off to the side, you survive it. And Allen has always been, and probably continue to be, generally inaccurate.”‘

‘The 6′ 4″ and 254-pound Knox, a converted quarterback in college, is considered extremely athletic but a bit raw at the position catching only 39 passes for 605 yards in his collegiate career.’

‘As for Deane, he was signed by the Bills last month. He was initially signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted rookie, but was released on May 13th before being picked up by Buffalo just over a week later.’

‘“The team is working well together, we’re meshing real well,” Roberts said. “We understand that we have a lot of work to do and we have a long way to go, but that’s fine because we have plenty of time. We’ll continue to work going into training camp and into the season.”’

‘The team will also hold their annual ‘The Return of the Blue and Red’ intrasquad practice on Friday, August 2 at New Era Field. The event begins at 6:15 p.m. and is also a ticketed event.’

‘Allen has always seemed to work well with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. He said Ken Dorsey joining the offensive staff has also helped him, “I feel like I’ve done a good job. I’ve had a lot of great help around me. Dorsey, having him here has been a great addition. Having the eyes of Matt and Tyree and Shea and Coach Daboll. we’ve all been doing a great job in the quarterback room of seeing things and relaying things to each other and that open line of communication that we have has been awesome. It’s going to continue grow and continue to get better and hopefully we will see some results on the field too.”’

‘The Bills might have the most depth of any team in the division, but a lot of questions at the top of that depth chart, and most of them are about LeSean McCoy.’

‘“It’s huge,” safety Micah Hyde told me after practice Wednesday. “Communication purposes. I know where ‘Po’ (Jordan Poyer) is going to be at at all times. I know what calls he’s going to make. I know Tre’Davious (White). I know Tremaine (Edmunds), D-Line, same thing. I know what gap they’re going to be in. So once you can pinpoint where everybody’s going to be and you know you’re job, and you know what you can’t mess up on, the sky’s the limit.”’

‘McDermott wanted Foster’s habits to change, so what does that really mean? Foster said, “I put more time into it, more time into my ability, more time into the business side of it, more time in the film room, more time to meet with my coaches and just try to build a chemistry with my teammates and eliminating distractions.”’