WHAM

‘”It was fun,” offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said. “I ain’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did, but practicing against Ed (Oliver) and Greg Rousseau every day, that gets, like, sheesh!”‘

‘”I really enjoy coming here,” offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said. “I actually like the dorms. I enjoy the close quarters. I enjoy that double bed pushed together. I enjoy renting the TV from Rent-A-Center. But overall, I enjoy the forced camaraderie.”‘

‘”It’ll be fun to see them in action in the preseason. I’m not sure if I’m playing, if I’m playing at all— I guess we’ll find out— but I know that they will be,” Allen said. “We’re excited to go see them perform at a high level.”‘

‘He’s been working hard on making a connection with all of his new pass catchers, but Wednesday, he was asked if he’s been missing Stefon Diggs, his former favorite target who left for the Texans in the offseason.’

‘”We’re going to put a lot on Taylor Rapp,” Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. “He’s done a great job, and we’re going to continue to push him. Definitely, up to this point, he’s answered the bell.”‘

‘His defensive backs coach then was John Butler, who obviously didn’t value Elam. Now, Butler’s gone and Elam’s back.’

‘”Every team I’ve been on, they’re going to be like, ‘Who’s the weirdest guy on the team?’ and they’re going to say Mack,” Hollins said.’

‘”It’s great. Day one, they was out there going crazy, so I was excited just to see everybody out there supporting the team,” he said. “You hear about it so much. No matter where you’re playing, you hear about how much Buffalo fans love their team, but when you’re out there, you actually see it. It’s great to have fans and the culture. Everybody’s dialed in, and everybody’s excited for the season.”‘

‘Friday, Pegula was seen meeting with players at St. John Fisher University, as the team and Bills Mafia continues to rally around her as her health battles continue.’

‘“It’s our craziest time of year,” said Kelly Dillon, who works at the Pittsford Pub & Grille.’

‘”Football is hard,” Brady said Thursday. “You can be the best offense in the NFL, going against the 32nd-ranked team, and it’s still going to be hard to score. That’s just the reality of it. This is the NFL, and when you score touchdowns, it’s not just one person scoring that touchdown. It took a whole drive, and it took 11 people. Part of what I’m trying to emphasize and coach McDermott is trying to emphasize is we have a lot of new guys, but us doing it all together. If we really emphasize that ‘Everyone eats’ mindset, you can see when people score, we celebrate together.”‘

‘”(We’re) die-hard Bills fans,” the Powell family said. “This kid right here runs around saying ‘James Cook, Josh Allen’ diving around. Next Josh Allen right here — we hope,”‘

‘In terms of identity in his quarterback, Sean McDermott has seen a difference this year. “I’ve noticed a ratcheted-up form of Josh and from a leadership standpoint,” he said. “(He’s) just being intentional about working extra with his core receivers, backs, tight ends — and if something’s not right, (he’s) being proactive and saying ‘Let’s run that again’ or ‘I need to see that again.'”‘

‘The team will hold 10 open practices, along with an additional practice that will be closed to the public.’

‘”Half the time, some of the players in the locker room don’t even know what I’m saying,” he said. “I feel like I’m starting to pick up some of the phrases. Not the accent just yet.”‘