Training Camp Practice Tueday, August 10 (10 am)

[HappyDays]

Here are The Athletic snippets from today's practice.

 

Also - weekly reminder that The Athletic is very much worth the subscription price. It is by far the best available Bills content. I intentionally don't copy and paste everything from these articles.

 

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Obada, Zimmer dominate the line of scrimmage once again
You might have seen the names Efe Obada and Justin Zimmer quite a few times throughout our observations this summer, but for a good reason. The numbers 93 (Obada) and 61 (Zimmer) have been wearing out my practice notebook. Tuesday was yet another example of how these two players, who were seemingly afterthoughts before training camp, should now be anything but that just three weeks away from final cuts. It began with one-on-one drills and extended throughout team drills. Obada’s first one-on-one rep watched him chop away Ike Boettger’s hands and then he dipped his shoulder to secure the instant win. Two reps later, not to be outdone, Zimmer had an instant win against Cody Ford after getting under the lineman’s pads and ripping into the backfield. Obada used a combination of length and strength on his second rep, fully extending his arms and putting rookie interior lineman Jack Anderson on skates as Obada forced Anderson into the backfield.

Once team drills began, Zimmer won his matchup on a running play and filled the lane, helping linebacker AJ Klein finish the play. Eight plays later, Zimmer fired off the snap and knocked Anderson back with such force that it pushed the rookie to the ground. That running play predictably resulted in a loss due to Zimmer blowing up the backfield. Zimmer also blew past interior lineman Jamil Douglas on a pass-rushing rep in team drills for a would-be sack. From there, it was Obada’s turn again. Obada won his matchup during a rep and combined with defensive tackle Brandin Bryant to thwart an Antonio Williams run. On the next snap, Obada worked past Caleb Benenoch for an instant win into the backfield and a would-be sack. For both Obada and Zimmer, this has been more than just a flashy play every once and again. They are consistently performing well every day of practice. If they keep this going during the preseason games, it will be extremely difficult for the Bills to keep them off the 53-man roster.

 

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Phillips also shines with some more time on the field
Although starting defensive tackle Ed Oliver went through the stretching drills to begin practice, Oliver did not participate in one-on-one drills or team drills in any capacity Tuesday. That opened the door for Harrison Phillips to get plenty of reps, and Phillips had one of his best practices this summer. Phillips did most of his damage during team drills, starting with a run stop in the backfield after winning his matchup. Phillips then combined with Boogie Basham and AJ Klein for a total team win to drop the rushing attempt in the backfield on the next play. However, Phillips’ best rep came against Ike Boettger, as Phillips worked through him for a would-be sack of Josh Allen. This defensive line competition has been excellent this summer, making the Bills’ job exponentially more difficult. They may wind up needing to keep more players than maybe they had first anticipated, but considering how thin their depth was last year, they’ll gladly take the problem this summer. Phillips and Zimmer could be making someone like Vernon Butler expendable, especially if Butler has to miss a lot of time with his concussion. Even before his injury, Butler wasn’t doing as much as Phillips or Zimmer to stand out, and the Bills could save $3.3 million to move on from Butler. That’s one to keep an eye on if Phillips and Zimmer continue to shine.

 

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Morse quietly having an excellent training camp
While Zimmer and Phillips were great on Tuesday, they also share something else in common. Starting center Mitch Morse was the only one who kept both of them at bay in a one-on-one matchup during the practice. That typifies the type of camp Morse has had all summer, who looks like he’s playing confidently and in control as a pass blocker. 

 

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Not a great day for guards
While things are looking good with Morse at center, the guard position left a lot to be desired in pass protection on Tuesday. Ford struggled in both one-on-ones and during team drills, allowing multiple pressures to get to Josh Allen. We also mentioned Phillips working quickly past Boettger to get a would-be sack on Allen. Jon Feliciano also allowed a pressure that got some heat on Allen before the quarterback made his throw. The Bills have an improved defensive line, but there has to be at least some concern about that position heading into the start of the season. Based on how he’s played in camp so far, one possibility would be to see if Ryan Bates could be an answer. The Bills had Bates as the second-team center during Saturday’s open practice, though he’s played some guard in the past. It might be worth a look if some of these pass-blocking issues continue.

 

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Passing game wasn’t at their best, but Allen makes the play of the day
The issues up front made for a somewhat disjointed passing performance on Tuesday. Allen wound up completing only 9-of-17 attempts during team drills and started the practice only 1-of-5. He just seemed a bit hurried and uncomfortable on a few occasions. On one play, Allen threw his worst pass of the day toward the sideline to Emmanuel Sanders. The throw was a timing pattern, and he put the location well behind Sanders, which allowed Taron Johnson to close on the ball easily. Allen was lucky that the pass went right through Johnson’s hands and fell incomplete because it should have been an interception returned for a touchdown. However, on the next play, Allen pushed that aside and made an incredible throw. Allen was looking to one side of the field, and as he went through all his progressions, he turned his head to the other side of the field and spotted Jake Kumerow at the last second, deep down the field and with separation from the trailing Taron Johnson. Allen put a perfect touch on the throw, effectively dropping it into a bucket over Johnson’s hands for Allen’s longest gain of the day. But a slow start Tuesday shouldn’t be too problematic. Allen has been excellent all camp.

 

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Singletary has an excellent practice as Moss has to watch from the sidelines
The Bills were without second-year running back Zack Moss during team drills due to a hamstring injury, and third-year back Devin Singletary took advantage of the extra time. When the offensive line gave him something to work with, Singletary looked confident and exploited some of the holes up the middle of the defense. He burst loose for three long runs, only one of which he bounced the attempt outside. Singletary has been working on getting more north and south with his runs this year, and Tuesday was his best showing for that yet. The performance does deserve the disclaimer that it was not a live practice, so it’s difficult to know what Singletary would have done against some of the contact up the middle of the defense. But Singletary’s vision looked good and some burst was there.

 

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Addison shows he’s still got some pass-rushing moves
During training camp this year, the Bills haven’t put too much on Mario Addison’s plate, preserving the soon-to-be 34-year-old for a defined role in the regular season. When they do give him some reps, you can still see the potential for impactful plays this year. Working against rookie Spencer Brown, Addison watched as Brown took an early jump on the play by about a quarter of a second. That advantage is usually all an offensive lineman needs to win the rep, but Addison stayed calm and read the rookie’s body momentum. Addison popped up and gave a little hesitation that faked Brown into continuing with his kickslide to the outside. As Brown took the false step wide, Addison burst inside and instantly won in the backfield. The Bills have openly discussed taking snaps off of Addison’s plate this year. An obvious passing-down role would make sense, especially if Addison continues to show some pass-rushing juice.

 

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Tyrell Adams making his case for a roster spot
As training camp has gone on, linebacker Tyrell Adams has quietly asserted himself as a quality run defender. He’s quick to respond and finds the running lane to help deter the offense at the line of scrimmage. He also has a pretty quick first step for the position, which helps him to fill the running lanes. He worked in unison with AJ Klein on Tuesday and put his best foot forward for more opportunities moving forward. If the Bills were to keep six linebackers, Adams would be a compelling case to hang around — though the Bills have felt content with only five on the active roster in the past. For all of those bubble roster players like Adams, their work on special teams will mean everything.

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

15 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Moss was officially on the injury report with hamstring. Along with Duke Williams. 

 

Is the link up above somewhere?  And are they the only two?

 

[YoloinOhio]

31 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Is the link up above somewhere?  And are they the only two?

 

None of the reporters tweet out the actual report, they just say who was on it. It might be on bills website though. They were only ones mentioned that were added today. 
 

here is the full list:

 

Edited August 11, 2021 by YoloinOhio

[BringBackFergy]

52 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

Here are The Athletic snippets from today's practice.

 

Also - weekly reminder that The Athletic is very much worth the subscription price. It is by far the best available Bills content. I intentionally don't copy and paste everything from these articles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who is the author of these gems? 
 

Joe B?

[YoloinOhio]

39 minutes ago, BringBackFergy said:

Who is the author of these gems? 
 

Joe B?

I believe so, along with Matthew Fairburn

[Coach Tuesday]

Man.  If Ford can’t win against the backups in training camp… this dude.

[JaCrispy]

18 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Man.  If Ford can’t win against the backups in training camp… this dude.

This is a big year for him...if he can’t prove himself, the Bills might find themselves having to spend another high pick on OG...

[Kwai San]

8 hours ago, JayBaller10 said:

I wasn’t a fan of the Rousseau pick with JOK on the board, but I know why they made it. With all the positive reports on Rousseau I’m glad he’s not looking like the developmental project I thought he’d be. 

In that 2nd drill where he was next to Hughes, I’m surprised at the amount of ground Rousseau covered in comparison to Hughes, because it looked like Jerry was putting forth great effort while Rousseau was just sorta running the drill. Both covered roughly the same amount of ground, despite one looking much more spry. That’s really encouraging on Rousseau’s behalf.

 

Ahhhh youth.  We were all young, 10 feet tall, and bulletproof once!!!

[BigAl2526]

56 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Man.  If Ford can’t win against the backups in training camp… this dude.

Most of the guards seemed to struggle today.  Maybe it was just a bad day.  I did read a comment that his run blocking has been good.  Pass blocking has never been a strength.

[YoloinOhio]

1 hour ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Man.  If Ford can’t win against the backups in training camp… this dude.

I was listening to the parrino/talbot podcast and they said Ford looked really good today … so who knows

[Malazan]

The Athletic's Bills coverage is great

[PromoTheRobot]

 

 

Edited August 11, 2021 by PromoTheRobot

[buffaloboyinATL]

7 hours ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

 

 

Man, that looked like one hell of a throw from #17. 

[ColoradoBills]

9 hours ago, jeremy2020 said:

 

Let's see how this year plays out. There's always another mitch trubisky. 

 

Side note: the bears forums are eviscerating the guy for his comments today. They really don't like him, but also say he's a hard working team first guy. Seems he gets a lot of blame for Pace drafting him #2 OA

 

Thanks to replying to my off the cuff thought.  Totally agree about seeing how things play out.  It's just no one wants to think about a backup

QB until one is needed.  Interesting about what you say the Bears fans are saying.  Thanks for that.

 

One thing I would comment on is that idea of always another "Trubisky" I just got to say that isn't quite true for the Bills in the past 20 years.

Trubisky would of been competing for a starter job not a backup like I was alluding to.

 

I just thought it might have been a subject others could be interested in.  If this idea had any merit going forward it would make for some

fun reactions.

[stevewin]

7 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

 

"You know, we look at the same moon as Josh Allen"  

Edited August 11, 2021 by stevewin

[wjag]

9 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

 

I like bought six beers and took out a small loan to pay for them.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

17 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

 

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Nice practice for Knox/Hollister

This was the best practice to date for the entire tight end room, specifically Dawson Knox. He made four catches by my count and just looked comfortable and in sync with Allen throughout the day. Jacob Hollister made a couple grabs and Tommy Sweeney got into the mix with a few catches, too.

 

8 hours ago, buffaloboyinATL said:

Man, that looked like one hell of a throw from #17. 

 

I was thinking Damn even in practice Milano can't cover a TE