1. Cole Beasley is close to producing his first 1,000-yard season
Cole Beasley has had two of the most productive seasons during his time in Buffalo. He has set new single-season career highs in receptions and yards and he is only 50 yards away from his first 1,000-yard season. He has been a difference-maker on offense and he is a big reason for Josh Allen's success in his third year. Beasley talked about how he always tries to watch other receivers to see if there is anything new he can learn.
"So, growing up I was a big fan of players more so than teams, Beasley said. "Randy Moss was probably my favorite football player ever. But as I got older, and kind of realized that I was gonna be probably playing receiver, I started looking for guys that were similar in my stature. I watched a lot of [Wes] Welker and then as he went, I watched a lot of [Julian] Edelman as well. And I still watch those guys to this day and see if I can find anything new and there are some other guys as well. You definitely try to watch guys that have similar traits so you can steal whatever you can."
Happy Holidays from the Buffalo Bills! Scroll through to see the team's best holiday cards.
Ed Oliver
Dawson Knox
Reid Ferguson
Gabe Davis
Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer
Jerry Hughes
Stefon Diggs
Devin Singletary
Tyler Bass
Zack Moss
Josh Allen
Tre'Davious White
Dion Dawkins
2. Bills front office recognized as the best in the NFL
After a long 17-year playoff drought, Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane have built this team from the ground up and have made the playoffs three out of the past four years. The most recent goal they achieved was a division title, and by the end of the season, the pair might win some big honors. NFL.com reporter Tom Pelissero came out with his annual end of the year awards survey and head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane both were selected. The survey was completed by 22 high-ranking NFL executives which include nine GMs.
Here's what was said about both McDermott and Beane:
Coach of the Year: Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills
McDermott is the winner here for a second year in a row, having led the Bills to their first AFC East title since 1995, with the best record (11-3) of any team whose opponents' winning percentage is above .500. He received 7.5 votes to beat out Cleveland's Kevin Stefanski (6.5) and Miami's Brian Flores (6).
"He's easy to overlook, because they've been such a steady, progressing program," an NFC team executive said of McDermott, who is now 36-26 with three playoff trips in four seasons. "But I think he still needs to get credit for a team that hadn't been in the playoffs in very long, hadn't won a division in very long and just won a division that's been a monopoly for 20 years."
Executive of the Year: Brandon Beane, Buffalo Bills
The Stefon Diggs trade was a bold stroke by Beane, who was the runaway winner here with 11 votes. He ate a mountain of dead salary cap space in his second season in 2018 to move on from cultural misfits, fix the Bills' cap situation and equip them to make moves like the Diggs deal. In his first draft with Buffalo, it appears Beane found a franchise quarterback in Josh Allen -- a polarizing prospect who has since developed into one of the game's ascending stars at age 24.
"The main thing is just the type of players he's brought in and they've bought in and they fit the coach's vision," an NFC team executive said of Beane, who rose through the ranks over 19 years in Carolina before reuniting with his former Panthers colleague McDermott in Buffalo after the 2017 draft. The exec continued: "It's evident that he and McDermott are on the same page. And to get the franchise quarterback that early in their tenure is huge. That's kind of what turns it. They're going to play good defense, and they hit on some defensive players. And it's never easy making a trade like that for Diggs, obviously, and for him to do that and hit on it says volumes."
Scroll through to see the best photos from Buffalo's practice as they prepare for Week 16 against the New England Patriots, presented by Connors & Ferris.
A.J. Epenesa (57). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tyler Bass (2), Reid Ferguson (69). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Defense. Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Sean McDermott. Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
John Brown (15). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Stefon Diggs (14). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tremaine Edmunds (49). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Mitch Morse (60). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tre'Davious White (27). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
A.J. Epenesa (57), Ed Oliver (91). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Andre Roberts (18). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17), Zack Moss (20). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Sean McDermott. Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Mike Love (56). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Justin Zimmer (61). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Ed Oliver (91). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Darryl Johnson (92). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
A.J. Klein (54). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Christian Wade (45), Tremaine Edmunds (49), A.J. Klein (54). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Christian Wade (45) and Ed Oliver (91). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Christian Wade (45) and Ed Oliver (91). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Zack Moss (20). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Devin Singletary (26). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Devin Singletary (26). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
John Brown (15). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Brandon Beane. Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Stefon Diggs (14), John Brown (15). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Zack Moss (20). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Christian Wade (45). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tyler Kroft (81). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tyler Kroft (81). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Norman (29) and Tre'Davious White (27). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Lafayette Pitts. Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Jake Fromm (10). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tyler Kroft (81) and Cole Beasley (11). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tre'Davious White (27) and Levi Wallace (39). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Dawson Knox (88). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Matt Barkley (5). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Brian Daboll. Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
John Brown (15). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
John Brown (15) and Josh Allen (17). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Jake Kumerow (87) and Josh Allen (17). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Defense. Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Isaiah McKenzie (19). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Matt Barkley (5) and Josh Allen (17). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Jake Fromm (10). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tyrel Dodson (53). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17). Buffalo Bills Week 16 practice, Wednesday December 23, 2020. Photo by Bill Wippert
3. Josh Allen gets personalized golf clubs for his offensive linemen
It's the holiday season and it's also the season of giving. Every year, Josh Allen gets a gift for his offensive line – as many quarterbacks do – to say thank you for the protection they provide him each and every game. This year, Allen decided to gift his linemen each with a set of personalized golf clubs. The quarterback explained why he got these gifts for them and what he hopes they can do with them.
"I mean it's really cool," Allen explained. "Obviously, gifts are extremely hard to buy for guys that have basically everything already. So, I talked with them and none of them had their own custom golf clubs and it's something that many of these guys maybe haven't even done yet. Giving them the opportunity to go out and expand their horizons and try something new. Go out and just hang out on the golf course and get away from football for a little bit in the offseason. It's something that I love doing and hopefully, one or two of them or maybe even all of them pick the game up and start to enjoy as much as I do."
