1. How Bills punter Lachlan Edwards found football in Australia
Buffalo signed punter Lachlan Edwards on Wednesday. The punter spent four seasons with the New York Jets before coming to the Bills. Edwards is a native of Australia and never dreamed he would end up moving out of Australia to come play for the NFL. His introduction to the sport of football happened randomly while he was attending university in his native country.
"I was going to college in Australia, originally, and we got bored one summer and found an American football at my buddy's house," Edwards explained. "We went down to the field and started throwing it. Back then I couldn't really throw, so we just started punting it. I played Australian Football, and that's how we move the ball around the field is we punt it.
"So I started punting it, and one of my professors from the University was driving by, he's a native from Connecticut. He pulled over, and came and had a chat with me and asked if I played at one of the local teams. I kind of laughed at him and said, 'No, I don't do that.' He put me in the right direction, and I started making some YouTube clips, sending it around to some colleges. This was around December 2012, and by July 2013 I was landing in Houston going to Sam Houston State."
Edwards was drafted by the Jets in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft. His career average is 45.5 yards per punt on 338 punts. Edwards has pinned 108 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
Now with the Bills, Edwards said special teams coordinator Heath Farwell wants to see consistency on the practice field.
"He just wants to see some consistency and control of the ball," Edwards said. "Buffalo is a directional punting team. He (Farwell) said, 'We want to punt it right, let's punt it right.' So I've just got to lock in and try to keep him as happy as I can."
2. Why Darryl Williams chose Buffalo
Offensive lineman Darryl Williams is a new addition to the Bills offensive line this season. The veteran has five years of experience under his belt and is excited about the team's potential. Williams spent his entire career in Carolina until this season.
Buffalo caught Williams' eye when the Bills and Panthers held joint training camp practices with each other in 2019.
"I chose Buffalo because whenever I got done with the Panthers not going to playoffs, I was just watching all the playoff games," Williams explained. "I remember practicing against them in training camp. I was like wow these guys have a lot of energy, they're good, they're talented and they're smart. Then watching them in the playoff game against the Texans, that's definitely a game they could have won. I was just excited and rooting for those guys during the playoff run."
Seeing their talent in the playoffs last season, Williams thinks the offense has a chance to takeoff this year with Josh Allen's talent and several offensive skill players.
"He's a leader," Williams said about Allen. "He has a cannon, his pocket presence is amazing, love everything about his game. I can't wait to start playing with him."
3. Bills defense ranks second on this list
CBS Sports host and NFL.com contributor Adam Schein ranked his nine best defenses of the 2020 season. The Bills made the list at No. 2 because of their coaching and players who fit the system.
I love Sean McDermott. He's a gem of a head coach, completely transforming the Bills' culture during his three seasons on the job. Not to mention, he's a sensational defensive mind, with fingerprints all over the unit that quietly finished last season ranked second in scoring defense and third in total D. No wonder Buffalo just extended him through 2025. And McDermott's right-hand man, former head coach Leslie Frazier, is a luxury to have as a defensive coordinator.
Personnel wise, the Bills have two spectacular young building blocks: 25-year-old Tre'Davious White and 22-year-old Tremaine Edmunds. White just earned first-team All-Pro honors with an NFL-high six picks, while Edmunds made his first Pro Bowl as an emerging second-level dynamo. Meanwhile, the safety combo of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde remains criminally underrated, while DT Ed Oliver could be due for a second-year breakout. The talent is strong on every level. There's no weakness. And while the signings of veterans like Mario Addison, Vernon Butler, Josh Norman, Quinton Jefferson and A.J. Klein don't generate headlines, they fuel McDermott's system. The coaching takes this defense to the next level.
