1. Thumbs up for McDermott extension
The Bills multi-year contract extension for head coach Sean McDermott was met with a lot of approval around the NFL. Chief among them was one of McDermott's former players.
Bills radio color man Eric Wood, who appeared on ‘One Bills Live’ shortly after the news about McDermott's extension broke, commended the Pegulas for rewarding McDermott for what he's accomplished in Buffalo the last three years.
"I love the direction that the Buffalo Bills are heading locking up McDermott long term. I've got a ton of respect for Sean McDermott," said Wood. "The fact that his family is assured they'll be here for a long time is great. Just to be locked up and get some security. It's an incredible honor for him and his family, but it's well deserved.
"He's one of the most consistent people I've been around in my life. That's from a player's perspective. Then you hear from the ownership and how consistent he is on a daily basis and how he treats people. Then the results on the field, which aside from the 2018 season when the salary cap issues had to be rectified, he has one down year with the Bills and takes them to the playoffs two out of three years.
"So the position the Bills are in with so much young talent on the team and so much continuity, they're in a great spot and when you're in that spot you reward the head coach who has put in so much time and effort."
2. Defensive pieces fitting together
Bills new linebacker A.J. Klein was honest in admitting it's a different kind of training camp this summer, knowing it has no preseason games. Despite being new to the team, Klein is encouraged by the way the new additions on the defensive side of the ball have come together in a very short period of time.
"It starts up front with the defensive line," said Klein. "We have a very talented group and we acquired more depth in the offseason, but they set the tempo for this defense. They get off the ball. Our linebackers play fast and downhill and our DBs break on the ball. That's part of our mantra as a defense. When all the pieces come together this will be one of the top defenses in the league. They proved it last year before I even got here, but I'm just excited for the opportunity to be a part of it."
Klein, who has experience in McDermott's scheme from his first four NFL seasons in Carolina, believes the system is battle tested.
3. The mindset shift in playing guard versus tackle
Bills offensive lineman Cody Ford is lining up at both guard and tackle according to head coach Sean McDermott. Ford doesn't think much of switching back and forth between the two positions, but does admit one has to switch their thinking when playing guard as opposed to tackle.
"You go inside (at guard) you have help on your left and your right, so there are things that you can do at guard that you can't do at tackle," Ford said. "But there are things you can do at tackle too that don't fit the guard position. So there are pros and cons to both positions. Whenever you're at guard you have a certain mindset and it's the same for tackle.
"When I'm at guard if I have protection on my inside I can probably be a little more aggressive outside. If I'm at tackle I may be in a one-on-one situation where everybody is blocking away and I may be on the high side or the man side, and there might be certain things you can't do because of your assignment."
Whether Ford lines up at guard or tackle, he's expected to be in contention for a starting role on Buffalo's offensive line.
