*1 - Why Bills players are excited to start year two in McDermott's system *Bills LB Lorenzo Alexander joined the John Murphy Show last Friday to not only wish Donald Jones his best, with Jones leaving the JMS, but to also the preparations for next season.
[
Alexander is excited to have his teammates joining him back in Buffalo.
"Obviously, it's great for having all the guys back in one location training, but I trust most of the guys have been doing that anyway," he said. "So, it's just getting back, getting to know each other again, hanging out, getting to know the defensive scheme and then obviously working out together and starting to build that bond and chemistry, that culture, that process that we talk about."
Players will be having meetings and going over film with coaches when they make it to One Bills Drive and on the field conditioning work with the strength and conditioning staff. Unlike last year, the Bills can start off by watching their own film.
"The good thing about this year is, that now we can watch our stuff. We don't have to watch the Carolina Panthers' defense anymore," Alexander said. "We can see how we did and you can correct yourself and see how you can do better moving forward."
Coach Sean McDermott is entering his second season as Bills head coach, and Alexander is excited to already know what his head coach is looking for this season. Players had to learn, not only McDermott's scheme, but his approach and character. Now, Alexander won't have to learn a whole new coach or system.
"We know what to expect, we know what our roles are," he said. "Obviously, we've got to indoctrinate the new guys, the free agents and draftees, when they get here, but it's an easier process because we have multiple guys who understand what Sean's vision is."
And with the new season approaching, the Bills cannot go into next season with the mindset of the playoffs being locked up. For Alexander, this season is a fresh start.
"You never can get complacent and figure, 'Last year we went to the playoffs. Last year we went to the championship game or last year we won 12 games.' You have to, each year, reinvent yourself and reinvest in your team and yourself if you want to achieve success on a consistent basis."
2 - Ranking Beane's top offseason additions so far
The Bills have made splashes in free agency from the second players became available. Russell Baxter with the NFL Spin Zone ranked the team’s top additions so far this offseason.
- Chris Ivory
The well-traveled performer will be making his fourth NFL stop, having suited up for the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and the Jacksonville Jaguars. In eight campaigns, he has rolled up 1,112 carries for 4,852 yards and 28 scores for those three clubs and was a 1,000-plus runner and Pro Bowler for the Jets in 2015… With McCoy entering his 10th NFL season, having another set of legs still capable of a respectable work load makes Ivory a quality addition.
- Russell Bodine
Russell Bodine, late of the Cincinnati Bengals was a 16-game starter in each of his four seasons in the Queen City. It's a solid pickup for Sean McDermott's club. A fourth-round pick in 2014 from the University of North Carolina, the 6-3, 310-pound pro inked a two-year deal with Buffalo.
- Trent Murphy
A preseason knee injury shelved him for all of 2017 and Buffalo grabbed him in free agency. Off the edge, he should make a big difference for a club that totaled only 27 sacks this past season.
- A.J. McCarron
While the Bills may still look for a long-term solution at quarterback, McCarron can certainly provide some stability for the offense.
1. Star Lotulelei
The former Panther spent a lot of time with Bills head coach Sean McDermott when McDermott ran the defense down in Carolina. Now, five seasons after being drafted by the Panthers, Lotulelei comes to a Buffalo team that is looking to make the playoffs for the second straight year, with Lotulelei being a playoff player in four of the past five seasons.
3 - NFL's what the Bills should do in round 1 mock draftIn almost any mock draft, an analyst will try and get into the head of the team's general manager and figure out what player he is going to pick. Adam Rank decided to make a mock draft telling teams what they should do.
When it comes to the Bills, Rank says the team should trade up to the six spot.
The Bills would love to trade up with [the Colts] and take a quarterback. [Colts] need a lot of help, so [they] take Buffalo's two first-rounders (Nos. 12 and 22) and let Brandon Beane... take Josh Allen… Allen has the big arm. He's mobile.
Rank has the rest of the QBs going at: Sam Darnold (first to the Browns), Josh Rosen (third to the Jets), Lamar Jackson (11th to the Dolphins) and Baker Mayfield (17th to the Chargers).
SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF THE DAY
[
