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'Both guys are extremely competitive' | Mitch Morse, Shane Buechele share the influence of playing with both Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes

Dec 07, 2023 at 05:37 PM

Patrick Warren

Contributing Correspondent

Buffalo Bills Week 14 Practice, Regular Season, December 06, 2023 at 1 Bills Drive.

Mitch Morse is one of the few people in this world who have been fortunate enough to play with two of the best quarterbacks in today's NFL in Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.

The Buffalo Bills center was drafted by Kansas City in 2015 and spent two seasons with Mahomes as his quarterback before signing with the Bills in 2019, where he began playing with Allen.

Since 2021, no two quarterbacks have accounted for more total touchdowns than Allen (117) and Mahomes (106) and some are calling their rivalry the best between two quarterbacks since Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

"Both guys are extremely competitive, are willing to lay their bodies on the line for the betterment of the team and winning games," Morse said after Thursday's practice. "They also both command the respect and the love of their respective locker rooms and they both do a great job of commanding a huddle."

Bills practice squad quarterback Shane Buechele, who spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Chiefs, has also witnessed firsthand the dedication that each quarterback has shown in their ascent as two of the best in the business.

"A lot of people see the physical things on the field, the way [Mahomes] gets away from pressures, obviously all the crazy throws but people don't realize how much work he puts in behind the scenes of the physical things but also the mental, just watching film, the attention to detail," Buechele said.

After seeing Allen perform from afar, Buechele has now had the chance to learn under Allen.

"It's been amazing. Being with him, I've learned a ton," Buechele said. "Super talented guy and a great dude, a great teammate. And so the way he prepares too is different and he does it the right way and so just learning different things from both of those guys has really helped my game out for sure."

Just under a thousand miles away, the Chiefs are attempting to bounce back after losing to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football last week. Since Mahomes' first full season as a starting quarterback in 2018, the Chiefs are 18-3 following a loss. As the Bills offense continues to improve after a midseason slump, averaging 33 points between their previous two games, the Chiefs know that they will have to be on top of their game in order to avoid falling to 8-5.

"They're a good team, we have to prepare, watch a little more film to be able to stop that explosive offense. I think they played 97 plays last week against a very, very good Philadelphia Eagles defense. They're able to put up a lot of points," said Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.

On the other end, the Bills, standing at 6-6, recognize the importance of coming out of Kansas City with a win as they fight for a spot in the postseason.

"You know when you go to KC, it is a little different. We do have a history there, we've had some success there, we've lost there," said wide receiver Stefon Diggs Thursday. "We do know how important this game is, not only how important it is but what it means to us. Each time we play them, they're a hell of a team, they've proven it year in and year out."

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My Cause My Cleats

This weekend, 22 Bills players and six coaches and members of the front office will be rocking cleats and tennis shoes designed to honor various charitable causes they support for the NFL's annual My Cause My Cleats promotion.

Bills DT Eli Ankou is looking forward to further draw attention to the Dream Cather Foundation, which is committed to bringing awareness to the disproportionate rate of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in North America.

"I'm extremely excited to wear these cleats and can't wait to show you guys," Ankou said of his cleats, which incorporate jingle dress symbols, beadwork and basketweaving.

Other causes include the Oishei Children's Hospital (Josh Allen), the Summit Center (Dalton Kincaid) and the Columbia Memorial Hospital (Jordan Poyer).

A full list and photo gallery of each players' cleats will be available on the Buffalo Bills mobile app this weekend.

Two Bills front office members to take part in NFL Accelerator Program

The NFL will host it's Front Office & General Manager Accelerator Program from Dec. 11-13 in a continuation of the league's efforts to strengthen the pipeline of diverse candidates across all levels.

This will be the fourth time the league has held the event since its inception in 2022.

"The Accelerator Program provides our clubs and owners an opportunity to connect directly with some of the finest candidates in the league who they may not know. Our intent is that these efforts translate into more diversity in leadership roles across the league," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a press release.

The Buffalo Bills will send senior personnel advisor Malik Boyd and director of player personnel Terrance Gray to the event, which is to be held in Dallas.

"The value of this initiative is both profound and powerful, and I look forward to encouraging participants to take full advantage of this unique, educational networking and professional development opportunity," said Chicago Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren, who is also a member of the NFL Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.