It's the dead period of the NFL offseason, but 'One Bills Live' was plugging along over the last week. As usual, the Bills quarterback situation generated plenty of discussion.
'One Bills Live' with John Murphy and Steve Tasker airs weekdays from 12 noon to 3 pm on WGR 550 and MSG.
Here are five things you may have missed on the show over the past week.
1. A 'GOOD DYNAMIC' IN THE BILLS QB ROOM
Bills general manager Brandon Beane makes no bones about it—he wishes the Bills had a clearly defined answer at quarterback going into training camp next month. For that matter, he wishes he had certainty at center also.
But on our show last Friday, Beane says he loves his three quarterback options: AJ McCarron, Nathan Peterman, and Josh Allen.
"It's probably not an ideal scenario to have a center battle and a quarterback battle all at the same time," Beane said. "You want to be very strong up the middle in any sport, I truly believe that. That's not necessarily the way we drew it up, but you've got to play the hand you're dealt."
"With all that said, I love the room of the quarterbacks," the Bills GM continued. "Those guys … they all want to start. They all have supported each other. And I've been around when that room's not always jiving and I really feel good about the dynamic in there."
2. CULTURE CHANGE IN PLACE?
It's been a year and a half since Sean McDermott was hired to coach the Bills, and start the process of 'changing the culture' at One Bills Drive. Some, including this week's 'One Bills Live' co-host Chris Brown from Buffalobills.com think that change has already been accomplished.
'Brownie' points to an interview he did on the show early this week with Bills long snapper Reid Ferguson. Ferguson credits McDermott with creating a close, collegial bond among Bills teammates.
"Coach McDermott has made it easy for us to buy in to what he's trying to instill in all of us," Ferguson said on the show. "And I think that enjoying being at the facility with the guys, enjoying spending time with the guys on this team who you are basically around for so many hours of the day throughout the season. It makes it one – fun to be around them. And two, it makes you want to work harder to be accountable to everybody else on this team and make sure you're doing your job to the best of your ability."
3. ROOKIE QB'S ARM TALENT GIVES BILLS SOME OPTIONS OFFENSIVELY
Greg Cosell has watched a lot of QB tape in his 38 years as Senior Producer at NFL Films. And as executive producer and analyst for ESPN's "NFL Matchup" show, Cosell knows how to evaluate arm talent.
Appearing on 'One Bills Live,' Cosell said first round draft pick Josh Allen has such a big arm, and is so physically talented, the Bills should be able to have a lot of volume available in their offense.
"The fact is he really has a big arm," Cosell said. "He increases the volume of your offense because there is nothing you really can't do with him. The mobility as well for a man that size."
"So, I think when you look at those things and put them all together you feel pretty good about the future, that doesn't mean that he's a week one starter but he, in my view, he is probably going to play sooner than later," Cosell said.
4. JETS SAM DARNOLD THIRD ON THEIR DEPTH CHART
At the end of Buffalo's minicamp last week, Coach Sean McDermott made it clear Josh Allen was still going to work with the third teamers. Allen's first round contemporary, the Jets' Sam Darnold, is getting the same treatment with the New York Jets.
Eric Allen, senior reporter and team insider for the New York Jets told the show this week that even though Darold got first team reps during their minicamp, the USC product remains behind Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater for now.
"Being out here on the practice field with the Jets," Allen said, "I would say Darnold probably got more action with the first team. But right now, he'll enter training camp as the number three and Todd Bowles said, 'Listen, we'll see what it is at the end of the training camp because any of these three can win the job.'"
5. DON'T EXPECT LAMAR JACKSON IN THE RAVENS STARTING QB SPOT OPENING DAY
Josh Allen and Sam Darnold are two of the five quarterbacks chosen in the first round. Baltimore's Lamar Jackson is another; the final pick of round one.
And even though Jackson got plenty of first team reps with the Ravens in minicamp, don't expect him to jump in and start at the beginning of the season. That's what Nestor Aparicio, a long-time radio reporter covering the Ravens told us this week.
Aparicio says Jackson figures to be possibly a starting quarterback in a couple of years, not this year.
"It's not like he was necessarily the apple of their eye," Aparicio told us. "But I think they like his athleticism I think they like his ability to play within the offense. I think maybe 3 or 4 years from now they think maybe he could be a top quarterback in the league, but I don't think anybody thinks Lamar Jackson is a sure thing. If they did, I think he'd have been taken a lot earlier."
