July 30, 2025 • 30 mins
On this week's episode of Bills by the Numbers presented by FanDuel, Chris Brown and Steve Tasker share their early impressions of training camp. They discuss the veterans and young players that have stood out so far and which players could become the biggest development on offense, defense, and special teams. They talked about players who could make a move up the depth chart and carry that into the preseason. Steve is quizzed on Bills preseason game history in The Numbers Game. Finally, they share the answer to this week's One Burning Question - which player will put on a breakout performance this preseason?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Training camp is in full swing, and we are as
well here on Bills by the Numbers, where we let
the stats tell you where the Bills are at. We're
presented by Fan Duel Make every moment more coming up
an early look at the players in pressing new training camp.
What could be the biggest development on offense, defense and
special teams, and who could be making a move up
the depth chart. Steve will be quizzed on pre season
(00:23):
game history, and we'll have our one burning question ring
the bell.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
We've already begun to have you with us.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Here on Bills by the Numbers. He is Bill's Hall
of Famer Steve Pastor on Bills play by playman Chris Brown,
and we have reached the dog days of training camp
as we entered the final full week of work at
Saint John Fisher University. But a lot has happened since
training camp began, and Steve and I delve into every
aspect of what has taken place and could impact final
(01:05):
roster decisions. So in these three things, we begin with
thing number one, the players we believe that have been
pressed in the early going. Steve, give me two or
three players that in the first full week of training camp,
have maybe exceeded what you anticipated you would see from
them on the practice field.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Out of the gate. I'll give you a veteran in
a rookie. A veteran would be probably Christian Benford. That
guy owns the dB room. Now he's the He is
paid like a number one. He acts like a number one,
leads like a number one, plays like a number even
more vocal, more vocal, he's vocal.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
I mean, he was a quiet guy.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
He was He was a quiet guy. He's not so quiet.
Now he's chirping. He's leading the competitive charge in the
one on ones. I think Trey White has been a
great addition to come back and be a part of
that HISS his level of comfort, his experience, it's his
credibility in the room. I think he and Benford are
the perfect combo, a little bit like Poyer and Hyde
(02:07):
were in the safety's room. Those two guys in the
corner room are really gonna help the rest of that
crew elevate. So that's one, Christian Benford the other. And
probably although you haven't seen too much of it and
it's hard to probably Jackson Hawes the way he has
acclimated towards it the physicality he brings to it, and
we've seen the defense be a little bit chippier and
(02:29):
nastier in this training camp than we've seen in years past.
Hawes kind of has answered it and shown a level
of competence and nuance at that not many rookies have
at the pro level, particularly in the intricacies of the
blocking schemes and that kind of thing. He hasn't shied
(02:52):
away from it. So I think those two out of
the gate. Now there's probably a couple others that are
gonna come to me, but I think Jackson Hawes and
Christian Benford, one obviously a veteran and the other guy
brand new, are the two guys that I've noticed.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Okay, I assumed one of those names would come up,
and so I kind of threw some others into the mix.
And for veteran players, I've got three players total here,
Shaq Thompson. For a veteran player who just ruptured his
(03:24):
achilles last September, like end of September. September thirtieth, I
believe was the date that he ruptured his achilles, He's
essentially ten months removed from that, and you feel him yeah,
and recognize his presence. He's like a shadow on the
practice field, like you notice him, and I think his
(03:49):
reps on the practice field have reflected that accordingly through
the course of the first week, because he was running
third team at the start of camp and now when
they go base defense, he is the third linebacker on
the field. Now that's probably due in part to the
fact that Dorian Williams has been hurt. So we don't
(04:10):
want to dismiss that, because I think Dorian Williams, when
he's healthy, is this team's third linebacker. But he's also
getting second teamwork again due to the absence of Dorian
alongside Joe Andreeson at the mic spot. And you know,
the two days in pads, you're hearing him like he
is popping people.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
You feel Brownie said it right, You feel him. It's
like it's like a cloud goes over the sun. Everybody
in the whole place is like, Oh, there he is.
You know, it's like everybody senses it. You know, it's
a it's interesting to do you put it that way.
It's true and whatever role he has with this team,
you think about it, it just what an experienced guy
(04:52):
that certainly you're right he might be the fourth linebacker
on the depth chart to get on the field to play. Uh,
but he's gonna play teams. He'll he'll can tributing. He's
a kind of veteran guy like that, and Resen will
benefit from him.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
And he knows this scheme and his time in Carolina at.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
His age and level of experience, and and you know
his fragility of that. We all see thirty something guys
go through. They ain't gonna need him to play sixty
five snaps.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
I'm just impressed with how good he looks and how
well he is moving ten months removed from an Achilles injury.
That's the that's the that's the thing that's exceeded my expectations.
I thought, Okay, you know, this guy's going to get
a look in camp. We know his history is an
accomplished player, but is he the same guy you know,
this far into his career, off a major injury and
(05:42):
being less than a year removed from it. You know,
I thought this. My thinking going into camp was, Okay,
he's ten months removed from the Achilles. He's not going
to be back to his set, him his normal self,
but he's gonna flash enough where McDermott and his defensive
staff are like, this guy's a value veteran to have.
Let's put him on the practice squad and if he
(06:03):
gets better as the year wears on, well, then we'll
find a spot for him on the active roster, or
we'll elevate him two or three times when we need him.
I think he's in play to be one of the
linebackers on the fifty three.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
The role you what we're saying about Shaq is he's
like aj Klein was for this club for a couple.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Of years, except he's more physically gifted. Yes, exactly, he's
even often a kill. He's a better athlete. So that's
kind of what I'm seeing him too. Yeah, so that's
one guy. Second guy, and this guy's had good training
camps before, but the consistency of play has me encouraged
because I said, this guy could be a double digit
sack guy for the first time in his career this year.
(06:41):
Greg Russeau is having a fantastic training camp, factoring into
the passing game with batted passes, getting consistent pressure off
the edge, and they've lined him up exclusively at left end.
I think they want him just position specific because I
think they feel they could squeeze more out of him
if they just leave him over there instead of flipping
him back and fourth, he's been great, and I hope
(07:03):
he can carry that into the preseason and the regular
season and really just be screaming off that edge all
season long, especially knowing the attention Bosa is gonna get
on the other side. And then the last guy is
a guy we've talked about on our daily show One
Bill's Live, and I asked Connor McGovern about him. It's
the undrafted rookie center Jacob Bayer at of Arkansas State.
(07:23):
In the absence of Cedric Van pran Grainger, the former
fifth round pick who has not participated in training camp
due to a calf injury suffered right before camp started.
Behar has been the biggest beneficiary, so much so that
early in camp you saw in the absence of Cedric
Van pran Granger, you saw Alec Anderson taking some center
reps with the second team, Kendrick Green taking some center
(07:47):
reps with the second team. Now you have Bayer, who
is pretty much a center only because he's so squatty.
He's getting a short He's getting more than half the
second team reps at the center position, and we watched
him in one on one drills, pass rush drills. He
held his own against some of the biggest players on
(08:07):
this roster. Dion Walker, Zion log and Connor McGovern said
he's a shorter Mitch Morse. To me, that's a huge compliment.
But if you look at his background, four year starter
in college, granted at Arkansas State, smaller school. But we
talk all the time about how much rookie quarterbacks benefit
(08:30):
from college experience. Bo Nicks last year fifty nine starts
in college, Jayden Daniels sixty one starts in college, and
you saw the kind of rookie years they had. Granted
they had good coaching too. I think it applies to
offensive lineman. Also, he had twenty four starts as a
four year starter, so he had some injuries nicked up
a little bit. I think that goes a long way,
(08:53):
especially for an undrafted kid trying to make a roster.
And I'm not saying he's gonna make the fifty three.
This guy's gonna hang around.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
He might be in the bill, he'll be in the
I think he is going to be in that. So
I'm with you. He has been impressive. His ability to
anchor and stop a bull rush from down inside on
guys that are three hundred pounds plus is impressive. It's
really impressive.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Yeah, he's got a great low center of gravity and
you can't move him. Second thing, based on your observations
of training camp, what do you think could be the
biggest development on offense, on defense, and on special teams.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
I don't know how you can develop any further on
offense with this club. Certainly they could bring more tools
to the to the table. Man they punted less than
they punted like twice a game.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Well, let me frame it this way for you. You
know that offenses have to morph and change every year.
You cannot stay the same in this league because teams
have been studying all offseason on what you did the
previous year. So maybe, in what way are you expecting
this offense to be a little different?
Speaker 3 (10:01):
If you parachute into this season from last season, mid
see what's going to look different. I think they're going
to bring back the deep ball. I think they'll have
more of an ability to take a lid off the
defense and threaten them all over the field. Last year
was because of the all you can eat or all
you can eat. Everybody eats. Everybody eats mentality. They tended
to dink and dunk a little bit, and when they
(10:22):
did go deep, it wasn't always successful. They did it
a couple of times, you know. But I think they'll
be more of a threat and a higher percentage, be
able to complete a higher percentage of deep balls when
they try and do it. That's one thing offensively. Defensively,
I think the floor is gonna raise. I think they're
gonna be better on third down. I think they'll be
better against the run. I think they'll be better in
(10:42):
the secondary. I think they're gonna be get better everywhere
because of the upgrade of talent upfront and in the
back end. Their linebackers are really the only crew with
the exception of Shaq Thompson that that may kind of
stayed the same ton of new faces and new contributors
up front, and the secondary is gonna be different, very different.
I think they're gonna You're gonna have at least three
(11:04):
new starters and a five man rotation in nickel, which
is kind of their base defense. So I think that's
what's gonna happen. I think the floor of that. The
defense is gonna be markedly improved in every aspect, which
doesn't say too much because of the struggles they had
last year, but that's gonna be different. And special teams,
(11:28):
I don't think they're gonna puke away any games this year.
Overtime punt return, twelve men on the field for a
missed field goal that would have won a game, block
field goal, block punt in the playoffs, punt Pittsburgh, fake
punt against in the wild card round against Denver, a
fake punt that they gave up let's go down the list,
(11:51):
punt return for a touchdown, and the two point loss
to the Rams, all of it. I don't think they're
gonna blow games on special team. The floor of this
game is that they're going to get a push in
every game where you're never going to get specialty on
special teams. I think Codridge team is going to be
going to come back and play well. I think he'll
get some competition this year from Chanault when he gets
(12:13):
back on the field. All of that so, I think
special teams are going to be much more solid and
dependable and occasionally maybe even outside of bass kicking a
sixty one yarder to win a game. I think you're
going to get a contribution there once in a while
that's going to be like, Wow, they made a difference
(12:35):
in this game for the better, not for the worst.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Offense. For me, I think the biggest development is we're
going to see more pre snap motion than we already
have seen. This is a high pre snap motion team.
I think we're going to see even more this year,
just based on what we've witnessed in the first week
of practice. I think there's a good chance with the
presidence of Jackson Hawes, as you mentioned that we're going
to see more twelve personnel jumbo and possibly thirteen personnel
(13:01):
going forward. I think it's all based on the learning
curve trajectory of Jackson Hawes, who, from what we've been told,
is quick as a whip defense. I think the biggest
thing people will notice is that they are bigger and
stronger upfront, and I think that translates to better run defense.
We'll see how the secondary comes together. I want to
(13:23):
see a little more that in the preseason, but I
feel good about just the fact that physically this team
is bigger and stronger upfront, and from what we've seen
in the two padded practices so far, the run front
has been solid, certainly more consistently solid than we've seen
in years past. And then on special teams, I'll echo
some of what Steve said. I think for the first
time in a long time, the Bills have a special
(13:45):
teams coordinator in Chris Taber, who is going to give
this team in that phase of the game a game
day advantage. Not every week, but I think in a
lot of weeks, Chris Taber is gonna put this special
teams unit in a position to deliver a game day
advantage in that phase of the game. I think he
(14:08):
is that good third thing. Who do you think has
a chance to move up the depth chart if they
can carry their early training camp play into the preseason.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Steve, it's a good one. It might be a guy
like Hawes, but I would say, probably more accurately, who's
(14:39):
gonna carry.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Someone who has had a good first week and you know,
might be key on, Okay, might be key on. I
think he wants it bad.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
I think he wants it bad, and I think he's
really got now he's had And I told you we
had this conversation briefly, or maybe it wasn't with you.
We've been talking with so many people.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
About so many guylines.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Yeah, had a case of the drops in camp.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
We had one day three.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
That does not concern me. I think he he is
really upped his intensity level in practice. He is the
DB's all too. You can see it when they're on
one on ones and he's lining up against defensive backs
and they're playing man to man and they're right up
in his face. Every dB tries to get tries to
(15:27):
jump him, tries to get on top of him, tries
to physicality, you know, tries to push him off his way,
and he's not having it. He is learning how to
overcome that. And because I think that's what he's going
to get as a big, physical wide receiver, team's always
(15:48):
come at you like that, and because that's his asset
and you got to try and take away what he
does best, I think I think Keon wants it bad.
I think he's working hard, and I think if he
can continue that, you can't help but get better when
you work as hard as he is working. So that's
the guy.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Yeah, that's a good pick because I remember saying on
our daily show One Bill's Live, you know, people are
down on him at a rough day. I think it
was last it was the first Friday of training camp.
That's when he had the three drops. He also had
a sixty yard touchdown, by the way, on the same practice,
and I said, everybody just breathed easy here because they
weren't the team wasn't even in pads yet. And what
(16:24):
did we see this week? First two days in pads?
You see Keon Coleman's full game on display from the
physicality standpoint, and what a difference. There's a difference. There
is a noticeable difference from a non padded practice with
Keon Coleman to a padded practice, and that spells good
things for real football games, because guess what you wear
pads in those. For me, I think a guy who
(16:48):
carried his play in practice into the preseason last year
and ended up making this roster I think can level
up again, and that's Joe Andreeson. I think he will
carry his solid play in the first week of training
camp into the preseason and this time I think he
cements himself as the backup Mike linebacker for this football
(17:09):
team by the time we get to September. He is
my pick for that I think Shaq Thompson, if he
carries his play in practice into the preseason games, I
think he's going to carve out a spot for himself
on the active roster. As I said earlier, I thought
he would be a guy that kept on the practice
squad and then hopefully he gets healthier and healthier coming
off the Achilles. But he looks ready now and they're
(17:31):
going to have to make a decision there.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
The interesting part about it is you start going down
that list, it really puts the spotlight on Baile Inspector
as to whether he's going to be able to hang
onto that special bail.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Inspector is battling himself, maybe more than anything else, because
he's proven himself capable as a linebacker in this league
when healthy. The problem is he has these chronic camf
injuries that rob him of time on the field and
more importantly chip away at the confidence that the coaching
staff has in as in him. Because I think they
(18:01):
believe in him as a player. I think they're just
concerned about his long term availability.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
And Andresen is a guy who is getting better.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Yeah, so.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
You know Andrew and Andreeson, I mean he shows up,
he's and he's available. I think that's the kind of
thing you're looking at. Andreson's kind of steps up, and
all of a sudden, Balans Specter becomes expendable because you
got Andreson, you got Shaq Thompson, you got Bernard Dorian Williams,
and Milano. He just run out of room.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Isn't it crazy that people were worried about the depth
of linebacker and now look at what they've got there. Yeah,
I mean you really got to tip your hat to
the personnel department first of all, finding Joe Andreson right.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
Not just finding him, but believing in that in him.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Taking a swing on Shaq Thompson because you know him
from the past and you believe in the in the
guy as a player and his resiliency and his work ethic.
And now all of a sudden, you've got a numbers
game at a position or you were wondering if you
were gonna have enough guys you could count on. It's
crazy how this personnel department works and works and finds
(19:11):
people to fill holes on this roster.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
Talks about it a lot. It's not lost on us
that guys who come over and play at a certain
level they think, Okay, he's a pretty good player. They
come over and they get better here. Well, yeah, that
goes to the coaching staff, play coaching staff, and the
development staff here. It's hard to find a guy out there.
(19:36):
Maybe there's one that I can think of off the
top of my head that maybe went someplace else and
played his best football, played better football. There's like maybe
one guy in eight years and that and that would
be like Wyatt Teller, who they drafted, a guard that
they drafted. They were neck deep in it, so they
traded him as a fifth rounder or whatever, and he
goes out to be an all pro. Not to say
(19:57):
he wouldn't have played even better here had he stayed,
but it was so early in his career that you
know that he didn't get a chance to flourish. That's
what this And it's not just the evaluation staff and
brand of being picking these guys. It is that, but
it's also McDermott and the development staff and doctor Dez
and Joe the guy, all the guys owned the sports science,
but the whole crew is over there, you know, getting
(20:20):
to find out how these guys are wired and giving
them an environment that they can thrive.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
In.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
It's they're hitting on a lot of cylinders here, and
it's really evident at times like this when he got
all these guys in here and he got some guy
like Joe like last year Joe, Andriesen's like who, and
it's like wow, where he was a rookie tryout like
ye with, he was just a guy and he is
(20:46):
a legit NFL player now because of the environment and
the coaching he's received. It's it's that's why they're right
there every year.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Let's slide over to the Numbers game now, where Steve
will be quizzed on preseason game history for the Bill
with the preseason fast approaching. Question number one, when is
the last time the Bills went unbeaten in the preseason
in the McDermott era. So your window of time here
is twenty seventeen to twenty twenty four. When is the
(21:17):
last time they went unbeaten in the preseason?
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Twenty twenty two.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Oh, you're so close, Steve. Twenty twenty one, they went
three and oh, I know it's right there. Question number two,
who was the team Buffalo last shutout in the preseason?
They pitched a shutout in a preseason game any idea
(21:43):
what team that might have been.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Carolina is not Carolina.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
That was a I think that was a nine to
three game Carolina home on. You were close. Chicago is
not Chicago. That's a good guess. They play Chicago a
lot in the preseason. Now, I'll give you one more
crack at it. I'll give you a hint. You're in
the right division.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
No, green Bay, I'd say, I know Detroit.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
It's not Detroit. It was Greenway. Your initial thought was correct, Steve.
They shut out talking to say nineteen nothing in twenty
twenty one? Question number three, what is the most points
the Bills have scored in a preseason game in the
McDermott era. Gosh, in the McDermott era.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
One say again, thirty one, nope, forty no kidding, fifty two,
no too much.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Forty's close, forty two, forty two points. Yes. Buffalo romped
the Broncos forty two to fifteen, as Denver's offense managed
just three field goals in a meaningless touchdown in the
four Was.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
That last year two years ago?
Speaker 1 (23:02):
I believe it was twenty twenty two. Buffalo sprinted out
to a thirty five to six lead and never looked
back and the final question, Steve. This summer, the Bills
have only NFC opponents for their entire preseason slate, the Giants, Bears,
and Bucks. When was the last time the Bills had
(23:23):
only NFC opponents for their entire preseason slate.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
It's in the McDermott era.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Yes, And I'll give you another hint. It was an
earlier answer.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Oh, twenty twenty two.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
No, what that was.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
The guess you gave for question one? What was the
correct answer? Twenty twenty one, twenty twenty one.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
They played the Lions, the Bears, and the Packers in
twenty twenty one and swept them. It's a different division now.
It's a much more competitive division than it was just
three or four years.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Tell you what, you know what, it's amazing think about
the changes in that division. I don't want to go
off on a tang in here, but Dan Campbell change,
Jordan Love in the Packers and O'Donnell in Minnesota, O'Connell, O'Connell, O'Connell,
Jordan Love and.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, Lafleura with and Jordan Love and the Packers and
Dan Campbell, yeah and now and now Daree Hamble's assistant
is in Chicago.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Three human being. Three human beings changed the whole course
of that indeed because they, you know, because of Aaron
Rodgers lead the whole thing. That's amazing.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
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now for our one burning question, what player will put
(24:53):
together a breakout performance like the one we witnessed from
Joe Andresen Lamb preseason at Pittsburgh. Joe blew up twelve
tackles in about fifteen minutes of game time, including dragging
down Jalen Warren in a one on one open field
(25:15):
play and Jalen Warren can move like he's a fast
big back and he just ransacked him down to the ground.
We were losing our mind watching Joe play in that game.
Who has a performance like that this preseason?
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Uh? I might, I'm gonna go off the board, and
I'm gonna say, oh, Dwayne Carter.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Wheah.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
I think Dwayne Carter, I'm intrigued, showed up this year,
did in this training camp, and I think he's off
people's radar, you know, because he had some injury struggles
last year, right. I think he's gonna remind people why
they drafted him. That's what I think, Wayne Carr. I
(26:00):
think Dwayne Carter is gonna who's.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Been playing more one technique, yeah, which is interesting.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
I think he's got a shot.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
He's a little nicked right now, so he missed practice
in the middle or Tuesday of the first full week
of training camp. So hopefully it's just a minor deal
and he's back on the field soon. We don't have
any word on what that injury was. I'm inclined to
say Keon Coleman here right because I think he wants
(26:27):
it so bad that I think if he may not
get enough reps, he might not That's why I'm a
little hesitant to pick him. So I was gonna I
was gonna pick Tyrrell Shavers, but he's hurt and out
right now and I'm not sure when he's gonna be back.
But the way he was playing. You know what, screw it,
I'm gonna stick with Tyrrel. I'm gonna say his ankle
(26:48):
injury is good by the time we get to the
first preseason game, because this was a guy who early
in camp before his ankle injury, was getting first team
reps when everybody was healthy at receipt they weren't missing
really anybody with the exception of laviscaus Chnalt at the
receiver position. He was getting regular reps with the first
(27:08):
team and he was making plays. Uh So I'll put
I'll put a chip down on Tyrrel Shavers and I'll
say that guy has some breakout performance in one of
these three games.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Would that not be eye opening? Because he's been in
the building this fourth year here and you know remember
and even McDermott was asked about him in one of
his pre practiced press conferences and he says, remember that
taking that it was a thirty three to seven or
just game right. He catches the pass from Trubisky and
(27:41):
goes sixty five like.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
There's straight lines to be there.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
And let me tell you this, Here's what I know
is because I I remember this when he scored that
touchdown the bench emptied. They love that guy.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Well, because the guy's been doing nothing but putting in word.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
For the last day. His teammates rewarded. The teammates love
that guy. The bench emptied. Everybody went down to the
corner of the end zone.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
And he's a great guy. He's a great dude. So
I ever talked to him, great dude.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
I think he's the kind of player. But even if
he comes out and he's the fifth guy, fifth wide out,
McDermott loves guys like that on the active roster, like
the Levi Wallace's, the the Bob Foster's, Joe Andreesons. They
love having guys on that roster because they it's living
(28:33):
proof that if you if you earn it, you get it.
So I'm not saying that gives him a free pass.
He's gonna make it, but he's he's put the work in. Yeah,
that's a great that's a great call. And if he's
got to stay healthy, but man oh man, that would yeah,
that'd be great.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Our closing figure deals with preseason rushing totals from a
season ago. For the Bills. The top four preseason rushers
are on the roster again this summer. Number four was
James Cook ten carries for twenty seven yards. Number three
was Ray Davis thirteen carries sixty yards. Second was Darrington
Evans thirteen carries sixty three yards, and at the top
(29:11):
was then undrafted rookie Frank Gore Junior thirty three carries
one hundred sixty three yards and a touchdown. In twenty
twenty three, Darrington Evans was the preseason rushing leader for Buffalo.
Who takes the rushing title in the preseason this time around,
we shall see. That's it for this edition. Be sure
(29:32):
to subscribe on whatever podcast platform you use, or on
our Bills YouTube channel where you can also watch us.
That way, you'll know when our next episode is out,
because when you need to know about the Bills, you
need to check Bills by the numbers. Steve task Round,
Chris Brown, thanks for listening. We'll catch you next time.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Everybody e
Training camp is in full swing, and we are as
well here on Bills by the Numbers, where we let
the stats tell you where the Bills are at. We're
presented by Fan Duel Make every moment more coming up
an early look at the players in pressing new training camp.
What could be the biggest development on offense, defense and
special teams, and who could be making a move up
the depth chart. Steve will be quizzed on pre season
(00:23):
game history, and we'll have our one burning question ring
the bell.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
We've already begun to have you with us.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Here on Bills by the Numbers. He is Bill's Hall
of Famer Steve Pastor on Bills play by playman Chris Brown,
and we have reached the dog days of training camp
as we entered the final full week of work at
Saint John Fisher University. But a lot has happened since
training camp began, and Steve and I delve into every
aspect of what has taken place and could impact final
(01:05):
roster decisions. So in these three things, we begin with
thing number one, the players we believe that have been
pressed in the early going. Steve, give me two or
three players that in the first full week of training camp,
have maybe exceeded what you anticipated you would see from
them on the practice field.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Out of the gate. I'll give you a veteran in
a rookie. A veteran would be probably Christian Benford. That
guy owns the dB room. Now he's the He is
paid like a number one. He acts like a number one,
leads like a number one, plays like a number even
more vocal, more vocal, he's vocal.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
I mean, he was a quiet guy.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
He was He was a quiet guy. He's not so quiet.
Now he's chirping. He's leading the competitive charge in the
one on ones. I think Trey White has been a
great addition to come back and be a part of
that HISS his level of comfort, his experience, it's his
credibility in the room. I think he and Benford are
the perfect combo, a little bit like Poyer and Hyde
(02:07):
were in the safety's room. Those two guys in the
corner room are really gonna help the rest of that
crew elevate. So that's one, Christian Benford the other. And
probably although you haven't seen too much of it and
it's hard to probably Jackson Hawes the way he has
acclimated towards it the physicality he brings to it, and
we've seen the defense be a little bit chippier and
(02:29):
nastier in this training camp than we've seen in years past.
Hawes kind of has answered it and shown a level
of competence and nuance at that not many rookies have
at the pro level, particularly in the intricacies of the
blocking schemes and that kind of thing. He hasn't shied
(02:52):
away from it. So I think those two out of
the gate. Now there's probably a couple others that are
gonna come to me, but I think Jackson Hawes and
Christian Benford, one obviously a veteran and the other guy
brand new, are the two guys that I've noticed.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Okay, I assumed one of those names would come up,
and so I kind of threw some others into the mix.
And for veteran players, I've got three players total here,
Shaq Thompson. For a veteran player who just ruptured his
(03:24):
achilles last September, like end of September. September thirtieth, I
believe was the date that he ruptured his achilles, He's
essentially ten months removed from that, and you feel him yeah,
and recognize his presence. He's like a shadow on the
practice field, like you notice him, and I think his
(03:49):
reps on the practice field have reflected that accordingly through
the course of the first week, because he was running
third team at the start of camp and now when
they go base defense, he is the third linebacker on
the field. Now that's probably due in part to the
fact that Dorian Williams has been hurt. So we don't
(04:10):
want to dismiss that, because I think Dorian Williams, when
he's healthy, is this team's third linebacker. But he's also
getting second teamwork again due to the absence of Dorian
alongside Joe Andreeson at the mic spot. And you know,
the two days in pads, you're hearing him like he
is popping people.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
You feel Brownie said it right, You feel him. It's
like it's like a cloud goes over the sun. Everybody
in the whole place is like, Oh, there he is.
You know, it's like everybody senses it. You know, it's
a it's interesting to do you put it that way.
It's true and whatever role he has with this team,
you think about it, it just what an experienced guy
(04:52):
that certainly you're right he might be the fourth linebacker
on the depth chart to get on the field to play. Uh,
but he's gonna play teams. He'll he'll can tributing. He's
a kind of veteran guy like that, and Resen will
benefit from him.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
And he knows this scheme and his time in Carolina at.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
His age and level of experience, and and you know
his fragility of that. We all see thirty something guys
go through. They ain't gonna need him to play sixty
five snaps.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
I'm just impressed with how good he looks and how
well he is moving ten months removed from an Achilles injury.
That's the that's the that's the thing that's exceeded my expectations.
I thought, Okay, you know, this guy's going to get
a look in camp. We know his history is an
accomplished player, but is he the same guy you know,
this far into his career, off a major injury and
(05:42):
being less than a year removed from it. You know,
I thought this. My thinking going into camp was, Okay,
he's ten months removed from the Achilles. He's not going
to be back to his set, him his normal self,
but he's gonna flash enough where McDermott and his defensive
staff are like, this guy's a value veteran to have.
Let's put him on the practice squad and if he
(06:03):
gets better as the year wears on, well, then we'll
find a spot for him on the active roster, or
we'll elevate him two or three times when we need him.
I think he's in play to be one of the
linebackers on the fifty three.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
The role you what we're saying about Shaq is he's
like aj Klein was for this club for a couple.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Of years, except he's more physically gifted. Yes, exactly, he's
even often a kill. He's a better athlete. So that's
kind of what I'm seeing him too. Yeah, so that's
one guy. Second guy, and this guy's had good training
camps before, but the consistency of play has me encouraged
because I said, this guy could be a double digit
sack guy for the first time in his career this year.
(06:41):
Greg Russeau is having a fantastic training camp, factoring into
the passing game with batted passes, getting consistent pressure off
the edge, and they've lined him up exclusively at left end.
I think they want him just position specific because I
think they feel they could squeeze more out of him
if they just leave him over there instead of flipping
him back and fourth, he's been great, and I hope
(07:03):
he can carry that into the preseason and the regular
season and really just be screaming off that edge all
season long, especially knowing the attention Bosa is gonna get
on the other side. And then the last guy is
a guy we've talked about on our daily show One
Bill's Live, and I asked Connor McGovern about him. It's
the undrafted rookie center Jacob Bayer at of Arkansas State.
(07:23):
In the absence of Cedric Van pran Grainger, the former
fifth round pick who has not participated in training camp
due to a calf injury suffered right before camp started.
Behar has been the biggest beneficiary, so much so that
early in camp you saw in the absence of Cedric
Van pran Granger, you saw Alec Anderson taking some center
reps with the second team, Kendrick Green taking some center
(07:47):
reps with the second team. Now you have Bayer, who
is pretty much a center only because he's so squatty.
He's getting a short He's getting more than half the
second team reps at the center position, and we watched
him in one on one drills, pass rush drills. He
held his own against some of the biggest players on
(08:07):
this roster. Dion Walker, Zion log and Connor McGovern said
he's a shorter Mitch Morse. To me, that's a huge compliment.
But if you look at his background, four year starter
in college, granted at Arkansas State, smaller school. But we
talk all the time about how much rookie quarterbacks benefit
(08:30):
from college experience. Bo Nicks last year fifty nine starts
in college, Jayden Daniels sixty one starts in college, and
you saw the kind of rookie years they had. Granted
they had good coaching too. I think it applies to
offensive lineman. Also, he had twenty four starts as a
four year starter, so he had some injuries nicked up
a little bit. I think that goes a long way,
(08:53):
especially for an undrafted kid trying to make a roster.
And I'm not saying he's gonna make the fifty three.
This guy's gonna hang around.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
He might be in the bill, he'll be in the
I think he is going to be in that. So
I'm with you. He has been impressive. His ability to
anchor and stop a bull rush from down inside on
guys that are three hundred pounds plus is impressive. It's
really impressive.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Yeah, he's got a great low center of gravity and
you can't move him. Second thing, based on your observations
of training camp, what do you think could be the
biggest development on offense, on defense, and on special teams.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
I don't know how you can develop any further on
offense with this club. Certainly they could bring more tools
to the to the table. Man they punted less than
they punted like twice a game.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Well, let me frame it this way for you. You
know that offenses have to morph and change every year.
You cannot stay the same in this league because teams
have been studying all offseason on what you did the
previous year. So maybe, in what way are you expecting
this offense to be a little different?
Speaker 3 (10:01):
If you parachute into this season from last season, mid
see what's going to look different. I think they're going
to bring back the deep ball. I think they'll have
more of an ability to take a lid off the
defense and threaten them all over the field. Last year
was because of the all you can eat or all
you can eat. Everybody eats. Everybody eats mentality. They tended
to dink and dunk a little bit, and when they
(10:22):
did go deep, it wasn't always successful. They did it
a couple of times, you know. But I think they'll
be more of a threat and a higher percentage, be
able to complete a higher percentage of deep balls when
they try and do it. That's one thing offensively. Defensively,
I think the floor is gonna raise. I think they're
gonna be better on third down. I think they'll be
better against the run. I think they'll be better in
(10:42):
the secondary. I think they're gonna be get better everywhere
because of the upgrade of talent upfront and in the
back end. Their linebackers are really the only crew with
the exception of Shaq Thompson that that may kind of
stayed the same ton of new faces and new contributors
up front, and the secondary is gonna be different, very different.
I think they're gonna You're gonna have at least three
(11:04):
new starters and a five man rotation in nickel, which
is kind of their base defense. So I think that's
what's gonna happen. I think the floor of that. The
defense is gonna be markedly improved in every aspect, which
doesn't say too much because of the struggles they had
last year, but that's gonna be different. And special teams,
(11:28):
I don't think they're gonna puke away any games this year.
Overtime punt return, twelve men on the field for a
missed field goal that would have won a game, block
field goal, block punt in the playoffs, punt Pittsburgh, fake
punt against in the wild card round against Denver, a
fake punt that they gave up let's go down the list,
(11:51):
punt return for a touchdown, and the two point loss
to the Rams, all of it. I don't think they're
gonna blow games on special team. The floor of this
game is that they're going to get a push in
every game where you're never going to get specialty on
special teams. I think Codridge team is going to be
going to come back and play well. I think he'll
get some competition this year from Chanault when he gets
(12:13):
back on the field. All of that so, I think
special teams are going to be much more solid and
dependable and occasionally maybe even outside of bass kicking a
sixty one yarder to win a game. I think you're
going to get a contribution there once in a while
that's going to be like, Wow, they made a difference
(12:35):
in this game for the better, not for the worst.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Offense. For me, I think the biggest development is we're
going to see more pre snap motion than we already
have seen. This is a high pre snap motion team.
I think we're going to see even more this year,
just based on what we've witnessed in the first week
of practice. I think there's a good chance with the
presidence of Jackson Hawes, as you mentioned that we're going
to see more twelve personnel jumbo and possibly thirteen personnel
(13:01):
going forward. I think it's all based on the learning
curve trajectory of Jackson Hawes, who, from what we've been told,
is quick as a whip defense. I think the biggest
thing people will notice is that they are bigger and
stronger upfront, and I think that translates to better run defense.
We'll see how the secondary comes together. I want to
(13:23):
see a little more that in the preseason, but I
feel good about just the fact that physically this team
is bigger and stronger upfront, and from what we've seen
in the two padded practices so far, the run front
has been solid, certainly more consistently solid than we've seen
in years past. And then on special teams, I'll echo
some of what Steve said. I think for the first
time in a long time, the Bills have a special
(13:45):
teams coordinator in Chris Taber, who is going to give
this team in that phase of the game a game
day advantage. Not every week, but I think in a
lot of weeks, Chris Taber is gonna put this special
teams unit in a position to deliver a game day
advantage in that phase of the game. I think he
(14:08):
is that good third thing. Who do you think has
a chance to move up the depth chart if they
can carry their early training camp play into the preseason.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Steve, it's a good one. It might be a guy
like Hawes, but I would say, probably more accurately, who's
(14:39):
gonna carry.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Someone who has had a good first week and you know,
might be key on, Okay, might be key on. I
think he wants it bad.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
I think he wants it bad, and I think he's
really got now he's had And I told you we
had this conversation briefly, or maybe it wasn't with you.
We've been talking with so many people.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
About so many guylines.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Yeah, had a case of the drops in camp.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
We had one day three.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
That does not concern me. I think he he is
really upped his intensity level in practice. He is the
DB's all too. You can see it when they're on
one on ones and he's lining up against defensive backs
and they're playing man to man and they're right up
in his face. Every dB tries to get tries to
(15:27):
jump him, tries to get on top of him, tries
to physicality, you know, tries to push him off his way,
and he's not having it. He is learning how to
overcome that. And because I think that's what he's going
to get as a big, physical wide receiver, team's always
(15:48):
come at you like that, and because that's his asset
and you got to try and take away what he
does best, I think I think Keon wants it bad.
I think he's working hard, and I think if he
can continue that, you can't help but get better when
you work as hard as he is working. So that's
the guy.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Yeah, that's a good pick because I remember saying on
our daily show One Bill's Live, you know, people are
down on him at a rough day. I think it
was last it was the first Friday of training camp.
That's when he had the three drops. He also had
a sixty yard touchdown, by the way, on the same practice,
and I said, everybody just breathed easy here because they
weren't the team wasn't even in pads yet. And what
(16:24):
did we see this week? First two days in pads?
You see Keon Coleman's full game on display from the
physicality standpoint, and what a difference. There's a difference. There
is a noticeable difference from a non padded practice with
Keon Coleman to a padded practice, and that spells good
things for real football games, because guess what you wear
pads in those. For me, I think a guy who
(16:48):
carried his play in practice into the preseason last year
and ended up making this roster I think can level
up again, and that's Joe Andreeson. I think he will
carry his solid play in the first week of training
camp into the preseason and this time I think he
cements himself as the backup Mike linebacker for this football
(17:09):
team by the time we get to September. He is
my pick for that I think Shaq Thompson, if he
carries his play in practice into the preseason games, I
think he's going to carve out a spot for himself
on the active roster. As I said earlier, I thought
he would be a guy that kept on the practice
squad and then hopefully he gets healthier and healthier coming
off the Achilles. But he looks ready now and they're
(17:31):
going to have to make a decision there.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
The interesting part about it is you start going down
that list, it really puts the spotlight on Baile Inspector
as to whether he's going to be able to hang
onto that special bail.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Inspector is battling himself, maybe more than anything else, because
he's proven himself capable as a linebacker in this league
when healthy. The problem is he has these chronic camf
injuries that rob him of time on the field and
more importantly chip away at the confidence that the coaching
staff has in as in him. Because I think they
(18:01):
believe in him as a player. I think they're just
concerned about his long term availability.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
And Andresen is a guy who is getting better.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Yeah, so.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
You know Andrew and Andreeson, I mean he shows up,
he's and he's available. I think that's the kind of
thing you're looking at. Andreson's kind of steps up, and
all of a sudden, Balans Specter becomes expendable because you
got Andreson, you got Shaq Thompson, you got Bernard Dorian Williams,
and Milano. He just run out of room.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Isn't it crazy that people were worried about the depth
of linebacker and now look at what they've got there. Yeah,
I mean you really got to tip your hat to
the personnel department first of all, finding Joe Andreson right.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
Not just finding him, but believing in that in him.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Taking a swing on Shaq Thompson because you know him
from the past and you believe in the in the
guy as a player and his resiliency and his work ethic.
And now all of a sudden, you've got a numbers
game at a position or you were wondering if you
were gonna have enough guys you could count on. It's
crazy how this personnel department works and works and finds
(19:11):
people to fill holes on this roster.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
Talks about it a lot. It's not lost on us
that guys who come over and play at a certain
level they think, Okay, he's a pretty good player. They
come over and they get better here. Well, yeah, that
goes to the coaching staff, play coaching staff, and the
development staff here. It's hard to find a guy out there.
(19:36):
Maybe there's one that I can think of off the
top of my head that maybe went someplace else and
played his best football, played better football. There's like maybe
one guy in eight years and that and that would
be like Wyatt Teller, who they drafted, a guard that
they drafted. They were neck deep in it, so they
traded him as a fifth rounder or whatever, and he
goes out to be an all pro. Not to say
(19:57):
he wouldn't have played even better here had he stayed,
but it was so early in his career that you
know that he didn't get a chance to flourish. That's
what this And it's not just the evaluation staff and
brand of being picking these guys. It is that, but
it's also McDermott and the development staff and doctor Dez
and Joe the guy, all the guys owned the sports science,
but the whole crew is over there, you know, getting
(20:20):
to find out how these guys are wired and giving
them an environment that they can thrive.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
In.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
It's they're hitting on a lot of cylinders here, and
it's really evident at times like this when he got
all these guys in here and he got some guy
like Joe like last year Joe, Andriesen's like who, and
it's like wow, where he was a rookie tryout like
ye with, he was just a guy and he is
(20:46):
a legit NFL player now because of the environment and
the coaching he's received. It's it's that's why they're right
there every year.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Let's slide over to the Numbers game now, where Steve
will be quizzed on preseason game history for the Bill
with the preseason fast approaching. Question number one, when is
the last time the Bills went unbeaten in the preseason
in the McDermott era. So your window of time here
is twenty seventeen to twenty twenty four. When is the
(21:17):
last time they went unbeaten in the preseason?
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Twenty twenty two.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Oh, you're so close, Steve. Twenty twenty one, they went
three and oh, I know it's right there. Question number two,
who was the team Buffalo last shutout in the preseason?
They pitched a shutout in a preseason game any idea
(21:43):
what team that might have been.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Carolina is not Carolina.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
That was a I think that was a nine to
three game Carolina home on. You were close. Chicago is
not Chicago. That's a good guess. They play Chicago a
lot in the preseason. Now, I'll give you one more
crack at it. I'll give you a hint. You're in
the right division.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
No, green Bay, I'd say, I know Detroit.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
It's not Detroit. It was Greenway. Your initial thought was correct, Steve.
They shut out talking to say nineteen nothing in twenty
twenty one? Question number three, what is the most points
the Bills have scored in a preseason game in the
McDermott era. Gosh, in the McDermott era.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
One say again, thirty one, nope, forty no kidding, fifty two,
no too much.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Forty's close, forty two, forty two points. Yes. Buffalo romped
the Broncos forty two to fifteen, as Denver's offense managed
just three field goals in a meaningless touchdown in the
four Was.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
That last year two years ago?
Speaker 1 (23:02):
I believe it was twenty twenty two. Buffalo sprinted out
to a thirty five to six lead and never looked
back and the final question, Steve. This summer, the Bills
have only NFC opponents for their entire preseason slate, the Giants, Bears,
and Bucks. When was the last time the Bills had
(23:23):
only NFC opponents for their entire preseason slate.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
It's in the McDermott era.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Yes, And I'll give you another hint. It was an
earlier answer.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Oh, twenty twenty two.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
No, what that was.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
The guess you gave for question one? What was the
correct answer? Twenty twenty one, twenty twenty one.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
They played the Lions, the Bears, and the Packers in
twenty twenty one and swept them. It's a different division now.
It's a much more competitive division than it was just
three or four years.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Tell you what, you know what, it's amazing think about
the changes in that division. I don't want to go
off on a tang in here, but Dan Campbell change,
Jordan Love in the Packers and O'Donnell in Minnesota, O'Connell, O'Connell, O'Connell,
Jordan Love and.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, Lafleura with and Jordan Love and the Packers and
Dan Campbell, yeah and now and now Daree Hamble's assistant
is in Chicago.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Three human being. Three human beings changed the whole course
of that indeed because they, you know, because of Aaron
Rodgers lead the whole thing. That's amazing.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
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now for our one burning question, what player will put
(24:53):
together a breakout performance like the one we witnessed from
Joe Andresen Lamb preseason at Pittsburgh. Joe blew up twelve
tackles in about fifteen minutes of game time, including dragging
down Jalen Warren in a one on one open field
(25:15):
play and Jalen Warren can move like he's a fast
big back and he just ransacked him down to the ground.
We were losing our mind watching Joe play in that game.
Who has a performance like that this preseason?
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Uh? I might, I'm gonna go off the board, and
I'm gonna say, oh, Dwayne Carter.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Wheah.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
I think Dwayne Carter, I'm intrigued, showed up this year,
did in this training camp, and I think he's off
people's radar, you know, because he had some injury struggles
last year, right. I think he's gonna remind people why
they drafted him. That's what I think, Wayne Carr. I
(26:00):
think Dwayne Carter is gonna who's.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Been playing more one technique, yeah, which is interesting.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
I think he's got a shot.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
He's a little nicked right now, so he missed practice
in the middle or Tuesday of the first full week
of training camp. So hopefully it's just a minor deal
and he's back on the field soon. We don't have
any word on what that injury was. I'm inclined to
say Keon Coleman here right because I think he wants
(26:27):
it so bad that I think if he may not
get enough reps, he might not That's why I'm a
little hesitant to pick him. So I was gonna I
was gonna pick Tyrrell Shavers, but he's hurt and out
right now and I'm not sure when he's gonna be back.
But the way he was playing. You know what, screw it,
I'm gonna stick with Tyrrel. I'm gonna say his ankle
(26:48):
injury is good by the time we get to the
first preseason game, because this was a guy who early
in camp before his ankle injury, was getting first team
reps when everybody was healthy at receipt they weren't missing
really anybody with the exception of laviscaus Chnalt at the
receiver position. He was getting regular reps with the first
(27:08):
team and he was making plays. Uh So I'll put
I'll put a chip down on Tyrrel Shavers and I'll
say that guy has some breakout performance in one of
these three games.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Would that not be eye opening? Because he's been in
the building this fourth year here and you know remember
and even McDermott was asked about him in one of
his pre practiced press conferences and he says, remember that
taking that it was a thirty three to seven or
just game right. He catches the pass from Trubisky and
(27:41):
goes sixty five like.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
There's straight lines to be there.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
And let me tell you this, Here's what I know
is because I I remember this when he scored that
touchdown the bench emptied. They love that guy.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Well, because the guy's been doing nothing but putting in word.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
For the last day. His teammates rewarded. The teammates love
that guy. The bench emptied. Everybody went down to the
corner of the end zone.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
And he's a great guy. He's a great dude. So
I ever talked to him, great dude.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
I think he's the kind of player. But even if
he comes out and he's the fifth guy, fifth wide out,
McDermott loves guys like that on the active roster, like
the Levi Wallace's, the the Bob Foster's, Joe Andreesons. They
love having guys on that roster because they it's living
(28:33):
proof that if you if you earn it, you get it.
So I'm not saying that gives him a free pass.
He's gonna make it, but he's he's put the work in. Yeah,
that's a great that's a great call. And if he's
got to stay healthy, but man oh man, that would yeah,
that'd be great.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Our closing figure deals with preseason rushing totals from a
season ago. For the Bills. The top four preseason rushers
are on the roster again this summer. Number four was
James Cook ten carries for twenty seven yards. Number three
was Ray Davis thirteen carries sixty yards. Second was Darrington
Evans thirteen carries sixty three yards, and at the top
(29:11):
was then undrafted rookie Frank Gore Junior thirty three carries
one hundred sixty three yards and a touchdown. In twenty
twenty three, Darrington Evans was the preseason rushing leader for Buffalo.
Who takes the rushing title in the preseason this time around,
we shall see. That's it for this edition. Be sure
(29:32):
to subscribe on whatever podcast platform you use, or on
our Bills YouTube channel where you can also watch us.
That way, you'll know when our next episode is out,
because when you need to know about the Bills, you
need to check Bills by the numbers. Steve task Round,
Chris Brown, thanks for listening. We'll catch you next time.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Everybody e
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