Where: St. John Fisher College in suburban Rochester, NY. The campus is located less than two kilometres from the Oak Hill Country Club, site of this year’s PGA Championship (Aug. 8-11).
What: The Buffalo Bills wore helmets and shells for the first day of training camp in the Doug Marrone regime. Everything looked fairly normal except for one glaring omission; Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd.
With Byrd and Bills management at a contract impasse, the safety was a no-show and his absence was noticeable.
Other than cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who had a very strong effort, the Bills secondary ended up getting burned on numerous occasions by the receivers and tight ends. For a franchise trying to re-gain respectability, they can’t afford to not have their best players on the field.
After missing mini-camp while recovering from knee surgery, starting tight end Scott Chandler made a number of impressive catches during 11-on-11 drills. Even more impressive is how well he ran and how smooth he looked coming in and out of his breaks.
Marrone said an undisclosed foot injury prevented defensive end Mario Williams from working out Sunday night. Defensive tackle Kyle Williams did not participate in any live drills, but that was part of the plan from the outset.
“So just from a standpoint of worked individual, we kept him out of team, kept him out of the 1-on-1’s. You’ll see him progress in to the practices as we go,” said the Bills head coach.
Bills Nation: For a franchise that hasn’t made the post-season since 1999 the Bills fan base is still extremely passionate and devoted to their team.
“Obviously being here for the first time, it was really an exciting atmosphere,” said Marrone. “I know this being a night practice, but there were a lot of fans here. Great enthusiasm by them.”
The fans in attendance made it very clear who they feel should be the starting quarterback this year; first-round pick E.J. Manuel – who is currently in a competition with veteran Kevin Kolb.
Coach’s Corner: Marrone, who is in his first season with the Bills, spent a majority of time with the offensive line Sunday night. That’s Marrone’s bread and butter as he cut his teeth as an offensive line coach under Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints.
His new coaching staff rarely raises their voice. There is a lot of talking and communicating with the players in a respectful manner, but very little of the “old school” yelling and screaming most fans have seen in old footage on NFL Films.
“They make sure we understand exactly what we’re doing, and then they can actually demonstrate it. I mean that speaks volumes,” said new linebacker Manny Lawson. “Everybody is equal. We can come up to the coaches if we have something that we want to discuss or share, we can do that. They welcome that. They want to learn, we want to learn, we all want the same thing.”
One thing Marrone will not have to worry about in camp is running back C.J. Spiller, who put on a display of dynamic speed Sunday night. Spiller already looks to be in mid-season form.
The QB Battle: When Manuel decides he is going to throw deep, it is a sight to behold. Not only does have outstanding arm strength but he throws with such velocity that his passes look like line drives.
New general manager Doug Whaley smiled when I mentioned Manuel’s impressive arm, adding that his velocity will allow him to “cut through that wind” at Ralph Wilson Stadium, especially when the weather turns cold.
The players on the Bills defense were as well impressed with what they saw from the rookie quarterback.
“The arm on that kid and his accuracy is crazy,” said Lawson. “He has size too. If he ever decides to lower his shoulder one time, I feel sorry for the person he does against.
“He’s a good guy off the field. He has great character. He’s humble and he’s a student of the game. And that’s hard to find.”
Manuel had the fans buzzing when he connected with second-year receive T.J. Graham on two long touchdowns.
“Well he throws the ball far and I run fast,” said Graham. “So he threw it as far as he could and I just ran underneath it. That’s pretty good chemistry.”
Having said all that, Kolb took the majority of the first-team reps and showed better touch with the ball on the short and intermediate routes.
Kolb’s biggest advantage at this stage in camp is his experience and his knowledge of the league.
Marrone told reporters that he is going to take his time to decide who will be the starting quarterback for Week 1.
“Again, you like to sit there as a coach and say you’d like that decision to just come up in front of you,” said Marrone. “Really if you can get 10-12 days prior to that first game, that’s when you’re going to get pressed for time and have to make a decision on a quarterback. That’s when you’re probably going to start preparing 10 days out of the first game.”
The Bills open the season against the New England Patriots on Sept. 8, so by Marrone’s schedule he would have a decision on his starter following their final pre-season game on Aug. 29.
Keep an eye on: Undrafted free agent Jamie Blatnick from Oklahoma State. The 6-foot-3, 253 pound linebacker is getting a long look in camp in their new 3-4 defence.
Once the pre-season gets underway, you should also pay close attention to receiver Marquise Goodwin, a track star from Texas. Goodwin has the potential to be a dynamic kick returner.
The Longshot: Wide Receiver Chris Hogan is well aware off the long odds he faces trying to make the team.
“Ever since I started playing in this league I’ve been working my butt off, he said after practice. “I know that every year that I have to come out here and I have to compete because I’m not going to get a starting job just handed to me.
“Every single day is grind for me. Being here with Bills I really think I have a great opportunity with the people that around me, the coaches that are here. I’m trying to make the team as the sixth receiver, I want to be that utility guy that can go anywhere on the field and know what I’m supposed to do, play special teams, whatever.”
Camp Life: One of the duties of any rookie in the NFL is the task of carrying the pads of the veterans. Rookie linebacker Kiko Alonso (great name, good player) happily obliged as he carried the pads of Bryan Scott and other veteran linebackers back to the locker room after practice.