PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Here are my five takeaways from Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University:
1. It’s a reasonably safe bet that Josh Allen won’t play in Saturday’s preseason-opener against the Indianapolis Colts. He might not even see a snap in any of the Bills’ three preseason games.
Sean McDermott said he and his coaching staff are discussing who will play and how much Saturday, but reading between the lines, one gets the distinct sense the decision already has been made to keep Allen on the sidelines and let Matt Barkley and Case Keenum share snaps.
It makes perfect sense to not expose Allen to potential injury. Though it would figure to be helpful to have him and offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey work together in a game setting, with Dorsey calling plays for the first time in his coaching career, the risk of Allen getting hurt far outweighs whatever benefit would come from playing in a meaningless game.
“I just want to see where we’re at as a team and always going to try and be smart,” McDermott said.
Where the Bills are as a team is this: They will go as far as Allen takes them. With him, they have a chance to win a Super Bowl. Without him, they don’t.
That doesn’t just apply for Saturday. It applies for the other two games on the Bills’ preseason schedule, as well. Allen does not need tune-up work to be ready to play for the Sept. 8 season-opener against the Los Angeles Rams and beyond.
“At the end of the day, it’s a physical game and it’s the part where you send them out there, you never know,” McDermott said. “You never know what type of hit he’s going to take or anybody, for that matter. But we try and build heart in them when they’re here through drill work and kind of bringing them along. And then you just pray to God that everybody stays safe and healthy on both sides of the ball for that matter.”
2. Speaking of Dorsey, he has made a highly favorable impression on Case Keenum, the newest and most experienced player in the quarterback room.
The Bills are the eighth NFL team for the 34-year-old Keenum, who arrived in Buffalo in a March trade with the Cleveland Browns. Barkley, 31, spent last year with the Tennessee Titans after three seasons with the Bills, the last two of which with Dorsey serving as quarterbacks coach.
Since entering the league in 2012 with the Houston Texans, Keenum has been around plenty of coordinators and coaches. He has never seen anything come together as well or as quickly as the coordinator-QB bond between Dorsey and Allen.
“I think it’s as good of a relationship and communication – seeing the field the same way, knowing the play caller’s intent – with those two guys, it’s as good as I’ve ever been around,” Keenum said. “It’s impressive to know the confidence that Dorse has in Josh, the confidence Josh has in the play call, but then also being able to see something, ‘Hey, I see it this way, I’m going to change it up, I’m going to do this …’ It’s really cool. It’s fun to watch, cool to be behind the scenes and see what’s really going on.”
He said the offense is “doing stuff here that nobody else is doing,” adding that Allen’s immense talent is “a big reason for that.” Keenum summed up Dorsey this way: “His call sheet is like a Beautiful Mind, man.”
Barkley was equally effusive in his praise of Dorsey.
“Dorse gets it,” Barkley said. “It’s not just X’s and O’s on a paper. It’s Josh being able to make plays, it’s us telling him what we like and him calling plays that fit our personnel. I think he’s done a great job so far. I loved the scrimmage (Friday night) and how he was dialing up plays, setting plays up. So I’m excited to see once these preseason games get going, just his development because it’s great having him in our corner.
“I’ve loved the play calls. Practice is time where we’re kind of trying some new things and how far we can push some of these plays or some of these players on certain routes or certain combinations.”
3. The offensive line is finally getting healthier, particularly with the return of guard Rodger Saffold from the non-football injury list on which he began camp from the injured ribs he suffered in a car crash.
The group has mostly been unable to have its projected starters work together in practice, while adjusting to the guidance of new O-line coach Aaron Kromer. Some, including yours truly, have viewed that as a concern, especially with the Rams and their dominant defensive line awaiting the Bills on Sept. 8.
Yet, guard Ryan Bates believes that the line has not missed a beat despite the injuries and other issues that have seemingly threatened its continuity.
“I don’t think we’re playing catch-up at all,” Bates said. “I think we’re ready to roll, honestly. I think we feel great as a unit. We have a lot of depth. We have the mindset where, if someone’s not ready to go, (it’s) the next-person-in mentality and we’re ready to roll forward.”
Much of that faith comes from the fact the line doing more practice-like work than meets the eye. Even when players aren’t deemed healthy enough to practice, they’re able to participate in walk-throughs.
“Some guys might not be full go in practice, but they’ll be able to do walk-throughs,” Bates said. “Having those walk-through reps is very important to get everyone on the same page, especially as an offensive line because five individuals need to work as one. It’s very important to get on the same page to make sure that everyone has their eyes on the right spot, to make sure the communication is on point.”
4. I see Keenum as having the edge to win the No. 2 quarterback job, based largely on the fact he has more experience than Barkley as a starter and is respected as a veteran leader.
“I applaud Case for his adaptability, his leadership … he’s very resilient,” McDermott said. “And I think, as camp has gone on, he’s really started to get his legs underneath him in our offense. I think he brings a veteran presence to our locker room and to the offense.”
5. For McDermott, top-level players have one thing in common: Professionalism. That’s what he sees from Von Miller.
“The ones I’ve been around, they’re all professional in the way they handle themselves,” the coach said. “And they’re successful for a reason; it’s by no accident. You have a chance to watch his habits that he uses daily out here in practice.
“Just like (Sunday), it’s hot and he’s finishing a drill and he’s running to the end zone. We had some of the coaches’ kids around and staff’s kids who are here, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘They could stand to learn from that.’ And I’m sure their dads and moms are telling them, ‘Hey, look at that.’ That’s one of the reasons why he is who he is.”