Players began strolling into One Bills Drive as the team’s voluntary offseason conditioning program under new head coach Sean McDermott got underway Monday.
Buffalo Bills Insider Chris Brown provides the details. Here is his report:
Here’s the Bills news of note for April 3.
1 – Players begin voluntary offseason program
Players will be reporting today at One Bills Drive for the start of the team’s voluntary offseason conditioning program. Most of the regimen will entail weight room workouts and classroom time as the players get exposed to the new offensive and defensive schemes for the first time.
Here’s a list of the NFL rules for what is known as Phase One of offseason activities for NFL clubs.
GENERAL
* Workouts cannot begin prior to the first Monday in April for clubs with a new head coach or the third Monday in April for all other clubs
* Workouts are strictly voluntary; club officials cannot indicate workouts are anything other than voluntary
* Maximum 4 workouts per week (no weekends), with one week being the mandatory minicamp (not permitted on weekends)
* Contact work is prohibited in all workouts (e.g. “live” blocking, tackling, pass rushing, bump-and-run, etc.)
* Intensity and tempo of drills should be at a level conducive to learning, with player safety as the highest priority
PHASE ONE | 4 HOURS A DAY
* Two weeks | limited to strength and conditioning activities (“dead ball”); only strength and conditioning coaches allowed on field
* 90 minute max on the field
* Clubs can only specify 2 hours for players to be at facility
* Players choose the other 2 hours for weights, etc
2 – McDermott prepared to address his players
Today also marks the first time that new head coach Sean McDermott will get to address the majority of his roster as their new boss. Known as a very methodical and ardent preparer for anything that pertains to his job, McDermott even joked about going over some old notes of his when he worked under Kansas City head coach Andy Reid in Philadelphia.
“I sat in Andy’s meetings for years and took note after note, and then the next year in the same meetings, took note after note,” said McDermott at last week’s league meetings. “It’s fun to go back and compare and contrast what was the same and what was different, and I pulled some notes out the other day just to put them side-by-side and do that. And then I add my personal spin to it with my personality. That’s the neat part about this. I sit at my desk and really lay all that out and prepare for our players.”
3 – QB prospect Mahomes a Favre-Manziel combo?
It’s the time of the year when NFL draft analysts get the most exposure and in a recent national conference call, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay made a peculiar comparison with Texas Tech QB Pat Mahomes.
He essentially described Mahomes as a Brett Favre-Johnny Manziel combination type quarterback. We’ll let him explain.
“He could be a late first-round pick, but he’s a big time developmental prospect and I mean that both in terms of positive and negative. His upside may be as great as any quarterback in this class, but his learning curve might be as great as any quarterback in this class. He comes from a system that has not translated well to the NFL. No quarterback from that offense has ever had sustained success in the league.
“When you watch the tape (Mahomes is) a combination of Brett Favre and Johnny Manziel,” McShay said. “Manziel wasn’t much more than just a drifting in the pocket hating to throw seven yards for a first down and wanting to hit the home run almost every time he dropped back. The Favre was the deep accuracy and the playmaking, and Manziel as well. The difference is Favre had the arm and the deep accuracy.
“I think Mahomes throws the best deep ball and is the most accurate deep passer in this class. He made some throws from launch points that I can never remember seeing. Submarine throws, sidearms, falling off balance and bad decisions, but great throws. His tape was a roller coaster ride.
“If he were to go to a Green Bay where you have a few years to just put him in the witness protection program and not count on him to even be a backup and develop him to get him ready he could be a good starter two years down the road.
“He’s got a chance to go late first, but I think he’s probably a better fit on day two.”