Inside Bills' Roster Decisions: Andreessen is Triumphant, Grable's Development and more

Opening Thoughts [Music] [Music] [Music] this video is brought to you by bet us Sports book and casino what's good folks welcome to another edition of the cover one film room the show that gives you the how's and the wise behind both the good and the bad of the Buffalo Bills I am one of your Two Hosts Anthony prasa joined as always by Eric Turner apologies to those who were expecting a live show earlier today we updated some times and then Eric and I got into a battle with Skynet and were victorious and uh were able to record this episode but we did so offline and are putting it through now so thank you to you folks who who Beed with us and uh again apologies for any confusion or scheduling pieces for people but Eric we've now that we've defeated technology and are here recording this episode we've got some roster cut down storylines to talk about there were some omissions from the initial 53 man roster yesterday we know that majority of them if not all of them have come back today via the practice squad and then we've got some new roster additions to talk about that'll be new to this team as of yesterday we've got some film to break down all within that scope of getting us closer little by little to the start of the NFL regular season which will be next week at the end of the week on that Sunday so we're close but how you feeling all you know tech technology battles aside from this afternoon how you feeling yeah it was uh definitely frustrating for both of us because we're the only ones having these issues as we were just about to go live but in the end as you said we won but you know this and we it actually bought us some time to listen to Brandon bean and his presser a little bit and then it kind of ties into what we're going to be talking about in this show again the the roster decisions that the bills made over the last 24 hours or so uh you know guys that they um waved or released and then you know obviously now they've uh set their practice squad and I want to kick this show off by talking about one of those practice squad additions and that Mike White Addition was QB Mike White who Bill's fans are very familiar with Anthony yeah he uh for those who don't know or may not remember uh Mike White quarterback for the Jets from several years ago who was I don't want to say victim but was on the receiving end of a vicious Matt malano spear right through the gut um but within that he died and was resuscitated basically on the field he was he got run through by one of the hardest hits I've ever seen like in general and especially given like how football is played today like that hit was as hard and as clean of a hit like it's the best hit that's literally the top tier of how you can hit somebody today violently but have it still be clean um broke some ribs with it uh but dealt with it and he so he fractured ribs in that game but returned um last we or the week before the week after like so he's a tough dude and he kind of stabilizes this backup quarterback spot which is something Eric we've been talking about a little bit trabis didn't really show well and then we denucci and Anthony Brown W weren't really going to be sustainable number two options white gives you a guy who has seen real NFL game experience again that time with the Jets like I know a lot of bills fans are kind of left out loud Jets he actually wasn't too bad with that Jets Squad um and you we spend his time in Miami this preseason like we have cute up here but a pretty solid addition given what you can add to your quarterback room at this time of year relatively speaking yeah as you said he's been a very tough player and we're not just talking about that hit from Milano very tough but mentally tough too you know whether he's starting or coming in off the bench uh in the middle of a game he you'd have to be mentally prepared for that and mentally tough and so he is that type of guy a rhythm drop back passer type of of uh you know quarterback um he's gonna as you'll see in a couple of these clips he's the type of guy that you know can keep the offense on schedule and he knows when to take those calculated um you know I say all the kind of like backup quarterback proverbial keeps everyone on schedule knows how to manage knows when to take a risk knows when to play at six and it's just like this play from the preseason it's third and short Film & Discussion: Mike White here just over the 50 yard line and what's he do he takes the slot fade again hey if this isn't completed what do they do they can come back up to a line of scrimmage and run another play on fourth down and short uh given their field position you can see the nice ball from him from the left hash uh to the right side of the field you know outside the numbers right near the boundary he drops it in the bucket that's just a great understanding of a time and place to make you know take those shots on that slot fade down the field yeah he's somebody who you know again not to use all the backup proverbial here but he understands what his role is in coming in and when he can kind of push things a little bit when he needs to kind of keep things in the holster and this play If This Were this if this exact play results every thing would have happened for the bills this year this would have been the highlight of the bills like passing game for the entirety of the pre just it was ugly for them yeah you have that single high post safety highlighted there for Washington watch how and you can see it before white snaps and turns to go hit the slot fade on his drop back he's looking left which gets that post safety that you have to commit to that left side of the field so white on the snap knows what he has in terms of coverage he missed leads the safety to get him to uh commit to the opposite side that he's going to just gives him a little more extra you know space and room to hit that slot fade so the safety won't be a threat from the inside again just kind of doing what he can with his eyes really good ball good decision good throw really nice job from Mike White yeah he and he's he's pretty accurate you see that you know that slot fade was a you know kind of a touch throw uh down the field but again it it it was vertically down the field aways here's when he's got to take a little little off of it you know with some Pace but he also has to get it over this linebacker but into a place where that wide receiver can catch it with his hands get some yards after the catch and uh as we know you know the bills are are talking about committing to more yards after the catch and so this type of accuracy or placement is very important but also that touch a catchable ball in the underneath area right to the receiver um so that again the receiver can catch it and not have to worry about fighting that ball in order to get yards after the catch yeah right Out Of Reach of the out stretched hands for 57 there the linebacker for Washington and you nailed it with with that yards after catch piece if something is going to happen to Josh Allen you want your backup quarterback to be able to maximize as much of the pieces around him as possible and with Curtis Samuel with Kio Shakir potentially with you know we'll see what Keon Coleman looks like as a rookie even can has some yards after catchability we know what cook can do you want a guy who can put the ball in the right spot and not have the pass catchers have to break their gate or break their stride and maintain Rhythm and that was a good example there he puts it right on the money and allows his man to be able to continue after the catch this is a really nice one this one sold me and as soon as I saw I went through all of his you know his his throws last night and this one just blew me away because it's it's you know high level anticipation so look at him quick drop here look where his eyes are to the bottom of the screen and this is his Receiver right here I want you to watch where he is once the ball is released from Mike White's hand right now Ball's out this receiver still working vertically now he's going to break over the middle here in a second but the ball's already out of the hands of Mike White and not only that he kind of let him in the back shoulder so it keeps him away if this safety was to drive hard on it to the middle of the field kind of keeps him away from that that safety but also in between these three Defenders all together this anticipation was special I'll let it roll in real time but this one really sold me like if the bills are going to be without trabis which we've talked about we expect him to be out multiple weeks m Mike White obviously to the practice squad is going to have to get caught up very quickly to this offense but when you have a guy with his uh his demeanor with you know being used to be you know on the bench being thrown into a game or playing in different systems the last few years with the Jets and now with the dolphins and now with the bills he's used to learning new offenses and learning it quickly and in honestly when you see this type of anticipation this is what you need from your backup quarterback if something were happen to to the starter Josh Allen yeah that that's a good throw especially for like a backup quarterback and you hit on it the anticipation um I don't have too much to add with that for me it that it's that placement too it's technically between four Defenders but he puts it on that back shoulder like you said so that way he protects his receiver at the same time and again I think that's such an important thing in a backup if they do have to see time you don't want the rest of the wheels kind of falling off the vehicle so if it if he doesn't have to step in and it's like okay we're already in bad shape because Allen's hurt the next worst thing that can happen is you throw a guy you give a hospital pass to somebody and you set them up for failure and it's all the catch was about to be completed but the safety took his face off and now you have another injury to worry about or something else to kind of further you know put a damper on your plans or what you have going on so again I I think the quarterback play we saw from the bills this preseason set a low bar for what would get us happy or excited but I think there's there's genuine good tape there from White Mike White considering you know he is what he is and I think too he knows what he is right this isn't a guy who's going to come in and try and do too much and play out of his shoes and out of his element he understands who he is what he is what his role is and he's capable of doing some things when when given the opportunity and again so much of this team we've said it for years is tied to what Josh Allen is sure and who he is but I like having somebody who I have some semblance of faith in in terms terms of keeping things on plan and on schedule should something happen to Josh all especially if it's like even if it's only a one or two game type of thing where Allen's out I would still like somebody that gives us a puncher chance instead of just being like well it's going to be a loss because the backup is terrible right and I hate that I hate that you know demeanor and um thought from fans is hey who cares if Josh is hurt yeah this team's done I get it but as a general manager Brandon Bean has to think differently than that obviously he's got a a team that he you know constructed and the backup position uh whether it's trabis or Mike White is very important no matter what especially with the type of play and style that Josh alen plays with so I think trabis is out for a few weeks and I'm I'm actually very happy considering all the quarterbacks that are out there that the bills made the pitch to Mike White got him to sign on the practice squad again with him being elevated I think pretty soon uh to start the year uh because of the injury to Tris so with that said let's kind of you know we had that that Brandon Codrington signing put him on the practice squad the bills also made a late round trade swap for a kick returner that also play defensive back uh Brandon codrington so I want to get your thoughts on him after watching some of his play again very limited being the preseason but primarily it shows that he is he was brought in to be a returner whether it's kick return or punt return yeah so maual good return tape especially against the Carolina Panthers nice kick return nice punt return um shows some elusiveness shows some contact balance and some speed you know he's not the best athlete he's not a huge burner um but he just gets the job done you got it loaded up here this is a I think the 63 yard return against the Carolina Panthers you Film & Discussion: Brandon Codrington see the Red Sea kind of Parts a little bit for him good job by the Jets up front kind of just pretty good Vision too all things considered I think he's like a 4640 guy but this is a pretty good Vision now he does have quite the alley here but for him to be able to hit that um right there get some good blocks um again he's not that burner like you said right he's not like some super athlete but he plays faster than 46 though I feel like like I'm watching him run I'm not he plays faster I agree I can see him in the four FES no doubt about it man and and just when you looked at you know this is the kick return obviously a big kick return um that he had against the Panthers but for me the punt return ability really stood out a little more than the kick return ability especially on this one you see him get pinned to the sideline a great a great punt here and he's pinned to the sideline and usually you know everyone's Fanning out here and they're really just locking him in he usually has nowhere to go but somehow he slips out of this with a nice block right there but right here you see him break tackles and it's something that you know really stood out for him in the preseason his ability to break tackles whether it's the kick return you saw or you know this punt return uh but finding that green finding that open area is very important too and somehow he does it especially if you're talking like in a booth uh on these punt returns in a booth he finds you know that area to uh exploit and again he breaks tackles with really good contact balance yeah I think that stat that everybody was throwing around that he had like 15 missed tackles forced or broken tackles forc in the preseason on returns which is a really high number returns or something exactly on that so you know this is this punt makes me think of like Madden when we were little with like the coffin the coffin corner drill for like Punt and stuff and the punter does a really good job it's good distance it's good hangtime um and he pins codrington right to the side and like you said and you see it so much with these moves or with these type of returns where the returner will put their left foot into the ground and then just try and get up the sideline as much as they can and then scoot out of bounds he sells that initially which causes the Defenders to freeze right there and also gets a good block like you pointed out and it's just nice to see him trying to make something on a nothing and then yeah the nice contact balance to shake off one tackle I love that the dude who he shakes goes down to the ground and then it causes somebody else to go flying over him it's just a whole nice like one block and then right here it's just like chaos as he's kind of making everything happen but that ability yeah to turn something into nothing I think the vision the stop start ability when he has the ball in his hands and the return game is going to have value this year like it does every year but may maybe more so this year than prior years because of the new kick return rules but punt return is still going to matter like it has been and that has a lot of elements too with the decision- making the sure-handed but then the ability to do something once the ball is in your hands he showed a legitimate um a legitimate playmaking ability with the ball in his hands on teams and I always kind of Judge trades by how sad or happy fans are of the team that has like the player leaving and there was a significant amount of people on Twitter that were like this sucks he was an awesome returner why would we trade him to the bills and I was like oh so that made me perk up a little bit because truth be told I had never heard of him before the bills traded for him so I was like okay what is he and you know he's a corner in depth chart only he is a returner first and foremost the the corner tape I don't know how you felt about it for me I I was not a fan it was really more reactionary him playing on his heels a lot but he looks very comfortable as a returner and then I think what we saw today as you have brought up here with the practice squad signings of who came Practice Squad Breakdown back I think dayquon Hardy coming back to the team will make this you know a more digestible move for fans because I know there sever who were kind of up in arms a little bit that and I was surprised about it that was if we're saying shocking again I I never it doesn't surprise me this time of year when guys get let go because we personally don't know how they're constructing the roster and the roles that these guys are really playing all we see is preseason film and and what we saw from Hardy as a Turner which mcder told us the reason he was drafted was for his special teams ability as a returner it was up and down had some variance to it and uh when you go look at the film or you look at the stats for codington that wasn't the case he was already at the plane that the bills wanted Hardy to be at which is what Bean said essentially in his presser just a few minutes ago but Hardy's play as a corner whether you're talking boundary or slot that's what really stood out to all of us that watch this you know watched the film from the preseason is he made some really nice strides there and then you add in the you know the speed and athleticism that he has it was a different element like we talked about in the film room and so when when they told us that he was waved that was the biggest shock uh I think when you're looking at all the names that were waved but as you said you know today he was added to the practice squad as was basically everyone else right A no one was claimed from the bills and the bills didn't really claim anyone yet so yeah um it was uh it was nice to see that they can still keep him in the pipeline as we talked about for that corner depth whether it's slot or boundary and still continue to um you know obviously train him up as a corner but also as a returner yeah I I think that's a very fair assessment and fair thought and you know it's funny when they made the trade for codrington it didn't even register in my mind as like affecting Hardy because I really thought like he was safe just I I know some of this this decision- making was questionable at punt return but like you talked about and like we broke down here on the show last week and it talked about he played really well at outside corner and then having that inside outside versatility but then the more I thought about it I thought like okay Jamarcus Ingram also has inside outside versatility cam Lewis is still probably nickel too so maybe and like Shawn mcder had said like his cam LS he's a big a big part of that when it comes to the corners and defensive backs all together because he can do it all there and be even mentioned cam in his presser um so I agree I think cam Lewis he made in in many ways made Hardy almost a non-factor from a corner perspective yes yeah I I think the combination of Cam Lewis and Jamarcus Ingram with their versatility and their play and their positional flexibility made his real only path just as a returner and when that wasn't a solidified thing we saw him go bye-bye but again all is well that ends well because he was able to make the return to the Buffalo Bills on the practice Squad which we are fans of here on the show and another one that I think some people had thoughts in their head of maybe cracking the roster as Wier yeah yeah maybe his wide receiver six or maybe wide receiver five if nbs's neck wasn't working out or just in general because MBS hasn't played well Tyro Shavers who I think with a lot of the receivers Eric this preseason were also kind of the victim of not having good quarterback play and not really having the opportunity to show out had some really nice blocks against Pittsburgh in blocked for the most part pretty well this preseason good and they needed to because they ran the ball a ton um had a really unfortunate drop in that F in the finale against Carolina on that on that slant and go where he sold the slant well got open but it looked like he just slowed down a little bit going to get the ball or he lost it a bit but either way again all's well that ends well he returns Dion Kane makes the practice squad KJ hamler so a lot of the receivers that generated some Buzz either in Camp or in the preseason come back to the bills with the practice squad yeah Shaver's good story this this summer you know he's continuously you know getting the respect from his teammates from his coaches um obviously has that special teams ability like we talked about in the film room um his blocks were probably some of the better blocks this entire preseason for the bills um allog togethere not just uh the wide receiver position and I still think that I don't know how much higher that ceiling is and so it didn't surprise me when they you know waved him it doesn't surprise me they got him through to the practice squad good story Blue Collar type guy he's gonna keep his head down keep working I'm happy that he still you know is with this club and still can continue on the practice squad for the bills agreed yeah and I I think it was a nice story in Camp and I think once we started to really see the tape and see things going through it was he was more he gave you more of those kind of Vibes of a guy who could be cut and still come back to you I don't think everybody was clamoring to you know jump to the waiver wire for him but nice to see him come back for him and for a lot of other players um that came back to the bills Jamarcus Ingram Makes the Roster someone else Eric that we can talk about here someone who's not cut yesterday outright made the 53 we talked about on the show Jamarcus Ingram uh cornerback for the Buffalo Bills who has some inside outside versatility himself like we like we talked about just a minute ago and maybe that contributed to dayquan Hardy um you know kind of not making that initial 53 man majority of his snaps at the bills have all come in the preseason um throughout the entirety of his career but 2022 through 2024 he has a career snapshare of 133 in the slot 89 on the outside in this 2024 preseason 23 in the slot 37 at outside corner we've talked about his physicality the tenacity that he plays with the violence that he brings whether it's at outside or in the slot at that Apex at that Apex position how he comes forward he tackles he understands run fits he's a willing Defender but he also had some nice coverage plays this uh this preseason as well and somebody who I think really kind of elevated his game as I was particularly worried about him like being Corner four coming into Camp I was like I don't feel holistically great about it he I thought had a really good camp a really good preseason and kind of solidified his role on this team also add special teams value which we know the coaching staff likes right yeah I love your point about him coming up and making tackles in that Panthers game you saw he saw the receiver push crackie came right down made a tackle near the line of scrimmage he cut down cut down hubard right right quick against Deontay Johnson a bunch and I thought he held up especially once they got towards the Red Zone uh Johnson tried selling a pass interference call when really was him that kind of chopped down the arms of Ingram I thought overall he did really well against Deontay Johnson who is a silky smooth route Runner super good yeah he's he's pretty underrated across the league relative to the league and so I thought Ingram did a great job in that Panthers game against some of the starters of the Panthers but more importantly put together another really good preseason so much so that as we talked about the depth of this this position for the bills is going to be in really good shape the next few years so happy that he once again showed out uh on film now if we transition to another Joe Andreessen! guy that showed out one of three of those UB Bulls that's right uh speaking to Ingram and andrees here so andrees man again I'll admit I said that he's more of a fringe player Fringe roster B player uh practice squad type he showed out you know this this preseason and had showing us like we saw in that Steelers game he he's got a knack for the ball and now he's going to be on the roster as as it stands right now A how surprised are you about that and you know what really stood out to to you when you're watching his film from this preseason I'm surprised just from when he was initially added like I never thought twice about him making the roster I thought it was cool that he went to UB I didn't even know that he was from Buffalo until after the Pittsburgh game when Greg told me on the PO like I had no idea about any of that so I was surprised from that regard after seeing his performance against Pittsburgh I thought he had a really good chance to make the roster just because of two points one because of his play this I thought the speed would translate well on special teams and how he plays in space but also just how the rest of the position group was shaping up Dion Jones I didn't think was going to make it Maro had some injury concerns he ended up making it as well um but Spectre has been banged up and not really shown anything I just thought by not by fault but given who he was competing against he had a solid shot to make it the big thing for me that sticks out is just how he processes things in Film & Discussion: Joe Andreessen vs the Run front of him it really starts with his eyes and again the mental side of it but then being able to translate that to a quick trigger his ability to process shoot gaps make plays even on this one here you can see him he calls out to Osio initially the direction of where the run is going and you can see him just kind of process from Gap to Gap as he steps forward coming through like okay I'm going to keep it oh nope he's not going in there okay I'm going to go into this one is he coming in here nope okay all right he's breaking to the corner let me exactly let me SC you can almost literally like see him being like is he going here nope oh is he going here nope oh he's going here okay I'll go make the play and he's just I wish he was this good in coverage like he is coming forward but I think this is a really encouraging performance from a guy who is a depth linebacker who doesn't have this highlevel college experience he's shown a real knack for getting the ball I think the instincts and the feel just show up regularly for him yeah it's it's real it's real with him there's no doubt his ability to scrape down the line of scrimmage on top of the processing and just leveraging the Gap while leveraging the ball same type of thing here it's it's very methodical man like you see him processing everything and leveraging the ball and now on this one he's got a blocker out in front of him what's he do knockback ability get off the block and make the tackle this is what probably stood out the most for me is his hands and pop on contact when he had a blocker or had blockers out in front of him his ability to shed blocks and knock those guys back on contact really given his size he's kind of shorter you know it doesn't look like he has super long arms but he's got that knockback ability on top of the processing the scraping and the leverage and he just he did a great job on this play of working down the line of scrimmage seeing what guy is going to come block him dropping him just immediately shedding that block and then bringing the ball bringing the running back down uh you know near the line of scrimm just great work against the Run yeah and this is the kind of the first thing that stuck out in the Steelers game too was that first play where he comes downhill and Pops Daniels at guard and sheds him and makes the play and you know what what's nice too like Eric this kind of play like making a play out in space shedding somebody staying free and making the tackle this is also something that's very translatable to like kick coverage for example and his skill set plays in a variety of ways and that's where I think a majority of his Snaps are going to come this year but if we're looking at him just as a linebacker there are real plays coming forward this is a nice one too 70 is climbing to the second level I almost feel like 70 thinks oh well you know he took himself out of the play so I'm just going to keep climbing and it doesn't matter but he undercuts him stays clean and then makes the stop at the line of scrimmage again just coming forward his recognition and then quick trigger mentally and physically it just it just works consistently form and this is where that processing is super important so on the snap you're going to see two things happen you're going to have split flow so you know the balls showing this way and you have split flow so you have flow going in the opposite direction so when you have split flow like this this guy's coming across to block The Far Side defensive end that split flow that that uh block right there is we always talk about is adding a gap right and to the right side of the Bill's formation but you also have this orbit right here which is also Al kind of doing the same thing so post Snap what the defense has to do is process what gaps are being eliminated from the left and being added to the right and then adjust and and the bills call this a back call you always hear Milano call it out or Bernard call it out back back back because while they started off in one Gap they have to go back a gap or two because of the gaps that are being added to the right and so like you said right now Andre already sees 70 coming to get him and now he has to make a decision do I want to undercut it or do I want to work around him because the ball may be cutting back outside he undercuts this block and chops that arm down and just finds the ball like that decision making that processing post Snap with that split flow was just beautiful and this maybe maybe his best run stop because of all the processing that needed to be you know done after the snap here and he's able to bring that that you know running back down for the Run Stop just great stuff processing Wise from andreon on that play yeah and this I feel like for most people this is going to just seem so simple or straightforward but with all that eye candy and again all you all you need to do is just stop for a quarter second or a half a second to let that blocker get to you or to be slightly out of position if he doesn't process this with the efficiency and the accuracy that he does it puts him at a dis at a disadvantage from a positioning standpoint or from a leverage standpoint if he's a hair slower he might not be able to under cut it like he does here he might have to try and go through 70 or go around him like you mentioned but because he reads it all and then directs traffic so succinctly and directs himself it's just a good play again he he does a really good job kind of reading everything in front of him from a run standpoint and coming forward and making plays right and and I think this game against the Panthers uh he wasn't as Flawless as he was against the Steelers so you saw the very good processing post Snap with that split flow you know and then that back call well here's one where they he executes the back call but he doesn't follow through you see him pointing right there he's calling it out back back back and what he needs to do is just stay right in this Gap this is this is the gap he is going back to uh and so I don't know if he just misre anku here and thought maybe hey he's going to take that so I'm gonna cover for him but either way you see him jump outside and what does that do that opens up and parts the Red Sea right there of the bills defense and the running back is able to score so this one again I'd like to see him just he's calling it out Go Get It Go Get It but this again just shows that hey football's hard first of all football is difficult and you know mistakes are going to be had and so this was one of the mistakes that happened for andrees in the Run game against the Panthers and and really one of the very few this entire preseason if we're talking about stopping the Run yeah good call like there are some more of these in from a coverage standpoint but really against the run it's very few and far between and your analysis of it here I'm I'm pretty much in lock step with so I don't have too much to add I feel like especially because we just watched him execute the back call and he calls it out again here my thought is he sees ilan's positioning and is thinking he's gonna be in that Gap because as you have highlighted Kingsley Jonathan is setting the edge um outside the tight end Kareem Jackson is coming down from his spot so so he's got that Gap there's no reason for Andre to also flow outside and be where Kareem Jackson is and then I ironically where ianu ends up I think I think that he thinks ianu is gonna stay in that Gap and be right there but again we talk about it all the time like this is why run fits and run defense is a coordinated structured dance and takes everybody doing their part because if you just get the slight miscommunication or a slight misread it can lead to a big play for an offense and and the linebacker the second level you know even safeties when they come up U they're not just reading the flow of the play they're also reading the defenders in front of them because there are times in this one Gap up the field defense where the tackles will get blown out of their gaps and get bumped out of the gaps and now the linebackers have to make them right I was going say we talked about that all the time with Terrell Bernard right he makes his defensive lineman right because he sees okay you're supposed to have that a gap but you got blown out of it cool I'm going to fit that a gap instead and I'll make you right and so and I think what happened here is initially the the head placement of uh the D tackle here is telling Andres hey he's got this but that's actually not the D tackles Gap the D tackles Gap is the one that when he lets go right there and andri should be here that is the the correct run fit there um and unfortunately they blow it and again a touchdown is scored so you see the good and the bad all right and so here's we're going to do some coverage stuff now because again he was kind of up and down uh when it came to Film & Discussion: Joe Andreessen in Coverage some coverage stuff too this is you know on their uh touchdown Drive you're seeing some great communication here on a Bano call and a Bano call is essentially hey you know the Bills play a bunch of coverages that help their Defenders maintain leverage you know you're running this this mesh concept you're getting these crossers going here and so the bills have built-in calls and adjustments and and communication to you know pass those along so that the Defenders don't get out leverag and you see the the bills do a great job specifically Andre and Dion Jones of working through all this nonsense and traffic and you see them pointing things out and so as that running back exits out and we always talk about this in the mesh in the mesh play he's the usually the first read and that's why you see kind of young out look out wi there and so immediately andrees and Jones call out the banjo they say hey running backs going out wide safety Picks Them Up that means there's going to be some crossers coming towards them and so they communicated and so immediately you see Andre body is right at that inside receiver running that that drag across he picks him up he passes the other one to Deion Jones it's beautiful it's beautiful unfortunately the quarterback is able to break the pocket and and make a play outside of script but this is a very good banjo call an right the communication was on point unfortunately the quarterback extended the play and made a play with his legs and arm down the field but when we're talking Andre and the linebackers at that second level very good communication on this band Joe call this was one of my favorite plays of the entire um preseason and also just to kind of start where you finished this is a ridiculous throw by Bryce young rolling to his left and opening up his hips and then firing it and then deont Johnson who you talked about earlier he senses it and then he he uncovers and breaks off his route to get to the sideline so it's a really good job by Deontay Johnson uncovering and then just a ridiculous throw um from Bryce young so Kudos them for uh kind of making themselves right when they were initially wrong but you see it there highlighting Jo Andre he's got some uh kind of like Junior air traffic controller to his game in the Terrell Bernard mold there but like you said like the communication and the passing off was beautiful Jones Jones and andrees both call out the rail Williamson crashes down on it to try and jump it or cut it off at the first down marker if young tries to hit it right away and then look at look at that pass off on the two drag routes underneath andrees smashes into his guy walls him and then carries him horizontally goes right with him Johnson or I'm Jones picks up the other man you see you highlighted Jamarcus Ingram who like Slams on the brakes because he's initially following Thelen who's running that underneath drag route over kind replacing both these linebackers in the middle exctly sitting there and so that way he can cover up that spot route in the middle that Xavier Legette is running but then elam's running with him like this is a cover one call man coverage it's easy to get your wires crossed and get caught in man coverage mesh especially mesh rail beats man coverage all the time that was great communication by the defense as a whole great recognition and then execution um post Snap and then you get this one which just pisses me off because they did such a good job passing off I don't know Happ and then you just get the slight and you see the hand signal like they're throwing up like the diamond or like a box sign um I know you broke this down on Twitter and talked about it being a box call it looks like they're all on the same page and then and then Andre just goes with the flat r yeah it's interesting y'all again third down inside the 10 yard line they're all giving the call multiple times all of them all boxing they're all showing that box uh with their hand signal and so what the bills are doing they're just playing four Defenders over these three eligibles to the top of the screen and so they're just going to pattern match those routes and that means if this again if this running back exits Outside The Tackle Box you're not going to have andreon who's in man coverage you're not going to have him chasing that and getting out leverage by that running back especially if he runs the rail up the sideline what is the call he calls push he says push so I'm pushing the running back because he's going up the sideline to Deon Jones and that first Crosser that comes inside is usually Andre's guy well Andre and Jones both go for the rail route and now you have that number two slipping inside up the seam for the easy touchdown so you saw a good banjo call on that mesh call this one was a bad banjo call again an up and down game we're talking um andreon but these are the type of things this isn't a physical issue this is a just he needs reps needs reps this is something that over time he's not gonna he's not gonna focus in on that rail so much he's gonna he's gonna execute execute that push call and take that number two coming across the middle I think that that he he'll learn from this pretty pretty easily I'd be surprised if he makes this mistake against this formation ever again yeah I think that's a fair call like it just it's it's still so weird to me because they all look on the like to be on the same page I don't know why he thought he should vacate the middle and go to the flat especially because they all call it out initially so my thought is just yeah he just had his wires got crossed or he thought something else like it I feel like it's more of a one-off mistake than it is some like symptomatic thing again like the process I hate to use that phrase but like the process is kind of sound like the recognition the call The Adjustment he just made the wrong move post Snap and you even see Dion Jones calling out to him as you highlighted right there he's throwing that out there of like hey that guy's going inside he's your man and instead both of them go to the flat and dreon vacates a spot and then 81 is just kind of sitting there like oh hey I'm wide he even 81 even puts his hands up after he catches the ball like oh man I'm wide open that was kind of like easy yeah it it was again it was a more of an up and down game than the Steelers game but again the Steelers game was more of like like Hey we're going to run the ball and he's very good at stopping the run so um I I understand you know the differences between this game and especially if you're talking you know who Andre was playing up against uh you know some of the starters there for the Panthers but absolutely I'm excited for him I am you know again I I admitted that I thought he was more of a practice squad Fringe roster guy but good for him man like that is awesome like he's earned every that has come his way and um I am honestly happy he's a linebacker I'm happy to watch him develop um especially behind Terrell Bernard like yes please um and so um he seems like a very instinctual but also a heady player and so I'm excited to watch him develop uh in this bills defense under babit under mcder and again behind trell Bernard and Milano um I'm excited for him he's gotta work on some of the coverage stuff but you know I think you can you can do those things that again that was just a mental mistake that was like oh he didn't get out match you know what I mean it wasn't a physical thing it's not okay because I know a lot of people saying like he can't you know execute manto man coverage like that's exactly why they have that call so that he doesn't get outmatched you get those banjo calls going you just got to execute it properly post Snap yeah I think that's a again super Fair assessment and again this dude he only had even like him coming from UB UB is not a Powerhouse but he also only played at UB for one year he went to Bryant College before that so he's this is a significant jump in terms of quality of opponent that he's playing against so yeah let's give him some time on task let's kind of see how we develops and what he can do but he's I think he's got a good solid foundation in terms of instincts quick trigger and processing um and again just got to clean some things up from a coverage stand but his head is in the right place we'll kind of see what he does going for it again really really big kudos to him shout out it's got to be awesome as hell to be you know a buffalo born and raised kid and now you're playing for the Buffalo Bills like and people were I'm not a big like like grabbing stuff from people's Instagrams and posting but like it was cool to see like like two years ago he's at a Bills game wearing a Matt Milano Jersey and like now he's on the bills with Matt Milano like it's just so it's really cool to see that and I know the whole city is rooting for and we'll see kind of what I also just don't want like I'm waiting for the first Miss tackle for like Dorian Williams and everybody be like get him out get in in there it's going to be kind of chaos at this why is it always got to be linebackers where we have these polarizing figures like why is it always backers the position I love to study can you can you imagine if traine Edmonds was still on this team and Andre was doing this in the preseason would be such a nightmares Edmond doesn't have those instincts to stop the run look at the way andr sheds blocks Edmonds wishes he could do that yeah I'm just not I'm not about that but yeah major Kudos uh to Joe Andre for making this squad and another rookie making the Buffalo Bills Squad tyan Tylan Grable grael we talked about him after the Bears game bit of a rough performance in pass protection but he I thought he got better with each following week he was better against the Steelers than he was against Chicago he was better against Carolina than he was against the Steelers and it was almost like drive to drive too like we're going to show you here in a few minutes like I I do think he progressed that rapidly uh from drive to drive and game to game it was pretty spectacular yeah and he's got the athleticism and he's got some size it's just okay how much can he refine his game what can he look like from a punch technique standpoint or just technique in general how is he winning from technical perspective we saw some tremendous snatch and traps from him in this game and some hand usage you know the Aaron chromer effect really starting to take hold he made the initial 53 man roster which I think after this Carolina game was not surprising I I I I don't think to myself or to you he had a really strong technical performance in this game to go along with the athleticism that he shows and this one's a nice one too because it shows his Film & Discussion: Tylan Grable football IQ aside from just like hand usage or athleticism it shows kind of what he's got going on between the recognizing something on the fly right and and what you mean by that is they're leaving it up to the tackles on this play to make the read so you're getting this kind of like pin block right here and so as you see grael kind of it's like a quasi pull he's looking down the line scrimmage if this guy stays here and this guy shoots over here into this a gap he's gonna fold he's gonna execute that fold block get a pin here's your fold and you're going to have grael kind of pulling and inserting into that a gap but 47 shoots the the back door here and so gyel just hinges off and and locks him up that's very good processing that especially for a rookie when you're talking about the chroma Run game very good um you know putting the responsibility in his hands grael and him executing it uh on the Move now as we said you're gonna see some things in his game that really stand out obviously his size um stands out but his grip his his strength in his hands it's tremendous and so you're going to see it on here and he's doing something I want to want to give him credit here and I I'd love to interview him about it but I I feel it's something we talked about with Ryan Bates and how we put his hand in that collar to help lock down that guy but you can see him put the left hand into the collar after he gets it you know he got a little high initially in the face mask but he gets into the collar see the right hand lock lock in and he anchors down right there and then watch as Deni takes off what's he do he takes him for a ride and finishes him into the turf that's what I want to see from him that's the type of mentality the strong hands that Aaron chromer is always talking about right like he's always talking about what hand hand all right I had I had to bring it in I had to bring it in I'm gonna try work it in every episode but just great work from him when we're talking that grip in his hands on this uh in pass protection and we'll see in run in in the Run game here in a few minutes yeah and this was really encouraging to see because I thought one of his areas of opportunity coming from UCF and and then Jacksonville State before then and then even in the first preseason game was hand usage in terms of his punch timing location even just like punch strength like I wasn't seeing a ton of pop but you saw more of it this game you see that and he he gets that first touch with the left hand and then watches that second hand comes in and you can see the yeah he clamps it in and you can see that edge rusher jerk back a little bit like you can see and almost feel the pop and then like you said he latches on he's got good hand placement he's moving his feet in conjunction with his hand and then like you said he plays through the whistle finishes the rep that's a nice technically sound play from a footwork perspective from my hands perspective and then a little tenacity and physicality on top of it right here's here's that left tackle it's something uh he played pretty much double the snaps at left tackle the first game he played a lot of right tackle but there from there on out they're like okay we we like you at left tackle and I I think he is better there but watch the grip right here off the right side and just him torquing that guy and again this takes hip strength takes core strength you see him all upper body basically torquing that guy and and really kind of um prying that hole open for the running back to hit again that that core strength that hip strength and also the grip in his hand he basically turned that guy with one arm yes and seals him and he he had a similar rep like this um uh not necessarily in the same presentation of it but against Pittsburgh where he just took his man and like completely torqued him sealed him inside oh this one right here right with two hands though right turns them get boom and just and I rewound this a ton when I first watched it CU I was thinking like okay is 53 already going inside and grable's going with him and no it's not like grael latches onto him and is like come here let me move you and just seal you we talk about it all the time what does a running back want to see when he's going through the hole you want to see your lineman's backside and that's what he gets like just latching on turning torquing sealing him his his run blocking reps were promising from the start and then seeing how we cleaned up some pass proo stuff again not surprising at all to see him make the team with just his progression game to game and drive to drive yeah this this core strength and ability to create that that torque that torque with your hips the core and then the strong hand I mean just look at the grip on it that guy is he's un lock down there's nothing he can do to shed that block he's just moved down the line of scrimmage very good horizontal displacement there but one thing that if we go back to that first game he struggled with and it was primarily at right tackle was you know the pass rushers getting up under him with some power moves some long arms and and while the ball does get out of tris's hands here you could see he gets lifted and for being a big guy this is this was kind of surprising and so as as we talked about earlier as the game went on and this time he's at left tackle as the game went on he's like okay I'm going to start executing kromer's techniques right and so you see him at left tackle here and as that guy goes to that power move and that long arm what's he do snatches him right down right and unfortunately they do run into the quarterback but this is what I wanted to see not just from you know game to game but from drive to drive and it it was nice to see him show that type of comfort level at left tackle to execute this snatch trap multiple times this preseason yes and you can even see the difference between these these two reps in this one how he throws his hands and on the previous rep where he gets into a little bit of right tackle you he's almost like he's indecisive and unsure he's like receiving he's catching the guy rather than you know trying to lock him down with his hands yes he seems more confident here he takes the fight to the edge and and gets gets his hands on his man and then you see that fight begin and then to have that feel to recognize okay this dude's leaning into me a bit too much let me chop him right down at the wrist bury him again something we saw a bunch of in this Carolina game him really starting to develop a feel for that snatch trap is a really nice thing to see to go along with the physical tools that he possesses so now he puts it together at left tackle in that last game right so he gets that that first touch with the left hand and then kind of in that collar area you see it right there it's right there in the v of the collar and then what's he do after that he then he snatches him down and that was violent so again that Comfort level and you know executing Cromer's technique he always tells Cromer tells his guys hey I want you to work the technique in the preseason in practices this is the time to make those mistakes because for chromer again hands are important as he always says hand hand I'll drop I'll drop I'll drop it all the time no I I just love this like it was nice to see him do this um again using those techniques that chromer uh chromer teaches he's come along way man I mean only three games that's crazy crazy good and then that's exactly it like I the first game I was like okay this is kind of the inconsistency with hand usage that you saw on tape at UCF and I was but you know one of chromer strk hand usage I was like all right let's see if he can kind of clean him up a bit this is a ridiculously good rep like even just the snatch trap aside right how comfortable he is in his set taking that 45 degree going out meeting the man and then that initial punch with the left hand it's it's concise it's pinpoint because it's right on that collar he gets the grip right after he punches then he feels that long arm and chops it right down like Eric this rep is just so he looks like a five six year veteran out here just being concise in his movement and being like okay like let me let me just like he knew what was coming like it was so smooth and the Rhythm to it and he seen a million times yeah yeah it was awesome to see and and again we're going to play uh another snatch trap here this time from uh a little tighter alignment you see that guy um Loop inside they get a little stunt going so you get this dve guy diving inside you get the Looper here and again now he's executing it within a stunt so You' seen him you know stack uh the initial punch and then a snatch trap you saw him just do a snatch trap from the GetGo here you get a Looper and the Looper tries you know getting his hands on the grael and what's he do he chops him down again with a snatch trap very good processing and comfort from the left tackle position a little bit better than what we saw at right tackle I I'm I'm excited about this kid's development as a either of the tackles but as long as chromer is there man I got trust that he's going to get the most out of this this tackle and it's nice seeing you know how comfortable Ryan vanderark started to get it right tackle and then grael being more comfortable at left and knowing you kind of like have your options there with those guys this one's nice too because as he moves his man inside he's his head is his head and his eyes are still up in scanning and trying to stay aware he had gotten before this rep they had I think they ran like a slot Blitz and he kind of got he didn't pick up the guy and I don't remember if it was his man or not but he's I was I couldn't remember it and so this time he's more aware now he's keeping those eyes up thinking like okay Spiker there and then a guy coming off the slot and he he he didn't pick up the proper guy yes he just washed his man down and was like cool I did my job it was like no to pick up that Spiker he should have he should have kicked out and got the slot but yeah we digress yeah yeah we digress yeah nice I nice pull I couldn't I couldn't remember it completely but this time he washes his Man Down keeps his eyes up sees there's no other threat then he picks up the Looper and like said he feels him leaning you can see 78 his weight and his Leverage is all on that upper body on that arm that's where his base is and his power is instead of being in his actual base and in his actual lower body so gyel feels it and just chops him right at the wrist and sends him to the ground like that's just that's clinical and from a dude like Dion Dawkins who has a tremendous snatch trap like watching grael kind of pick this up already is extremely encouraging at this point in his career again to pair that with the athleticism and we saw it on the you know the first rep of it he's taking more of like a 45 degree set meeting his man and then on that one he's picking up the Twan game there's one that he executes in the low Red Zone which is more of like a jump set and then the edge tries to open himself up with the long arm and grael immediately traps him down it's it's just it was repetitive it was comfortable it was concise again like you said I think you hit it on the head it like he knew it was coming almost again like a guy who's been in this league who's like I've seen this a million times I know what it feels like I know what it looks like like when they do this I'm doing this done and dusted and to see that level of progression game over game over game was yeah just I was very he he and dayquon Hardy were the guys who impress me the most this preseason with their play and Hardy I think was just kind of good game after game after game gyel was a a gradual and significant progression game to game and like you said drive to drive I I was very impressed um just seeing where he ended up versus where he started at this Pres season I think that there's a couple issues that that arose with him in this preseason that you know if the bills were to pass more he probably would have been exposed more and that was with speed off the outside um his kick slide again whether you're talking right or left tackle his kick slide is not quite there when we're talking the speed and that kick start initial step it's a little slow it's a little robotic at times and he doesn't get the range and doesn't show the range currently right now and also kind of in the Run game range is also so I I know he comes across as an athletic guy but I don't think he he comes across as clunky when he's trying to run those Zone tracks to the second level and who to Target and to take those angles that's still a work in progress with him but again the more that chromer is able to develop this guy and teach this guy I have faith that he's just from those three games in in the coaching and practices and whatever to be able to show that type of progress on film show us how coachable he is as a player which is why the the sky the limit with him with his size because we saw it physically happen on film him developing that quickly so I can only imagine as time goes on how much quicker how much how good of a learning he is how much better his game will be that's exactly where my head is at like the progression he showed in these three games I'm immediately thinking like man like imagine where he'll be in week eight or like next year at this time just with chromer continuing to be able to get his hooks into him and um yeah I don't have too much to add I think you nailed it like I I'm going back to like I go back to that Chicago game where he struggled and granted a bunch of it was at right tackle but him against like wide alignments and guys really pushing the arc you could you would see that clunky footwork in space and almost again like he would almost like willingly give up his outside shoulder and like automatically concede the halfman relationship and let guys go through it just seemed like he lacked confidence or assuredness or decision-making and kind of when to throw his hands or getting his hands in timing with his footwork and I think robotic is a really good way to put it like it was almost like he was like okay on the snap I'm supposed to kick slide to this Landmark to this point I'm supposed to do this but as again as each game went through um it seemed more just kind of natural and him starting to feel the position a little bit more and understand and put in that technique but again with his size like you said and um some of the tools that he possesses more refinement more technique he will get that day in and day out working with Aaron chromer and so making this roster it's a really exciting thing for him um especially considering how you know strong potentially the first team offensive line Looks having we talked about it that depth that they had last year with Bates on the bench and Edwards on the bench you're kind of looking to retool that a little bit and so who can be those next guys up from those strong depth pieces is it Alec Anderson is it Ryan vanderark is it tylon grael is it Cedric vanran Granger and just who offers what position flexibility and where um so it's nice to see an exciting you know lineman coming up um on from the depth perspective who's under cost control for the next several years Eric Closing Thoughts as we start to wind down here in this episode preseason is in the books the initial 53 man roster is set who knows maybe there'll be some more moves in the coming days but as of right now we know who this Buffalo Bills roster is comprised of heading into week one against the Arizona Cardinals again we'll see if some moves happen we'll see if there's any gamesmanship high level before we set everybody on their way where's your head at right now are you if you're thinking about this team are you fully focused on week one against Arizona is there a specific position group you're thinking of is there a move out there that you'd still like to see be made where's your head at when you're just thinking high level about this Bills team right now now that the preseason is done and the initial 53 man roster has been set no it's on to week one right and I know we get a little time off but um it's on the week one and the bills specifically the bills defense has their hands full you know when you're talking the quarterback for the Cardinals and so um I think what is exciting about playing a mobile quarterback like Kyler Murray is the fact that um you're gonna have to do some things schematically with your personnel to contain him and it's very difficult to do um I know he's coming back you know he's not maybe not quite you know at 100% quite yet but he's still an athletic guy he can you know he can squirt out of the pocket and make big plays with his legs and his arms um so guys like Dorian Williams um guys like I know Casey two hill was a guy that was very polarizing for making the roster were for not doing anything in the preseason but coincidentally enough one of the reasons they brought him in is because he's very good at contain rushing and so whether he plays or not that's to you know to to be figured out but I think what the bills are going to be facing in week one is a good test because it's something that they have struggled at times with defensively over the years so it'll be interesting to see how they kick off the season schematically and with their personnel to kind of limit that type of player because obviously on their schedule they're going to have multiple guys that can do that and hurt the defense something that again historically has given the bills fits at times good call yeah I I think that's well said and I'm really excited for week one just because it's week one but I I'm like a sneaky Cardinals Fan this year I just think they're going to kind of be like they were despite their record last year they were kind of a tough out week in and week out even without Kyler Murray and then dos and um I forget what other quarterback they threw out there at random points last year just with how everything went but James Conor had a really good year last year um they do some fun stuff with their 12 and especially 13 Personnel looks they have some creativity on defense with their their coverage structures and their presentation versus how they switch pre- to post Snap Buddha Baker's a stud they really kind of weaponize him Jaylen Thompson their other safety um does some fun things as well and then Marvin Harrison Jr looks like every bit to be a stud their number two wide receiver is Michael Wilson who we love at the Senior Bowl yeah like two years ago and then Trey McBride is like a pretty sweet tight end and it's part of the reason why they leaned into those 12 and 13 Personnel sets and then you got Paris Johnson you know year two of him the Cardinals are like a sneaky kind of I think difficult opponent again I don't think they're gonna win the west but I could see them getting seven or eight wins and being a tough a tough out week in and week out so I think it'll be kind of a cool test for the bills and then their specific matchup pieces like you mentioned with Kyler and everything else just kind of testing who this Bills team is and what they're going to be this year so excited for week one we'll see what we cook up for you folks next week here in the film room as we continue this journey towards the regular season opener for the Buffalo Bills but as far as this episode is concerned we are going to say goodbye and that'll do it for us here in this episode if you have not already please please please and thank you drop a like on this video here on YouTube these likes are the lifeblood of these streams and they go aely long way towards helping us and the entire brand and channel to get in front of more eyes and ears so if you have not already please drop a like on this video turn on notifications for the cover one film room playlist here on YouTube subscribe to the cover one channel here on YouTube now that we are in regular season form we have you covered pretty much every single day of the week six out of seven days I believe or well technically five but multiple shows and spreading everything out with anything and everything Buffalo Bills varying levels of content in depth depending on whatever you're looking for we have you covered here if you listening listening to this show on one of the podcasting apps or platforms that's appreciated as well please rate and review And subscribe whether you're on Apple podcast Spotify or whatever have you word of mouth is also tremendously appreciated tell your family and friends and loved ones about how awesome this show and the channel is and all that good stuff we greatly appreciate you folks more than you will possibly know but that'll do it for us here in this episode of the cover one film room again for those of you who were eagerly anticipating this or who were you know ready to blow off work and join us at 1:45 in the afternoon uh we again apologize for that but thank you for still coming around anyway for myself Anthony prasa for Eric Turner that'll do it for us here in the film room we hope you and your family and friends and loved ones are all doing well and staying safe be kind to one another take care of one another we'll see you next week and as always go bills