Buffalo Bills vs. New York Giants | Postgame show with Mike Bundt of Trainwreck Sports
Welcome to Buffalo pregame, your source for live Buffalo football discussion, news, analysis, opinions, and more, presented by ASM Publications and Bills Digest. [Music] Hello everybody and welcome to Buffalo Pregame, the postgame show here following Bills Giants. I’m your host, Alex Brassy, here for Bills Digest and ASM Publications. On today’s postgame show, we wrap up the Bills 34 to25 preseason loss to the Giants. Who stood out? Who may have worked themselves off the roster? We will break it all down with Mike Bunt of Train Wreck Sports. But before we get into it, each week on Buffalo pregame, I’ll provide updates on the NFL, NHL, and more via daily articles, podcast videos, and more. Please subscribe to Buffalo Pregame with Alex Brasy on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast along with Buffalo pregame with Alex Brasy on Substack, both of which are free of charge. All right, let’s get into it. First order of business in this 34 to 25 shootout won by the New York Giants. The first preseason game for each team this season. First order of business, as I said, James Cook in the kitchen somewhat during this game. He was on the field in uniform during warm-ups. After the game, Shawn McDermott said that he and Cook had quote a good conversation, but Cook decided the position that he’s in with his contract, decided not to play. And McDermott sounded a little bit disappointed, saying, quote, “We wanted him to play. I wanted him to play.” Uh, but like I said, Cook decided to sit out. He did go through pregame warm-ups with his helmet on in full uniform, but he along with several others that are nursing injury or otherwise sat out this one. And it seemed like McDermott was a bit perturbed by that. I don’t want to say he was angry about it. He did mention the good conversation and earlier this week he mentioned that he wanted James Cook and expected him to practice, but he expects all players to practice. So, I think he’s really setting a tone there. He doesn’t want this to become something that becomes the norm within the Bills culture. Players holding in, holding out, what have you. And I think if McDermott is to just gloss over it and say everything is fine and dandy, then other players would probably be more apt to do this. So I I wouldn’t put too much stock into it. I would say that McDermott did seem a little bit testy in his response and doesn’t seem to be happy at all about the situation, but at the same time, I I I still think James Cook is out there week one. Uh if you would have asked me before McDermott’s comments, I would have said this is a positive development. Maybe they are working toward a deal and this is a show of good faith, but uh it just seems to be that the two sides are not where they need to be at this point. But plenty of time left in the preseason for those two sides. like I said, to kind of meet in the middle and and work out a deal as many Bills fans want to see over the next few weeks. But another big story every preeason, injuries, and there were no major injuries in this one. Terren Johnson went out early. He was evaluated for a concussion and cleared. Daquin Hardy, however, the defensive back, had a shoulder injury and was declared doubtful to return. I don’t think we did see him return to the field throughout the game. Kante Jenkins, who led the team in tackles with six, had a hand laceration, but he came back. Uh, aside from that, it was a slow start for the Bills. They struggled to get things going on the offensive side, and on the defensive side, really struggled on third down, particularly some third and longs, allowing the Giants to pick them apart with several screen passes. So, some bright moments, some questionable ones, a little bit of action in the in the James Cook saga. But without further ado, we bring in our guest, Mike Bunt, to talk about it all. And Mike, we got the comments flowing here early. Let’s see what a few people have to say. So disappointing. I love Cook as a player, but what he’s doing is frustrating. Renee, I’m sure a lot of fans share your sentiment, but at the same time, Jance Sports says Cook isn’t going to risk being hurt while he’s negotiating. if he gets hurt, then he loses any leverage to get the contract that he wants. Mike, first of all, how are you, my friend? Uh I I know you were enjoying the game while working. So, I’m excited to to hear your perspective and and all the good stuff that you have to offer. Yeah, I’m doing great. Always uh awesome to have football back, even if it’s just preeason. Uh we’ve now seen a couple weeks of camp, now we have a preseason game. So, uh, I feel like we’re getting to the point where we we kind of know what this team is looking like and what they can bring to the table, uh, this upcoming season and can’t wait to talk about it with you. How about the James Cook situation? How do you read this? I, like I said, before McDermott’s comments, I would have said this is undoubtedly a positive step seeing him end his four practice holdin. but after hearing the head coach at the microphone and hearing his tone and he didn’t really want to elaborate on it. He wanted to move on and talk about the team and the players that participated. So, it seems like McDermott’s getting a little bit frustrated. How do you read this situation? Yeah, this whole James Cook situation is weird uh to me. First off, the fact that you would have thought if it was all about business that he would have started the Holden at the beginning camp, not practiced the first week. So, I I know there’s been a lot of theories of why he practiced. Maybe he he was trying to show a goodwill gesture to the team to try to help contract negotiations and then maybe things didn’t go the way he thought and that’s when he decided I have to start sitting out. I have to start showing them I’m serious. Uh and that uh maybe that would push things along. Right now, my takeaway is that the Bills have gotten to a number where they’re not likely to get passed. And Cook is not happy about that situation. He’s looking to get paid what he views as his value. And right now, I don’t think there is a a resolution that’s going to happen via contract extension or anything like that. The only way I I really believe this gets resolved is that Cook eventually decides, well, I I I don’t want to kill an entire season. I don’t want to get fined during the regular season for missing games. I I’m I got to just start showing up and playing and that’s how I’m going to earn my next contract. Uh whether that be in Buffalo or somewhere else. I’m not really worried overall about how this is going to go because I don’t see Cook sitting out half a season. But, uh, it is getting to the point where you do wonder how long this is going to linger. And if there really is, uh, a resolution that will make both sides happy at the end of this. Yeah. And, uh, one thing’s for sure, Hard Knox has its storyline that it was looking for. I think I mentioned this on a previous episode maybe with Anthony Prohaskca earlier. Hardnox got some pretty bad reviews from the national media. uh rave reviews amongst Bills Mafia just for being a little dull and not many enticing storylines. But with this James Cook situation now brewing up with the four-day practice hold in and uh the drama at the preseason game. We’ll see where it goes on the next episode of Hard Knocks. But I read it similarly to you. I wouldn’t panic quite yet. I think the only time you panic in this situation is if it’s getting close to that week one match up against the Ravens and he’s still heming and hawing. I think at that point then it becomes a real concern. But until then, let’s let’s b our time, be patient, and see how this develops. And we have Jant Sports once again chiming in. Bean wants anywhere 8 to10 million. I think they might even be happy with 11 million after Kairen Williams recent contract, but you’re right, Cook wants probably that 15 million that he’s been adamant about, and I just don’t see the Bills go going that far. Now, Mike, one of the more positive storylines and more exciting things to talk about about this game was Tyrell Shavers and the day that he had. Now, during the preseason, you’re rarely going to get that high volume day from a player outside of someone at the very back end of the roster, maybe playing the entire second half and and being targeted. I think Steven Gznell had uh three to five catches today, but Shavers two catches 70 yards, one a 58-yard bomb from Mitch Trabiscy. A beautiful throw from Trabiscy and really going outside of what he normally does as a backup quarterback. He’s more reserved, doesn’t take those shots down the field, but connecting with Shavers, a player on the roster bubble, trying to force his way into the conversation as maybe a sixth wide receiver, maybe even a fifth wide receiver. Uh, I saw you post something on X. Uh, so I think this is obviously a a a very positive step for Tyrone Shavers, but at the same time, Shawn McDermott mentioned after the game, they know what they have as a wide receiver and Tyrone Shavers. He needs to add that special teams ability and we’ll see, I think, over the next couple of weeks during the preseason if he can do that. But how are you reading this situation after the Shavers and Christian Wilkerson had a decent day today? Do you think that Curtis Samuel, Elijah Moore could be in somewhat of jeopardy here? Yeah, absolutely. I think Curtis Samuel and Elijah Moore should be concerned because all off season the thought was that both of them would be safe that they would be the the four or five receivers and then Tyrell Shavers wasn’t really even in that discussion and then there was talk about Leiscus Chanel being a return man. Maybe he could be the sixman and and somehow compete for a spot. Right now, I’m to the point where Tyrell Shavers should make this team. You see him in practice. He performs the in the past it was with backups. Now you’re seeing it with ones during practice when guys like Josh Palmer was out. Obviously Curtis Samuel out, Khil Shakir was out. And during these practices, it’s with Keon Coleman, Elijah Moore, and it’s Tyrell Shavers getting the majority of the targets. So, and that’s not by accident. Some of that is Josh Allen targeting him, trying to see if they can build up a rapport. And some of it is Tyrell Shavers is just playing better than the other receivers when given his opportunity. And then you want to see, can that go out and translate on the the the regular field during preseason action against another team. And you see him get a bomb that honestly probably could have gone for a touchdown. I don’t want to blame the throw, but nearly could have gone for a touchdown. And to me right now, if you ask me, he’s one of the top four performing receivers on the Bills at this current moment. Now, you could say, is he one of the top four receivers on the team, and you could say based on past uh results and stuff like that that you’d give the edge to Mo and Samuel? Well, based on what’s happening during camp in the preseason right now, Shavers is better than Moore and he’s better than than Samuel. Now, they also have different roles. I think what it comes down to is this. What is Samuel’s health situation? Is he someone where the Bills might have an injury designation to start the season where they can save an extra roster spot and basically have Moore be the four, have Shavers be the five, and then you get to keep all of your guys some way somehow. Uh, if not, if it is Samuel versus Moore, then you got a situation where you got to try to figure this out because a lot of people thought that Moore was going to be used in a variety of different ways this year, and he really hasn’t. And since Samuel went down, it looks like Moore is doing more of the gadgets things that we saw Samuel do last year, which makes me believe it’s Samuel versus Moore for that specific role. And then whoever loses that is probably out. And then you got Shavers as your five. And and the other thing I’ll add on top of it, Samuel has a dead cap hit of I think $12 million. Correct. While Moore is only getting a one-year, $5 million contract, and I think what two and a half of that is guaranteed or something like that. Moore is really easy to move on from if the Bills don’t like what they see. and he started camp getting reps, splitting reps between the twos and the ones, that wasn’t a good sign. And then when all these guys have been down, you haven’t seen him really elevate his game to another level. So, I know there was a lot of fans that were hoping that Elijah Moore would would be this breakout star with Josh Allen. It looks more like Elijah is now competing for a bottom end and depth spot on the Bills just hoping to make the team than he is being an actual contributor on this roster. Yeah, the cap hit I was going to bring up with Curtis Samuel. I think you’d see the Bills jettison him already if it weren’t due to that 10 plus million dollar capit. just his unavailability at at times uh to start the season is is just something that you can’t get into the flow of the offense with and and I think his extended absence here is certainly something to be concerned with. Now, I will say with Elijah Moore, he was wide open on that third down. I think it was the first drive before the Bills punted and Mitch Trabiscy just flat out missed him streaking across the middle of the field. it would have been a 20 30 yard gain wide open and if he sees him and makes that connection which would have pretty much have been pitch and catch I think his performance today looks a lot different but I will agree with you that he’s been unavailable in his own right dealing with I think what uh turned out to be a calf injury missed a couple practices and he really hasn’t been able to find that that flow with Josh Allen in 11 on 111 I’ll say this about Elijah Moore I think this coming week with the joint practice with Chicago. I think that’s going to be an opportunity perhaps for him to start flourishing within this offense and showing what he can produce alongside Josh Allen because you could be right. Time could be running out for him. Although, I just want to pump the brakes on it a little bit. I still see it at this point the top five with a potential sixth add-on. But at the same time, that top five could be shifted. In addition, because of Leviscol’s performance today, and he was given every opportunity on special teams, he was given a kick return. He was given a punt return. He was out on the field as a gunner, and he also came through with a two-point catch. So, Lisa Chanel is also putting some pressure on things at the wide receiver position, and they’re not going to keep seven wide receivers. So, it’s either going to be six with Shavers or Christian Wilkerson or perhaps Chanel as an add-on or you’re going to see one of those players or perhaps a couple push one of those names that we just mentioned off the roster. But elsewhere at the wide receiver position, Joshua Palmer really impressed some people today. Lewis Riddick tweeting out that if he stays healthy, he’s going to have a huge year. He only had two receptions, 21 yards, but one of them was early in the game. He got open late in the down, made himself presentable for Mitch Trabiscy, and was able to convert a first down opportunity. And that’s something that the Bills have been missing, I think, the last few years. Somebody who can work himself free when things break down. And if that’s what Joshua Palmer can present, he’s certainly going to be a boon for this offense. And just rounding things out on the offensive side of the ball for now, uh, Trabiscy decent first half after getting the start, nine of 13, 138 yards and a touchdown. Mike White gets the second half uh 39 yardd touchdown to KJ Hamler was his biggest play of the day. Came on fourth down. A nice uh throw on the run. Eight of 13, 112 yards, two touchdowns for White. I’ll ask you this before I I get to the next point on offense. Where do you see the QB2 battle? You think uh you’ve seen enough of Mitch Trabiscy? You think the Bills have seen enough of Mitch Trabiscy or you think it’s still Trabiscy and White? Because that’s how I see it. I still think the Bills are putting Trabiscy just ahead. I think fans are going to want to see Mike White ahead of I do after the second half. I still think Trabiscy has the edge. He didn’t have a good start to the game, but the numbers ended up being pretty close uh between the two. he has the edge just going into this having been with the team for multiple seasons. Uh being their backup before, I could really see this going either way. Maybe against Chicago they give Mike White the start uh to to see how Mike White does with I would anticipate that. I would say I I would see that being the case. I know there’s talk like maybe you could get Josh Allen, but going up against Chicago in practice, you’re going to get a lot of practice reps where I think you’re going to be able to see what the two uh do against each other. Uh so yeah, I I think it’s an open competition and I’m I’m excited to see where it goes. I’m really not super high on either of them at quarterback. They’re they’re very average backups in my opinion, but you could do a lot worse. And and then just one last thing I did want to say about the receiver uh talk. You mentioned Josh Palmer. That’s a guy a lot of fans have been sleeping all off seasonason on. He’s gonna have me included role in this offense. A lot of talk has been about Keon Coleman this training camp and rightfully so. He’s been very solid and appears to be ready to take a sophomore leap. Josh Palmer has 50 catch potential, 750 plus yards written all over him. All through practice, he’s in the intermediate parts of the field getting catches for 15 to 20 yards all the time. So, he might not be the volume receiver, but he’s going to be getting chunks uh when he’s getting the ball. And the one other player I you brought up was KJ Hamler. KJ Hamler is an interesting guy, too. Obviously, he’s been on the practice squad in recent years, but quietly impressive at training camp, I thought, although he did deal with some time off the field, but quietly impressive throughout the time at St. John Fischer. 100% and Hamler is the reason why I think more Samuel one of them is expendable because Hamler is more of a gadget guy as well. So if they are planning more and Samuel to be going after more of a gadget short yardage yards after catch role, you can conceivably cut one of them and keep Hamler on your practice squad as the backup if needed to elevate in those situations due to an injury. So, I’m with you where like I don’t think it’s a guarantee that one of Samuel or more get cut. I could see a situation where the Bills keep six receivers and you have Samuel and more and maybe uh Shavers is your number six or a scenario where maybe even Chenult is your number six and you cut one of them. But Hamler’s an interesting guy because that veteran experience in a practice squad role almost gives them an extra roster piece without actually keeping a guy in their 53. Yeah. Yeah. I I see it the same way. Now, tight end, a tough day for Zack Davidson. Two drops. One was thrown a little bit behind him, one thrown a little bit high, but there’s enough time for him to react to the throws and and make the catch, and he failed to do so in both circumstances. and a player who’s trying to make the roster as a third tight end. Not a good showing for Zack Davidson. He did make an impressive tackle between the two drops on special teams, but I don’t think that’s enough to erase uh the tough day that he had catching the football. And Jackson Halls also had a drop at the tight end position. So, uh not a good day, not a banner day for the Bills tight end threes. That competition I think will continue throughout the preseason, but I I think it’s pretty clear Jackson Haw has more to offer and I think they know what they have in Zack Davidson and it’s just not enough to warrant a roster spot. I thought it was a tough day for Ray Davis. He really couldn’t get going at all on the ground. You did see Ty Johnson and Frank Gore Jr. rip off a couple impressive runs. But Ray Davis really not much to speak about other than his PAT attempt, which Shawn McDermad said is not just for shits and giggles. It’s actually a part of kind of the preseason process and figuring out where they sit on special teams because they’re planning for if they lose Tyler Bass in the middle of the of a game, you’re not going to carry two kickers. You need an emergency kicker. And in that situation, what does that look like? Getting Ray Davis on and off the field quickly. So, uh, it was good to see him split the uprights, although he kind of it was kind of a worm burner. Barely got it off the ground. Uh, but elsewhere on special teams, I mentioned Chenult returning kicks. Codrington got some punts as well. They’re going to rotate that. I think there’s so many guys in that conversation that they’re going to kind of feel that out throughout the preseason. Chenult had the first crack at it and showed well, but I think you’re also going to see some other players given opportunities. And last thing on special teams, Brad Robbins, a great day punting the football. Was one of the stars of the show. Uh I believe 53 yards was his punting average. He had one of about 58. He kept the Giants inside the 20 I think on three of those. So the holding and the chemistry that he hasn’t been able to build with Tyler Bass due to Tyler Bass’s injury is somewhat of a concern, but a great day for Brad Robbins. Do you got anything on special teams, Mike? Yeah, I I I’ll say this. There was a lot of talk when Robbins came to the Bills that he was one of the lesser punters in the NFL. My response back to that is there’s no such thing as a a lesser punter in the NFL. All of these guys have legs. Some teams tell them to just boom it and do whatever they want. Other teams, they care more about uh their their ability to defend. So, yeah, it might be directional. It might be try to get more air on it. We need our coverage teams to get in the spot. So, the Bills obviously saw something in Robins that they liked. It sounds weird over evaluating punters, but you saw it today. For any of those that are scared that he doesn’t have a leg, he can still he can boom it. He he has a good enough leg. And then the the Ray Davis stuff. Um I don’t know if you recall, I I don’t know if it was against I think it was Carolina. Uh it was against maybe or Atlanta. There was a game a couple years ago where the Bills were at home and the opposing kicker actually got hurt uh in warm-ups. So Oh, yes. Yes. So, that is a real situation. It’s it’s very unlikely, highly unprobable of ever happening. But if you do have a kicker injury, even remember the Monday Night Football situation, Panther Zayn Gonzalez. Yep. Zay Gonzalez. And then there was quad injury. Yep. So that I remember that game. They they it was a it was a crazy dynamic that that added to the game. And then also there was a situation one time when the Bills were on Monday Night Football against Seattle and Richard Sherman drove into Dan Carpenter after uh after a snap and he had to sit out. Now, Ray Davis ain’t kicking a a 50-yard field goal, but it’s good to know that you have someone on your team given an emergency situation that you can trust for maybe up to 35 yards. Given maybe you have a situation late in the game, you’re down two, you’re down three, and it’s a it’s a fourth down with a minute left, like fourth and six, fourth and seven. What do you do? Do you try to kick it? Do you try to go for it? that that it creates interesting situations, but if you know you have someone that can at least make it, it gives you more options. Agreed. And we have a question here from Kenny. What position did Jordan Hancock play today? Was playing safety. Uh due to the injuries at safety, they’re really down at that position. So, I think it was a good opportunity to throw him into the fire at that position. And he nearly came away with an interception. Well, he did come away with it, but it was nullified by an offside penalty called against Landon Jackson, who has been quite a disappointment for me. I was really excited about him. And uh he really hasn’t popped at all. And and today’s offside penalty was really the the biggest boneheaded uh play of the day from any Buffalo Bill. and and most impactful because it took an interception away from like I said uh Jordan Hancock. So, we’ll see where that goes with Hancock. I think he’s going to split time at nickel quarterback and safety. Uh I I don’t think you’ve seen the end of of his positional versatility. So, he played safety today due to I think due to due to the injury situation that they’re dealing with. So, uh like I said, more to come from Jordan Hancock, but Shawn McDermott did express uh after the game that he was impressed with what Hancock had to offer. So, uh that that was a good sign for him. Now, Matt Milano really showing well throughout training camp and he followed it up with a good start to this game on the very first play from scrimmage for the Giants. He chased down a ball carrier, tackled him for no gain along the left sideline. And that’s what we’ve seen from Milano throughout training camp. Just that quick fire ability, diagnosing the play, reading and reacting, and that speed and athleticism and pop is still there for the 31year-old if he can stay healthy. I mean, I I don’t want to get too crazy. It’s just the training camp and preseason, but he could return somewhat to that allp prolevel form that we saw him accomplish during that 2022 season. He could really make this defensive unit something special. Yeah, if he can even return to like 80% of what he was in the past, that could make this defense really climb up to another level. Milano’s been great so far in camp. I don’t want to say he was at he’s at the same level he was during his allp pro seasons, but you can certainly see uh the basically the burst, the ability to read uh and reacting and get in position to make plays. He’s had some big tackles during camp on end of rounds and different things like that. And it seems like he still can bring it at a high level, which would be huge for this Bill’s defense. You you really look at this unit, it’s about staying healthy. That’s the biggest thing. Two years ago, they they had what looked like was going to be a great defense and then injuries just tore them apart. Last year, they were resetting. They got young and they didn’t really have the experience to play at the level that they wanted to. Now, you look at it, Milano is healthy. You have uh you have Bernard, you have all these other guys, and now you have Trey White as your number two corner opposite of uh of Christian Benford and and a rejuvenated defensive line. Outside of safety, like this defense is pretty stacked. And after two years of not being a top 10 defense, this is the year where they they need to take that jump back to being a top five to seven unit overall. And I think another player that can help them do that is Joey Bosa. As I’m tweeting out right now talking Joey Bosa’s solid performance. And that’s what it was for Joey Bosa. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but you could see the consistent impact that he was making on every down, both against the run and in pass rush. He helped create a batted ball by Ed Oliver on that first offensive drive on that third down. I think it led to the field goal from the Giants and he just pushed the pocket and really helped Oliver get there as well. And he’s going to be a three- down player for the Bills. They just need to keep him healthy. But they signed him to this contract. You’re not going to bring him in and play him one out of every three plays. You’re going to bring him in. You’re going to let him loose. You’re going to give him some maintenance at times and and be smart about his rep count. uh maybe when games get out of hand and stuff like that, but he saw what he can do today as an impactful player off the edge. And I think like you said, this unit needs to take that next step. And players like Matt Milano and Joey Boza are players when playing at their top level, those are the players that help you elevate to a star level defense. Yeah, Joey Bosa is a very talented player. And I know people are concerned about his injury pass and his ability to stay on the field, but when healthy, I would say he is probably one of the most talented defensive ends that Shawn McDerman has ever had in Buffalo. I his ceiling. I’m not saying he’s better than Greg Russo right now because Greg Russo is entering that that prime of his career, but Joey Bosa at his best is probably the most talented defensive end that the Bills have had during the Mcdermad era outside of Von Miller. And by the time Von Miller came back from injury, we already had seen a big drop off in performance. But preacl injury, Von was at that high level where you you thought every game he had the possibility of giving getting a sack. That’s what Joey Bosa is going to bring to the table. Now, I don’t expect Joey Bosa to put up 13 14 sacks this year, but I do expect him with Greg Rouso to deliver consistent pressure and to also be able to help out in different facets of the game. So, I that’s what I’m one of the most encouraging things about this Bills defense. Bosa did just come off a season where I believe he played 14 maybe 15 games. I so I I don’t have those numbers in front of me but he did play most of last season which was u a a nice step in the right direction. And I believe the stat that I had preseason if I’m recalling it correctly. Every season he’s played I believe it’s 15 games or more he’s come away with 10 and a half sacks or more. I believe that’s what it is and I’ll check it right now. But like you’re saying if he’s on the field he’s going to produce 100%. And even though his sack numbers weren’t great last year, he still delivers pressure at a high rate. And and one thing that sometimes fans get a little bit too obsessed with sacks. Sacks are important, but the difference between five sacks and seven sacks or five and nine over the course of season, it’s not significant. But if you’re consistently delivering with your pass rush, getting in quarterback’s faces, that’s going to create errant throws. that’s going to create um second-guessing uh in other issues uh for opposing off for opposing offenses. So, if Bosa can play at a high level, not young Joey Bosa, but even like a a decent uh good good player on a consistent basis, this defense is going to be that much more scarier, especially with the depth that they now have at these positions. having a Michael Hoy and obviously hoping AJ Apanza can still deliver around six sacks and and having a Javon Solomon that you’re hoping can emerge as a pass rusher. This gives them the ability to be that that much more dangerous with their line because the Bills defense has always been good, but the one thing they’ve kind of been inconsistent on a yearly basis is delivering a quality pass rush. Sure. And with Bosa paired with Greg Rouso, this is probably going to be the most dangerous their pass rush has been during the McDermad era, or at least in recent times in my opinion. Yeah, I think the one thing that Bosa has that Rouso doesn’t at this point is that finishing factor. And the stat is 11 games started or more, Bosa has finished the season with 10 and a half sacks or more. So, if he’s on the field for 11 games this year, you’re probably going to get somewhere along the lines of a double- digit sack season. And I think that’s where it comes down to Joey Bosa’s impact is yes, I I do think sacks can be overrated at times, but I’m also a proponent of you need to get the quarterback on the ground, especially come playoff time when you’re playing against Patrick Mahomes. So, I think that’s something that Bosa can do. He can get the quarterback on the ground. he can finish those rushes and he’s proven capable of that throughout his career. Last year, nine starts, five sacks. So, a down year for him, but I think his playing time was kind of sporadic throughout the year. He dealt with uh some injuries that kept him in and out of the lineup. But elsewhere on the Bills defensive line, the two rookies, Dion Walker and TJ Sanders, some inside penetration. Uh, I agree and I already mentioned it. Landon Jackson a little bit of a disappointment at this point early in his career, but he’s a rookie and it’s his first preseason game, so let’s not go out of control about that. Deion Walker with his huge mass mass of a man with the uh pass batted down behind the line of scrimmage. I think Jameus Winston was at quarterback at the time. And that just shows what he can do and and the impact that he can make, not only with the penetration that he gained on the play, but if he gets stood up at the line of scrimmage, just getting those big mits up in the air, he can become quite a weapon for the Bills at the line of scrimmage. And then you saw TJ Sanders on the deep ball from Jackson Dart down the left side that Dane Jackson got beaten on for the touchdown. It was Sanders applying pressure in Dart’s face and forcing him to get rid of the ball quickly. So, it didn’t work out in that play. Dane Jackson kind of got burned, but you saw TJ Sanders creating that penetration and impacting the quarterback and speeding him up a bit. So, the two rookies I think showed well. Landon Jackson and even Javon Solomon, not as much of an impact today, but it’s still early in the preseason. I I’m really excited for Dion Walker. And for a fourth round pick, that’s exactly what you’re looking for. Someone that has that high ceiling. Yes, it might be a little bit of a risk. There’s no guarantees he’s going to be what you want him to be, but at that point, why not just roll the dice and and hope on upside at that point. And you look at Deion Walker, he has the body of someone that is a first round pick. He is massive human overall, coming off a down season last year at Kentucky, but also was dealing with some injury issues. Before that, he had the tape of a day day one day two player. So, the fact he fell to the the fourth round, the Bills might even, who knows, maybe one day he ends up actually being better than TJ Sanders. We don’t know uh how that’ll all play out, but Dion Walker is definitely someone that has captivated the attention of Bills fans. And even one of my recent practices that I was at, he snuffed out a screen and stopped it for no gain. You’re talking about a rookie DTackle being aware uh of something like that. That that is an encouraging sign. And then TJ Sanders, second round pick, obviously somebody the Bills traded up for. They expect him to be able to contribute right away as a rookie. Uh I I don’t know what his ceiling is as a firstear player, but when Brandon Bean trades up in the second round, he’s expecting instant contribution, especially when this is a Super Bowl window type team. So, uh, it’s encouraging that Sanders has made some some had some moments where, uh, you’re already encouraged by what you’re seeing because it it has been tough in recent years for the Bills when it comes to drafting defensive linemen and sometimes evaluating the right guys. Everybody will obviously look back to um uh I’m I’m forgetting the guy’s name, Boogie Basham, who ended up going to the Giants. And some people weren’t super happy with how AJ Appanza turned out, but good early signs for for both of these guys after after some tough picks uh in in the past couple years, especially even Dwayne Carter last year coming out of Duke. Surely the third down defense was a little bit dicey today as it has been in recent seasons. The third and long specifically third and seven and longer has just become a bugaboo for this Bills defense and more signs today. It is the preseason and a lot of players were out especially in the secondary. You were missing both of your potential starting safeties. You’re missing your starting captain linebacker and Terrell Bernard calling the signals. So, I I think you need to pump the brakes a little bit on the concerns about the third down defense, but at the same time, showing these same signs year after year is certainly going to be a concern if this lingers into the regular season. And they really struggled to defend the screen pass as well today, Mike. And I think that is the more significant takeaway. There’s something within the schematics of this defense that does not allow them to get out and defend the screen pass. And I think they need to figure that out because that’s just going to be a back breaker for them week after week if they continue to let it happen. That that’s something I struggle on. So obviously they they were horrible third down defense last year repeatedly letting teams convert on third and long and it it became routine throughout the season. So there’s no defending what happened last year. Now, should we take away one one preseason game where they struggle on third down defense as a sign that they haven’t fixed it or should we take it as just one rough outing with a bunch of backups and not your regular guys in there? I don’t know the I don’t know the proper takeaway from that at this point in time. If we see it again next week, maybe I’ll be a little bit more concerned, but I don’t take too much away from team performance in the preseason. I’m more focused on individual performance. And and on that note, Shawn McDermott was asked by Matt Bove after the game how much they game plan for the preseason games. A level of 1 to 10. He said zero to one. They like to see how players react during the preseason. So third down defense was dicey, but take that for a grain of salt. Yeah. So some of that is essentially saying we we’re not worried about what the Giants are doing. That that has zero focus on what we’re doing as a team. We’re more trying to evaluate how our players individually react to different situations. So, there’s times maybe the Bills are I’m not saying this is what they’re doing, but maybe they’re intentionally putting them in more difficult situations to see how they respond uh to adversity or respond to being put in different situations um to see if they’re ready to step up to the challenge or if they’re able to to handle it. So, I’ll I’ll say this, the third down defense is definitely a concern, but you look at what how this defense was was set up last year. You had uh you had struggles at CB2 behind Christian Benford. Russell Douglas had his struggles. You had you had injuries at times. You you had linebacker uh depth issues at times where you didn’t have Milano for large stretches. Uh your safety room was a concern. Today you’re playing with backup safeties. I think long term if Rap is healthy, Bishop is healthy, you have Trey and uh obviously Christian Benford and you have your linebackers in there, I believe they’re going to figure some of this out. Some of it was obviously schematic, but I also believe a lot of it was player related last year. I’m not at the point right now where I’m going to say this is going to be a repeat, but more so we we have to wait for more evidence before really knowing if that’s the case or not. Sure. And Christopher Moody, Giants fan, wants to know in all honest honesty how they looked. And I think Jackson Dart has a future in this league. I I think he looked mighty confident out there uh stepping into his throws. He had that beautiful throw down the left sideline that turned into the touchdown with TJ Sanders in his face. So, if I’m a Giants fan, I’m really excited about Jackson Dart. I’m not sure he’ll get the nod as the starting quarterback this season, but I’m really excited about Jackson. Well, if I were a Giants fan, I’d be really excited about Jackson Dart’s future. Anything you noticed uh from the Giants side? Yeah, Dart looks like he has some ability, though. The only question who’s going to be the head coach when he finally gets an opportunity to start for the Giants. But I I’ll say this. I there’s some things I like about what the Giants are doing. But in that division with who they have to go up against. Even if the Giants take a step in the right direction, it’s still going to likely be a long year for them. This is one of those rebuild seasons where we’ll see how long Russell Wilson can keep them competitive. But if you’re a fan, you’re really just waiting until Jackson Dart gets his turn. The the question is, do you give him a red shirt year to just learn behind a former Super Bowl champion, or do you eventually give him an opportunity to get some reps late in the season? All right, Mike, I think we covered pretty much anything everything. Uh, do you have anything left to add? Anything you felt that we left out or anything you’re looking forward to this week? Not not really. Mostly my my opinion on things is this is a a status quo training camp preseason for the Bills. The results on the field during these preseason games are next to meaningless for uh the Bills right now. The the biggest thing I’m looking at is which rookies are showing some potential. Um how are players on the roster bubble performing? and then just staying healthy and uh having a full roster ready to go week one against the Ravens because looking past the next two preseason games, which I think next week is going to be fun with the the the practices with the Bears, but you you look at the way the season starts. You have Baltimore Sunday Night Football week one. That’s going to be the toughest game of the opening six, seven, eight weeks. And then there’s a period of time where like conceivably the Bills could start seven and one or if they beat Baltimore they could start seven and0. This is really set up for the Bills to get off to a tremendous um open to the season and this has to be the year where they get that one seat. It’s the only thing that they haven’t accomplished in the regular season during Josh Allen’s time in Buffalo. And when you look into the playoffs, that that’s a contributing factor into why they haven’t necessarily gotten past uh Kansas City and gotten to a Super Bowl yet. So, uh I know you should still be able to make it as a two or three seed, but I’m just looking forward to staying healthy and grabbing that one seed. They need it this year. There no more excuses for not getting that uh this upcoming season. I’m right there with you. That’s the lone bridge that they have yet to cross. The the Rubicon, I believe, uh I’m using that terminology correctly. Uh and it’s really set up nicely for them. You mentioned the schedule, the home schedule, all their toughest games being inside Highark Stadium. The last year there, that crowd is going to be up for grabs. So excited to see it really all kick off in in several weeks here and kind of get through this preseason and and get into the true excitement. But Mike, uh Train Wreck Sports pay the bills pod. Can you tell us what you have coming up in terms of coverage? Yeah, so we just got through a nice training camp, a lot of stuff posted, stories uh um and then uh interviews with some players. But coming up, regular season time, uh podcast every Tuesday night at 7 o’clock. Um me, AJ Sabolski, obviously good buddy of yours, and then uh Jake Micah, and some other guys with the rest of the crew. Uh we’re going to be having game recaps, quick videos throughout the season. Uh obviously we’re in the stands. We’re fans. We we enjoy the team. We have fun. So we’re going to have our game recaps every uh after every home and away game. Uh we will have podcasts, fun, unique stuff. So um I always say this, there’s a lot of uh really amazing Bills content creators. A lot of them that have the best analysis and different things. Alex, you’re one of them. Cover one’s great. Buffalo Rumblings, there’s Buffalo fanatics, there’s there’s a bunch out there. We like to have more fun. So, if you want a unique uh perspective on the Bills, check out the train and uh we’d love to interact with all of you guys as well. It never stops over there at Train Wreck Sports and we’ll we’ll keep on following along. You guys do a great job and it’s always interesting to follow what you guys have to offer. So, we’ll get you back on for some Sabres Talk later, but for now, Mike, thank you so much for joining me. I’m very grateful for your time, and we’ll see you soon, my friend. Sounds good. Thanks for having me. You got it. All right, the great Mike Bunt from Train Rex Sports joining me. And breaking things down. I thought that was a really good conversation about today’s game. And you got to take things with a grain of salt. As we mentioned, they’re not game planning for these games, but still, it’s still fun as a fan and and and an and uh someone covering the team to report on what’s going on and follow along with the comingings and goings from week to week. And certainly no overreactions here, but we want to give the people the content that they want. And I’ll leave you with this. It truly has been amazing to watch Joanne Drees come from humble beginnings to where he is now. A bonafide NFL contributor and somebody who is a key cog in what the Bills are doing. He’s linebacker four for this team behind Matt Milano, Terrell Bernard, Dorian Williams, and then you have Joanne Drees. And with the injuries right now to Terrell Bernard and Dorian Williams and historically injuries to those players, you’re one injury away from being in the starting lineup. And what Joan Drees has shown in terms of his progression has just been outstanding. His ability to to diagnose at the line of scrimmage and then read and react as I mentioned with Matt Milano earlier. He’s truly become a sideline to sideline player. Almost came away with an interception today. couldn’t quite get the handle on it, but he’s always around the ball. A nose for the ball, I would say, for Joanne Dre and a player who started as a rookie try out for the Bills, a guy who went to Lancaster High School, what he is now. This story continues to get better and better. And another chapter was written on Saturday. But I wanted to leave you with that. Great crowd on YouTube and X today. Thank you for joining us and we will see you next time. Please like, share, subscribe, hit that like button, uh share it with your friends, subscribe to the channel, all that good stuff. The like on YouTube really, really helps us spread the word. So, thanks for tuning in and we will see you next time. [Music]
The Bills’ first preseason game is in the books. Who were the studs? Who were the duds? Mike Bundt of Trainwreck Sports joins for a complete postgame show. What are your concerns coming out of Bills vs. Giants?
Welcome to Buffalo Pregame! Your source for LIVE Buffalo sports discussion. Each week, we will dive into the latest comings and goings from both One Bills Dr. and KeyBank Center as Bills Digest editor Alex Brasky follows the Bills and Sabres with news, analysis, opinions and more.
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