1. Countdown to the regular season opener reaches 100 Days
There are just 100 more days until the Buffalo Bills kickoff their 2019 NFL season September 8 at the New York Jets.
The 2019 NFL season marks the 100th season in NFL history. With that here are some 100-themed facts on the Buffalo Bills since they joined the NFL in 1960.
- Marv Levy is the only Bills head coach with over 100 wins. He finished his career at 112-70 on the sidelines.
- Thurman Thomas had a total of 12 games rushing over 100 yards in the first three seasons of his career. The Bills won every single one of those games.
- Thomas also leads the Bills with 46 total games rushing for 100 yards or more followed up by O.J. Simpson (41), Fred Jackson (15), and LeSean McCoy (15).
- Twenty-eight players in franchise history have recorded 100 tackles or more in a single season. Darryl Talley recorded the feat six times from 1986-94. Tremaine Edmunds (121) and Jordan Poyer (100) each achieved it last season.
- Since 1999, six NFL quarterbacks have rushed for 100 yards in a game during their rookie season. Josh Allen is the only NFL quarterback to do it twice: Week 8 vs Miami (135) and Week 9 vs NYJ (101).
- Eric Moulds is the only Bill to finish with 100 receptions in a season, finishing with the exact number in 2002.
- Andre Reed leads the Bills with 36 games of 100 receiving yards or more. Robert Foster is 20th on the list with three after just one season.
- Jim Kelly is the only Bills quarterback with 100 wins. From 1986-96 he had a 101-59 record. He and Joe Ferguson are also the only two quarterbacks to throw for over 100 touchdowns in their Bills career. Kelly had 237 and Ferguson had 181.
2. Tight end Mik'Quan Deane excited for opportunity with Bills
The Bills claimed tight end Mik'Quan Deane from Western Kentucky University off waivers last Wednesday. Deane is now the third rookie tight end the Bills have added this offseason and is excited to get to work as Buffalo undergoes OTAs.
"I just thought the facilities and everything were super nice and everyone was nice to me are my first impressions," Deane said. "I'll just come in and keep my head down and keep working. I've already got so many friends and good teammates."
Deane graduated from Western Kentucky this spring and finished his senior season with 44 receptions for 530 yards and six touchdowns. Deane was on the 2018 John Mackey Award Watch List, given annually to the best tight end in the country.
Deane already feels like he's getting a good feel for the schemes and loves the offense the has been set up. As he gets used to the plays Deane will be able to get reps at different positions like the F or the Y.
"We kind of learn as a group," Deane said. "They're more advanced than me right now because I only got here five days ago. I get extra learning time by myself and it's been a good experience, everyone's behind me like Dawson [Knox] and Tommy [Sweeney], everyone's been helping me."
Knox and Sweeney were each 2019 NFL Draft picks of the Bills and are in their first OTAs as well. With Tyler Kroft out, more reps have opened up for the younger tight ends. Deane was getting his reps with the third team.
"We got a lot of young guys here and that's a good thing because the coaches will take more time to develop us," Deane said. "I'm here trying to make a name for myself and see what I can accomplish."
3. Josh Allen made this major improvement in his game since high school
Josh Allen, who is the only quarterback ever with three games in a row of 95 plus yards rushing, used to be called "Tortuga" or "tortoise" in high school by his baseball coach.
In an interview with NBC Sports’ Chris Simms, Allen admits that his high school coaches had a less-than stellar description of his athleticism.
"I mean I was extremely slow … very slow," Allen said. "I didn't really lift weights. I went straight from football to baseball, baseball to basketball and never really had that time to lift weights, I was always doing some sort of competition."
Allen matured from his high school frame of 6-3, 180 pounds in college and showed off some running skills in college but still has no idea where it came from this past year.
"I didn't plan on it either," Allen said. "It surprised me as much as it surprised everybody else."
Allen admits that his hurdle over Anthony Barr in Week 3 against Minnesota might have been planned. He hurdled someone once at his junior college Reedley and once at Wyoming.
"I always liked doing it once to not really show the team how much I care, instead it's instincts," Allen said. "I got to show it once and everybody after that was like 'this guy wants to win' and that's why I do it and it's the competition coming out of me."
