Here's the Bills news of note for Sept. 16th.
1 - Panthers rookie running back praises McCoy
Former Stanford Cardinal, Christian McCaffrey, became a household name over the years from his ever so electric running style, a style that resembles LeSean McCoy's. The Carolina Panthers immediately upgraded their offense when making the 5-11, 205-pound running back their first-round pick in the 2017 draft.
McCaffrey was the AP Player of the Year in 2015, finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting. That season he established an NCAA mark with 3,864 all-purpose yards, including a school record 2,019 rushing yards. In 2016 he followed up with another stellar season, posting 1,603 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. With all of his past success, the 21-year-old still looks up to McCoy, according to panthers.com. 
"Definitely, yeah I've seen a lot of tape on him. In college I probably saw every single run there is on him. He's a heck of a player man, a guy that I look up to, and I've seen a lot of film on. He kind of blazed the trail for guys like us, he's one of them. It will be cool to see him," McCaffrey said.
In his NFL debut he showed the ability to be a dual threat running back, just like McCoy. McCaffrey rushed for 47-yards and reeled in five receptions for 38-yards in the Panthers 23-3 win over the San Francisco 49ers. He mentioned that the Bills defense in Week Two will be a handful.
"It's a heck of a defense. A lot of great veterans who know how to play the game, play well, and play hard. It will be a lot to handle," McCaffrey said.
2 - Bills guard Ruben Brown Hall of Fame nominee
Buffalo Bills perennial Pro Bowl guard, Ruben Brown, is on the preliminary nominee list for the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brown played in the NFL for 13-years; he started his career in Buffalo and stayed with the team for nine-years. His second and last team he played with was the Chicago Bears, where he played four-years.
Brown served as a consistent starter for almost a decade. Over his nine-season tenure with the team, he started in 136 games. He was a first-round pick by the Bills in the 1995 NFL draft. On The John Murphy Show, Brown shared his emotions on being a Hall of Fame nominee.
"I'm as happy as they come, this is pretty amazing," Brown said.
Without a doubt it's an extraordinary honor just to be nominated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Though, to be considered one of the finalists is extremely difficult. In September, 108 players and coaches are nominated for the Hall of Fame list, that's step one. In November, the list will be reduced to 25 semifinalists, that's step two. In January, the list will be reduced to 15 finalists, and those finalists are voted on for induction.
The 2018 nominee list has some pretty notable names: Randy Moss, Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher, and Ronde Barber to name a few. For Brown, even as a kid this is something he always wanted.
"Always as a kid you want to be a part of it… it's special to me because of all the people that helped me," Brown said.
With the Bills, Brown was selected to eight consecutive Pro Bowls. We'll see in November if that's enough to make him a semifinalist.
3 - Alexander acknowledges facing former MVP
The team's first road trip of the season will offer a variety of challenges; perhaps, the biggest one is going to be containing Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
The 6-5, 245-pound quarterback has an uncharacteristic build for the position, that's where challenges arise for opposing defenses. Newton can kill you through the air or on the ground;he has proved that since his college days. At Auburn he won a National Championship, and in the same season won the Heisman Trophy. With all that, Newton was the first overall pick in the 2011 Draft by the Panthers.
Bills linebacker, Lorenzo Alexander, joined The John Murphy Show yesterday to discuss the matchup.
"He's a guy that wants to make plays. So if that means staying in the pocket he'll stay in there. If you start getting in his face and pressuring him he'll roll out and turn it into backyard football," Alexander said.
The Bills defensively we're up to the test in Week One, keeping the New York Jets halted for most of the game. The front-four dominated the run game, but struggled getting to Josh McCown with his quick release.
"That's why as a front-four this week, especially when we have an opportunity to get him in third and long we have to get after him and hit him early and often," Alexander said.
Newton is coming off of a rotator cuff injury from last season, but all signs indicate he's close to his normal self.
SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF THE DAY
Bills fullback Mike Tolbert has set up a fund to provide assistance to those in the Virgin Islands who have been impacted by Hurricane Irma.
