1 – Watkins turns it upBuffalo's offense turned in some plays on Monday night, the first night practice of camp, and they didn't have to rely on red zone work to find the end zone. They did however, lean on Sammy Watkins for scoring punch. In 11-on-11 Watkins turned in a pair of long touchdowns.
The first came on a deep ball from Tyrod Taylor, though some on the defense were arguing that Taylor had been tapped for a sack. But Watkins pulled it in for a 40-plus yard touchdown. His second scoring play came on a long pass as well from EJ Manuel, who hit Watkins on the left side for another score.
"It felt pretty good. Just getting some good work in and each day I'm getting better with more reps and I'm getting used to the guys and I'm just seeing little things that I didn't see the last few days. The quarterbacks did a great job of getting the ball to me."
Watkins also had a touchdown grab on a well-run inside out route from Tyrod Taylor during team work inside the 20-yard line.
2 – Red zone focusDuring team work there was an emphasis on the red zone with a pair of two-spot series working simultaneously at both ends of the field. Among those who turned in plays on offense were WR Justin Brown who EJ Manuel hit in stride on a post. Matt Simms also found Brown on a similar route.
Percy Harvin had a nice catch on a throw from Tyrod Taylor and Marcus Easley used his 225-pound frame to shield the defender from the ball to pull in a fade pass from Manuel for a score.
"Every time our offense gets down in the red zone we've got to put points on the board," said TE Marqueis Gray. "We work so hard to get down there so we might as well capitalize on it. Everybody has to be disciplined and we've just got to make a play."
3 – Henderson rotates in at RTThrough the first three days of training camp Cyrus Kouandjio got virtually every single snap with the first team offense at right tackle. On Monday night that changed as Seantrel Henderson was rotated in. Kouandjio still got the lion's share of the time with the starters, but Henderson got a few reps almost every series of team work.
"It felt good," Henderson told Buffalobills.com. "We're competing until it's time for the regular season. It feels good getting the reps and getting back into that rotation."
With a pair of second-year players going at it the right tackle spot could be one of the most heated position battles in camp.
Bonus Notes EJ Manuelrebounded nicely from a couple of subpar days. He looked decisive and was more accurate on the whole.
"The first day I was solid, the second and the third day I wasn't as happy with how I played, but (Monday) I felt better," said Manuel. "The biggest thing is focusing on myself. When you're in a competition like this you can't worry about what another guy does or whether you did good or bad. Your reps are what matters."
LeSean McCoyappeared to have a rest day as he did not take any team reps in practice Monday.
Boobie Dixonleft practice early with an undisclosed injury. He left the field under his own power.
