Bills

Bills HC Sean McDermott said the team played well below its standard following the preseason blowout loss.

“Certainly not up to our standard, what we expect,” McDermott said, via Around The NFL. “Got a lot of work to do. That’s very clear. Doesn’t matter who’s out there, ones, twos, threes, fours, whoever it is, we expect them to perform and we expect our level of performance to be much better than that.”

McDermott added that the team lost in the trenches and didn’t have many bright spots against Chicago.

“So, just break it down, line of scrimmage, we didn’t win the line of scrimmage, fundamentally we weren’t good enough, too many penalties,” he said. “Get out there and playing against their ones, I expect — we expect — to compete with them. And that wasn’t the case early. And then our twos, then who were out there against their twos, and our threes against their threes, it didn’t get much better. So we’ve got to look at it, figure some things out and evaluate some of the guys as well and see where we stand there. A lot of work to get done this week as we move forward.”

Patriots

Patriots S Jabrill Peppers is entering his fourth season with the team and is hopeful that he can bounce back as a player and leader after a down season in 2024.

“It was tough last year both on and off the field. Just to be able to come out here and focus on football and not have that weighing on me — a whole new start, new scheme, a new environment, a new feel around the building — it’s been good for me,” Peppers said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN. “I know it’s been good for a lot of the guys here, but for me, in particular, it’s definitely been good. The ‘want to’ to get to work. The ‘want to’ to lead by example and keep jelling with the guys, keep showing who I am to the coaches and players. It’s a whole new team, not much carryover, a whole new identity, and I’m blessed to still be here, because it could have gone a whole different way for me.”

Peppers wants to coach when his NFL career comes to an end, but plans on playing as long as he possibly can. He is also keeping a notebook throughout his career as he learns from each stop on his journey.

“I just don’t know if I want to coach at the high school, collegiate, or NFL level. I plan on playing until I can’t play anymore. And you know how soft they’re making the game, I should be able to do it a little bit more longer — even if I’m way older up there, full-time special team guy, dime package,” Peppers added. “It’s my book, from every coach I’ve had since I’ve been in the league, and I view it as ‘you can learn something from everybody.’ So, it’s things I’ve taken from them and then my section of ‘How I would want to play each and every year as long as God would let me do it.’ I thought it was pretty cool [with Vrabel]: I kind of already knew, watching those guys play in Tennessee, they were always tough against the run, stout defense. I definitely already had a sense of the identity, but it’s different when you’re sitting in that room.”

Dolphins 

• Dolphins S Minkah Fitzpatrick said he has multiple roles in DC Anthony Weaver‘s system and thinks his versatility as a player was the reason Miami acquired him: “They’re asking me to do more than just one job. I think (Weaver’s) defense in the secondary is based off of versatility and that’s kind of the reason they brought me here.” (Joe Schad)

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