AFC Notes: Bills, Jets, Patriots

Bills

Bills QB Josh Allen acknowledged that he hasn’t played up to his usual standards through the first two weeks of the season. 

“It’s no secret that I didn’t play great last game (against Miami) and I didn’t play great the week before (against Pittsburgh),” Allen said, via Matt Parrino of NYUp.com. “Stuff I’m working on and just got to push through it and find ways to be better for this team.”

Allen said that he gets “frustrated with myself” when he’s not executing how he expects and must find ways to be a better leader. 

“Whether it’s finding the check down early and just trying to get into a groove … That’s expected from us,” Allen said. “I demand so much of myself and I want to execute at such a high level. When things aren’t going well I get so frustrated with myself. So I got to find a way to keep going, be light for the guys and be the best leader that I can be for this team.”

Bills OC Brian Daboll said he’s pleased with the pressure Allen puts on himself given it’s difficult to be successful in the NFL. 

“He wants to be so good,” Daboll said. “That’s a great thing to have too, because this league is a tough league. There’s tough opponents, there’s tough coaching staffs, there’s tough teams to go against, and you’re not going to be perfect every week.”

Jets

• According to the Athletic’s Jeff Howe, the Jets never tipped their hand to first-round QB Zach Wilson that he was their preferred target at No. 2 overall. Howe says there was speculation Wilson could be available at No. 3 overall which is why the 49ers traded up. 
• Eventual Bears first-round QB Justin Fields was speculated to be the other option the Jets were considering with the No. 2 pick but Howe writes the Jets never led Fields to believe he was their pick either. 
• Aaron Wilson reports the Jets worked out FB Nick Bawden and FB Sutton Smith. New York ended up signing Bawden to the practice squad. 

Patriots

Lots of folks have opinions on how and why the relationship between Patriots HC Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady degraded to the point of separation. You of course know what they say about opinions. But when Alex Guerrero, Brady’s trainer and close friend, has thoughts, it’s worth paying attention to. 

“The interesting thing I think there — and this is just me, an outsider looking in — it was like Bill never really . . . I think his emotions or feelings never evolved with age,” Guerrero said via Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. “I think in time, with Tom, as Tom got into his late 30s or early 40s, I think Bill was still trying to treat him like that 20-year-old kid that he drafted. And all the players, I think, realized Tom was different. He’s older, so he should be treated differently. And all the players, none of them would have cared that he was treated differently. I think that was such a Bill thing. He never evolved. So you can’t treat someone who’s in his 40s like they’re 20. It doesn’t work.”

• According to the Athletic’s Jeff Howe, the Patriots never looked into trading up with the Dolphins for the No. 3 overall pick.