Bills

Bills QB Josh Allen admitted there is plenty to still figure out ahead of the new season, but the goal remains to bring a Super Bowl victory to Buffalo.

“A lot of new. We’re gonna figure things out,” Allen said during an appearance this week on NFL Network’s The Insiders. “Obviously, we go to camp July 28. That’s really where you make your team. But like you said, a lot of new faces, offense, defense, staff-wise. New stadium. New head coach. So, there is a lot of new, and we’re looking forward to getting out there and really learning each other and building that team camaraderie when we go to St. John Fisher in Rochester. But, yeah, it’s another tough task, but the goal remains the same, and that’s to bring a Lombardi Trophy to Western New York. And we’re going to do everything in our power to make that happen.”

Dolphins

Dolphins OT Patrick Paul spoke about the growth from his rookie year to his second season and how, heading into his third year, he will ramp up the classes he attends, such as Pilates and boxing.

“Going from my rookie year to Year 2, I definitely had to take the offseason seriously, which everyone does, but I had to go another level with it,” Paul said, via DolphinsWire.com. “Doing things that normally I woul dn’t do, push my body to limits that it hasn’t gone to. It definitely showed with the transformation. I felt a lot better. I felt a lot faster, quicker, stronger.”

“Going into Year 3, I’m upping the ante even more,” Paul noted. “I’m bringing guys along. Going with people and trying boxing, implementing boxing for the hands, keeping doing my Pilates. I think I’m at 150 classes, now, it’s solid core. So, just keep on going with it. Implemented yoga and different things to strengthen different body parts that you wouldn’t think are necessities. But Pilates with the balance, is everything we live in. We live in a stance where we have to be there. We have to be strong. We have to be agile, side to side. Doing those things to just get it implemented on the field. So, upping the ante. That’s what we did this year even more.”

• Barry Jackson reports the Dolphins never made an offer for CB Rasul Douglas, their top cornerback from last season, who signed with the Commanders on Monday on a one-year deal.

Patriots

Former Patriots DT Lawrence Guy was among those surprised to see his former team make a run all the way to the Super Bowl in the first year under HC Mike Vrabel. However, Guy knew from the jump Vrabel wasn’t going to “lose the Super Bowl” in his first offseason last year because of the hours put into development and communication.

“We all talk about the offseason. …You can’t win a Super Bowl in the offseason. We can say that. You can lose a Super Bowl in the offseason,” Guy said, via the Patriots Wire. “I seen Mike came in there and was like, ‘We won’t lose this Super Bowl in the offseason. We’re going to work. We’re going to put in the hours in that classroom. We’re going to put in the hours in developing our players. We’re going to put in the hours of developing that communication with each other and that relationship because if you have no chemistry, you have no team.’ I think that’s what he did when he came in. He built in that chemistry.” 

Speaking on QB Drake Maye, Guy feels OC Josh McDaniels did an excellent job helping the young signal-caller take a big jump and build a strong rapport with the offensive line and receivers.

“I think Josh has done a great job with [Maye] as a quarterback. The development from Year 1 when he came in and took over midseason to when he’s like, ‘I’m the starter here.’ Building that relationship with his wide receivers, understanding that communication, the steps, the routine, the offensive linemen—you can just see his confidence building and building.”

Overall, Guy believes the Patriots’ organization will always be built on defense, and returning most of their key defensive contributors will be huge for their chances of another deep run. He thinks the biggest challenge the defense will face is how they can recover from the disappointing Super Bowl performance.

“Let’s just be honest, New England is a defensive team. We got the history of New England, and we know who was there at the ship. We get that. It’s a defensive team. It’s always been built on defense. The goal is keep the score under 30, and you can win the game. We’re always built on defense. I feel like the fact that those players are coming back is going to be huge.

“…The trick for this defense coming in this year is can they recover from the Super Bowl? Because that’s the hardest thing to do when you’re playing that style of defense. It’s fast, it’s loud, it’s hard-hitting. Can you recover from what just occurred?”