AFC Notes: Josh Allen, Sauce Gardner, Bills, Jets, Patriots

Bills

Despite Bills QB Josh Allen‘s ability to make the impossible play, OC Joe Brady wants him to get better at making the easy plays whenever possible. 

“Josh is a great quarterback, but just wanting to see his thirst to get better,” Brady said, via the Centered on Buffalo podcast. “When you show him clips that ‘Hey, you might have made an incredible play right here but you didn’t have to make an incredible play. How can we make it easier for you? You can make plays that nobody else in the world can do, but we don’t need you to do it every snap.'”

Jets

Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich is excited about their Week 1 game at the 49ers given San Francisco is one of the best teams in the league and he grew up nearby in San Jose. 

“I love it, you know,” Ulbrich said, via Jack Bell of the team’s site. “What a great opportunity to play one of the best, if not the best, team in football right now, one of the historic franchises. And then, obviously, for 10 years, and I was raised in that area, so I was a lifelong 49ers fan as well. Could not be more excited. To be the best, you want to play the best. What a great task.”

As for the Jets’ strong defense, Ulbrich said they are going to continue focusing on skills, technique, and fundementals. 

“I would say the foundation of who we are is we’re going to do what we do,” Ulbrich said. “We take great pride in the fact that we have a great coaching staff that really is about skills, technique and based fundamentals and principles that we can really rely on to play the brand of defense we want to play. The beauty of that is, when I get to address the group, I’m not sitting there talking about 17,000 different schematic programs. I’m talking about finish, I’m talking about toughness, I’m talking about technique.”

Ulbrich said CB Sauce Gardner allows them to exploit certain matchups and feels he’s a “powerful tool” for them. 

“We have great confidence in all of them,” Ulbrich said. “Sauce has some unique qualities. He’s a guy that’s obviously, he’s super long, he’s big, and he’s bigger than most corners, but his transitions, his foot quickness, his speed, is just so unique for a guy so high cut and long legged. It doesn’t make physical sense to me most of the time when I really watch him, especially long, streaming stuff and matching guys in the outer brakes, the matching stuff. It’s a powerful tool.”

• According to an ESPN survey, Gardner was voted the third-best CB in the league. 
• Despite the high ranking, a league personnel evaluator disagrees with the perception of Gardner: “One of the most overrated players in the league. You could call holding on him every play.” 

Patriots

Patriots CB Marcus Jones recounted getting the call on draft night and what it was like to play for former HC Bill Belichick.

“Next thing you know, I ended up getting on the phone and ended up talking to Bill and just being able to play for him, he’s the greatest coach of all time in my opinion,” Jones said, via Patriots Wire. “The hard work and dedication, how he treats players—he treats everyone equal, no matter who it is. That’s why that accountability in that organization is so high, and that’s why that standard was there and that’s why that legacy was there. Much respect for Bill and everything like that. Like I said, man, he’s forever the greatest coach of all time to me.”