Allen has solid day as Bills put on pads for the first time

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Bills safety Micah Hyde said it finally feels like he’s playing football. On Saturday at St. John Fisher College the Bills put on pads for the first time this season. Not surprisingly, things heated up during team-drills and Hyde and rookie tight end Dawson Knox found themselves in the middle of the first training camp scuffle of the year.

“We kind of got our juices flowing with some smack talk and all that stuff out there which is good, whenever a team is competing that’s when we’re all getting better,” Hyde said after practice. “Every guy out here is an alpha male, we like to compete and when the colliding gets a little violent that happens and guys talk junk it’s fun.”

Hyde and his teammates made it clear — this wasn’t a fight, it was just some competitors going at it.

“It’s football....It’s no more 7-on-7 patty cake we actually get to play football once you strap on the Riddell’s [pads],” Defensive End Jerry Hughes said. “It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Observations from Day Three:

Josh Allen has a solid day

In his first practice with pads at camp second-year QB Josh Allen had a very impressive day. Sure there were mistakes, but Allen connected with WR John Brown twice for two 50+ yard completions. On the first throw Allen stepped up in the pocket to avoid some pressure and dropped a perfect pass into Brown’s arms down the sideline. Moments later the two connected again on another deep ball, with Brown reeling it in after making a nice adjustment. But it wasn’t just the two deep passes that had fans cheering. Allen also connected on some nice passes over the middle to TE Tommy Sweeney and WR Cole Beasley. There will be good days and bad days for Allen during camp but it’s promising to see him start things off with a strong day.

John Brown is off to a fast start

Don’t be surprised if John Brown is the Bills No. 1 WR this season. Of course it’s still very early and a lot can change but in the first three days of practice he’s been getting plenty of targets, especially down the field. If last year is any indication, Allen loves to take his shots down the field, which makes Brown a match made in heaven.

Ray-Ray sighting?

When speaking with reporters before practice, Bills Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll brought up Ray-Ray McCloud unprompted, saying the second-year WR has had a strong offseason. McCloud has gotten plenty of reps with the starters during the first three days of camp and appears to be thriving. With the additions of Brown and Beasley to the WR room a spot on the 53-man roster is far from a guarantee but it appears McCloud is trending in the right direction.