Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was in the midst of discussing his ideal prototypical sizes for players at various
positions
Womens Mike Evans Jersey , when Tremaine Edmunds' name was mentioned."Hah," Frazier said, before pausing to buy time to put the 20-year-old rookie starting middle linebacker's 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame and sideline-to-sideline
range into perspective.
"His height, his size, his speed, that's rare. He's an anomaly in a lot of ways," he said early into training camp last month. "He's unusual in that
regard, and we expect him to play up to that."
The Bills are very high on Edmunds. The Virginia Tech product is their second of two first-round selections whom they traded up six spots to draft 16th, and
then immediately put him in a starting role during the team's first spring
practice.
Easy as Edmunds made the transition from college to the NFL appear during his first few months, Frazier was also cautious in suggesting there might be some
bumps ahead once the preseason opens.
A reminder of that came Friday, when Edmunds experienced a few rookie moments in what was a forgettable opening defensive series in Buffalo's 19-17 win at
Cleveland.
The worst came on the third snap when Edmunds was caught leaning the wrong way in being fooled by a fake handoff to receiver Antonio Callaway, while
running back Carlos Hyde was already heading up the right sideline for a 26-yard
gain on a drive that ended with the Browns scoring a touchdown.
On the bright side, Edmunds bounced back by having a hand in three tackles, including one for a 2-yard loss, during his final three defensive series in
which the Browns combined for two first downs and gained 31 yards.
"You just don't wake up and then everything is just going to be perfect," Edmunds said
Wayne Simmonds Jersey , following practice Monday. "It's going to be a process. There's going to be struggles along the way. It's just about how you
react to them."
He's focused on getting a shot to bounce back on Sunday, when the Bills host Cincinnati in a game where the starters will get their most extensive playing
time of the preseason.
"My head is on just coming out here and getting better. Simple as that," he said.
Coach Sean McDermott said patience is the key in taking into account Edmunds' inexperience.
"We've got to manage expectations," he said. "Certainly, he's done some nice things to this point, but has a long way to go as well, just take it one day,
one play at a time."
A former defensive coordinator in Carolina, McDermott mentioned Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly in noting how familiar he is with dealing with growing
pains.
"I saw Luke in his first year, and I can tell you he's a different player now than he was then," McDermott said. "It takes time."
Edmunds is responsible for the play-calling duties and making pre-snap adjustments on a defense looking to build off last season. Though finishing 26th
in yards allowed, the Bills were tied for eighth with 25 takeaways, and 18th in
points allowed, while going 8-1 when giving up 17 or fewer points.
As a junior last year, Tremaine Edmunds was a Butkus Award finalist as college football's top linebacker after leading Virginia Tech with 109 tackles
and 5? sacks.
Edmunds has a deep NFL tradition in his family.
His father, Ferrell Edmunds, was a two-time Pro Bowl tight end during a seven-year career split between Miami and Seattle.
His oldest brother
http://www.officialislanders.com/authentic-adidas-adam-pelech-jersey , Trey Edmunds, is a running back entering his second season with New Orleans.
And his middle brother, safety Terrell Edmunds, was selected by Pittsburgh with the 28th pick in April, making them the first sibling tandem to be chosen
in the first round of the same draft.
Veteran linebacker Lorenzo Alexander is struck by the poise Edmunds has shown from his very first practice.
"Very mature. In a day and age when kids or young men come into the league with the expectation of, 'I'm here. I've arrived. Cater to me,'" he said. "He's
totally the opposite of that. Very down to earth. Carries himself like a
professional."
Alexander saw signs of Edmunds' even-keel maturity on the sideline following the first drive against Cleveland.
"He's carrying a significant weight. I mean, I think there's a lot of expectations after being drafted so high ... he never flustered," Alexander
said. "He's going to be fine. He's fine."
NOTES: The Bills said on Monday that rookie QB Josh Allen will start Sunday against the Bengals. ... AJ McCarron , who is still being evaluated for an
injury to his throwing shoulder, was spotted at the Bills facility preparing to
ride a stationary bike. ... RB LeSean McCoy did not practice because of a sore
groin.
As the Minnesota Vikings conducted their first full-team practice of training camp, the offensive linemen, once again, found themselves in the
spotlight.
The center of attention is precisely where these players would prefer not to be, and their position coach's sudden death was about the worst circumstance
imaginable. The day after the starters served as pallbearers at Tony Sparano's
memorial service, they turned their focus back to the field while carrying
forward those lessons learned about the game and about life.
"He took me to places I couldn't go as a player and as a man," center Pat Elflein said. "It wasn't just football with him. He really cared about his
players
Womens Andrew Cogliano Jersey , the well-being of his players, and it hurts."
Sparano's personality in practice was gruff. He was simply aiming to help his players improve, and once they realized the passion behind his motives they
quickly gained a deep appreciation for his presence that's been dearly missed
this week.
"It's still there," Elflein said. "You can still sense it in the room, that Tony's not there, but he is."
Injuries have taken a toll on this group over the last few years. Some draft picks didn't develop, and some free agent additions didn't fit. Add that all up,
and Minnesota's offensive line has struggled more than any other position group
on the team since head coach Mike Zimmer was hired in 2014. Strides were made
last year, but the NFC championship game loss at Philadelphia showed there's a
long way to go. That's where the toughness and pride that Zimmer hired Sparano
to more deeply instill in the blockers ought to continue on even without their
leader.
"What his vision was on the makeup of his offensive line and what he truly believed in, over the past two years we've really focused on bringing in,"
general manager Rick Spielman said. "I used to kid him all the time, 'It's like
watching a bunch of Tony Sparanos running around the building.' They're all in
that mold. But I do think the group that we have, that they will rally. I know
that they will want to make him proud as we move forward."
Zimmer announced Saturday his decision to switch tight ends coach Clancy Barone to become co-offensive line coach with Andrew Janocko, who assisted
Sparano last season. Todd Downing, who was Oakland's offensive coordinator last
year and hired by the Vikings as a senior offensive assistant, will assume
supervision of the tight ends.
"We're still kind of mourning Tony, but he would've wanted us to move on
Authentic Oscar Fantenberg Jersey , get back to grinding, so that's what we're going to do," left tackle Riley Reiff said.
Barone coached tight ends and offensive line at different times during eight seasons with Denver, where he was before joining the Vikings last season.
Janocko is in his fourth year on Zimmer's staff.
"I feel really good about it," Zimmer said. "These guys are experienced in the things that they're doing, and I think it was the best way to go."
Continuity was the top priority in replacing Sparano, who died of heart disease on Sunday at age 56.
"For the last two years we've worked really hard on the footwork and the techniques and the schemes we were running, so I felt like it was important that
we continue to do that regardless of whatever we decided to do," Zimmer
said.
Reiff is the anchor of the group, which has begun training camp in a mild state of flux with Elflein recovering from offseason surgeries on his ankle and
shoulder. Nick Easton, likely the starting left guard again, has been handling
center with Elflein still in rehabilitation mode. Mike Remmers has made what
appears to be a permanent move to right guard, and Rashod Hill is in place at
right tackle. While Elflein is out, newcomer Tom Compton is taking most of the
turns at left guard.
"These guys are professionals. They understand that things happen. This isn't the first time that something's happened to us here," Zimmer said. "So we're
used to overcoming adversity, and that's what we're going to continue to
do."
Authentic Washington Redskins Jerseys
