After a fiery Buffalo Bills practice Tuesday that included multiple fights and one player swinging their helmet, quarterback Josh Allen characterized the intensity as an example of the team’s will to win.
Allen put himself in the fray at least once, to chastise linebacker Tyrel Dodson for swinging his helmet after an altercation with tackle Spencer Brown. Other skirmishes included wide receiver Stefon Diggs with cornerback Siran Neal and Diggs again with cornerback Taron Johnson.
“We’re just working to compete and get better and we want to be great,” Allen said afterward. “Sometimes you go through practices like that where both sides want it really badly. Both sides are storming to the ball, just trying to make plays and you need those practices. That makes your team better.”
After Diggs threw a block on Johnson at one point, Johnson made his displeasure known with his arms spread wide. But the two were seen settling their differences after practice. The day concluded with Diggs catching a touchdown pass from Allen.
Head coach Sean McDermott stopped practice on at least one occasion to deliver a stern address to the team.
“I think all of our practices have had their moments,” Allen said. “This one may be the most constant. Again, it’s expected (and) and it’s … deserved.”
Allen insists there is no lingering animosity.
“I think it’s well understood on this team that everything that happens between the white lines stays within the white lines,” Allen said. “We love each other. This is a team that gets along extremely well. Our locker room is fantastic and we spend a lot of time outside of the facility together.
“At the same time, we’re grown men and we want to win. We don’t want to give the defense anything and the defense doesn’t want to give us anything. I’d be worried if it was the opposite, to be honest.”
The Bills were 13-3 last season and finished as AFC East champions for the third consecutive year, but they failed to reach the AFC Championship Game after a 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bills open their 2023 regular-season schedule Sept. 11 with a Monday night game on the road against the New York Jets.
–Field Level Media