有料盒子

Veterans report to training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on Tuesday, with the first practice scheduled for Wednesday. Football is almost here. That makes it a great time to tackle the latest Bills Mailbag, so let鈥檚 get right to your questions 鈥�

Jim asks: How important is it that the Bills agree to a contract extension with Connor McGovern?

Jay: The quarterback-center relationship is crucial, and McGovern took over for Mitch Morse in 2024 and seemed to find immediate chemistry with Josh Allen. McGovern led what was the Bills鈥� best offensive line of the Allen era. Head coach Sean McDermott constantly talks about how important it is to be strong on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Because of that, a contract extension should be a priority for the team.

Mark asks: What鈥檚 your biggest 鈥渨hat if?鈥� for the Bills 鈭� excluding scoring plays like Wide Right? My choice: What if Wade Phillips had put Doug Flutie in the Titans playoff game after it quickly became apparent Rob Johnson was ineffective?

Jay: Let鈥檚 not forget that Johnson drove the Bills to the lead in that game. I digress, though. Mine is, what if Stefon Diggs catches the pass against the Chiefs in the 2023 divisional playoff loss at Highmark Stadium? An older generation of fans would obviously choose Ronnie Harmon鈥檚 drop in the 1989 divisional playoffs against the Browns. Had he made the catch in the end zone, the Bills would have taken a 36-34 lead pending an extra point with just 11 seconds remaining. I鈥檓 a bit too young to remember watching that game, but I鈥檓 sure it was on in the Skurski household.

Brenda asks: At age 36, with surgically repaired knees and the wear and tear of the NFL, how much do you think Von Miller has left? Also, are turkey burgers back on the training camp menu at St. John Fisher?

Jay: Let鈥檚 start with the turkey burgers. They will absolutely be back. Truth be told, my opinion of them isn鈥檛 as high as Josh Allen鈥檚, but don鈥檛 let that get in the way of a good story. As for Miller, I would not have sky-high expectations if I was a Commanders fan. I suppose as a designated pass rusher on third down he might provide something, but it鈥檚 telling that the Bills seemed to have no interest in re-signing him. Miller was just not the same player after tearing his ACL in 2022, and I don鈥檛 see how that changes in 2025.

Jeff asks: Knowing that the Bills are stingy with the time the media can watch the practices, are there any restrictions on access to the locker rooms? Who are your favorite players to talk to? Can I assume that if the general public has access to the practices, the media does to? Does everybody from the media stand on the field, or does it vary? If so, where do you prefer? I assume one of the most watched situations will be James Cook鈥檚 attitude. Finally, a non-Bills question: I feel Aaron Rodgers is no longer starting material for a real playoff and/or Super Bowl contender, and best suited as a backup. Pittsburgh would certainly disagree. Yourself?

Jay: Shout out to Jeff for getting his money鈥檚 worth in the mailbag. Practices during training camp are open to fans, so they also are open to the media. We can report on things like the starting lineup. Once practices move back to Orchard Park and are closed during the regular season, that becomes off limits. During the regular season, reporters can observe about the first 15 minutes of practice, which usually includes stretching and individual drills. It鈥檚 enough time for reporters to take practice attendance. Once team drills begin, we are no longer able to watch. We do not have access to the locker rooms at St. John Fisher, so interviews are done either on the field after practice or outside of the locker room entrance. Most reporters watch training camp practice from the field, but some choose a press box above the grass practice field. I spend most of my time on the field. I agree that Cook will be a player that is under the spotlight early in camp, but he鈥檚 a professional and I don鈥檛 expect him to be a distraction. As for Rodgers, his performance near the end of his time with the Jets started to get a little better. I don鈥檛 think he鈥檚 an elite starter anymore, but he should be an upgrade for Pittsburgh on what they had last year (Russell Wilson or Justin Fields).

Ken T. asks: The NFL can impose penalties if it finds credible evidence of misconduct, even without a criminal conviction. I understand the NFL鈥檚 intent, but it seems contradictory to our basic right of 鈥渋nnocent until proven guilty.鈥� Also, the Bills will now have to hope that the NFL鈥檚 investigation of allegations against Maxwell Hairston reach the same conclusions as their pre-draft vetting. Just how 鈥渕uddy鈥� and subjective is this whole process?

Jay: A 2023 change to the league鈥檚 personal conduct policy opened the door to the possibility of a player being disciplined for conduct that happened before he joined the NFL. The key language reads 鈥渘othing in this Policy should be read to limit the league鈥檚 authority to investigate or discipline potential Policy violations alleged to have occurred before a player is under contract or Draft-eligible.鈥� With Hairston now facing a civil lawsuit, the possibility exists that he could face some sort of league discipline, although, as you pointed out, Ken, the Bills seemed to conduct their own investigation of the situation before the draft and were comfortable enough with their findings to draft Hairston in the first round.

Ed asks: What kind of messages does this James Cook contract situation send to the rest of the Bills鈥� locker room? Does something like this send a wrong message to the players, divide the team, just serve as a distraction, or might it be something else?

Jay: Players understand it鈥檚 a business. Surely, they all want Cook to get paid, but they know that is out of their control. If anything, the team is united behind Cook. I disagree with the idea that not paying Cook sends the wrong message to the locker room, considering all of the contract extensions handed out by general manager Brandon Beane this offseason. The Bills have shown time and again they are willing to reward their own. That hasn鈥檛 happened with Cook 鈥� yet. He still has a year left on his contract, so there is time for both sides to work things out.

Mark from Las Vegas asks: Many national sports pundits are claiming that Sean McDermott is one of the most likely NFL coaches to be fired at the end of the season if the Bills don鈥檛 at least get to the Super Bowl. Do you think Brandon Beane and Terry Pegula feel the same way? With a few breaks, the Bills could be undefeated in the playoffs vs. Patrick Mahomes鈥� Chiefs. What other team has come so close to knocking the Chiefs out of the playoffs with the exception of the Bengals? McDermott has led the Bills to one of their most successful eras in franchise history. I, for one, do not want to see our head coach fired. Your thoughts?

Jay: I don鈥檛 think McDermott is on the hot seat in any way, shape or form. It鈥檚 important to note that Beane and McDermott both report directly to Pegula, so it鈥檚 the owner鈥檚 call on the future of his general manager and head coach. I get no sense whatsoever that Pegula is even remotely considering a coaching change. I suppose things could be different if the Bills somehow manage to go in the tank this year, but the only way I see that happening is because of a massive run of injuries, and that shouldn鈥檛 be held against the head coach. I understand the pressure to win it all increases every year another season of Josh Allen鈥檚 prime passes without doing so, but I have no reason to believe a coaching change is on the radar of anyone whose opinion matters at One Bills Drive.

Ron in Lockport asks: If the offense 鈥渢urns the ball over,鈥� how does the defense do the same? It doesn鈥檛 (generally). So, it should not be called the same thing. I have a teaching mantra that includes the phrase 鈥渁ll words have meaning.鈥� It strongly suggests that in order to be a good communicator, you should use the right words in your language. In other words, in order to provide clarity, do not use words that are confusing. Have I made myself clear? 鈥淭urnovers鈥� are an offensive error; TAKEAWAYS occur when the opponent regains possession of the ball. That happens on defense.

Jay: Thank you, Ron. Noted. By the way, did you consult with Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich before writing this? Babich gently reminded reporters of this very topic last year during his press conferences. You鈥檙e not wrong. Since we鈥檙e sharing our grievances of commonly misused terms, let me issue this public announcement: There is no such thing as a 鈥渇irst annual鈥� anything. If it鈥檚 the first event of its kind, and it plans to be annual, the word you鈥檙e looking for is inaugural. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Dave S. asks: Since training camp hasn鈥檛 started and it鈥檚 still the offseason, can I throw an off-topic question in? Since Terry Pegula is cashing in on his Bills/NFL checks, could he offer Connor McDavid 49% ownership of the Sabres next year when he becomes a free agent, giving him the most prolific players in the NFL and NHL? Could that solve the Sabres鈥� recruiting problem?

Jay: I鈥檓 not an expert in the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and its players. I鈥檓 also not a legal scholar. I鈥檓 comfortable in going out on a limb and saying that there is some kind of rule against an owner giving up nearly half his team for one player. For what it鈥檚 worth, the last NHL team to be sold was the Tampa Bay Lightning, for $1.8 billion last year. Even if we say the Sabres are worth less in smaller market, let鈥檚 say they are worth $1.2 billion. That would mean giving McDavid about $600 million. Would that be circumventing the salary cap? Of course it would, but since it鈥檚 not my $600 million, I say 鈥� go for it!

Thank you for all the questions this week. As a reminder, they can be submitted via X to @JaySkurski or by email to jskurski@buffnews.com.