Josh Allen, Bills welcome being under the 'Hard Knocks' spotlight in opening training camp
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'You guys are everywhere,' the quarterback said with a smile as the Bills opened training camp in suburban Rochester, New York, on Wednesday.
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No stranger to the spotlight, the reigning NFL MVP, who married Hollywood star Hailee Steinfeld in May and signed one of the league's richest contracts in March, joked being mindful of his language while being mic'd up during the 90-minute practice.
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'Yeah, I tried not to cuss as much,' Allen said. 'Just making sure that anything that I say my mom would be OK with.'
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Allen's trying to keep things rated PG.
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And the Bills are welcoming the opportunity to pull back the curtain and reveal whatever the cameras might capture — warts and all — as insight into what's allowed the franchise to flourish entering its ninth season under coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane.
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'We have nothing to hide. We are who we are,' said McDermott, who ended the team's 17-season playoff drought in his first year in 2017, and guided Buffalo to six consecutive playoff appearances and win five straight AFC East titles.
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Just don't call the Bills' five-week 'Hard Knocks' series run opening on Aug. 5 a distraction.
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'The increased noise, if you will, is maybe in some ways good practice for us to really hone in and get our focus where it needs to be,' McDermott said.
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The series trailer HBO released Wednesday shows a confident, determined team with a clip of Allen saying: 'We're going to do whatever we can do bring a Lombardi back here to western New York.'
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Playoff shortcomings
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Successful as the Bills have been in posting double-digit wins in each of their past six seasons, they've come up short in the playoffs and usually against the Chiefs. Four of Buffalo's past five playoff losses have been against Kansas City, including a 32-29 loss in the AFC championship game in January.
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'Ultimately, you got to go out and do it,' Beane said, before noting how Allen and other Bills veterans can build on their experiences. 'I'm a firm believer that you keep swinging the sword, you keep fighting, you do not give in, you work harder and you use that frustration.'
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Though once again favored to win the AFC East, the Bills enter camp with several subplots beginning with starting running back James Cook's desire to land a contract extension while entering the final year of his deal.
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