Latest news with #physicality
New York Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Bills training camp observations, Day 5: Christian Benford shines on Day 1 in pads
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — There's always a different feeling in the air at training camp once the Buffalo Bills get through the first stage. The team generally spends the first four days going through practices in just helmets, shorts and jerseys during its annual ramp-up period to 'real' football. The fifth day has normally been the first in full pads, and that tradition continued Monday. As players exited the locker room at St. John Fisher University, they were in full pads from head to toe, meaning the physicality of training camp was about to increase exponentially. Advertisement It's always a delicate balance in a highly competitive atmosphere, forcing McDermott to make his expectations well-known throughout his team. 'I want to see nasty, physical football, but I don't want to see a disrespect for a man's career,' he said. 'That's not how we play in Buffalo. We painted a pretty clear picture this morning of what that looks like for the new players in particular. That nastiness, that's got to be developed here. But it can't be at the expense of someone's career. So, clean, but physical.' The Bills dealt with some questionable plays even in the first four days of camp without pads — one of which led to McDermott ejecting backup offensive lineman Alec Anderson from practice for what the coach deemed a cheap shot to another player. And even on the first day of full pads, you could sense the intensity increasing as the pads began to pop on a hot and muggy morning. As the Bills went through their first day of padded football, what stood out? Here are several notes and updates from the day. With the pads on for the first time, it was the first opportunity to see how players performed with the added physical element, but also players' first time in full pads since the 2024 season ended. Teams always want to see the top players shine in those settings, and top cornerback Christian Benford shined and then some on Monday. He was brilliant in multiple one-on-one drills, dominating reps on the way to pass breakups, regardless of whom he faced. Benford locked down the bigger Keon Coleman to the point that the rep was never even close. The smaller, shiftier Khalil Shakir ran a great route and looked like he'd brought in a perfectly thrown pass from Josh Allen on the sideline, only for Benford to rip the ball out of Shakir's hands as the receiver tried to complete the catch to the ground. Benford, usually a quiet and calm presence, was ready for a rep against receiver KJ Hamler, who has a relatively chatty reputation. Benford played another lockdown rep against Hamler. The two went at it again near the end of one-on-ones, with Hamler making a catch on a 3-yard comeback, but that was the extent of the success against Benford on Monday. There was a scary scene Sunday at the end of practice. Wide receiver Tyrell Shavers completed a catch in the end zone with rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston trailing in coverage. When Hairston took an extra step to try to rip the ball loose after the catch was made, Shavers crumbled to the ground clutching the top of his right ankle. McDermott and his staff said they discussed the play to see if there was a teaching moment, but they ultimately felt it was just football players trying to make a play. Advertisement But the good news for Shavers is that the injury is mild — an excellent outcome considering there was potential for a season-ending injury with how it looked initially. The Athletic caught up with Shavers, who was sporting a small wrap on his right ankle, after Monday's practice. 'Definitely was scary,' Shavers said. 'X-rays and MRIs came back good. Feeling good. Just taking one day at a time.' McDermott vaguely told reporters Shavers would be back in a couple of days if everything goes as planned. However, it's tough to pinpoint what a couple of days might mean in the context of camp when there are days off and the team's general cautiousness this time of the year with players returning from injury. 'I'm not missing too much time, I'll tell you that,' Shavers said. 'I don't want to miss any time. I obviously want to be back before the first preseason game, but my body, I'm just going to listen to it, whatever it says.' Shavers had been making a big early impression at training camp, forcing his way into more time with the first-team offense, while also taking advantage of injuries to wide receivers Curtis Samuel and Elijah Moore to get additional time with the Josh Allen-led unit. Even with the presence of Samuel and Moore, the Bills have a gap in their receiver room for a specific role. Mack Hollins, who left in free agency, was the team's top backup for Coleman at X receiver and also lined up all over the formation. He was a very dependable run blocker and special teams player when given those reps. Shavers, who is similarly statured to Hollins at 6 foot 4, is attempting to fill that role. He went to work in the offseason and put on five pounds of solid muscle. That might not seem like a lot, but when Shavers arrived in Buffalo in 2023, he had a thinner body type, which typically has more difficulty gaining muscle weight. Shavers' body composition is now much different than in 2023, as he's up to 211 pounds to try to give the Bills the run blocking and special teams ability they want in a fifth or sixth receiver. Advertisement Shavers also has the advantage of time on task, with more experience in the Bills' offense than every other receiver on the team except Shakir. In his final game in 2024, when he was elevated from the practice squad against the Jets in Week 17, Shavers took a screen pass 69 yards for a touchdown. It was his first career catch and touchdown all in one play. If there was a year for him to finally crack the 53-man roster, after being one of the last cuts last summer, it's this one. 'It's just a great opportunity to go out there and show what I can do,' Shavers said. 'With the guys that we lost last year, there's spots available, room available for guys to step up and take advantage. That's what I'm looking to do.' Shavers is signed through the 2026 season and will likely need to convince the Bills to keep six receivers, or to unseat Samuel or Moore for one of the top five spots. After four consecutive days of work to begin training camp, tight end Dalton Kincaid had a clear runway to work with Allen and the first-team offense. Fellow tight end Dawson Knox hasn't practiced since camp began due to a hamstring injury, and the Bills had been excited about both Kincaid's health and the offseason following a frustrating, injury-plagued 2024. During the season, Kincaid suffered a PCL injury to his left knee that helped define the second half of his season. Ahead of Monday's practice, McDermott revealed Kincaid would not participate due to soreness in his knee. The soreness stemmed from a play Sunday when Kincaid had a few defenders around him — the Bills are unsure if there was contact that caused the soreness or if it was how Kincaid landed, but it was enough to put Kincaid on the sidelines Monday. During practice, Kincaid was wearing a sleeve on his left leg. It is unclear if the soreness has anything to do with his 2024 PCL injury, but it certainly isn't something the Bills wanted to deal with this early into camp. Regardless, the Bills are generally conservative in July and August with injuries to their top players, because they have the time to get healthier than the regular season would normally provide. Kincaid was casually standing and throwing the ball around with Knox and tight ends coach Rob Boras on Monday. Odds are the team is just being cautious, but it remains to be seen how long that caution will keep Kincaid out of practice. Advertisement Even after the Bills released punter Jake Camarda just ahead of training camp, new special teams coordinator Chris Tabor was quite blunt about the punting job on Sunday. While complimentary of Brad Robbins, now the only punter on the roster, the evaluation is far from over. 'Brad has not won this job,' Tabor said, effectively keeping the competition open despite there only being one punter on the team. On Monday, in Robbins' first chance to punt in team drills since Day 1, he had one of his best days with the Bills so far. Many of his situations were different. With the chance to lay into a punt and flip the field from Buffalo's 30-yard line, Robbins connected on a pair of 57-yard punts with an excellent average hang time of 4.81 seconds. Then, with some opportunities near midfield to pin the returner deep, he landed all three at or inside the 10-yard line with ample hang time for his punt coverage gunners. The first two took a beautiful high bounce just outside the 5-yard line, with the gunner being able to get under both to down the play inside the 5. The last attempt was a skied punt with a 4.66-second hang time, and the returner had to fair catch at the 10-yard line. The performance was a big improvement from Day 1. Day 5 MVP: CB Christian Benford — Benford remained in the hip pocket of the receivers he covered, regardless of the drill. He forced multiple pass breakups and looked every bit the player who could make an even bigger jump in production in 2025. Did not participate: RT Spencer Brown (back, active PUP), C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (calf, active PUP), TE Dawson Knox (hamstring), LB Dorian Williams (calf), WR Curtis Samuel (hamstring), LB Terrel Bernard (hamstring), WR Elijah Moore (leg soreness), WR Tyrell Shavers (ankle), WR Kaden Prather (hamstring), K Tyler Bass (pelvis area soreness)
ABC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Why Wallabies could have the 'blueprint' to defeating British and Irish Lions in second Test
When the Wallabies watched back their defeat to the British and Irish Lions in the first Test, they could have hit the pause button after just 10 seconds to identify a key area of the match in which they were soundly beaten. Making a hit-up on the second phase following the kick-off in Brisbane last Saturday night, Wallabies loose-head prop James Slipper was abruptly halted by a stinging two-man tackle executed by Lions hooker Dan Sheehan and back-rower Tom Curry. The moment set the tone for the match, as the Lions had immediately signalled they were intent on dominating the physical contest, a key battleground in any Test. After Sheehan and Curry stopped Slipper in his tracks, the Lions imposed themselves again by winning a defensive breakdown penalty in the next phase, from which they established a 3-0 advantage on the scoreboard in the second minute of play. The Lions enjoyed a 24-5 lead soon after half-time, and despite a spirited Wallabies' fightback, the tourists completed a comfortable 27-19 victory, with the final scoreline not reflecting how dominant they were in the series opener. Lions coach Andy Farrell admitted his team had room for improvement, an ominous warning ahead of Saturday night's second Test at the MCG. Having been out-muscled on both sides of the ball by the Lions, "physicality" virtually become a buzzword for the Wallabies after arriving in Melbourne. Reacting to the Wallabies' loss, coach Joe Schmidt added some world-class firepower to his forward pack in the form of back-rower Rob Valetini and lock Will Skelton. Both players were sorely missed in the first Test, having been sidelined due to calf injuries. Valetini and Skelton have the potential to provide much-needed aggression to the Wallabies' attack and defence, and have shown they can win the collisions at the Test level. "When you get two people with their presence and experience coming into your side, it always does give you confidence," Wallabies captain Harry Wilson told reporters on Friday. "They're two real leaders in the group and to have them back in such a big match is really exciting for us." There are question marks over Valetini and Skelton's match fitness, however, given they were also unavailable for the Test against Fiji in Newcastle earlier this month. It's one of the reasons Schmidt opted to select six forwards — including damaging ball-runner Langi Gleeson — on his eight-player reserves bench, wanting to maintain an aggressive template he hopes Valetini and Skelton can create for the Wallabies before they are replaced. "We want to impose ourselves physically," Wilson said. "We want to back our skills and go out there and start fast … and throw your body around, knowing there's some quality bench players to come and finish." Personnel changes can go a long way to teams upping the ante when it comes to physicality, but an attitudinal adjustment can be just as effective. The Wallabies would be wise to take a leaf out of the First Nations and Pasifika XV's playbook in the wake of their performance against the Lions in Melbourne last Tuesday night. It wasn't a mistake-free display from the First Nations and Pasifika XV, who trailed 14-0 early, conceded 12 line breaks and gave away 13 penalties to the Lions' eight during the 80 minutes. But they stuck to their pre-match plan of being aggressive in attack and defence to rattle the Lions, who were forced to cling on during the final 10 minutes before prevailing 24-19 at the Docklands stadium. Such was the physical presence of the First Nations and Pasifika XV, their captain Kurtley Beale believed they showed the Lions can be vulnerable. "You need to take it (physicality) to them," said Beale, who has appeared in 95 Tests for the Wallabies. "There were patches there where we had the momentum and the Lions were kind of taking a backfoot step, and I think that created opportunities for us. "These boys (First Nations and Pasifika XV), they love the physicality. You need the physicality to lay the platform for your backs to play off." The First Nations and Pasifika XV's effort didn't go unnoticed by the Wallabies. "Just seeing the way they went after them (Lions) with the line speed, the big hits in defence," Wilson said. "It was a great blueprint there about how really to try to physically dominate them." Defence is said to be built on attitude and mindset, so the Wallabies have had plenty to think about in the past week. They also don't need a reminder about what's at stake when both teams run out on the MCG in front of a crowd that may exceed 90,000 spectators. "There is no denying — we've got to go out here, we have to win," Wilson said. "We've got to win the next two (Tests) to win the series."
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
🎧 Lawal 'very excited with what's to come'
"I'm very excited with what's to come."I'm looking forward to bringing energy, physicality, goals and some heavy hits."Stoke City midfielder Bosun Lawal tells BBC Radio Stoke he is ready to start the upcoming season after an injury-curtailed 2024-25 to the full interview and more on Stoke City on BBC Sounds.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Physical approach a blueprint for the Wallabies?
The British and Irish Lions came through a stern physical test to defeat a First Nations and Pasifika XV 24-19 in Melbourne on Nations and Pasifika's aggressive approach made things tough for a much-changed Lions Australia have learned some lessons from that as they look to level the Test series against the Lions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday?"You need to take it to them, head on," said veteran fly-half Kurtley Beale, who captained the hosts at Marvel Stadium."There were patches there where we had the momentum and the Lions were kind of taking a backward step. It created opportunities for us."Playing rugby, you need the physicality to lay the platform for your backs to play off."Asked if his side's approach might have inspired the Wallabies watching on before Saturday's second Test, Beale - who played for Australia against the Lions in 2013 - said: "Hopefully. We're very proud of what we did."We had a gameplan and some things to hang our hats on after the game, and I thought, regardless of the result, we did that."
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'It is going to be a war'
Brandon Paenga-Amosa, who starts at hooker for the First Nations and Pasifika XV against the Lions on Tuesday, says he is expecting another "war" with the has already faced the Lions for Western Force and the AUNZ Invitational XV."Every game the Lions play it is about physicality," he said. "It is a physical fight up front, we know that is going to be a war, we are prepared for that, we are excited."It was put to him that the Lions, who won the first Test in Brisbane on Saturday, were now concentrated on the Wallabies, rather than their final midweek opposition."We know that they are not really focused on us," he said. "And that is OK, but I guess we don't really want to talk about it too much. "We just want to show them what we are made of and what do."The First Nations and Pasifika team could come together to offer the Lions a pre-match cultural challenge."I don't want to give away too much, maybe, we'll see," added Paenga-Amosa."There has been a lot of good singing - a lot of hymns have been sung, a couple of devotionals. "It has been good to be one with the culture and learning a lot about the First Nations as well, it has been great."
