The Bills 'NEW & IMPROVED' Keon Coleman, Bishop & Bernard SIMILARITIES + CB1 leading the way

Summary

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Episode Overview

Theme:
The Buffalo Plus team delivers an in-depth report from the Buffalo Bills’ recent practice, spotlighting the development of wide receiver Keon Coleman in his second training camp, rookie safety Cole Bishop’s push toward a starting role, and the emerging leadership of Christian Benford at cornerback. The hosts discuss notable ups and downs from practice, offer behind-the-scenes insight, and share interviews and standout quotes from players and coaches.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Offense Struggles in Practice

• Timestamp 00:51-03:00
  • The hosts immediately note that the Bills’ offense looked rough in latest practice.
  • Issues included bad center snaps (especially from Alec Anderson), false starts, and lack of unit cohesion.
  • Josh Allen was visibly frustrated.
  • "They had to run the field twice. They had to stop practice to make the offense run not once, but twice. Yeah, Josh was throwing balls, slamming his helmet." – Dan Fetes (01:21)
  • Defense was celebrating, but more "because of the ineptitude of the offense" than defensive success.
  • The only bright spot: some creative, fun red-zone trick plays, including a Josh Allen touchdown catch.

2. The Keon Coleman Leap: Year Two Transformation

• Timestamp 03:27-07:54
  • Massive praise for receiver Keon Coleman’s transformation from rookie to his second year.
  • Both coaches and teammates observe a new level of confidence, detail, and professionalism.
  • "Deon Dawkins says it is night and day, the difference between the player that he was and his rookie season to what we see in year two." – Jenna Cottrell (03:40)
  • Joe Brady (offensive coordinator) highlights Coleman’s new intentionality: he focuses on improving one specific thing each day, rather than getting overwhelmed.
  • Notable quote from Deion Dawkins (team captain, T):

    "I’m going to tell you the truth. It’s night and day. Keon is not the same player from last year. So the league better get ready. He is going to be special, and he already is. ... Keon has showed up in every bit of, of where we needed him ... He’s been a fully changed Keon and I’m happy to be his teammate." (05:55)

  • Discussion of Coleman’s new ability to confidently interact with Josh Allen, giving honest feedback and building trust.
  • Coleman’s own increased self-awareness: Reflects candidly on calling his rookie season "trash" and embracing real growth.

3. Keon’s Skillset, Consistency, and Opportunities

• Timestamp 07:37-11:43
  • The hosts see Coleman having a boom-or-bust profile; he can make remarkable catches but still has frustrating drops in practice.
  • "There’s going to be some birdies and eagles, and some bogeys and double bogeys... But he has the ability to go up and take a ball away from another player – and not everyone can do that." – Mike Catalana (09:16)
  • What’s needed: turn more of the big valleys in his play into steady, reliable performances.
  • Joe Brady and Bobby Babich both emphasize that long-term NFL success is built on obsessing over "the smallest things."
  • Fun anecdote: Coleman’s playful rapport with Josh Allen—knows when to give feedback but respects Allen’s role as the franchise QB.

4. Standout Practice Moments

• Timestamp 12:12-12:42
  • Highlighted a made-for-reel Josh Allen throw:

    "It looked like he threw it like a submarine pitcher, and it was just a rope. ... It was a Mahomes type move with a Josh Allen rocket arm, sprinkle in some Matt Stafford." – Dan Fetes/Mike Catalana

5. Safety Battle: Cole Bishop’s Ascendance

• Timestamp 12:54-18:00
  • Earlier predictions had Demar Hamlin as the likely starting safety, but all signs point to rookie Cole Bishop now.
  • Bishop is taking first-team reps and impressing coaches.
  • Comparison: Bishop’s situation resembles Terrel Bernard’s emergence last season—sometimes the staff simply rolls with high-upside youth over a known, limited commodity.
  • Bobby Babich on making the leap with a rookie: "At some point, there’s going to be ... limited faith, where you think the guy has physical ability. We drafted him high and that’s it, we want him out there." – Paraphrased from Babich via Catalana (15:10)
  • Critical factors: Modern NFL defenses need safeties who can both play in-the-box and cover deep, rotating unpredictably—skills where Bishop projects higher than Hamlin.
  • Dan points out the Bills’ disguises dropped last year:

    "The Bills were almost dead last in disguise coverages last year, and in the previous years they were always top five ... They became predictable because of limitations to Demar Hamlin’s game." (17:21)

  • Expect Bishop, beside Taylor Rapp, to be tasked with complex responsibilities from Week 1.

6. Christian Benford’s Emerging Leadership at Cornerback

• Timestamp 19:05-20:41
  • Jenna shares impressions after filming Benford directing and energizing his defensive teammates on the field.
  • Benford, once a quiet late-round pick, is now viewed as a "core guy" and cornerstone of the defense.
  • Internal team evolution: As veterans leave, younger players like Benford step up—mirroring Keon Coleman’s maturation.

7. Other Team Storylines and Roster Notes

• Veteran Additions? (18:12-19:01)
  • Dan speculates the Bills may bring in a veteran WR or safety for depth, though no imminent signings are expected.
• Jimmy Charlotte Interview (21:11-22:44)
  • Lighthearted segment on Jimmy Charlotte, featured on Hard Knocks.
  • Described humorous details of his NFL tryout odyssey and personal connections to South Jersey and Mount Laurel.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Deion Dawkins on Keon Coleman (05:55):

"Keon is not the same player from last year. So the league better get ready. ... He’s been a fully changed Keon and I’m happy to be his teammate and for him to just keep learning because he is going to be special. ... This is Keon’s time and you’ll see it."

Dan Fetes on the Offense’s Bad Day (01:21):

"They had to run the field twice. They had to stop practice to make the offense run not once, but twice. Yeah, Josh was throwing balls, slamming his helmet..."

Jenna Cottrell on Benford’s Leadership (19:07):

"I saw Benford, who was a quieter guy ... who was breaking down the defense. ... You could tell he was like pumping everybody up. And I thought, wow, this is a guy that ... I don’t think of him as being a vocal leader for this team, but ... Benford is one of our new core guys."

Mike Catalana on Consistency (09:16):

"We talk about consistency with players, right, but that comes from ... a lot of players can make a great play. ... It’s the stars and the guys who are leading their teams that just seem to do it all the time and then rise to the bigger occasions."

Dan Fetes on Safety Role Requirements (17:21):

"The Bills were almost dead last in disguise coverages last year ... Last year they became predictable because of limitations to Demar Hamlin’s game. It’s not that he’s bad, but ... his ceiling is much lower than what you don’t know with Cole Bishop."

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:51: Offense's rough practice; miscues and turnovers
• 03:27: Signs of Keon Coleman’s growth; coach and teammate impressions
• 05:55: Deion Dawkins’ full, effusive quote on Keon Coleman
• 07:37: Evaluating Coleman’s playmaking vs. drops and his "golf game" inconsistency
• 12:12: Highlight-reel Josh Allen throw to Curtis Samuel
• 12:54: Safety competition: Demar Hamlin vs. Cole Bishop
• 15:37: Discussion of the evolving safety role and need for versatility
• 17:21: Disguise coverage statistics and limitations with Hamlin
• 19:05: Christian Benford’s rising role as a vocal leader
• 21:11: Jimmy Charlotte’s NFL tryout stories and cameo in Hard Knocks

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Final Thoughts

• Keon Coleman’s second-year leap is the episode’s centerpiece. His transformation, maturity, and increased confidence are noted by everyone from coaches to veteran teammates.
• Expect Cole Bishop, a rookie with range and upside, to win the starting safety job next to Taylor Rapp.
• The team’s younger defensive core is embracing leadership, especially Christian Benford.
• Despite some offensive struggles in practice, the tone is optimistic and insiders see the building blocks of a strong, cohesive 2025 Bills roster.

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Hosts: Mike Catalana, Jenna Cottrell, Dan Fetes
Date: August 21, 2025
Podcast: Buffalo Plus: A Buffalo Bills podcast

For more, follow Buffalo Plus on YouTube and their other social links.

Transcript

[A]

I'm going to tell you the truth. It's night and day. Keon is not the same player from last year. So the league better get ready. He is going to be special, and he already is. He already is. But this is Keon's time and you'll see it.

[B]

All right, welcome back to the Buffalo Channel, presented by Connors and Varys, Mike Catalana, Dan Fates. I am Jenna Cottrell. Please be sure to, like, comment, subscribe and share with us. We always appreciate it. Practice here in Orchard park on Wednesday ahead of Saturday. We got there. Preseason game against Tampa. First things first, we're going to talk a little bit about the offense. We're going to talk about one player in particular who had a nice day, nice things to say about him. Talk a little bit about some plays from the day as well. But first we need to talk about the offense.

[C]

They stunk.

[B]

Today was not their best day.

[D]

Yeah. Sometimes we joke around and it's like sarcastic. They were really bad.

[C]

Part of the issue was even the center snaps like it. They struggled with that. There were times we were watching. Sometimes you're watching and go, hey, the defense is having a day. It didn't even really feel like that today. It was more like the offense couldn't get plays run. Josh was frustrated a couple of times. It just wasn't a cohesive practice offensively today.

[D]

Yeah. I wrote down awful day for the offense. They had to run the field twice. They had to stop practice to make the offense run not once, but twice. Yeah, Josh was throwing balls, slamming his helmet. Alec Anderson had bad snaps. There were false starts. There was one play where one half of the line moved and the other half stayed still.

[C]

Right.

[D]

That led to the second time they had to run. Mike Green was getting snaps in at center. It wasn't good.

[B]

It was not good. I think it's important to know Connor McGovern not out there. Hamstring injury. He seemed that seemed that. I'm not too worried about that personally, but it was not. It looked very uncoordinated, as you like to say.

[C]

Yeah, well, they're giving Alex Anderson those snaps and I know nobody's worried about it at the moment, but it does become a thing when you need a player to be your backup center in case something were to happen during a game or for periods of time. So that's something they will work out. Hey, when Connor McGovern was first playing center, remember that?

[D]

Yes.

[C]

We had to get the snaps back, but that was a problem when it turned around a little bit. Is when they went to, like, red zone. Red zone. And they tried some trick plays.

[B]

Yes, yes.

[C]

And they had. Probably the. The best one was a Josh Allen touchdown catch.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

But I mean, they had a little bit of fun with those plays.

[B]

Oh, can we keep going?

[D]

Yeah, we'll snip that.

[C]

Oh, that's right. We can't say that.

[B]

No, we can't.

[C]

Sorry about that.

[D]

Just make. Just giving me more work to edit.

[B]

But you're right, it did turn around when we. When we saw the red zone stuff.

[D]

But it was. I mean, the defense was celebrating immensely. Not because of plays they were making, but because of the inept ability of the offense.

[B]

Ineptitude.

[C]

Good job.

[D]

See you guys. Come here for the grammar lessons. I gave you one right there.

[B]

I don't think that's really.

[C]

Grammar. Yes.

[B]

No, it's just more vocabulary. Spell it.

[C]

Nope.

[D]

On the plus side, the encouraging thing that we heard from players in Joe Brady before practice was the continued development from everything that we're hearing of Keon Coleman.

[B]

Deon Dawkins says it is night and day, the difference between the player that he was and his rookie season to what we see in year two. And I think that's something that, you know, we. We see the results on the field and how there's moments where he makes these tremendous catches and then there's moments where we see the drops. But I think what's so important is the behind the scenes and the impression that he's making. And Joe Brady said his attention to detail, the intentionality that he's doing things with, that, to me is so important because that's also part of just maturing as a person and as a professional player.

[C]

It was funny when we talked to Keon last year, I think there were times he would say things about, no, this is good. I'm good with this. And I don't think he meant it because I think it was a little bit where you're like, try to fake it till you make it a little bit. And I think this year he has come a long way. He did say it's confidence, and I think he definitely has more confidence. And I liked when Brady said about he'll talk to Josh and tell him when it's a bad throw and they can go over things and he's coming to it from a place of much more knowledge and much more confidence and where he should be, which is always an issue for a wide receiver. And then making those plays for his quarterback and developing that trust. It's still a work in progress. But I think it is much, much better than it was a year ago.

[B]

I think in his rookie season, him saying that, I actually do think he believed that, like, I think he believed that he was in the right spot. And then after the year ended and kind of what the team said about him, reflection, the reflection period, him calling his rookie season trash, the realization and the self awareness kicked in of like, wait, I, I didn't. Why am I pretending like I know what I'm doing when I didn't play up to the caliber that I needed to?

[D]

Yeah. And I thought Joe Brady talked about, you mentioned the intentionality. And he goes, if we tell a player to improve at a lot of things, they won't improve at any of them. So he goes, he's doing really good job of one day at a time working on just this one thing. He was talking about this route against this coverage from a cornerback. And he goes, it may not always look pretty at times, but we're working at it. So it's encouraging to see that Dion Dawkins, who is always great in front of a microphone. Yeah, Jenna, you mentioned a little bit, but it's worth, I think, just playing his entire clip of when he was asked about what's changed in his eyes about Keon Coleman.

[A]

I'm going to tell you the truth. It's night and day. It is night and day. It is night and day. Or sunny day in a storm, if you want to put it in any way. Keon is not the same player from last year. So the league better get ready. You know, he is not the same guy. And as a teammate, I am so glad that he picked it up so early because he is not the same player. And I'm just glad that Josh has him as well as the Buffalo Bills because Keon has showed up in every bit of, of where we needed him to show up at, from training camp to being on time to checking in the dinner, to checking into lunch, to being available. You know, he's been a fully changed Keon and I'm happy to be his teammate and for him to just keep learning because he is going to be special. And he already is. He already is. But this is Keon's time and you'll see it.

[D]

Keon's going to take the league over. In Deion's words, Keon's going to take the league. Deion's words. Yeah, I got that right.

[B]

I got it right. Yeah, you got it right. I mean, that's exciting. If you're a Bills fan, how could you not Be because they've also invested a second round pick in him. Yes, I am cautiously optimistic. I think what Keon, when he came into this league, he was very raw. We knew that going in. And the little details are what make players successful. And it's something we heard Joe Brady and Bobby Babbage say today. Like there's a reason why some of these players that you know have been in the year in the league for year nine, year 10 year, whatever, the way they approach the smallest things and how that can impact the biggest things. And I think you're starting to see that from Keelan.

[C]

Yeah, I. Look, I think he is going to be a player that, to use the golf analogy is going to be some birdies and Eagles and some bogeys and double bogeys. He still like today at practice dropped a couple just in third. Regular drills, individuals and those are the ones that like it's just gotta be second nature. You just catch everything.

[D]

And then he had a really nice back, shoulder throw and just out physical. Trey White, quick aside. Trey White hasn't looked great the last week and a half going back to the preseason game.

[B]

Yeah, I would agree with that.

[D]

He hasn't looked as good as he did in Rochester. Like since they broke camp. It's been much more. Oh, okay. Again, we're just painting the perspective where we said Trey White and Matt Milano. Milano still looks great. He spoke on Hard Knocks. That's encouraging. Sign as well. And the communication there I loved. Bobby Babich was asked about what would a healthy Matt Milano do. And he just goes, I'm not talking about Matt Milano's health. And he goes, you get the point, right?

[B]

Yeah. And then proceeded to knock on the.

[D]

Table about how important it would be.

[C]

So.

[D]

So yeah, that. That's what I say. But that was a great play by Keon to out physical a cornerback in the red zone.

[B]

All what I want to see from Keon is just the leveling off, like the ability. You talk about the golf game, how you can have the Eagle and then the double bogey. I just want to see a little bit more pars. Yes. Like I think that could be a sweet spot for this team. Don't get me wrong. I still want to see the Eagles and all that stuff, but just to make those, those bad plays. Less bad.

[D]

Yeah, Less. Less consistent.

[C]

Right.

[D]

Fewer. Fewer bad plays.

[C]

Oh, here we go. This is what I think about it. We talk about consistency with players. Right. But that comes from. That's not just like happenstance where it's like they make all the plays and then make some great ones to go with it. A lot of players, I mean a lot of players can make a great play. Right. A lot of guys out here, it's the stars and the guys who are leading their teams that just seem to do it all the time and then rise to the bigger occasions. It's there for him. I would say the most encouraging thing for me is that he is a player on this team who can make those plays. I think it's easier to eventually figure out the lesser stuff and become more consistent. Not everybody in this league is. Can go up and take a ball away from another player.

[B]

Correct.

[C]

And I do think he has that ability, which is special traits on offense. He can take care of the other stuff. I think he could be that good.

[B]

I think his thing to focus on is finishing, is just finishing the play, finishing the catch, finishing coming down with it. Like he can make some of those plays, but holding on to the ball. And are you going to make every play? Absolutely not. I don't expect that. But you just make some of the misses be less bad, less blatantly bad.

[D]

I'm with you because for a second I kind of cringed at like. But you're right. It's hard to teach somebody to throw 102 mile per hour fastball.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

And Keon has had those moments. It's tough to teach somebody to drive the ball 355 yards. Like if you. You got it or you don't. So Keon does have had those flashes which we talks about in the Seattle game, the Jacksonville game, some of those moments. So I'm with you. I think there is encouraging signs. And it's also. He talked about the comfort that he's feeling that is leading to his confidence. And now a year removed, it feels like that's real confidence. That's not as much fake it. So you make it says being more in the playbook, understanding what every receiver does, understanding what his offensive coordinator is doing, understanding Josh, all those things. And then he still did have the personality too, when we're talking to him.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Was kind of funny. You know, he talked. Joe Brady mentioned that Keon now isn't scared to go up to the starting quarterback and say, hey, that was a bad throw. And Matt Beauvais asked him, like, what do you. When did you gain that trust to say, like, you got to throw it there so I can catch it. And he's like, when have I ever said I didn't catch it? And it was kind of that funny back and forth Like, I'll never. He goes, that's Josh Allen. He goes. Everything was going to be perfect. He goes. Nine out of ten throws are going to be perfect. He goes. I'm not going to get on him for the one bad one.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

So, like, you still have that personality of Keanu.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. In the back and forth. I was just shocked by how effusive they were. They were talking about him, like, just how much praise they were giving to that young guy because they don't go out of their way to talk so highly about other players.

[C]

You all right over there?

[D]

Spell it.

[B]

E, F, F, F, F, U, S I, B, E. Effusive.

[C]

Yes. By the way, you mentioned Josh's throws. Can we talk about the one throw today? Curtis Samuel.

[D]

Yeah, just a stupid throw. We were in the end zone, so to see it.

[C]

Stupid good. Stupid good.

[D]

It looked like he threw it like a submarine pitcher, and it was just a rope. And we all kind of laughed because the play was kind of getting blown dead. He makes the throw, but it was a completely sidearm throw. That was the money to a Curtis Amble that was pretty well covered to make the catch.

[C]

It was a Mahomes type move with a Josh Allen rocket arm, sprinkle in some Matt Stafford. Yeah, it was cool. It was very cool to see.

[B]

Okay, what on the other side of.

[D]

The ball, Sock safeties.

[C]

So I'm going to say this. Dan had his point about Demar starting. I don't think that's happening now.

[D]

I don't think it's happening either.

[C]

Okay, but you're gonna be wrong.

[D]

But it's not because. But it's not because of it.

[B]

It's. It's not because you are wrong. It's because for them, it's the wrong choice.

[D]

It's for them, it's the right choice, but it's wrong for my take.

[B]

Okay, okay, let's. Let's hash this out.

[D]

So I said Demar would start week one because he knows the system. All of these kind of things. Consistency, knowing what you have in Demar and Cole being the unknown.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

I think they're just going to go with the unknown.

[C]

So here's what I'm going to say right now. Since Dan already had his choice, and if Jenna wants to go along with me, I say Cole Bishop is going to start week number one. Are you with me on this?

[D]

I agree.

[B]

I agree.

[C]

Damn it, Dan, you can't agree. Cole Bishop's out there getting the number one snaps.

[D]

All of them.

[C]

He's got to be Ready. They want him to be out there. And I asked Bobby Babich.

[D]

Great question.

[C]

Well, about when you look back to Terrell Bernard and fans will remember this. Oh, now I get to give him. I was saying, but Dan had said it the year before that he was going to start. But the reality was, we got to that training camp, Terrell Bernard got hurt. He had done very little as a rookie. Did not look good when he was on the field. He gets to camp, they're thinking maybe he could be the guy. And Tyrell Dodson was the guy.

[B]

Tyrell Dodson, yeah.

[C]

Competing with. And then all of a sudden, the Bills are like, yep, Bernard's gonna start. We're like, okay, I knew it a year before.

[D]

But, yes, they formally announced it.

[C]

Unfortunately, Babich said that that was a good comparison.

[D]

He said it was a very good comparison.

[B]

Except I don't think Cole Bishop's doing the long con.

[C]

No. But the idea behind this, this case is like Colt Bishop. It's almost like, do we know everything? And he said, you can't know everything. You'd love to say, we know it, we got it. But that usually takes years. At some point, there's going to be blind faith. Not blind faith. That's not fair. Limited faith, where you think the guy has physical ability. We drafted him high and that's it. We want him out there. And they also know strengths and weaknesses, that demar is a floor for this safety position. He may know it and he can go out there and play if you need him to, but they know the guy has to be better. And even if that means he's not great. Week one against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, he's going to start next to Taylor Rapp.

[D]

And we talked about the safeties, and I think it was an interesting question to get to, to get Babich to start talking about there's no more free safety and strong safety. There's no more one guy that's in the box and one guy that plays high. And he gave us a history lesson about the 85 bears and all these kind of things, but when he. He was kind of pressed on it about, what are you looking for then alongside Taylor rap, meaning who's gonna be their safety? And the one thing he said was playing in space. Offenses are nowadays compared to 85, you know, in the old NFL, they're trying to open up space. And so as a safety, you need to be able to do both. You need to. He said Poyer and Hyde were both really good at both. Maybe one was better in the box. And Poyer and Hyde was a little bit better as a free safety, but they could switch because you have to be able to do that. And when he said the biggest thing for us is space, that's not demar Hamlin's strength. Demar Hamlin's strength is tackling. It's in the box. He's got limited pass covering range, his abilities, that. That's not his strength. So when he said that, I was like, yep, that is Cole Bishop getting the nod week one.

[C]

And the other thing, Jenna, is you ask a quarterback like before the play and the smart ones figure it out. If I know what the safeties are doing, I will beat that defense. And you need safeties who can help you disguise what you're going to do because you don't know which one's going to play in which way. And they also talked about how Taylor Rapp has become a better deep third defender and that's. That helps. Depending on who's out on the field and what they're trying to do, you want the offense to be thinking he could be in either spot and not being predictable. And I think with Demar maybe they're a little more predictable.

[D]

I think they're 100% predict more predictable. The stats back that up. The Bills were almost dead last in disguise coverages last year and in the previous years they were always top five. You have that clip of Bill Belichick when he was on HBO and they were talking about he's like covering Sean McDermott's defense. It was like spinning a wheel. You didn't know what you were going to get. Last year they became predictable because of limitations to demar Hamlin's game. You talk about it. It's not that he's bad, but there's. His ceiling is much lower than what you don't know with Cole Bishop. And I think that's ultimately going to come down to be the decision and kind of throw them in the deep end. And you're going to find out real quick what you have.

[C]

Lamar Jackson and Ravens.

[D]

You're going to find out.

[B]

Could decide the one seed, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Other than how was the play? Mrs. Lincoln.

[C]

There he goes again.

[B]

There's another one.

[C]

Man, poor Lincoln.

[D]

Brought him all the.

[C]

I know.

[B]

Seriously. No, that is. You're right though. Do you think they could add a veteran.

[D]

Yes, I think you got a veteran wide receiver that's not named Gabe Davis. I think they could add a veteran safety. I think they could be adding a veteran interior alignment.

[B]

Do you want A moment to talk about?

[D]

Nope. Because I don't want it. I hope we don't have to have this conversation.

[C]

So we were in the building today. We believe Gabe was in the building somewhere, not at practice, because he was here to work out for the team. But that is totally separate. They don't practice with the team. It's not like the player goes out there and they see how he looks in the case. I think this is a check in down the line. If something breaks in a way, you need a player. I just don't. I don't see it being anything now. We'll let we know Dan's opinion on it. Nope.

[B]

Nope. Okay. All right. Anything else?

[D]

No.

[C]

I thought some of the stuff with Christian Benford was cool.

[B]

Oh, yeah. So I tweeted out the video yesterday, actually, because I saw Benford, who was a quieter guy, like off the thing field, who was breaking down the defense. Like, he was in the huddle. He was talking to the guys. You could tell he was like pumping everybody up. And I thought, wow, this is a guy that truly. Here's a guy who truly, like. I don't think of him as being like a vocal leader for this team, but, you know, Bean had. Had talked. I got to stop saying allude. Bean had talked about how, you know, this is. Benford is one of our new core guys. And so to see Benford stepping up in that moment yesterday and then Bobby Babbage speaking about it today, about what he's seen in terms of his leadership, I thought it was really, really cool. And it's one of those. We talk about the maturation of Keon, but I think for Christian Benford, he got paid. He is a cornerstone on this defense. Like, and him taking that next step of being like, guys, this is the level, this is the standard, and I'm going to be the one to set.

[C]

It because Christian Benford came in and a sixth round pick out of Villanova, quiet guy to begin with, and shut his mouth and learned and played and did it and then got better and better. And the room has changed, the place has changed. And now he is the guy back there. And I think it's cool. That's what, you know, Cam Lewis was like. He didn't talk as a rookie. He really didn't. But now he's got to be that guy, which I think is great.

[B]

I think that's really cool, though.

[C]

I love it.

[B]

And I also think that speaks to someone. Fear. Feeling comfortable.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Feeling like I can't, like, as a rookie, like, I'm not comfortable yet. I need to prove myself. And then taking that next step, I just think that's really.

[C]

Like, you could do a podcast with him.

[B]

I.

[D]

We are so comfortable with Jenna that we just don't shut up.

[C]

We just interrupt.

[B]

I yelled at Mike, though, in the car today.

[C]

She did yell at me, because he.

[B]

Interrupted me, and I was in the.

[D]

Back seat like, the mom and dad are fighting.

[C]

But here's the thing. Jenna semi interrupted me, and I said, well, now the score is 8,000, 462 to 2. Twice that she's interrupted me.

[B]

I know you've brought that up multiple times that I interrupted you in the car.

[C]

Yes, because you did. Oh, the other guy, I wanted to mention very briefly, you saw him on Hard Knocks. If you watch the show, we did the recap. Jimmy Charlotte, Jersey guy, awesome. Army West Point. Great to talk to. The funny thing was, I say, he's from Jersey. I said, where are you from? And he said, oh, North Jersey, blah, blah, blah. And I said, I'm from South Jersey. He goes, my mom's from Mount Laurel. Which is crazy, because Hard Knocks features him. And Hard Knocks is located in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, a relatively small place, but he got his opportunity. Dan talked to him a little bit about his tryout, which is funny.

[D]

Well, you always hear like, oh, they're working this guy out. And I was like, what's that like? It's like, it's Jeff. He goes, because I worked out with this team, they didn't sign me. I worked out to another team. They didn't sign me. I was like, well, that's kind of weird. Like football. Like, you're doing it around a team.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

He's like, yeah, they. You know, stuff. He goes, they give you workout clothes. And at the end, they go, we're gonna. We're gonna need those workout clothes back.

[B]

My gosh.

[C]

And he said he had his suitcase, but he had, like, two people.

[D]

Right after the Giants, he drove home.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

And got the call that the Bills were interested. He goes, so I didn't even unpack my suitcase. I only had two pairs of clothes. And he goes, one was dirty.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

And they came up to buckle.

[C]

But he came down here, showed a lot. They liked him. And you saw if you did, he.

[B]

Got in Hard Knocks.

[C]

Shown in Hard Knocks. That's cool. He'll be out there on. On Sunday. And he's a special. Can play special teams and all those things. Seems like he would be destined for a practice squad kind of guy, but we'll see what ends up happening in the game, but good guy to talk to.

[B]

Very cool. All right, please comment in your thoughts on Keon, the safeties, all that fun stuff. Jimmy Charlo as well. There we go. All right. For Mike and Dan, I'm Jenna. Please be sure to, like, comment, subscribe, and share. We'll catch you next time here on the Buffalo plus podcast, presented by Connors and Ferris Woo.