Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Bills very much added to their offensive attack with the signing of Emmanuel Sanders. The wide receiver is going into his 12th NFL season and can lineup anywhere on the field.
Sanders has only been in training camp for three days after participating in some of the offseason sessions. He already knows what the Bills have going is special.
“We’ve got a great team here. The practices have been amazing," Sanders said Thursday following practice in Orchard Park. "I mean, I’m playing with 'Stef' [Stefon Diggs] and Josh [Allen] and 'Bease' [Cole Beasley]. I mean, Josh made a throw that I haven’t seen. It was a post ball to Cole Beasley, I mean, it was crazy, mouth-dropping. I’ve been in the league 12 years; so I’m excited about what they’ve created out here.”
The 34-year-old veteran isn’t surprised at what he’s seen. You don’t play this long in the league for five different teams without doing your homework.
“It’s everything that I thought it was going to be," Sanders said. "I came here for a reason and I did my research, just talking to Cole and Stefon and the offensive coordinator [Brian Daboll]. Just the energy around the building.”
I’ve often had receivers talk to me about having to take time to build chemistry with a quarterback that’s new to them. Sanders said that won’t be a problem.
“I’m old school," he said. "I’m backyard football, like, 'Let's strap up. Hey you, hey kid, get it in. Let's play football.' That’s how Josh plays too. He says, ‘Hey look, just get open and I’ll find you.’
“I think sometimes when people are talking football, they over think it. At the end of the day, football is a game. You’ve gotta have fun. You’ve got to go out and make plays. You can’t be a robot.”
Sanders has developed a philosophy throughout his career and it came from being around great teams and players.
“If you ever want to be great at something, you look at the people that are great at it," Sanders explained. "I’ve studied the way that Peyton Manning became a pro, and DeMarcus Ware and Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. I feel like that’s me. I try to be an example, and if I see something that’s wrong, I’m going to say something about it. I just want to be that veteran presence.”
Sanders enjoys practice as well as the games. He says it’s never a grind to him.
"I don’t have to think about it, because I’m doing what I love to do," Sanders said. "I’m passionate about this, so it’s fun to get up to workout and chase a goal. It's fun go out against '2-7' [Tre'Davious White] and to see Josh throw the ball and to see 'Stef' go crazy over a play.”
Micah Hyde is very familiar with Sanders and has played against him a lot.
“He’s a dog, he really is a dog," Hyde said on Thursday following practice. "He goes out there. he’ll block, he’ll do whatever he has to do to help out the offense. We’re happy he’s on our team.”
Hyde isn’t the only one that has noticed Sanders through the years. His running mate at safety, Jordan Poyer has also been impressed with his career.
“Being in the league as long as he has and the success that he’s had, he plays with a lot of heart," said Poyer on Thursday. "He’s a dog out there. I mean, he’s not the biggest guy out there and he’s not the strongest guy out there, but he’s going to go out there and compete every day. He’s going to give it his best. A lot of 50/50 balls he’s going to come down with, and he’s going to go out there and talk his mess. That’s who he is, and we’re excited to have him on the Bills.”
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