ORCHARD PARK — Signing safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was the first real sign the Buffalo Bills were looking to become a little more feisty, a little meaner and more physical.
Gardner-Johnson is by no means a dirty player, but he plays with an edge. He’s the type of player Bills fans are going to love and opposing fans are going to hate. The Bills wanted more such players.
But the first notion the Bills were seeking a different breed of player came at the NFL scouting combine, when new head coach Joe Brady uttered the phrase, “Bills Red.”
“We talk a lot about Bills Blue-type of players. We also want some Bills Red guys,” Brady said. “Some guys that have an edge, a little bit of personality to them.”
The term “Bills Blue” became public a few years ago as a tag the team uses for draft prospects that fit the culture, character and work ethic the Bills are searching for. It has nothing to do with draft position, as players like Josh Allen, Landon Jackson and Zane Durant are among the players to earn the designation over the years.
The Bills Red tag is a little less defined. In the past, the Bills have used a “Rambo” tag on players. That’s a prospect that seeks violence on the field.
He’s got to have what the Bills call B.S.U. or “Blow S— Up.” At the minimum, a Bills Red player must have an edge or toughness to the team, but there’s no series of boxes to check.
“When we get through Bills Blue, we say they must check all these boxes,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane told GNN Sports. “If they don’t check one of them, they’re not Bills Blue. Red’s not exactly like that. It’s not like an official thing in our manual. But it’s kind of understood an edgier attitude (or) personality to whatever side of the ball.”
Every organization has standards for prospects, and some are considered untouchable in the draft. There are frequently highly-graded players who tumble in the draft or are undrafted because of personality, criminal or injury history.
The previous coaching staff was more rigid in the players they felt were right for the Bills, whether it was on-field concerns or off. The Bills still aren’t interested in players who run afoul with the law, but they want more players that can flip a mean switch when they step onto the field.
Offensive lineman Alec Anderson was the player Brady was speaking about when he first mentioned Bills Red. Anderson has been an enforcer for the Bills whenever he’s gotten an opportunity to play. He got into a scuffle with undrafted rookie Hayden Harris during training camp last year, leading to Anderson’s ejection from practice.
Anderson hasn’t been accused of dirty play by any other teams or teammates, but former coach Sean McDermott was blunt in calling that particular situation dirty. Any time Anderson is on the field and there’s a scrum, he’s likely the reason it started or he’s at the center of it to defend a teammate.
“You can never be tough enough,” Beane said. “You have to go into some tough environments on the road. Guys that have no fear of any situation, any moment. And if we came across some guys, it wasn’t like we said we have to add five of those or we need them at these positions. It’s just like if the right player with the right skill set with the right Bills Red mentality, and it all fits, let’s add it to the group.”
In the past, players could thrive in the sport — even in the NFL — by being physical. It could often be a tiebreaker for a player on the roster bubble. But the league has largely taken hitting out of practices.
Teams only being allotted 16 padded practices during the preseason. And they are given 14 in the regular season, with 11 in the first 11 weeks in and three over the last six.
“Because that’s their comfort zone, a lot of these guys coming from college (say), ‘I’ll just make it physical. Then I’ll show them who I am,’” Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said. “NFL rules don’t always allow for that.”
But physicality still matters in games. It can mask other physical deficiencies a player might have and it can be the difference in winning and losing games.
Whether it’s in the trenches or running backs that run through tackles or linebackers who run through ball carriers, it’s usually an indicator of what the final outcome will be. Wide receivers and cornerbacks who battle every play can gain an advantage through a willingness to play with or play through contact.
Even Allen has demoralized opponents when he slips out of a tackle or a sack due to the brute force he plays with.
“Every year you say not the most talented team won, the most physical team won,” Beane said. “… Tone-setters, like guys coming across the middle. Legally, how much can you intimidate them? Obviously the rules have changed over the years and you can’t decapitate a guy, but there are ways of how physical you can be within the rules of the game to send messages at whatever position you play.”