AFC Notes: Mike Vrabel, Bills Tush Push, Jets, Patriots

Bills

The Bills were among the most successful teams in the NFL at utilizing the “tush push” QB sneak with QB Josh Allen. Despite that, Buffalo voted in favor of a rule that would have killed the play this offseason. When asked about the play, HC Sean McDermott said they will continue playing within the league’s rules. 

“We’ll play within the rules,” McDermott said, via Alec White of the team’s site. “The rules have now been set and we always do our best to play within the rules that are set up for us.”

Jets

Jets OL John Simpson knows exactly what’s expected of the offensive line in blocking for QB Justin Fields, who can extend plays with his feet, after blocking for Ravens QB Lamar Jackson.

“You got to block longer, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that,” Simpson said, via the team’s website. “You got to be blocking as long as it takes for him to get the ball out of his hand. And that’s our job, so you got to kind of do that. They’re both athletes. That’s about it.”

Simpson said first-round OT Armand Membou is quiet on the field and is going to work with him on being more vocal.

“He doesn’t talk a lot, but I’m gonna get it out of him,” Simpson said of Membou. “But he’s one of those guys too, that’s just going to work. I didn’t really say much to him the first day, but he’s been trying his best to understand … get the understanding of everything and just figure things out. He’s been doing a good job. Like I said, he doesn’t really talk much, but he plays like he talks a lot.”

Patriots

The Patriots’ struggles over the past couple of years led to owner Robert Kraft‘s decision to fire former HC Jerod Mayo after just a season and chase a big-name replacement in new HC Mike Vrabel. That approach has continued into the offseason, with New England one of the most aggressive and active teams as they seek to return to the winning tradition the franchise has been accustomed to for the past 25 years. Patriots de facto GM Eliot Wolf didn’t want to put a number on how many games they expect to win but was comfortable saying it would be more than last year. 

“I think we’ll be much more competitive this year,” Wolf said via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I don’t like to put expectations on it, but we did a lot of things this offseason that were advantageous to us moving forward.”

Reiss talked to two scouts with ties to the AFC East to illustrate a broader sentiment percolating around the league right now — that the Patriots are poised to take a big step forward under Vrabel. 

“This is the best offseason they’ve had in a while. I feel like they’re the Bills’ biggest threat,” one scout said, with the other adding, “Look at the history of Vrabel’s teams — they’ll play hard and mirror his personality.”