After getting rid of Sammy Watkins, the Bills were left with a notable lack of what you’d refer to “name-brand,” or “young,” or perhaps even “good” receivers.
But the leader of the odd lot of leftovers pointed out that comes with a positive as well.
Via Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, veteran wideout Anquan Boldin was latching onto the positive spin of the makeover.
“There’s definitely not that diva mentality in our receiver room,” Boldin said. “We have guys that are willing to do whatever it is that the coaches ask, whether that be blocking, running a clear-out route or going across the middle, taking a big hit and making a catch.
“We have guys that are willing to do whatever it takes. That’s the kind of guys that you want to work with, work along side of, because with the game on the line, you can count on them.”
The Bills signed the 15-year-veteran right before they traded Watkins to the Rams, so if you’re the generous type, you can interpret as something other than a personal shot at the former No. 4 overall pick. But Watkins has done “diva” things like ask for more passes before, so it’s easy to get to the other implication as well.
Other than Boldin, the Bills have rookie Zay Jones, the newly acquired Jordan Matthews and Andre Holmes. They’re going to be a run-first team anyway, but new coach Sean McDermott was with Carolina in 2015 when the Panthers went 15-1 and made the Super Bowl with Ted Ginn (fast but differently-abled in terms of catching), Jerricho Cotchery (old and slow), and rookie Devin Funchess (young and slow), so he has reason to think it can work.
“We’re building a team, we’re not accumulating talent,” McDermott said. “We’re building a team and that comes down to roles, it comes down to chemistry, it comes down to camaraderie, and it comes also down to unselfishness. That’s the qualities we are looking for in our football players. . . .
“If you go back, I’ve been fortunate to be around some pretty good teams over the course of my career in the NFL, right around 20 years. There were some receivers out there that played in a lot of important football games that maybe weren’t household names and we won a lot of football games.”
Having an old head like Boldin will be key for the Bills, as he’s the most reliable of the lot as a receiver and a role model. And if Matthews recovers from his current injury (chip fracture of the sternum) and Jones develops into a playmaker, then perhaps they’re onto something.
I mean, if you’re not into the whole “talented player” thing.