After retaining Steve Johnson and signing Mario Williams to a $96 million contract in March, the Buffalo Bills created a bit of a buzz this offseason. Many analysts view them as a legitimate contender for a playoff spot, including Football Outsiders, who have the Bills' playoff odds at 54.8 percent in their annual almanac. (The New York Jets' playoff odds are 46.4 percent)
With the New England Patriots expected to win the AFC East, the Jets training camp dominating headlines, and cameras following the Miami Dolphins around for HBO's "Hard Knocks" this summer, the Bills quietly are going about their business.
Flying under the radar is just fine to running back Fred Jackson, who told our "NFL AM" crew Monday that the Bills don't mind playing a sleeper role.
"I think you always want to be considered one of the best," Jackson said on NFL Network. "And we know that we haven't proven anything. We still have to step out on the football field and make plays and put us in a position to be known as one of the better or dominant teams. So that's just another thing for us to shoot for. You know, go out there and kind of set the bar high for ourselves, give people reason to think that we're a dominant team.
"So we don't mind being a sleeper. We don't mind being a team that nobody talks about, just because, like I said, we haven't proven anything. Hopefully we let our play talk for us when we get out there."