Coleman has worked his way up Bills WR depth chart
ORCHARD PARK - Keon Coleman did not hesitate when he was asked Tuesday about the most talked about play in the Buffalo Bills’ preseason victory Saturday night in Pittsburgh.
“Just a drop,” Coleman admitted. “Focus drop. You got to look the ball in and make the play.”
Coleman had a chance to catch a touchdown pass late in the first half against the Steelers and he did not come through. It was a quick slant from the left side, he beat his man to the inside, but there was a safety coming over and Coleman short-armed his attempt at the goal line and the ball zipped through his hands.
There was a whole lot of banter on social media about the play and much of it absolved Coleman and laid the blame on quarterback Mitchell Trubisky for not delivering a perfect pass.
Sorry, but the failure on that play was almost exclusively on Coleman, and the rookie receiver knew it then, he knew it after watching the film, and he rightfully owned it.
“Definitely,” he said. “I feel like any ball comes to me, comes my way, I can catch it, honestly.”
Obviously he has moved on and has chalked it up as a learning experience, but it still bothers him that he did not reach out a little further to haul in a pass that all top-flight NFL receivers would have caught.
“I think it’s more frustrating when it happens than after, because after, you’re already in the process of feeling,” he said. “Right after, you’re kind of mad but you’ve got to get to the next play. When you watch the film, everybody in the room knows you’ve got to catch that. So nobody’s going to continue to harp on you. People make harmless jokes throughout practice and stuff, but you’ve got to make that catch, it’s as simple as that.”
Keon Coleman works his way up WR depth chart
The former Florida State standout has had a solid training camp and he has clearly worked himself into the top three on the wide receiver depth chart which means, in Joe Brady’s offense, he’s going to get significant playing time.
However, there have been moments in the two preseason games where Coleman has looked like a rookie. Trubisky tried to hit him in the end zone twice in the Bears game and on both, Coleman did not win the rep and couldn’t get separation, though on one the pass was poor and he actually did well to prevent an interception. And then came the drop against the Steelers.
“It’s all learning experiences,” quarterback Josh Allen said. “I know Mitch will say that he could have given him a better ball and Keon’s gonna say he could have caught that. If we can clean up a little bit of both, I think we’re probably celebrating in the end zone and everyone’s staying calm.”
Bills offensive coordinator has confidence in Keon Coleman
Brady, for one, is not worried about Coleman.
“I love where Keon’s at as a football player right now,” the offensive coordinator said. “It’s obviously understanding where expectations are and everything. I understand where he got drafted and whatnot, I’m not always just focused on how the production is in a preseason game as opposed to seeing it every day in practice.”
For instance, Brady has been impressed by Coleman’s competitiveness in practice, his grasp of his assignments, and that he’s also buying into the one thing that is probably the toughest of all transitions for receivers to make when they jump from college football to the NFL: Blocking in the run game.
“If you remember Keon coming out, he was one of the best blockers in the draft,” Brady said. “Not saying you’re drafting a guy to block, but having guys that can do a little bit of everything where they can make plays as a receiver, they can block, makes it a little harder on a defense to know where guys are and what they’re gonna do when they’re in those positions.
“Physically he can do everything that we asked him for; I have no issues with anything physically. It’s just a matter of him growing and getting experience of how the game’s being played, how guys are going to defend him, how they’re going to change things as the year goes. I’m pleased with where Keon’s at right now.”
Coleman made a big splash when he showed up at One Bills Drive the day after he was selected with the first pick of the second round. He was giving reporters tips on where to buy winter coats, and he was raving about the Wegmans cookies in the media room and the fans ate it up.
It was fun, but now that the regular season is right around the bend, nobody cares about any of that stuff, particularly Coleman.
“I don’t really like talking about the jacket, neither,” he said. “It’s football season, right? My mindset has been football ever since my first press conference. You got to see the personality, but I don’t want to focus on the jacket. I think I’m pretty prepared, ready to get out there, get to game-planning, and really get to play, knowing what I have to do, when I have to do it, and where I need to be.” On that point, he’s dead on. Now it’s all about, can Coleman play? Was he worth using a second-round pick on? Can he help alleviate the departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis and keep the Bills’ offense humming similarly to the past four seasons?
“I think that his football IQ, and I’ve talked about it before, the way that he sees the field, it’s pretty special for a rookie to do,” Allen said. “His body control, the way that he can go up and jump and catch balls that you guys have seen throughout camp. So, he loves this game, he loves being around his teammates. I’m very excited to see what he can do for this offense.”