Tag: Joe Andreessen

Buffalo local Joe Andreessen shows how much making the Bills means to him (video)

Wholesome Joe:

It has been a roller coaster of emotions for Joe Andreessen.

From a simple tryout to making the 53-man roster of the Buffalo Bills. Andreessen is living the dream many in western New York have.

Andreessen has admitted not too long ago he was a hardcore fan and member of Bills Mafia himself. He even mentioned that Matt Milano, now his teammate, was his most recent favorite player.

But being on the Bills as a very recent former fan is weighing huge on him now. Andreessen himself admits he knows that.

“I’ve been a fan of this team for awhile,” Andreessen said. “Maybe more than the average player, I want this team to win.”

Andreessen was even a bit speechless thinking about what it means to him.

For more from Andreessen, see the attached clips below:

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Bills’ Brandon Beane: Joe Andreessen was ‘ready for his opportunity’

#Bills’ Brandon Beane: Joe Andreessen was ‘ready for his opportunity’

While a bit of a fairytale type of story, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane kept it really simple on Joe Joe Andreessen.

Joe Andreessen, a western New York native, went from a simple tryout with the Bills earlier this spring to making the final 53-man roster this week.

After news broke of him making the team, Andreessen admitted while speaking to reporters it had not exactly sunk in yet. But Beane will tell you, he deserved it

“He stood out the most there. Every step of the way he checked the box, checked the box, kept himself in play,” Beane said. “Some people are ready for their opportunity and some are not.”

Beane’s full thoughts on Andreessen can be found in the WKBW-TV clip below:

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Buffalo local Joe Andreessen reveals who his favorite Bills player was before making the team

Buffalo local Joe Andreessen reveals who his favorite #Bills player was before making the team:

Joe Andreessen is now an NFL player.

Not only that, he is with his hometown team.

In a rarity for western New York, Andreessen made Buffalo’s initial 53-man roster out of training camp. It’s not a hotbed for football players but Andreessen managed to do it anyway.

After officially becoming a Bill, Andreessen made a wholesome comment. He was asked who his favorite player was growing up… but instead, Andreessen diverted to his more recent favorite.

It was Matt Milano, who is now sharing a locker room with him.

“I know he’s my teammate…” Andreessen joked.

Andreessen’s full response can be found in the WKBW-TV clip below:

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Bills’ Joe Andreessen named to 2024 NFL ‘All-Preseason team’

#Bills’ Joe Andreessen named to 2024 NFL ‘All-Preseason team’

Joe Andreessen started off as a tryout player, became a local legend, and is now earning national praise for his work during the NFL’s 2024 preseason.

Sporting News named their “All-Preseason team” for this summer’s exhibition season. Andreessen makes it from his linebacker position.

After signing a contract with the Bills following a spring tryout, Andreessen has continued to impressed. He led Buffalo in tackles against the Pittsburgh Steelers and in the team’s preseason finale, he had another solid outing against the Carolina Panthers.

Andreessen now waits to find out if he’s made the Bills’ final 53-man roster. He’s sitting on pins and needles, as are many around western New York awaiting the news on whether or not the local Lancaster native has made the final roster of his favorite team growing up.

While Andreessen waits to find his fate, here is Sporting News’ breakdown on Andreessen in the preseason:

Andreessen was one of the best stories of the preseason. The Buffalo product signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent and thrived in practices and games. He racked up 24 tackles and had a particularly strong performance in his 12-tackle game against the Steelers.

Andreessen had two tackles for loss against the Steelers and showed an ability to shoot the gap with speed and strength. On one of his best plays, he blew by Steelers second-round pick Zach Frazier, a player with a wrestling background who is known for being a mauler in the run game.

Andreessen may still be developing in coverage — he allowed a 102.1 passer rating when targeted during the preseason, per PFF — but his playmaking potential was on display throughout the preseason. His downhill playmaking ability will make him among the more memorable defensive players during the 2024 preseason.

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Instant reaction: Bills create more roster questions with loss to Panthers in preseason finale

Instant reaction: Bills create more roster questions with loss to Panthers in preseason finale

The Buffalo Bills fell to the Carolina Panthers 31-26 in their final preseason game ahead of the 2024 season. The Bills faired well despite not playing any of their starters in this game.

The Bills offense finally found a pulse, scoring three touchdowns. Ben DiNucci helped end the preseason touchdown drought with an 18-yard swing pass to running back Darrynton Evans. Frank Gore Jr. had a breakout game, culminating with a five-yard touchdown run. To top things off, KJ Hamler scored a one-yard rushing touchdown.

Impressively, quarterbacks Ben DiNucci and Anthony Brown combined to go 22-of-27 for 156 yards and one touchdown. The duo did a nice job for a third preseason game, as the pair were not on Buffalo’s radar until a rash of injuries occurred in the quarterback room.

At the very least, DiNucci made a case to start the season as Josh Allen’s reserve.

Buffalo’s offensive line was solid throughout the afternoon. The group did a solid job of creating space for running backs and providing time for quarterbacks to throw. In particular, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and Tylan Grable looked impressive at the point of attack.

The offensive line helped Frank Gore Jr. with his breakout game. Gore rushed 18 times for 101 yards and a rushing touchdown. He was elusive and decisive with his running. In addition, Darrynton Evans was shifty and did a nice job gaining extra yards throughout the afternoon. Evans had three rushes for 15 yards. However, Evans was impressive as a pass catcher, reeling in three receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown. Both players put themselves on the radar for, at the very least, a practice squad spot.

While DiNucci and Brown did a nice job with their limited time in camp, it did impact the receivers. Several receivers are fighting for a roster spot, and it was difficult to get the ball in their hands to show off their skills. Shavers did well in training camp, but he did not explode in preseason games. He just missed out on a touchdown reception, as a DiNucci pass just went off his fingertips in the end zone.

Zach Davidson has made his name known, earning extra snaps throughout training camp. The Bills TE3, Quintin Morris, has missed time due to a shoulder injury. Davidson did not have a massive stat line today, with three receptions or 19 yards. However, he had a nice catch and has shown he can compete at this level. It remains to be seen if Morris’ injury creates a roster spot.

Linebacker Joe Andreessen earned a large chunk of snaps today. He had an inconsistent game, as he did well with plugging holes and using his athleticism to move sideline-to-sideline. However, a miscommunication with Deion Jones allowed Jordan Matthews to be wide open for a touchdown. He was also blocked out of place on Mike Boone’s touchdown run. However, Andressen could still be the best option to provide depth for the linebacker group.

The Bills secondary, however, was torched multiple times. Some of the mistakes were mental, while others were just missed tackles. Buffalo allowed 340 yards through the air today. Outside of Ja’Marcus Ingram, it’s challenging to see if any of the depth secondary players who played today will contribute throughout the season.

Another concern connects to Tyler Bass. Bass was perfect for the first two preseason games, successfully making five field goals. However, Bass’ field goal miss was bad. It didn’t look good from the initial strike. Buffalo needs to work with Bass on getting his mojo back. Otherwise, the team will have massive questions when attempting field goals in the 50-55-yard range.

There’s still a lot to be decided by Tuesday’s roster deadline. Right now, it feels like there might be more questions for Buffalo now than when the team arrived at training camp at St. John Fisher.

The biggest concern today is that several of the bubble players did not have a performance that cemented their name into the final roster.

General Manager Brandon Beane has a lot to consider over the next 72 hours. It’s going to be a bit challenging to unpack as the team moves toward naming the final roster.

5 takeaways from Buffalo Bills preseason finale vs. Panthers

The Buffalo Bills completed their 2024 preseason campaign with a 31-26 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Saturday afternoon at Highmark Stadium. Head coach Sean McDermott gave his starting units the afternoon off, allowing depth players to take their …

The Buffalo Bills completed their 2024 preseason campaign with a 31-26 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Saturday afternoon at Highmark Stadium.

Head coach Sean McDermott gave his starting units the afternoon off, allowing depth players to take their last chance at claiming a final roster spot.

Carolina, meanwhile, played their starters early in the game. Bills fans were treated to early drives by 2023 No.1 overall pick Bryce Young.

This final preseason game had much at stake, as NFL teams must name their 53-man roster by Tuesday at 4 p.m. While several players hope to be part of the regular season roster, others compete for practice squad spots. Even more so, this game helps players put together some game tape for other teams.

Here are five takeaways from Buffalo’s preseason action against Carolina:

It took 10 quarters, but the Bills finally found the end zone this preseason. Ben DiNucci found Darrynton Evans on a wheel route for an 18-yard touchdown.

Buffalo scored their second touchdown of the preseason in the fourth quarter, as Frank Gore Jr. bulled forward for a five-yard touchdown run.

To top it off the Bills scored a late rushing touchdown with KJ Hamler. All of the Bills running backs were sidelined, so Buffalo turned to Hamler. He plowed ahead for a one-yard dive for a fourth-quarter score.

Buffalo methodically moved down the field on all of their scoring drives, using a combination of quick passes and timely runs to move down the field.

The Bills were successful on both of their two-point conversions as well.

Frank Gore Jr. and Darrynton Evans were effective with their touches. Both Gore and Evans showed an ability to get extra yards, whether with their shiftiness or with pure power.

Gore Jr. rushed 18 times for 101 yards and a rushing touchdown. Gore Jr. also had a reception on the day. Evans, meanwhile, rushed three times for 15 yards. Evans added three receptions for 28 yards and a receiving touchdown.

Both are candidates for a practice squad spot. James Cook, Ray Davis, and Ty Johnson are at the top of the depth chart. Both can fill in during the season if necessary.

With the injury to Mitchell Trubisky, there’s some worry regarding the Bills backup quarterback spot entering the season. Trubisky is currently “week-to-week” with a knee injury.

Ben DiNucci did his best to show that he can be the man to lead the Buffalo offense if necessary. DiNucci moved the offense fairly well during this time on the field. Outside of one wayward pass that was nearly intercepted, DiNucci got the ball out of his hands quickly and decisively.

DiNucci ended his time 11-of-15 for 76 passing yards and one touchdown. He added two rushes for 14 yards.

DiNucci’s showing gives the Bills some options with the reserve quarterback spot. If Trubisky is not ready for Week 1, Buffalo could turn to the former Cowboy for a short time this season.

Two names that popped out during this preseason were wide receiver Tyrell Shavers and linebacker Joe Andreessen. Andreessen has moved his way into roster contention with his sideline-to-sideline tackling. The linebacker exploded last week against Pittsburgh with 12 tackles. Shavers has looked good in training camp activities. With injuries depleting the depth chart at both of their respective positions, the duo’s names have been mentioned quite a bit in making the roster.

Shavers caught two passes for 15 yards today. However, he just missed out on a touchdown off of his fingertips. Shavers torched the cornerback, but the pass was just out of reach.

Andreessen registered eight tackles for the Bills. He also contributed to special teams. The only downfall was on Carolina’s first touchdown, when he and Deion Jones had a miscommunication, leaving Jordan Matthews wide-open in the end zone.

Still, the totality of their contributions this preseason put the duo on the edge of a final roster spot. Their ability to play on special teams helps as well.

Throughout the preseason, there were reports that Tyler Bass was having some struggles with field goals. The hope was that Bass would get off to a fast start to erase the image of his field goal miss against the Chiefs during the playoffs.

Bass had connected on all five of his field goals prior to today’s game. However, Bass missed a 51-yard field goal badly, as the ball never seemed to have a chance. It didn’t look like it was struck well at all.

Could it just be one bad kick? Possibly. However, Bass owned kicks of this length in the past. Now, it just doesn’t seem automatic.

WATCH: Get to know local Bills linebacker Joe Andreessen

Five questions on him:

Buffalo Bills linebacker Joe Andreessen is making his final push to try and stick around with the team as they enter their final preseason battle against the Carolina Panthers.

Andreessen, a Buffalo local, will have everyone pulling for him.

But how well do you really know him? WIVB-TV sat down with him and asked him everything you’ll want to know, from his prior Bills fandom to chicken wing thoughts.

Check out the five questions feature below:

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Baldly’s breakdowns: Bills’ Joe Andreessen was ‘star’ vs. Steelers (video)

Baldly’s breakdowns: #Bills’ Joe Andreessen was ‘star’ vs. #Steelers (video):

The local legend of Joe Andreessen is expanding outside of western New York.

NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger is the latest to praise the Buffalo Bills linebacker.

After reviewing the film of Buffalo’s 9-3 preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Andreessen caught Baldinger’s attention. In breaking down Andreessen’s efforts, the analyst went on to call him a “star”

“You watch this now and you go, ‘they’ve got a player here,’ Baldinger said.

His full “Baldy’s Breakdown on Andreessen vs. the Steelers can be found below:

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Local Buffalo LB Joe Andreessen on opportunity with Bills: ‘Nothing to lose’

Local Buffalo LB Joe Andreessen on opportunity with #Bills: ‘Nothing to lose’

Western New York native Joe Andreessen is playing his way into competition for making the Bills’ 53-man roster thanks to a strong performance in preseason action against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

On Saturday the rookie was calling and leading the Bills defense on the field against a pro offense led by a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Russell Wilson.

He would finish the game leading the team with 12 tackles.

“It was kind of nice,” Andreessen said to the media after the game. “They didn’t surprise me with it or anything like that. … I’m an undrafted guy, and I kind of looked at it as an opportunity, like nothing to lose.”

While he is one of the newer faces on the roster, he is a familiar one to Buffalo. Andreessen is a Lancaster, NY native and played college football at the University at Buffalo before signing with his hometown team in May following a successful rookie tryout.

“A lot of people aren’t really expecting me to make the team,” he continued. “You know, I’m a rookie tryout guy, so it was just something to take full advantage of, and hopefully I showed it to people out there today.”

Starting weakside linebacker Matt Milano is out for much of the regular season with a bicep tear and Terrel Bernard, who played in his place during an injury last season, was held out of this weekend’s game as a precaution at the position.

That opened the door for Andreessen to see playing time with Buffalo’s starters in only his second career game.

One of Buffalo’s leaders on defense, pass rusher Greg Rousseau, spoke about how Andreessen was not fazed by any big moments or by playing in front of a big stadium crowd.

“He’s that guy,” Rousseau said. “You couldn’t sense any fear with Joe. He stepped up to the plate, called it with the ones, and it was great seeing him flying around here and making open-field tackles. He was doing his thing.”

Baylon Spector and vet Deion Jones are who Andreessen is competing with behind Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams in the linebacker’s group. Still, the rookie is making a case on the field for consideration.

And his new head coach had good things to say about him as well.

“He did [have a game],” McDermott shared. “Yeah, he did. When a young guy gets an opportunity and he makes the most of it, it’s just fun to watch. Watch a young man like that, especially a local guy. I think I met his aunt in the elevator in the hotel. She was excited, was on the phone with Joe’s mom, who had just called in at the time. You love stories like that, right? Real happy for Joe.”

During the second half on a fourth-and-2 run by Steelers quarterback Justin Fields in Buffalo territory, Andreessen tackled him in the open field to end their drive with a seven-yard loss to give the Buffalo offense the ball back.

“I was telling the guys on the sideline I was super nervous,” Andreessen noteed. “That’s a very athletic guy out there and there was a lot of room. … I was just in my zone and he broke contain. I was trying to track the near hip and I didn’t want him to cut back on me and I didn’t press it super hard.”

Bills sign local UB product Joe Andreessen

#Bills sign local UB product Joe Andreessen:

The Buffalo Bills have signed linebacker Joe Andreessen after he tried out with the team during rookie minicamp over the weekend.

Andreessen is a western New York native from Depew and attended the University at Buffalo.

Andreessen played with UB as a graduate student in 2023 after spending five seasons at Bryant.

In 12 games, Andreessen notched 90 tackles and 12 tackles for loss, both of which led his team. He added  a sack, two passes defensed and a forced fumble as well.

Andreessen during the Bills’ rookie minicamp can be found in the WGRZ-TV clip below: