SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Bills will hit the field Friday for their second preseason game but leading up to kickoff, they're sharing the field with the Carolina Panthers in two joint practices.
The teams held their first joint practice Tuesday morning in Spartanburg, South Carolina and there was no shortage of Bills fans who showed up to watch their favorite team.
"It's really fun because I grew up watching the Bills with my Dad," Kari Ferris said, a Carolina transplant from West Seneca. "So to bring the kids to celebrate that and to give them a chance to watch, it's good."
Before the teams even took the field, there's been a lot of talk and comparison between Bills QB Josh Allen and Panthers QB Cam Newton.
“He’s a big, mobile, strong armed QB that puts the ball where he wants to put the ball," Allen said about Newton. "So I’m not mad at the comparisons at all, I think he’s been playing the game for a long time at a high level.”
Bills General Manager, Brandon Beane, feels differently. He was a part of each player's draft process and doesn't necessarily agree when it comes to comparing the two.
"It's not fair to either one of them," Beane said. "Cam has been an MVP, he’s been in a Super Bowl, he’s won an SEC Championship, he’s been in this league for eight years and Josh has had 11 starts. Hopefully Josh can learn some things from Cam."
Allen is already learning. Both quarterbacks will most likely suit up for about a quarter on Friday and as another practice is on the schedule, Allen is hoping to pick up some more things.
“Just kind of how he processes the game, how he kind of went from a mobile QB to a QB who will run when necessary," Allen said about what he hopes to learn from Newton. "I’m still going through that tradition so I can take a lot of lesson from his early career as well.”
Allen isn't just learning from Newton though. During Tuesday's practice, the Bills QB lined up against Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly and even spent time chatting up the former ninth overall pick in the 2012 Draft.
“I got the chance to talk to him about a certain play at practice here and just the insight and knowledge he has is awesome," Allen said about Kuechly. "At the end of the day, we don’t have each other on our schedules so we’re trying to make each other better at the same time.”
Lining up against Allen, Kuechly had high praise for the young Bills quarterback.
“I think his athleticism is one of his biggest strengths," Kuechly said. "Big arm, he’s fast, he runs well, but I think what he did a good job today. When the ball came out quick, he was quick on his reads."
The Bills and Panthers will hold another joint practice Wednesday morning before Friday's game. You can watch that preseason game on 7ABC. You can follow Sports Director Matt Bove on social media at @Matt_Bove.
