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Bills DT Rookie Faces Backlash for On-Air Expletive After Injury in Loss

Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears, Preseason Week 2, August 17, 2025 at Soldier Field.

Chicago, IL – August 2025

For most rookies, preseason is about learning and growing. But for Buffalo Bills rookie defensive tackle T.J. Sanders, last night’s blowout loss to the Bears turned into a pressure cooker. Sanders struggled on the field, left the game in the second half with an ankle injury, and then let raw emotion slip during a live interview.

“Man, you work your whole life to get here, and then you’re out there, hurting, watching your team get smoked… it’s just f—ing brutal,” Sanders said, still visibly shaken.

The moment went viral — prompting split reactions. Some criticized the lack of professionalism; others defended the authenticity of a rookie grappling with failure and pain.

Pros and cons of Buffalo Bills picking South Carolina football's TJ Sanders  in 2025 NFL Draft - Yahoo Sports

Head coach Sean McDermott offered a measured response:

“T.J. cares deeply. This league is relentless, and sometimes that passion spills over. We'll guide him on how to channel it correctly.”

Bills coach Sean McDermott apologizes for referencing 9/11 hijackers in  team meeting 4 years ago | WXXI News

But the voice echoing strongest in the locker room belongs to veteran linebacker Terrel Bernard, a mentor and locker-room leader. Bernard, fresh off a four-year, $50M extension with Buffalo, offered perspective with the weight of experience:

“You make mistakes when everything hits you at once—injury, tough loss, outside noise. But we’d rather have someone with too much fire than none at all. He’ll learn, and that fire will earn him respect.”

MLB Terrel Bernard, CB Christian Benford to start for Bills in opener |  RochesterFirst

Now, Sanders isn’t just a rookie DT anymore; he’s a young man learning the difficult balance between raw emotion and disciplined leadership—caught between the heat of the moment and the lessons of the locker room.

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Eagles Head Coach Announces A.J. Brown To Start On The Bench For Standout Rookie After Poor Performance vs. Broncos
  Philadelphia, PA — the Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach confirmed that A.J. Brown will start on the bench in Week 6 against the New York Giants, with the boundary starting spot going to rookie WR Taylor Morin—an undrafted signing out of Wake Forest who flashed through rookie camp and the preseason. The decision follows an underwhelming offensive showing against the Denver Broncos, where several snaps highlighted the unit being out of sync between Brown and Jalen Hurts. On a midfield option route, Hurts read Cover-2 and waited for an inside break into the soft spot, while Brown maintained a vertical stem and widened to the boundary to stretch the corner. The ball fell into empty space and the drive stalled. On a separate red-zone snap, a pre-snap hot-route signal wasn’t locked identically by the pair, resulting in a hurried throw that was broken up. The staff treated it as a reminder about route-depth precision, timing, and pre-snap communication—the micro-details that underpin the Eagles’ offense when January football arrives. Starting Morin is part of a plan to re-establish rhythm: the early script is expected to emphasize horizontal spacing, short choice/option concepts, and over routes off play-action to probe the Giants’ responses. Morin—who has shown strong hands in tight windows and clean timing in the preseason—should give the call sheet a steadier platform, while Brown will be “activated” in high-leverage downs such as 3rd-and-medium, two-minute, and red zone to maximize his body control, early separation, and the coverage gravity that can force New York to roll coverage. Facing the tough call, Brown kept his response brief but competitive:“I can’t accept letting a kid take my spot, but I respect his decision. Let’s see what we’re saying after the game. I’ll practice and wait for my chance. When the ball is in the air, everyone will know who I am.” Operationally, the staff is expected to streamline the call sheet between Hurts and Brown: standardize option-route depths, clearly flag hot signals, and increase game-speed reps in 7-on-7 and team periods so both are “seeing it the same and triggering the same.” Handing the start to Morin also resets the locker-room standard: every role is earned by tape and daily detail—even for a star of Brown’s caliber. If Brown converts the message into cleaner stems and precise landmarks—catching the ball at the spot and on time—the Eagles anticipate early returns: fewer dead drives, better red-zone execution when back-shoulder throws and choice routes are run “in the same language,” and an offense that regains tempo before taking on Big Blue. With Taylor Morin in the opening script, Philadelphia hopes the fresh piece is enough to jump-start the attack from the first series.