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New starting center makes bold claim about Buffalo Bills offensive line

Buffalo Bills starter Connor McGovern addressed the center-quarterback exchange and suggested the offensive line if humming.

Ralph Ventre

Bills offensive lineman Connor McGovern gets out on the block as the ball is pitched to running back Ray Davis in the backfield.
Bills offensive lineman Connor McGovern gets out on the block as the ball is pitched to running back Ray Davis in the backfield. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Connor McGovern hasn't done it on a full-time basis since his days at Penn State, but the Buffalo Bills center claims it's like riding a bicycle.

McGovern hasn't forgotten how it's done, he simply needed a reacclimation period after making the offseason position change from starting left guard to center.

"At guard, there's a little bit more separation but center, they're right on top of you. Just getting used to that again. It's just like getting back on a bike," said the 26-year-old McGovern, who played out his rookie contract with the Dallas Cowboys before landing in Buffalo.

Quarterback Josh Allen had gotten used to working with center Mitch Morse, who wound up as a salary cap casualty in March, over the last five seasons. Naturally, Allen and McGovern had to properly sync up the center-quarterback exchange. They worked on it during OTAs, but it's a bit different once the pads are on.

"Just getting used to the live reps, just full speed. You can practice as much as you want without someone over top of you. As soon as you get like a tinted shade that trying jump right down your face, it's a little bit different. Just getting used to that again," said McGovern nine practices into training camp. "We're finally starting to click and we're fully comfortable with each other."

McGovern, who started every game at left guard in 2023, reported that the starting offensive line's communication is as crisp as it's ever been.

"Right now, where we're at is better than at any point last year, just how all five of us are communicating. [I] make sure we're all on the same page, then turn back, talking to Josh and he's correcting us, making sure all our calls are correct," said McGovern.

The 2019 third-round draft pick identified the difference between last year's unit and the current iteration.

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"I felt like, last year, a lot of times the five of us might have known what we were doing, but we didn't communicate enough to the tight ends or wide receivers," said McGovern.

Morse's consistency will be hard to replace, but McGovern appears to be the right man for the job.

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Ralph Ventre
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