Bills’ Brandon Codrington on learning from mistakes

“I looked down and I was like, ‘Oh my, God,'” Codrington said.

Codrington, the Bills’ rookie punt/kick returner, was able to gain 12 yards on the return, but the teaching point was obvious – he should have let the punt bound into the end zone for a touchback and a starting point of the 20- yard line. If Dickson’s point bounced right and stayed in the field of play, hat tip to him.

“Definitely a learning experience,” Codrington said.

Codrington explained the circumstances of the play, but not to make excuses or defend his decision. The line of scrimmage was the Seahawks’ 32 and Codrington was told to put his heels on the Bills’ 20. Dickson boomed the punt 68 yards. Trouble ensued.

“(The ball) kind of drifted on me and I didn’t realize how far back I was until I caught it,” Codrington said. “It’s easier to know (your whereabouts) when your heels are on the 10 or 8.”

The poor decision was Codrington’s first on point returns in a productive season that continues Sunday against Miami. Acquired by the New York Jets after the preseason, he has been a good find, averaging 10.7 yards (ninth in the NFL) on 14 point returns.

But the Bills knew what they were getting into. Young players make mistakes. Young returners sometimes misjudge their surroundings. They wanted sixth-round rookie Daequan Hardy to win the job in camp, but his poor field awareness in catching punts forced them to trade for Codrington.

A veteran of 130 returns (69 kicks and 61 points) for North Carolina Central, Codrington’s experience was on display until his mishap against Seattle.

On his 14 returns, Codrington has caught only two inside his 10-yard line – his first return against the Seahawks started at his 8 (11-yard return) – and among his five fair catches, only one has been inside his 10 (6 yard line at Baltimore).

Nine of Codrington’s punt returns have gained at least 10 yards, a fine production for a rookie. But consider his lesson learned about where to catch it.

“I just have to get a feel for where I’m at and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he said.

1. Dime vs. nickel. In Weeks 2-5, Cam Lewis was the Bills nickel (fifth defensive back) player in place for Taron Johnson (right forearm injury) and has shifted back to the dime (sixth defensive back) role. The life of a dime is fluctuating playing time based on opponent and situation. Lewis played only three snaps in the Week 6 win over the New York Jets, but 22 snaps apiece in wins over Tennessee and Seattle the last two weeks.

Lewis said he gets a handle on his projected playing time each Thursday when the Bills install their third-down plan.

Comparing nickel and dime, Lewis said: “Sometimes, it’s the same techniques, but it’s two totally different mindsets of how you play the positions. (In dime), we blitz a lot, we do a lot of exotic stuff and (line up) in the ‘A’ or ‘B’ gaps and you’re not doing that as the nickel.”

The “A” gap is the area between center and guard and the “B” gap is between the guard and tackle.

Count Lewis as a fan of being able to blitz.

“I’m just trying to get a sack soon; that’s the plan,” he said with a laugh. “Sometimes, we’ll blitz in the final two minutes and (sacks) are hard because the quarterback is throwing the football quickly.”

2. Starting from scratch. The Bills’ defense started over in its preparation for its second game against Miami, which majors in pre-snap window dressing.

Does the previous knowledge help?

“A little bit, but we try to take it like we’re playing them for the first time,” Lewis said. “You don’t want to go into the game thinking you know what they’ll do because they could change it up and make adjustments.”

3. Toohill’s deflection. Bills defensive end Casey Toohill now has three pass breakups in 65 regular-season games after he tipped Geno Smith’s pass last week that was intercepted by defensive tackle Austin Johnson.

“It just felt a little off,” Toohill said of reading the play. “They had been running quick passes and screens, so I felt the (left) tackle set (by Michael Jerrell) was off, so I stopped and jumped in the air and tipped it. As soon as I felt like I tipped it, I looked around to make sure they didn’t catch it and I was happy Austin caught it.”

The Bills turned that takeaway into a touchdown and a 24-3 lead. The Bills have outscored opponents 55-10 this year off turnovers.

4. Draft watch. The game of the week is No. 4 Ohio State (6-1) at No. 3 Penn State (7-0) on FOX (noon, Saturday). Nittany Lions safety Jaylen Reed (jersey No. 1) is listed at 6-foot and 212 pounds, but what should make him attractive to NFL teams is his experience playing nickel and safety. In 41 games, he has 127 tackles, 10 pass breakups and four interceptions.

5. Extra points. The Bills’ next win will be No. 80 for McDermott in the regular season, making him the 13th coach in league history to win at least 80 games in his first eight years. The current leaders are George Seifert (98) and Mike Holmgren (84). … The Bills’ defense had its best tackling game of the year last week, missing only two at Seattle. And both came on the same play (by defensive end Greg Rousseau and linebacker Dorian Williams) and a broken play – running back Kenneth Walker III mishandled the toss before he retrieved it and gained 13 yards. … Referee Tra Blake gets his second Bills game of the year; his crew had the whistles for the Bills’ Week 1 win over Arizona. In eight games for Blake’s crew, home teams are 4-4. The Bills had nine penalties against the Cardinals. … The Bills’ offensive line allowed only four total pass protection “disruptions” at Seattle, but two came on the same play – half-pressures allowed by center Connor McGovern, left guard David Edwards, right guard O’Cyrus Torrence and left tackle Dion Dawkins. Quarterback Josh Allen was forced to throw it away.