ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Bills rookie receiver Keon Coleman had no one to blame but himself as he watched the first quarter of Buffalo’s game against Jacksonville rooted to the sideline as punishment for breaking a team rule.
Whatever the violation was, no one is saying. More important in this lesson in accountability for Coleman was how the 21-year-old responded to his benching once he stepped on the field.
Rather than sulk, he rebounded by scoring his first career touchdown and turning what had the makings of a bad situation into a memorable one in a 47-10 win on Monday night.
“It meant a lot. It meant I paid for the mistake that I made, and I had to stay locked in on the game,” Coleman told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “And when the ball gets called to go to you, do your job, make the play and keep pushing.”
Asked to run a deep crossing pattern from the Jaguars 24, Coleman lined up on the left side and cut across the middle, with teammate Mack Hollins taking his route across the other way. As Coleman gained a few steps of separation on defender Montaric Brown, he caught Josh Allen’s pass at the 5 and tumbled into the end zone to put Buffalo up 20-3 with 6:19 left in the second quarter.
“Once I saw the safety was still in the middle, it was dealer’s choice with Josh and he just let the ball go,” Coleman said, in crediting the quarterback for hitting him stride. “That’s Josh. That’s what he do.”
His only concern was a celebration in which Coleman rolled the ball on the turf rather than spike it, in fear of potentially losing the keepsake by bouncing it into the stands.
He also couldn’t help but reflect on the lesson he leaned in accepting his punishment.
“It’s just wrongdoing. So you’ve got to deal with that,” Coleman said. “No man is bigger than the team. And no man’s one goal is bigger than the team goal.”
Coleman’s composure followed by his touchdown resonated among the Bills (3-0), who prepare to travel to play the Baltimore Ravens (1-2) on Sunday night.
“He was locked in and didn’t skip a beat,” tight end Dawson Knox said. “There’s going to be a lot of ups and downs in this game. But the fact he was able to stay mentally into it, mentally tough, and be able to come in and score a touchdown, it was really cool to see the bounce back.”
Coach Sean McDermott called it a “learning opportunity,” before saying the issue was addressed and adding: “I’m just very impressed with the way Keon handled it.”
Much is expected from Coleman, who has become accustomed to waiting to make an impact in Buffalo.
Though he was the Bills’ first selection in April, he had to wait until the first pick of the second round before hearing his name called after Buffalo twice traded back in draft order.
Coleman’s arrival highlighted a major overhaul of Buffalo’s receiver group, which began with Gabe Davis leaving in free agency followed by the Bills trading Stefon Diggs to Houston in April.
Buffalo opened the season with just one player at the wide receiver position, Khalil Shakir, who had ever caught a pass from Allen, with the rest of the spots filled by Coleman and veteran free-agent additions in Hollins, Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Coleman made an immediate impression by showing off his playful personality during his opening news conference by providing shopping tips on when to get the best deals to buy a winter jacket.
He made an even bigger impact on the practice field by using his 6-foot-3 frame and large wingspan to catch most passes thrown in his direction, showing glimpses of his production — 115 catches for 1,506 yards and 19 TDs — in three seasons split between Florida State and Michigan State.
Coleman has five catches for 75 yards in three outings. Though being eased in as a backup, his first career catch — a 28-yarder while being tightly covered — keyed a touchdown drive in a season-opening 34-28 win over Arizona in which Buffalo rallied from a 17-3 deficit.
“It’s been pretty smooth, just capitalizing on the opportunities,” said Coleman, assessing his first three outings and buying into Buffalo’s spread-the-wealth passing attack.
And now he has his first NFL touchdown, with a lesson accompanying it.
“It means a lot. On the road to greatness and things you want to accomplish in your life, you got to start with one step,” Coleman said. “So this is a big step on the road. Hopefully a long road.”
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