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Bills say if Patriots run through their pregame drills again there will be another fight

The first time the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills played each other this year, the most memorable highlight might have been a pregame skirmish.

The Bills are promising more fireworks if the Patriots don’t show more respect for their pregame warmups.

Football doesn’t have a ton of unwritten rules, but one is that you don’t run through the other team’s warmup drills before the game. Patriots rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett and rookie receiver Malcolm Mitchell ran too close to the Bills’ drills, safety Robert Blanton shoved Mitchell, and then Bills defensive backs Nickell Robey-Coleman and safety Aaron Williams joined in. Blanton, Robey-Coleman and Williams were fined.

The Patriots and Bills had a pregame skirmish last time they played (AP)
The Patriots and Bills had a pregame skirmish last time they played (AP)

The Bills say that if the Patriots do the same thing before Sunday’s game, they’re ready.

“Uh, probably the same reaction they got last time,” Robey-Coleman said, according to New York Upstate’s Matthew Fairburn. “There ain’t no other way around that situation. You know, just respect each others’ sideline.”

Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore agreed with Robey-Coleman, that if the Patriots do something similar the Bills would retaliate.

“Of course,” Gilmore told New York Upstate. “You’re not going to let anybody push you around, you know what I’m saying? But we have to play smart.”

Bills coach Rex Ryan said he doesn’t want any issues before the game (“If people want to show how tough they are, put the boxing gloves on and get in the ring,” Ryan said, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss) but the Bills don’t think there will be an issue. Brissett isn’t the quarterback anymore, and the Bills don’t figure Tom Brady will mess with their warmups.

“Nah, I don’t expect him to do that,” Robey-Coleman told Fairburn. “Tom is a pro.”

Maybe it won’t happen on Sunday like it did in Week 4 at New England, but it’s worth keeping an eye on pregame warmups in Buffalo just in case.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!