Tag: Bills fans

Bills fans were absolutely thriving in snow-covered Buffalo before Dolphins kickoff

Nothing is too cold for the Bills Mafia.

A whole lot of snow got dumped on Buffalo ahead of Saturday night’s NFL clash between the Bills and Miami Dolphins. Temperatures were around 29 degrees just before kickoff, and one to two feet of snow are expected to accumulate in Buffalo by the end of the weekend.

The environment is less than ideal for the visiting Dolphins, who have lost two straight and desperately need a win to keep contending for a playoff spot. Miami coach Mike McDaniel has tried to his best to ignore the weather, but a blanket of snow could absolutely impact an outcome of a game.

But for the Bills Mafia? The conditions were just right.

The NFL’s rowdiest fans didn’t let a little snow or frigid temperatures put a damper on their pregame festivities.

PHOTOS: These 11 celebrities are Bills fans

Bills Mafia boasts a number of famous members. We compile a list of the team’s celebrity supporters.

Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.

ESPN commentator Chris Berman coined that now-famous phrase years ago to describe the team’s culture of unity. But it also describes the team’s supporters, who are known as some of the heartiest, wildest and most loyal in the NFL.

Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed rank among the franchise’s all-time legends, and standouts Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and Von Miller highlight the team’s current roster.

But the stars aren’t only on the field in Orchard Park. Bills Mafia, as the fan base has come to be known, boasts its fair share of celebrities, too.

With all that in mind, Bills Wire compiles a gallery of the team’s celebrity fans below.

Bills fans ‘control the atmosphere’ in return to Highmark Stadium

#Bills players felt #BillsMafia vs. the #Packers even if it was just a preseason game:

It might be preseason, but you wouldn’t know it looking out into the crowd at Highmark Stadium during the Bills vs. Packers game on Saturday.

50,000 strong showed up to support the Bills, with many fans getting to see their team live in action for the first time in over a year.

While it was likely a thrill for the fans to get to see a win, it was also special for the players to see the fans back in the stands.

“It was the best feeling to see them fans coming out of the tunnel,” Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins told the media following the 19-0 win. “You know, the Mafia doing what they do. Just seeing all them faces, all that red white and blue. And I’m telling you, this is why Buffalo is so special.”

Dawkins was also excited for his teammates that have yet to get to experience the fan base in full force. Even during Buffalo’s playoff run last season, the crowd was at limited capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s just amazing that these guys can finally see why Buffalo is what Buffalo is. Like, Diggs ain’t ever feel that. Like all these young guys, they ain’t ever felt that. And today, it was just a short fuse, but I’m telling you, night games, first game of the season, it’s gonna hit, it’s gonna hit,” Dawkins said.

Sean McDermott shared a similar sentiment when speaking at halftime on the team’s television broadcast, saying “only in Buffalo” do you see 50,000 fans show up like this for a preseason game.

Bills safety Micah Hyde, who had an interception during the first half vs. his former team, was also glad to see Bills fans back impacting the game.

“It’s amazing to see fans out there ya know, screaming. It’s a homefield advantage for us,” Hyde told reporters. “We love to have them back. Not having them last year was kinda unique. A little weird, but getting out here on third down, hearing the crowd get into it. Fourth down, hearing the crowd get into it. It’s special, this place is special.”

Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who had a strong outing during his first preseason action of the season, acknowledged that these exhibition games aren’t just for the players.

“Forcing a timeout too and causing a false start or a delay of game, that’s huge… it’s reps for the fans too,” Allen said smiling. “Come regular season time, that’s what we’re gonna need from them too.”

Bills general manager Brandon Beane joined the broadcast in the booth to discuss a variety of topics, one of which was the Bills Mafia.

Beane mentioned leaving the facility late last night and seeing all the RVs in the lots. Then early this morning smelling the charcoal burning as fans tailgated. To him, there was no better feeling, because it meant that fans were really back.

One of the young guys who had his first chance to play in front of Bills fans today, was quarterback Jake Fromm who is fighting for a roster spot.

This could be Fromm’s only chance to ever play in front of the Mafia, but he made sure to enjoy the moment.

“It was unbelievable. Today, you looked in the stands and it almost looked like a packed house. It was fun,” Fromm said following the game. “Got to see them really have their mark on the game. It was a delay of game, or something when their (Packers) offense was coming to the locker room, but it was awesome. They kind of controlled the atmosphere. It was really just fun to be back out there.”

Bills fans will have many opportunities to make their presence felt as the team opens the regular season with three of its first four games at home.

As Josh Allen mentioned, the Bills will rely on that homefield advantage early and often. As always, the Bills Mafia appears up for the challenge.

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Bills use Dolphins trip to gather intel for return of fans in Buffalo

Buffalo Bills team officials used their trip to Miami Dolphins to help gather information bout fans in Bills Stadium.

The first home game of the 2020 NFL season looked much different for the Buffalo Bills without fans in the stands. Many teams in the league are playing in front of empty seats as a safety precaution due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the United States. However, a few teams are allowing limited seating.

Among those? Buffalo’s most-recent opponent, the Miami Dolphins. Prior to the Bills heading to Miami last weekend, the Dolphins announced 13,000 tickets would be sold in the 65,000-seat venue, Hard Rock Stadium for that game.

As of now, the Bills will not allow fans at home games in September as they work with New York State officials towards finding a safe resolution to the situation. That means this coming Sunday’s Week 3 meeting with the Rams won’t have fans involved. But Buffalo’s Week 5 meeting with the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football on Oct. 15 is still on the table, and the Bills, according to the Buffalo News, used their Week 2 trip to South Beach to gather intel on the safety measures the Dolphins undertook in order to allow limited seating. 

The Bills previously said in a July statement to season ticket holders they planned for limited attendance… when permitted. The State and the Bills have not yet settled on a time when any amount of fans could be allowed in their venue, only so far saying it won’t happen in September. Season ticket holders were also given the choice to opt-out of the 2020 season and return for 2021 with the same seats and seniority.

The Bills also previously confirmed that they already had some limited-seating charts created for Bills Stadium. Those plans include scenarios of 15, 33 and 50 percent capacities of fans. It remains to be seen if the team dusts off any of these in the coming weeks. 

After not playing in front of any fans in Week 2, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott felt positive about having people in attendance in Miami last weekend, at least. 

“Miami allowed a certain percentage of fans, and I’m happy to say a significant percentage were Bills fans, so that was awesome to see, and I just was fired up,” said McDermott on Monday via video conference. “We ran out of the tunnel to that ovation and that cheer and you could hear the crowd, and that gave me chills. Just hearing that when we ran out of somebody else’s tunnel, that was awesome.”

Current in the NFL, the Dolphins are joined by the Jaguars, Cowboys, Chiefs, Broncos, Colts, Browns, and Bengals as teams that are allowing a limited number of fans in their stadium during home games. 

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How safety protocol impacts the Rams ahead of trip to Bills

Buffalo Bills’ Week 3 opponents, the Los Angeles Rams, have new safety precautions in place affecting their pre-game travel schedule.

The ongoing coronavius pandemic in the United States has taken its toll on several aspects of the 2020 NFL season, and has done so for the past several months. Most recently, stadiums are not filling up with fans yet, and now the Bills’ upcoming opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, have run into a new issue with their travel plans ahead of their trip to Orchard Park in Week 3. 

Prior to the NFL’s schedule release each year, teams can make a request to have cross-country games on back-to-back weeks. In the case of the Rams, they requested that the league’s schedule-makers put the Eagles and Bills next to each other on their schedule. That happened, as the Rams beat the Eagles last week in Philadelphia and have Buffalo up next. 

The idea gives teams the option to avoid long trips. Instead of going back to Los Angeles, the Rams hoped to just travel right to Buffalo. 

But thanks to Covid-19, that’s not happening. 

The NFL introduced numerous safety protocols to avoid the spread of the virus, and among those involve team travel. The Rams technically could still travel right to Buffalo, but the players and team staff, by rule, could only go to the practice field and their hotel rooms, according to Rams Wire. 

And so the Rams called an audible on their travel. The Rams have since headed back to L.A. and will return to Buffalo later this week to face the Bills. 

More miles, but, safety first. 

Last week ahead of the Bills’ first trip away from Buffalo, defensive back Jordan Poyer described the safety protocols the team was going through via their trip to Miami to face the Dolphins. Poyer said once the team lands, you’re essentially in a “bubble” until you head home. 

Plane lands. Players stay in a hotel. Go play the game. Straight to the airport to go directly home to avoid crossing paths with any outsiders. 

Later on this season, the Bills themselves will have trips out west with games in Arizona, Denver, San Francisco, and their next road game, their first ever trip to Las Vegas. However, the Bills were actually the only team in the AFC East to not make this special request to schedulers earlier this offseason.

So it’ll still be as usual, or planned, for the Bills… or as much as it can be during the roller coaster that 2020 is. 

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