Tag: Bills Mafia

Bills Mafia win ‘Ultimate Fan Bracket Challenge’

Fox Sports completed their annual “Ultimate Fan Bracket Challenge” on Wednesday and the Buffalo Bills and Bills Mafia were victorious in 2020. In the finals, the Bills defeated the Packers: #BillsMafia has done it!! Congrats to the @BuffaloBills for …

Fox Sports completed their annual “Ultimate Fan Bracket Challenge” on Wednesday and the Buffalo Bills and Bills Mafia were victorious in 2020. In the finals, the Bills defeated the Packers: 

The Bills nabbed the titled by earning 52.8 percent of votes over the Pack. 

In the contest, teams were seeded based on the each club’s individual social media follower totals to create a tournament-style bracket. In each round, teams are matched up and fans voted. The team who had more votes would advance. The goal was to earn the distinction of the “NFL’s best fan base.” 

This contest win by the Bills brings to light the same one from the past. In the final four of last year’s contest, the Bills were ahead by 20,000 votes with 12 minutes left in the poll in a matchup with the Titans and appeared to be a lock to move on the finals. Tennessee suddenly and unexpectedly made a huge jump to take the lead in a way that raised questions.

The Titans would go on to the next and final round before losing to the Cleveland Browns. It was reported that some Titans bloggers and podcasters bought tens of thousands of those votes via bots in a late push to win the round. Bills fans responded in true fashion, following the lead of one of Bills Mafia’s founders, Del Reid. Buffalo natives donated money to a Children’s Advocacy Center in Nashville.

This course of action was consistent with the class Bills Mafia showed to Andy Dalton when he put the Bills in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years by defeating the Ravens, where the Buffalo region donated more than $415,000 to his charitable foundation in gratitude.

The NFL season itself would play out interestingly enough between the two teams, as Bills fans would fill the Titans home Nissan Stadium making it feel like a Buffalo home game. During that October matchup last year, the Bills would win with a defensive effort in which Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota was essentially sacked out of his starting job.

Not long after the fan voting tournament, the Bills social media had some fun with the situation as well when Josh Allen won Good Morning Football‘s Play of the Year poll, beating out the Titan’s Derek Henry with his legendary hurdle during the Bills September 2018 game against the Vikings…

Tennessee would go on to take some inspiration from Buffalo, however, later using the Bills blueprint for defending and limiting Lamar Jackson’s effectiveness in a matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

While it may be news to some, it’s now known to many, Bills Mafia stands alone when it comes to having the best fans in the NFL.

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No love lost between Jets’ Henry Anderson, Bills Mafia

Jets DL Henry Anderson will miss the Buffalo Bills faithful this season with fans not currently allowed in the stands.

Henry Anderson is going to miss Bills fans. Or so he says.

When the Jets travel to Orchard Park Week 1, they’ll be playing in an empty Bills Stadium. Anderson is a bit disappointed that he won’t get to interact with Bills fans this season, as he’s become a bit of a “villain” among Bills Mafia.

“I’m going to miss them a lot,” a sarcastic Anderson told reporters Tuesday.

Anderson’s run-ins with the Bills haven’t exactly made him a fan-favorite in Buffalo. In fact, quite the opposite. Anderson isn’t known as a reckless or dirty player, but he does have a history of incidents with the Bills.

In 2018, Anderson blindsided former Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka during a blocked field goal, which resulted in the kicker suffering a hip injury.

Fast forward to Week 1 of the 2019 season and Anderson was fined $10,527 for unnecessary roughness. The play in question saw Anderson go for Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s legs after he had already released the football.

This drew some outrage from Lindsay Hauschka, the wife of the former Bills kicker. She went as far as saying that players like Anderson do not belong in the league.

Now an enemy in the eyes of Buffalo fans, Bills Mafia will have to resort to booing Anderson virtually this season. Although, the NFL is possibly looking at having fans in Orchard Park this season, according to a survey that was sent out by the league to multiple Bills season ticket holders.

So, Anderson may get to interact with Bills fans after all. Just not right away.

Brandon Beane talks primetime: ‘We’ll definitely need Bills Mafia’

The easy highlight of the Buffalo Bills’ 2020 schedule is all that primetime football.

The easy highlight of the Buffalo Bills’ 2020 schedule is all that primetime football.

Overall, the Bills have four games under the lights. The first is in Week 6 on Thursday Night Football against the defending champion Chiefs. Then three of Buffalo’s final five games are on primetime. After the champs, the NFC champion 49ers will host the Bills on Monday Night Football in Week 13. Week 14 then is another repeat primetime game from last season, as the Steelers visit the Bills on Sunday Night Football. In Week 16, it’ll be one more as the Patriots invite the Bills to town, once again on Monday Night Football.

With all that fun scheduled that Buffalo isn’t exactly used to, Bills general manager Brandon Beane knows those four games are going to be circled on the schedule by fans.

“Yeah, four is a lot,” Beane said on NFL Network. “Obviously appreciate the respect and that’s a lot to live up to.”

In order to play well in those games, especially their first one against the Chiefs, Beane said the Bills will need some help. Paging Bills Mafia.

“(The Chiefs) are a loaded team, what a great year they had and they are the champs,” Beane said. “Any time you play a championship team, it’s always a good test to see where your team is at. Coach (Andy) Reid and that whole team… we’ll have our work cut out for us.

“We like that the game is at home. We’ll definitely need Bills Mafia, loud and proud, in Orchard Park that night.”

Basing things on a year ago, the Bills have a slate, overall, that’s going to be hard. The Bills currently have the fifth-toughest schedule in the NFL heading into next season.

Beane admitted once again his team isn’t going to overlook the Patriots in the AFC East. But he added the west coast isn’t going to offer the Bills many easy tasks, either.

“It’s murderer’s row when you look at some of these teams, the AFC West and the NFC West. I think both of those divisions are stacked,” Beane said.

Beane’s pretty spot on there. Some tough opponents in both divisions. You’ll probably be more familiar with the AFC West, but not so much the NFC West. For those who need a brushing up:

AFC West: Chiefs, Broncos, Raiders, Chargers

NFC West: 49ers, Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals

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Brandon Beane: Bills QB Jake Fromm will earn spot

Buffalo Bills general manager says 2020 NFL Draft QB Jake Fromm will earn spot.

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With a selection that came as a surprise to many, the Buffalo Bills took quarterback Jake Fromm with pick No. 167 in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Adding a relatively known QB to the Bills roster with Josh Allen and recently extended backup Matt Barkley raises some questions. There were several other positions that could have used depth. 

But Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane didn’t bounce around the question, Fromm was the best player available on the Bills’ draft board when they were on the clock. 

“Simple as the [draft] board,” Beane said. “I wouldn’t have told you going into the day that (Fromm) was on our radar. But we had him in a spot that you just can’t ignore.”

“He’s a winner at the highest level of college. He’s got all the intangibles,” Beane added. 

But that doesn’t answer the question everyone is wondering. What will happen with Fromm? Well, he’s going to be treated the same as Allen, Barkley, and everyone else. 

“He’ll have to earn a spot,” Beane said. “I don’t know if he could knock Matt Barkley.”

The biggest knock on Fromm during the pre-draft process was likely some of his work at the combine. His hands measured in under the traditionally wanted nine inches and his arm is not the strongest you’ll find. With that in mind, Fromm is kind of the oppose of Allen. His arm isn’t big and he’s not the mobile type. 

Only time will tell as to how the Bills will approach this situation. Beane didn’t rule out the possibility of using three roster spots on quarterbacks for the upcoming season. The last time the Bills did so, it Joe Webb, a special teamer, was the third guy. Davis Webb is also on Buffalo’s practice squad. 

However the Bills approach it, they have a prospective starter in the backup roll. It’s unlikely that there will be a QB controversy, but, in the case that Josh Allen can not succeed with the plethora of talent around him, Fromm could eventually find himself in a much larger role within the Bills offense. We’ll cross that road when we get there.

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Former Oklahoma defensive tackle Jordan Phillips signs deal with Arizona

Former Oklahoma defensive tackle Jordan Phillips is exchanging Niagra Falls and Bills Mafia for the desert and the Red Sea.

NFL free agency officially opens on Wednesday, but teams and players can agree to terms before putting pen to paper.

Former Oklahoma defensive tackle Jordan Phillips is exchanging Niagra Falls and Bills Mafia for the desert and the Red Sea.

Phillips, drafted in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by Miami, will be venturing outside of the AFC East for the first time in his career. With three and a half seasons with the Dolphins before being traded to the Bills four games into the 2018 season, Phillips is coming off the best season of his career.

In 2019, Phillips split starts with Bills rookie Ed Oliver. Getting nine of the 16 starts over Oliver, Phillips made the most of his time in the trenches securing 9.5 sacks, nearly doubling his career total.

In 35 starts and 76 games played Phillips has racked up 113 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 33 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and an interception.

Details regarding Phillips’ deal have yet to be released, but the contract is reportedly set for three years.

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St. Louis BattleHawks fan tries to imitate the Bills Mafia, fails terribly

Oh nooooo!

Every NFL season, the internet is treated to a flurry of videos from the Bills Mafia as Buffalo fans attempt ill-advised stunts at their tailgates.

They’ll jump through tables. They’ll light the tables on fire. They’ll do a whole mess of dangerous stunts just to get ready for FOOTBALL.

Well, XFL fans over in St. Louis hoped to channel the Bills Mafia’s energy ahead of the BattleHawks’ home game against New York. But where the XFL represents a decidedly large step down in talent from the NFL, the XFL fans too have some work to do to match the Bills Mafia’s showmanship. Don’t attempt what this BattleHawks fan did on Sunday. (Warning: NSFW language)

I’m not entirely sure what this guy’s plan was here. He didn’t seem set on jumping through the fiery table, and he certainly didn’t have the hops to clear the table.

The one-legged approach here was especially unfortunate as the dude’s right leg went through the table and subjected his groin area and backside to the flames. That had to be incredibly painful.

Thankfully, he seemed to be OK. Just don’t try that again.

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Young Bills fan campaigning for Saturday Super Bowl

Buffalo Bills fan campaigns for Super Bowl to be played on Saturday.

One young Buffalo Bills (and Los Angeles Rams) fan has an idea for a fellow western New York native… namely, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Why don’t you move the Super Bowl to Saturday?

Frankie Ruggeri, 16, thinks Super Bowl Saturday sounds much better than Super Bowl Sunday.

The foundation of his argument is mostly the obvious: Viewers have plenty to do the next day since it’s a Monday, whether it’s school or work.

And Ruggeri is doing something right with his efforts.

Last week, he started a petition on Change.org. As of this post, it has been signed by more than 16,000 people and it’s growing. In addition, it caught some national attention as CNN reported on his idea on Wednesday.

Per that article, Ruggeri has some good points just beyond him having homeroom the next morning and not wanting to wake up early. CNN reports that 17 million employees in the United States might miss work because of the Super Bowl. There’s also a 41 percent increase in auto accidents after the Super Bowl.

“Why not have a kid say, ‘How about the Super Bowl be on a Saturday?” the Avon high school junior told CNN.

Certainly Ruggeri has an uphill battle to climb since the NFL loves owning their day of the week, which is Sunday. But perhaps one day we’ll be able to more casually watch the Big Game, and might have a young member Bills Mafia to thank for it?

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PODCAST: 2019 Bills season wrap, how did they do?

Buffalo Bills season recap podcast from The Bills Wire.

Josh Allen
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen calls signals at the line of scrimmage in the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

 

With the 2019 season being over for nearly a week, podcast hosts Matt and Jeremy have had some time to properly reflect on this 2019 season. While the way that it ended was not ideal, and pretty upsetting, it was a good year from an overall perspective.

Despite all of the criticism about strength of schedule, a young roster with growing pains, and a lot of “coulda, woulda, shoulda” moments, Bills fans should look back fondly on the 2019. With a solid coaching staff, whose instilled motto of “Trust the Process” has made considerable gains, and a General Manager who has flipped this roster, nearly 100% from before his reign, all signs point to up.

Josh Allen progressed relatively well in 2019, giving more fuel to the Allen apologists. He showed incredible growth, while still making some rookie mistakes, but importantly, has played well enough to leave no questions if he should continue to be a starter going into the 2020-21 season.

The fortunate aspect for this off season is that Beane and McDermott know have a smaller amount of spokes to replace on the wheel that is the Buffalo Bills, and are able to hone in on the most important needs before free agency and trades open up in a few months.

 

Subscribe

 

Brandon Beane emotional discussing Bills Mafia (video)

Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott on Buffalo Bills fans.

The Bills’ 2019 season came to an end last Saturday. Up 16 points, Buffalo lost 22-19 in overtime to the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card.

One thing that’s unquestionable is that the team’s general manager, Brandon Beane, isn’t happy about it. He was even emotional about the loss.

Beane and Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott got in front of the cameras on Tuesday for their end of season press conferences. The coach is used to it while the executive isn’t unfamiliar with it, but Beane doesn’t do it as much during the season.

Perhaps that’s why he cracked a little while discussing Bills fans, better known as Bills Mafia.

Opening his chat, Beane reflected on the players, organization and fans in a statement. That’s when Beane had to take a split second to keep it together.

“I’m just blown away by our fans,” Beane said. “I get emotional because I felt bad for [Bills fans]. I feel really bad that we didn’t win that game.”

Here’s video of Beane’s message to Bills Mafia along with McDermott’s:

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Bills Mafia bought all of Houston’s folding tables (video)

Buffalo Bills Mafia bought all of the folding tables in the city of Houston.

In little surprise, Bills Mafia has invaded Houston ahead of their team’s game against the Texans.

Prior to the game, Labatt’s brew company announced wholesalers in the Houston area bought seven times the usual amount of their product in an effort to prepare for Bills fans.

Walmart did not follow suit.

Barstool Sports went through a local Houston area Walmart and guess what they’ve all sold out of?

Folding tables.

Check out the video here:

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