GunnerBill Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 This really starts and ends with Sean McDermott. He wouldn't accept that. He'd talk about what a great job the players have done embracing the growth mindset. And he'd talk about the leadership of Josh Allen and he'd talk about Brandon and his staff, and Leslie and his staff and Brian and his staff. But the reality is without Sean McDermott none of the rest would be here. There would be no Josh Allen, no Brandon Beane, no Brian Daboll, no Dion Dawkins. This franchise changed the moment Sean McDermott walked through those doors. Every great organisation.... or every great movement as Dion calls this.... requires a leader. A shot caller. A direction setter. A standard setter. The Pegulas might have been hoodwinked by a snake oil salesmen when they hired Rex..... but they struck gold when they fell in love with Sean McDermott. 8 3 1
Kwai San Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 1 hour ago, RoyBatty is alive said: I don't think they "need" that downer. This team has not let off the gas. I think this team IS the gas!!!! Go BILLS!!!! 1
BuffaloBill Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 Wow ... all I can say is wow... Talk about a player who has his head on right ..... wow 2
ColoradoBills Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 I won’t sit here and act like I know what the future holds. Won’t claim to know how the playoffs or the world is about to shake out over the next while. But I love this city, man. And as far as this football team goes….. let’s just say we’ve got one thing on our mind. It ain’t losing. 1
Shaw66 Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 Wow. What a look at how it feels on the inside. He says a lot of things that I've wondered about. I especially like the thing about E-Wood and the o line and how this team understands that they are playing for the veterans who came before them. I've always thought that Kyle Williams knew that he was a building block for a winning team - that was his role, playing for McDermott. They both understood it. When the McDermott wins the Super Bowl, Kyle is going to feel like the win is his too. Cool stuff. 4
Willyville Guy Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 (edited) Amazing letter! The Diggs/Josh stuff is awesome. The bit about Wood passing the torch, talking about the culture, talking about finishing the job the vets started... I felt that. "We thrive together" captures in a positive way how I feel about this team that takes a part of me onto the field with them each week. I'm so pumped for Saturday. All the guardrails I normally put up for myself year after year to avoid more heartbreak are completely down. I believe in this team and I believe in miracles. LFG. Edited January 5, 2021 by Willyville Guy
Shaw66 Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 1 hour ago, GunnerBill said: This really starts and ends with Sean McDermott. He wouldn't accept that. He'd talk about what a great job the players have done embracing the growth mindset. And he'd talk about the leadership of Josh Allen and he'd talk about Brandon and his staff, and Leslie and his staff and Brian and his staff. But the reality is without Sean McDermott none of the rest would be here. There would be no Josh Allen, no Brandon Beane, no Brian Daboll, no Dion Dawkins. This franchise changed the moment Sean McDermott walked through those doors. Every great organisation.... or every great movement as Dion calls this.... requires a leader. A shot caller. A direction setter. A standard setter. The Pegulas might have been hoodwinked by a snake oil salesmen when they hired Rex..... but they struck gold when they fell in love with Sean McDermott. Gunner - This may be the best single statement of what's happened here that I've seen. McDermott will be the first to tell you that it's all about each and every person, and he's correct, but none of it happens with McD. Thanks for saying it.
BigBuff423 Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 This is a penned letter worth all the reading and worth all the moments spent talking about his opus to Buffalo Bills fans and the Bills Mafia. Dion demonstrated particularly terrific insight into the team chemistry, paid homage to the drought years and all of the men who paid the price to pave the way for players like himself, expressed true comprehension of the Buffalo mind-set and the struggle that has been real for Bills' fans for more than two decades, all the while opening eyes and hearts to the nuances of the culture and familial ties that bind for this team and global geography of Bills fans in all parts of the world. Dion was transparent in his reservations while also showing he's willing to be wrong about assumptions and hopeful about new found reasons for the future. This was well done by Dion and a revelation of his inner thinking and fundamental beliefs in people, the community and the team. His authenticity has never been in question, but this provides another layer which only endears him even more to fans and the community. 2
ProcessAccepted Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 3 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: Waste of time. Face Forward. Watch more Colts film with that time. Totally agree. Those lessons have already been learned. 1
MJS Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 3 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: Can we close the books on whether the Diggs trade was good for our team now? Dion on the Florida workout: So then later on during the offseason, our receivers and quarterbacks, they all got together in Golden Beach, Florida, to run through some workouts and drills. I was in the area at the time, like a five-minute drive from where this was happening — and once I heard that Diggs was going to be there, I thought, man…... I have to swing by. Gotta meet this dude. See if he’s who they say he is. So I came through, said my hellos real quick. Then I posted up on a bench to watch them work. And I’m not going to say I was skeptical. But I was definitely in the mood of, like, Alright, new guy. What you got. SMH. No, literally. SMH. I’m literally shaking my head, writing this, thinking back to that day. Stefon, man….. dude put on a SHOW. (......) I think what I’ve realized with Stefon is that, being a superstar…... it’s not about having a higher ceiling. It’s about having NO ceiling. That actually might be the best way to explain it. It’s like — every breath that dude takes is about finding a whole new level. And so when people ask me if Diggs has come in and impressed us this season, I’m like: nah. Because I don’t really think “impressed” is the right word. I think it’s more like “shocked.” Not because we had low expectations or anything. But it was more like….. alright, y’all are going to laugh at this, but I’m still going to say it: I think there were players on this team who — before they saw Stefon?? Legit had no idea people could be this good at football. Dead serious, man. In other words, Stefon has redefined what good football means for our squad. That’s the kind of impact he’s had. (....) I was trying to think of how I can summarize Stefon for this article — and I think the best I could come up with is: Dude is obsessed with making the people around him better. You know what I mean? Like, whether it’s staying after practice with Gabe and working him through a ball cart of reps. Or it’s speaking up in a meeting and making sure him and Cole have their timing on a crossing pattern down to the split second. Or it’s just doing whatever is needed to lead his group like a true unit. (I call them the Skinny Boy Unit.) Or it’s making the type of play where the entire sideline is left speechless, and is just like, Oh, word? We’re setting the bar at “Hall of Famer” today? Whether it’s any of those things, man. Stefon has been there for it. And I respect the hell out of him for that. I've commented before that I thought all our WR, including John Brown and Cole Beasley as well as Isaiah McKensie, had "leveled up" this year. Chad Hall may be one reason, I'd speculated that Stefon Diggs is another. Dion makes it clear that's right. Dang. That is so awesome. That's why superstars are so important. You need elite players on both sides of the ball, and it isn't just for the game breaking plays they make. It's for the rest of the squad to be able to look at them and realize just how good you can become. It inspires you to be better yourself. To see that they have all of the tools AND the work ethic. It's inspiring. The 90's Bills had Thurman and Bruce, among others. The Bills now have Allen, Diggs, and White. It's why I think the Colts are not going to beat us. Because they don't have the elite players to overcome like we do.
sven233 Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 For the first time in a VERY long time, I think this team, these players, understand just how important and meaningful it would be to bring a Championship to this city. They are realizing that while it may be "just a game" that isn't the case around here. It's something much bigger. They as players are starting to feel that a Championship is not just a Championship. It's not just some goal to have at the beginning of a season. It's bigger than that here. It always has been that way for us fans, but too many times I don't think players have understood that. Sure, they want to win. Who doesn't? But for many players, it's a goal to have. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, well, they made their money, or they are a free agent and it is on the the next city where they will have the same goal to win a Championship. If they don't, they don't. This team though......I don't feel that way at all. I really, truly believe that they want a Championship, not just as a goal, but they want it for this city. Yeah, they want it for themselves for sure, but they want it for US. They want it for Buffalo. They don't want it because it's just the next stop on their way through their NFL careers, but they want it because this is THE spot to do it in. It's a hard thing to describe and I think you only truly understand it if you're here and know the area. Some make fun of the trips to the airport by fans. But you know what? Players do not see that anywhere but here. Especially in a year like this one where we can't be there every day. It would be very easy for the players to become a little disconnected at times. But those moments at 1:30 in the morning in the freezing cold this fan base finds ways to remind the players that even though we're not in the stadium and not around the team as much as usual, that we are still very much here and we are behind them as much as we always are. Make no mistake about it. The players feel this. It means something. And like I said above, I truly believe that for the first time in a VERY long time, they understand how much the team, and what bringing a Championship to THIS AREA, would actually mean. I don't know it it will happen or not. But I know that if it doesn't, it's not going to be because they didn't want it enough or that they wouldn't have put in the work. There is no doubt in my mind that no matter how this season ends, the team will have left it all on the field. Hopefully, in the end, that will be enough to bring a Super Bowl Championship to Buffalo in a few weeks. GO BILLS!!!! 4
elroy16 Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 I didn't think I could be more amped about this weekend, but here we are. I can't think about work, I don't care about what I'm eating for dinner, I don't want to do anything besides read, listen, and watch Bills football until Saturday. Usually the end of the year is depressing, even if the playoffs are in the future, there's no way they could scrap together four wins. I know how it's going to end even if I don't know exactly how. This year though... I don't know. Regardless of how it plays out, I freaking love this team. 7
HappyDays Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 Did Dawkins write this himself? I don't say that to belittle him, it's just so well written I have to ask. What a team. The wait was worth it.
YoloinOhio Posted January 5, 2021 Author Posted January 5, 2021 36 minutes ago, ProcessAccepted said: Totally agree. Those lessons have already been learned. Plus, they signed Taiwan Jones! X factor lol 1
Rockinon Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 That was a spectacular letter. That "C" on his uniform is there for a reason. 6
John Gianelli Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 4 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said: He's not that different from Josh, in that he worked hard and fought to get to where he is. Not sure if I ever mentioned that my son in law was his tutor at Temple. They stay in touch. Dion is loving Buffalo. He has a wife and two young kids. They just bought their own place in Hamburg and of course the contract. He gets Bills Mafia and what the team means to people. If he was his English tutor, he did a good job!
wjag Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 30 minutes ago, HappyDays said: Did Dawkins write this himself? I don't say that to belittle him, it's just so well written I have to ask. What a team. The wait was worth it. I have no doubt he did. Have you listened to his interviews? If not, dig one up. He's a good listen. Articulate, insightful. One thing that McDermott and Beane stressed a few years ago, was selecting high character players. This team has them at every position.
stevewin Posted January 5, 2021 Posted January 5, 2021 Wow was not expecting something at that level to be honest - incredible. Extremely insightful and well done 1
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