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Dion Dawkins: A Letter to Bills Mafia, Part II


YoloinOhio

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We saw Arizona celebrating on the field, after the Hail Mary. And it was just something about it, man. It was the way they were running around, hooting and hollering, like they’d won the damn Super Bowl. It was something about that. I think for whatever reason, that just struck this chord with us. Not because we were annoyed with them or anything. They won, they can celebrate how they want. Nah. It was more like: We looked at them. And then we looked at us. And I think we just had this moment of, Alright — hold up. If they’re fired up like they won the Super Bowl….. why aren’t we upset like we lost the Super Bowl?

And I think that’s when it hit us. It hit us that things are different now.

It hit us that this team, our team, these Buffalo Bills — we’ve moved on to a different place. Like, with all due respect to the Cardinals: I think they're in a similar spot now to where we were these last few seasons. Just trying to claw and make the playoffs with an up-and-coming roster. Whereas, for us? It’s not like that now. We’re taking the long view. Every game isn’t the Super Bowl for our team. 

The Super Bowl is the Super Bowl for our team. 

Or at least that’s what we’re working toward.

Edited by YoloinOhio
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4 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

We saw Arizona celebrating on the field, after the Hail Mary. And it was just something about it, man. It was the way they were running around, hooting and hollering, like they’d won the damn Super Bowl. It was something about that. I think for whatever reason, that just struck this chord with us. Not because we were annoyed with them or anything. They won, they can celebrate how they want. Nah. It was more like: We looked at them. And then we looked at us. And I think we just had this moment of, Alright — hold up. If they’re fired up like they won the Super Bowl….. why aren’t we upset like we lost the Super Bowl?

And I think that’s when it hit us. It hit us that things are different now.

It hit us that this team, our team, these Buffalo Bills — we’ve moved on to a different place. Like, with all due respect to the Cardinals: I think they're in a similar spot now to where we were these last few seasons. Just trying to claw and make the playoffs with an up-and-coming roster. Whereas, for us? It’s not like that now. We’re taking the long view. Every game isn’t the Super Bowl for our team. 

The Super Bowl is the Super Bowl for our team. 

Or at least that’s what we’re working toward.

 

In the play of the year thread, I had the Allen to Diggs late score against AZ.  I wasn't that mad about the Hail Mary.  

After Allen hit Diggs with that deep corner pass, that's when I thought this team was something special.  

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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.

 

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"Mafia, we told them!! We told them this bandwagon wasn’t open for business. "

 

How can you not love the letter Dion wrote, truly exceptional.

 

He understands what it means to be a Bills fan.

 

After reading that letter it just seems almost surreal the incredible success and promise we have. Dion is right, we are not lovable losers anymore.  No more moral victories, as Dion wrote a real "actual-ass victory!!!"

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29 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

Yeah I’m not gonna make it to Saturday. 

 

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. 

 

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16 minutes 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.

 

 

One of the few things that truly annoyed me about some media pundit, was referring to Dion as the "Self-named Shnowman" or something like that, like he made up the nickname to get attention.  It was kind of belittling.

 

No, he got the nickname shoveling snow all day in middle school in NJ to make money for his fam.  Check out his episode of "Coffee with the Bills" (about 3 in)

 

At least ask, media peeps.  Don't ASS U ME.

 

Dion is cool, Man.

 

9 minutes ago, teef said:

i hope they make the guys watch the texans playoff game from last year.  if that doesn't leave a bad taste in their mouths, nothing will.

 

Waste of time.  Face Forward.  Watch more Colts film with that time.

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6 minutes ago, teef said:

i hope they make the guys watch the texans playoff game from last year.  if that doesn't leave a bad taste in their mouths, nothing will.

What's with the negative waves, Moriarty?

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11 minutes ago, teef said:

i hope they make the guys watch the texans playoff game from last year.  if that doesn't leave a bad taste in their mouths, nothing will.


 

I actually think that the Hail Mary in Arizona harkened back to that loss for some of these players.  Dion says they realized not every game was their Super Bowl, but I also think some players had over a week to sit with that bad taste and it reminded them of the Houston Taste and they have been a different team since.

 

I think every so often you need that kind of loss to remind and push you forward.  It ends up as a blessing in disguise.

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ugh....trying to see, but these damn allergies are making my eyes water. Some ***** is blowing leaves outside or something...

This team is manifesting its own destiny this year and it's really fun to watch. Dion's description of those 2 plays really hit home. Josh brings a certain attitude to the team and I don't see him losing that attitude ever.

25 minutes ago, teef said:

don't joke about the bills re-watching the texans game!

You're the Chargers and everyone in here is just spinning their balls in your face.

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Read this and literally got chills the entire time. Wow. Wow. Wow. 

 

Has there ever been a more deserving team to win a super bowl? Like honestly? The universe HAS to reward this season with a super bowl win. 

 

Love his take on Diggs and Josh. 

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I'm truly grateful for everything the Bills have done for us this year.  That was an amazing blog post by Dawkins, the guy is clearly very intelligent not just intellectually but emotively as well.  

 

I loved every part of that blog and his description of Diggs and Allen were both spot on.   That's the description I gave to my dad the other day about Josh that the game has slowed down for him that it's like he's NEO now in the Matrix, dodging bullets.  That's exactly what I said to my brother and dad.    Also how that Josh is learning things so quickly in real time.  You can literally see him processing and improving DURING the game.

 

I just love this team.  

 

 

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It's great to see someone so deep in the organization "get it", and not just some guy in charge of designing retro t-shirts.

 

The PLAYERS on this team GET IT.

 

Josh is the QB we have been waiting for.

Diggs is the Superstar we have been waiting for.

McD and Beane are the FO guys we have been waiting for.

This culture is the culture we have been waiting for.

 

They arent guys that just happen to play for the Bills and are just working a job to collect a check. They GET what it means. They GET the history. And most importantly, they seem to GET what they must do in the future.

 

LETS ***** GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

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