WEATHER DOT COM Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Also need to say this - Dawkins was an absolute steal at the end of round 2. He'd be a top 10 pick in a redraft. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatdrought Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 ***** bring me all of the walls. Let’s go. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patzen Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Holy crap I'm crying. I feel like I'm ready to jump through fifty tables right now. Let's go Bills! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjag Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Wow.. just wow. Full on crying, both eyes. Nose running.. No shame. Talk about capturing the moment and THE essence of what it means to be a Buffalonian and Bills fan. It runs deep, it runs eternal. Thank you Dion. Thank you. What a ride. What a glorious ride. Now go get them Colts, Ravens, Chiefs and Packers. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 We all want to beat the Colts... keep this train rolling right into the Super Bowl. And with a team like this. A team full of players and people like Dawkins... I truly for the first time in a really, really long time believe we can make it. His letter is an inspiration. Not just for the games and what’s happening on the field, but also for getting through the days of this past year and year to come. i love this team, the players and the fans that have become the face of the franchise. We’ve survived the desert. We waded through 20 years of purgatory and finally... we can bask in the sunshine of a promising new era. Go Bills!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmishRifle Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Pulitzer Prize quality stuff right there. Wow! Captured every emotion, thought, and feeling I've had for this team. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunnerBill Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 17 minutes ago, wAcKy ZeBrA said: Also need to say this - Dawkins was an absolute steal at the end of round 2. He'd be a top 10 pick in a redraft. Not sure about top 10... that was a really good draft... but 1st rounder, absolutely. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Lombardi Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 He exudes joy, even on an NFL field. It's a rare ability. Brett Favre comes to mind. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearNorth Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 This guy could really be the next Art Shell after his playing career. This original Bills Fan [1960] thinks he speaks the truth. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Returntoglory Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 I absolutely LOVE his writing style! Hat's off to DD. He loves his team and the Bills mafia and truly feels were destined for something special. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comebackkid Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 As great as this is from Dawkins, and it is great. You have to credit Beane an McDermott. They infused family and Brotherhood and respect into winning in playing football. They were able to draft players that believe in Buffalo and winning as much as the fans and themselves. I think it's a very complete and unique environment that they have created here in such a few short years that encapsulates the past while being completely focused on the future 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 I love these letters from players. They're amazing. As happy as I am about the Bills doing so well, I've been a little down about the fact that it's happening during THIS year, with no fans in the stands or out in the city celebrating, with no way for me to attend a game during what has been the best season of my adult life. There's been a small part of me that's like "well, winning the Super Bowl would be great this year...but couldn't we do it NEXT YEAR instead?". It just seems cruel for the best fan base in sports, after all these years of misery, to potentially miss out -- at least as far as live attendance, tailgating, and in-person celebration goes -- on the first championship season in team history. But I have to say, two things have turned me around. First is the fact that there will be fans in the stands for the playoffs. I know it's not full capacity and I know 6,700 isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it MATTERS. Thousands of loyal Bills Mafia family members ARE going to get to see this team play live and in person, in a home playoff game. It's gonna mean a lot to the team to have them there, too -- that, I know for sure. Second is this article. The way Dion puts it -- that the Bills have injected joy into a terrible year -- is right on the money. The degree to which a trivial thing like sports really CAN lift up a community during times of hardship can't be overstated. Just look at the Saints after hurricane Katrina. Reading Dion's letter makes it clear that, though we can't be together on game days, the bond between team and fans has never been stronger. This year has STRENGTHENED it, if anything, and who know that THAT could be possible? All that's left to say is: Go Bills! Go bring home that Lombardi. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChevyVanMiller Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 (edited) Does anyone else get the sense that the Bills have a lot of players who are in their young 20s, yet they are old souls? These guys really seem to understand the moment that they are in and truly follow their coach’s mantra of staying humble and hungry. That is quite a departure from the Super Bowl teams of the ‘90s. I don’t know how this will all end this year, but I’ve never had more of a sense that this truly might be a team of destiny. Edited January 5, 2021 by ChevyVanMiller 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollars 2 donuts Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 (edited) Honestly, there just simply seems to be nothing more anathema to this team than losing. The idea of even coming close to them losing again is something, to a man, that if I were to bring it up in the locker room with them 60 guys in that room would start clenching their fists...very tightly. This is a different Bills team. ...get used to different. Edited January 5, 2021 by dollars 2 donuts 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFunPolice Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 This is awesome! This season has also been proof that culture and team bond matters. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like A Mofo Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 I cannot say enough great things about Dion Dawkins. Have said this before and will say it again, when this is all said and done, Dion will go down as one of THE greatest and most beloved Buffalo Bills players in franchise history, and yes he is a REALLY good OL, but moreso because he is a great young man that just GETS Buffalo perfectly. Dion is such a breath of fresh air in today's world, we all need more people like Dion around. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solomon Grundy Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 This article will have FAs busting down the doors at OBD to become a part of this team/organization.Thanks for the insight Shnowman!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WEATHER DOT COM Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 22 minutes ago, Logic said: I love these letters from players. They're amazing. As happy as I am about the Bills doing so well, I've been a little down about the fact that it's happening during THIS year, with no fans in the stands or out in the city celebrating, with no way for me to attend a game during what has been the best season of my adult life. There's been a small part of me that's like "well, winning the Super Bowl would be great this year...but couldn't we do it NEXT YEAR instead?". It just seems cruel for the best fan base in sports, after all these years of misery, to potentially miss out -- at least as far as live attendance, tailgating, and in-person celebration goes -- on the first championship season in team history. I just imagine where I would be mentally if the Bills sucked this year... Personally, the Bills being great during the worst year of my life has been a friggin godsend. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphadawg7 Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Phenomenal. Just phenomenal. Well done Dion! LFG!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 I’m intrigued by the concept of “no ceiling.” We’ve always heard about “the sky is the limit”, but no ceiling connotes something else entirely, imo. What a great way to define greatness and what it takes to get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunnerBill Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwai San Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Wow ... all I can say is wow... Talk about a player who has his head on right ..... wow 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoBills Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philly McButterpants Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Dude.just.GETS.it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willyville Guy Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBuff423 Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProcessAccepted Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJS Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sven233 Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elroy16 Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyDays Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted January 5, 2021 Author Share 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockinon Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 That was a spectacular letter. That "C" on his uniform is there for a reason. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Gianelli Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjag Posted January 5, 2021 Share 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Boy Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 WTF????? 😍🎈🎁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevewin Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Wow was not expecting something at that level to be honest - incredible. Extremely insightful and well done 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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