Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - Saturday marks the long-awaited premiere of the Hallmark Channel original movie "Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story" for Buffalo Bills fans and Western New Yorkers.
One of the staples of Hallmark original movies, credited with 35 movies to his name, is Andrew Walker, who grew up a Bills fan in Montreal, Quebec.
"If you grew up on the West coast of Canada - Vancouver, B.C., Calgary - you usually adopt the Seattle Seahawks as your team. In the East Coast, you adopt either the Patriots - which we won't even mention - or the Bills. And there's some people that are Jets and Giants, New York fans, but most of my friends and my family are all diehard Bills fans," said Walker during a visit to Buffalo back in September.
While Walker is only credited with making a cameo in the Bills Hallmark movie, it was his goal to somehow be part of the film involving his favorite team growing up.
"I put a phone call in to the head of programming, and I was like, 'Listen, I know I probably can't be the lead of this movie, but if I can just have a small part and just experience it, that would be really, really special.' And she's like, 'Andrew, you don't make these phone calls that often, so maybe we'll make something happen for you.' And here I am with these folks," Walker noted.
Growing up in the '90s era of Bills football, Walker lived the years of success and heartbreak that followed the team at every turn.
"Some amazing years where they made it so close, couldn't close the deal, but they made it to the Super Bowl. And I think this era of Bills, I think they have everything they need, what it takes. You need a strong running game, a strong passing game," Walker said. "And I think the difference - Jim Kelly, God bless that man - but I think the difference was you've got Josh Allen's legs. Jim Kelly wasn't a scrambler, but Josh Allen has the arm and the legs for it. So I think we're in for some really exciting years now with the Bills."
Walker says he was a running back growing up, idolizing Hall-of-Famer Thurman Thomas along the way. However, it was the presence of another Bills Hall-of-Famer that captured his fascination.
"I loved watching Bruce Smith play. I watched the game he got the record for sacks, and what a special guy and player. He was really the difference maker," Walker said. "Thurman Thomas was incredible, but [Smith] was the real difference maker during that era. Defense wins championships, offense wins games."
During his visit to Western New York in September, it was Walker's first time ever taking in a Bills game in-person, especially the tailgating scene with the fans prior to kickoff at Highmark Stadium. He could feel the excitement surrounding the game even before stepping foot into the stadium.
"You only have to be here to experience the excitement," Walker explained. "I think it's difficult to put into words, but to be here, to see it for face value, to meet all the people. To see these idiosyncrasies or these very special tailgating moments that only happen if you're a Buffalo Bills fan, this is a really special moment for me. I'm soaking it up as much as I can."
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And Walker got the taste of the "Bills Mafia" experience almost right off the bat.
"I came in, I didn't have anything in my hand. And immediately, when I got out of the car, there was a man with a Buffalo hat on that he had sewed himself. He had three beers in his hand and he said, 'Take this! You cannot not have a beer in your hand right now.' That was my welcoming when I got out of the car," Walker recalled. "And then it was the same thing, same welcoming atmosphere. Everybody that we've met have just embraced us being here."
One thing Walker admits he was surprised with during his first visit for a Bills game was the amount of Hallmark fans he came across in the parking lots.
"All these people we've met - nurses, teachers - that's the core fan base of the network. And it's funny to see their husbands there too, who say, 'My wife goes to bed with you every single night. I share my bed with you.' There's that as well," Walker said. "But I was very pleasantly surprised at how welcoming the whole atmosphere was and all the people were."
While Walker's first game in Orchard Park came in the final season of the current Highmark Stadium, which has been the home of the Bills since 1973, he says looking across the street at the new stadium under construction along Abbott Road gets him amped up for his next game experience come 2026.
"I think the mix of old and new, where there's still an open concept stadium with the weather, because they want it. I think it's really important that the Bills have home field advantage come the playoffs. ... I think that's awesome," Walker said. "I love that the field is going to be heated, so that's a fun component, or a different component now. There's a piece of me that still wants the fans to be involved in a way of shoveling the stands and the field and stuff.
"All these new stadiums that are being put up nowadays, it's crazy engineering feats. Each one tends to blow the next one out of the water. I live in L.A., I go to SoFi stadium a lot to watch the Chargers play. It's a spectacular environment, but I think there's something special about what the new Highmark's going to be like. But you can't compare anything with an open field or open roof stadium."
"Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story" premieres at 8 p.m. EST on Saturday on the Hallmark Channel.
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