The Buffalo Bills made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game last season without the in-game support from "Bills Mafia" at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
Just image what they could accomplish with a full stadium this year.
In an interview on Friday during the “Howard and Jeremy Show” on WGR, Bills running back Devin Singletary made it very clear that players can’t wait to play in front of a packed house again.
“They don’t know how much we’re looking forward to it,” he said with Howard Simon and Jeremy White. “We missed the fans so much. It was weird not having them. We’re more than excited to have them back in the building.”
The Bills were permitted to host limited numbers of fans for their two home playoff games last season, but went the entire regular season without fans in the stands. Roughly 50,000 strong returned to Highmark Stadium last month for the Bills’ final preseason game. They defeated the Packers, 19-0.
Afterwards, players were gushing about the Mafia’s impact.
“It was the best feeling to see them fans coming out of the tunnel,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said in his postgame interview. “It’s just amazing that these guys can finally see why Buffalo is what Buffalo is.”
Singletary did receive the opportunity to play in front of the home crowd during his rookie season. Two years later, he said he’s working to become mentally tougher and stronger.
We may see a new Singletary this season. Last year, he rushed for 687 yards on 156 carries, and scored just two touchdowns.
He’s looking to improve on that performance, and receive the bulk of the carries out of the backfield.
“It was mental as well, working on my mental throughout workouts,” he said. “When I get tired, I might have to do a certain drill that relates to the game that’s going to help my mental when it gets down to the fourth quarter. I missed having that kind of training due to [COVID-19]. So it felt good having that kind of training the way I did. It was some great work.”
The Bills will host the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. You can listen to Singletary's entire interview during the "Howard and Jeremy Show" below:
